Navigating The ImpostorSample

The Uncertain General - Part 3

Gideon chooses 10 of his servants. He goes to the altar of Baal, where his father, Joash, worshipped. He follows God's directions, albeit at night, and destroys the altar and sacred pole.

I want you to get this. Gideon had servants. He had people who worked for him. We sometimes look at others who seem to have wealth, thinking they've got it all together. But Gideon, wealthy-Gideon-with-servants-Gideon, is afraid and so he does this deed at night.

Not only is he being asked to destroy the altar of a false god, but he is also asked to destroy the altar of a god his father worships. So, he is at risk of the wrath of an entire community as well as his father. He's probably in his dad's will, and going against his dad might mean loss of his inheritance.

But Gideon takes his servants and, in obedience to God, destroys the altar.

Sometimes, you acknowledge and receive your leadership mandate. You know you have a task to complete. But, the impostor comes out and so you do it at night.

Here's some good news. You've been obedient. You've completed the task. Celebrate that.

Here's the bad news. Doing it at night doesn't always exempt you from the conflict that follows.

The people in the town wake up in the morning and see the altar and pole have been destroyed. In its place is a new altar. So, they hire a forensics expert and do some investigation. The trail leads them to Gideon, and they all march over to Gideon's family property.

"Gideon is a criminal. He's defaced and destroyed federal property. Send him out so we can kill him!"

Gideon's dad, Joash, heads out to the front gate and says, "Are you all trying to get revenge for a god? Seriously, if Baal is a god, then won't he get revenge himself? As a matter of fact, if Baal finds you all trying to step in front of him and take revenge, won't he get mad and kill you? You all are the ones who should watch out."

The Bible doesn't explicitly say this, but I can imagine that at this moment, as his father stands up to defend him, Gideon becomes a bit more emboldened. He realizes then that his father is not more committed to the worship of a false god than he is to the well-being of his family.

The "impostor" told Gideon that he couldn't lead in the daylight. But his obedience allowed him to be able to see the support he would receive from his family. 

Obedience > sacrifice.

By sacrifice, I mean sacrificing the limelight and operating in the shadows. Obedience and being true to God's gift brings you to the place God has prepared for you. It's not an easy road. It's going to be scary.

The "impostor" will fill your mind with untrue messages.

Choose obedience!

This will help you to navigate the impostor.