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Out of the Shadows
I cannot even begin to tell you how many times I’ve brushed past God’s exclamations of His view of me. Sometimes, instead of acting in a way that is congruent with what He says, I casually dismiss it as something that might be true for others but not for me. Without Him, left to my own reality, I am all of those things I think of myself—fearful, incompetent, and insignificant. But with Him, my purposes and possibilities completely change.
Gideon was so skeptical of the description God had given him, he didn’t even address the whole gibbor chayil title in his response. Immersed in the throes of devastation and disillusionment, he discussed another theme entirely. In essence, Gideon overlooked one of the most important portions of this heavenly interaction.
Sometimes, so do we.
Sometimes we prematurely pursue the mission to which we’ve been called and forgo the critical groundwork of learning about and walking in our God-given spiritual identity. When life’s shadows distort our reality, those distortions can easily become our truth, ripping us away from God’s truth and thwarting our purpose.
The assignment for which God is calling us will go unrealized unless we are convinced of the spiritual chops He has given us to accomplish it. His perspective might sound unbelievable and even look completely incorrect based on the way we are acting and feeling. But trusting God and walking in His pronouncement of potential is the foundation of spiritual victory.
A believer without a clear sense of his or her true spiritual identity is like a police officer with no badge, like a driver with no license. They may have the right equipment, but they don’t have the authority to use it.
Gideon was more than the sum of his cowardly parts. He was more than his circumstances. He was a valiant warrior touched by an encounter with God Himself. And you, my friend, are too.
Even if you are hiding in a winepress.
Even if you are running from an enemy.
Even if you are more humiliated now than ever before.
Even if intimidation and fear have been your constant companions.
Today, you’re getting tugged out of the shadows. Now, lift up your head and act like it.
We adapted this Plan from Gideon by Priscilla Shirer. Learn more about Gideon at Lifeway.com/Gideon .
About this Plan
When we hear the name Gideon, most of us think about his 300 soldiers or a fleece spread beneath the evening sky. But Gideon's story is so much bigger than that. This is a story about God and His people—His love for them, as well as His strength operating in spite of, even through, their weakness.
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