Then the men of Israel said to Gideon, “Rule over us, you and your son and your grandson also, for you have saved us from the hand of Midian.”
Gideon said to them, “I will not rule over you, and my son will not rule over you; the LORD will rule over you.”
Judges 8:22-23 ESV
My heart rejoiced when I read Gideon’s words. Praise the Lord that Gideon desired for the Lord to rule over the people!
But, seconds later, Gideon asks those same people to give him all the golden earrings from the spoil of their battle against the Midianites, and from those golden earrings he makes an ephod which “all Israel whored after, and it became a snare to Gideon and to his family” (Judges 8:27b).
It just reminded me how quickly I can be deceived, how easily I can step off the straight and narrow path. I need to be diligent in taking every decision to the Lord, willingly following Him step by step.
Heavenly Father, You alone are the ruler of my life. I don’t want to whore after other gods, idols that make promises they’re unable to keep. Open wide my eyes that I may see You. May Your Word be a lamp to my feet and a light to my path, that I might follow You and You alone all the days of my life. To the glory of Your Name I pray. Amen.
The LORD said to Gideon, “The people with you are too many for me to give the Midianites into their hand, lest Israel boast over me, saying, ‘My own hand has saved me.’
Judges 7:2 ESV
This passage has had a special place in my heart since one night about twenty years ago when the Holy Spirit convicted me about how often I used manipulation to get my husband to do what I wanted. That night, the Lord opened my eyes to the importance of trusting Him to fight my battles, rather than trusting my own skills of argumentation to get my way. That night, I decided to quit fighting against my husband and to start praying for him. That night, I finally recognized that I might be winning these marital battles, but I was losing the war for my marriage.
Can any of you relate?
Ask yourself what weapons you’re using to fight your own battles: Nagging and complaining? Threatening and yelling? Silence and the cold shoulder? Put those weapons away, friends. They’re not the Lord’s weapons; they’re the enemy’s.
If the Lord can cause the entire Middianite army to kill one another, giving the Israelites success by merely blowing their trumpets, then surely He conquer the heart of your stubborn loved one.
Put on the whole armor of God, the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the shoes of the gospel of peace, the shield of faith, and the helmet of salvation. And take up your weapon, the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God, and start praying in the Spirit, asking Him to fight for you. (Ephesians 6:12-17)
Join forces with the Lord. Remember who your real enemy is. Quit fighting your spiritual brothers and sisters and start fighting the spiritual forces of evil.
Heavenly Father, we need You to fight our battles for us. Open our eyes to see the spiritual battle that we are in. Make us soldiers in Your army, wielding that Sword of the Spirit, your Word, with excellence and accuracy, praying without ceasing, and seeking Your face for direction day after day. Let us not grow weary of well-doing. Give us clean hands and pure hearts. Help us to root up those spirits of bitterness and selfishness. Protect us from pride and manipulation. Make us more like You. In the Name of Jesus Christ, our Lord and our Brother, we pray. Amen.
I know that yesterday’s post was also from Judges 6, but I hope you’ll bear with me.
In Judges 6, God told Gideon that He is sending him to save Israel from the hand of Midian, but before sending Gideon into that battle, the Lord tells Gideon to take his father’s bulls and pull down his father’s altar to Baal. Then, Gideon is to “cut down the Asherah that is beside it and build an altar to the LORD your God on the top of the stronghold here, with stones laid in due order. Then take the second bull and offer it as a burnt offering with the wood of the Asherah that you shall cut down.” (Judges 6:25-26 ESV) Gideon obeys God, but for fear of his family and the men of the town, he does it at night so no one sees him.
The next morning, when the townspeople awake, they notice the broken down altar and the cut down Asherah and the bull atop the altar. They immediately go to Gideon’s father, Joash, and demand that Gideon be killed for such an action.
Can you guess how Joash reacts? He defends Gideon, refusing to harm his son, and calling into question the power of Baal, saying, “If he is a god, let him contend for himself, because his altar has been broken down.” (Judges 6:31b) Whoa. I was shocked, weren’t you? I expected his dad to be really mad and lash out at Gideon for destroying his stuff, especially his altar!
I wonder how many of you have had to tear down altars that your parents have built.
Maybe your parents worshipped at the altar of success, power, fame, and prestige. Maybe they worshipped wealth, spending their lives in pursuit of bigger cars, houses, and toys. Maybe they worshipped human philosophy and wisdom. Maybe they worshipped false gods of their own making or false gods made by other men through the centuries.
And maybe you, like Gideon, and me, and so many others, have been afraid to start chipping away at those altars for fear of your parents’ rejection, disapproval, or worse.
But as we saw in Gideon’s life, you never know how the Lord might work. Maybe the Lord has already begun working on your parents’ hearts and they just need you to take that first step of obedience in helping them to pull down those altars. Or maybe the Lord wants you to heed the words of Jesus in Matthew 10.
“Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. And a person’s enemies will be those of his own household.
Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.”
Matthew 10:34-39 ESV
What altar is the Lord calling you to tear down today?
Remember, friend, if you have surrendered your life to His Lordship, He is with you. Go in His power and might. Be a woman of valor for the Lord is fighting your battles for you.
Heavenly Father, please help me not to afraid – not because life isn’t scary, but because You are with me. Help me to love others more than myself and help me to love You most and best. You are worthy of it all. If you are for me, who can be against me? What can man do to me? In You I have all I need. In the Mighty, Majestic Name of Jesus Christ I pray. Amen.
Worthy of It All – Cece Winans
TEARING DOWN YOUR FATHER’S ALTARS – FormerAtheist58
From the beginning of time, God knew that people would need signs to strengthen their faith in Him. When God created the sun, moon, and stars, He said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night. And let them be forsigns and for seasons, and for days and years” (Genesis 1:14 ESV). A rainbow, a staff turned to a snake, and here in Judges 6, a wet fleece on a dry ground followed by a dry fleece on a wet fleece, have all been signs given by a good God to prove the truth of His promises, His Word, and even His existence.
I remember a time when I asked God for a sign that He was real, that He was out there somewhere. I was 15 or 16 years old, sitting in an empty grassy field on a college campus in Vermont where I was attending a summer debate camp. The vast blue sky, gentle breeze, and towering swaying trees were making me think.
When I wasn’t struck by lightning (or a Bible falling from the sky), I concluded that God must not be real. But, I was wrong. So wrong. In fact, God had given me signs of His existence in those very things – the sky, wind, and trees, the sun, moon, and stars – they were all pointing me straight to Him. ☝️ (Read Romans 1 and Psalm 19 for more on this.)
For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.
Romans 1:20 ESV
God has also given us so many signs to point mankind to the Messiah, the Savior of the World, Jesus, the One who came into the world to save sinners like you and me. He took on human flesh, born as a human baby to a virgin mother, yet He was Immanuel, God with us. He was crucified without cause, the sinless for the sinful, the innocent for the guilty. Do you know Him?
Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.
Isaiah 7:14 ESV
And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.”
Luke 2:10-12 ESV
Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered him, saying, “Teacher, we wish to see a sign from you.” But he answered them, “An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. For just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.
Matthew 12:38-40 ESV
So the Jews said to him, “What sign do you show us for doing these things?” Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” The Jews then said, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will you raise it up in three days?” But he was speaking about the temple of his body. When therefore he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this, and they believed the Scripture and the word that Jesus had spoken.
John 2:18-22 ESV
God gave us all these signs so we would recognize the Messiah when He came the first time 2,000 years ago, but I believe He’s coming again … and soon! I hope you’re keeping your eyes wide open, being faithful to attend to your Father’s business while you’re eagerly watching for Him. Don’t be caught unaware like a thief in the night. Read Matthew 24 for more!
Heavenly Father, Thank You for sending Jesus in just the right way to just the right place at just the right time. Your Word is true and trustworthy. I pray that we would be found eagerly watching for You with our hands to the plow, bring about our Father’s business. I pray that we would be faithful to You and faithful to pursue the salvation of the lost. I pray for anyone who is reading this and has not yet bowed the knee to Jesus. I pray that today would be the day of their salvation, that they would wait for a sign no longer. In the name of Jesus Christ, our savior and our Lord, we pray. Amen.
As we enter this advent season, I hope you’ll order a paperback copy or ebook of my family Christmas devotional and trace the line of the Savior from Creation to Christ.
God has often asked me to do things that, frankly, I don’t want to do. I didn’t want to homeschool. I didn’t want to start a ministry to women who were continuing their pregnancy after finding out something was wrong with their unborn baby. And every time the Lord has told me to go talk to someone I’m having conflict with, I’ve tried to come up with excuses for why I’m not the right person for the job.
Why did God call Deborah to judge Israel? Why didn’t He choose Deborah’s husband, Lappidoth, or that mighty warrior, Barak?
Why did God choose Jael to put a tent stake through King Sisera’s skull? Wouldn’t her father or her husband or her brother or her son have been a better choice?
The answer to these questions is this: I have no idea. 🤷♀️
But I do know that God’s ways are higher than ours (Isaiah 55:8-8), and God uses the weak to shame the strong (1 Corinthians 1:27). I do know that God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble (James 4:6, 1 Peter 5:5) I know that it is the Lord who gives both life and death (Deuteronomy 32:39, 1 Samuel 2:6), and He can use whoever He pleases to accomplish His purposes.
Is God calling you to do something hard, something impossible, something you don’t want to do?
Listen carefully to His voice.Fix your eyes on Him and allow Him to guide you by the truth of His Word and His Holy Spirit.
Fix your eyes on Him and allow Him to guide you by the truth of His Word and His Holy Spirit.
Walk by faith and not by sight.
Do the next thing – by faith in His power and might.
Heavenly Father, what a blessing and gift to know You, to be clay in Your hands. Use us for whatever You’ve called us to. Make us Your vessels, Your instruments, Your servants and ambassadors and ministers, that the lost would find hope and rest and peace at the feet of Jesus Christ, our deliverer and judge. In His Name we pray. Amen.
“And the people of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the LORD. They forgot the LORD their God and served the Baals and the Asheroth.
Therefore the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel, and he sold them into the hand of Cushan-rishathaim king of Mesopotamia. And the people of Israel served Cushan-rishathaim eight years.
But when the people of Israel cried out to the LORD, the LORD raised up a deliverer for the people of Israel, who saved them, Othniel the son of Kenaz, Caleb’s younger brother.”
Judges 3:7-9 ESV
My weight has fluctuated by twenty or so pounds for the past two decades. I gradually put on weight, filling my plate with more calories than I can burn and indulging in too many sweets. Then, finally, one day, I look down at the scale and think, “What happened?!?”
But in the years leading up to that epiphany there were plenty of signs. I’m plagued by aches and pains and bloating. I can’t fit in my favorite jeans and my tops don’t look right.
And yet, I keep going down that road until suddenly I wake up and realize things have gone too far. Twenty pounds? What? I’ve got to do something!
I see this same phenomenon in our own Christian life. One day we’re tired or busy and skip reading the Bible that day. A few days later, we have a crazy day and we miss our time with the Lord. And after a few weeks or months of that, we finally recognize that we’ve abandoned our times of communing with Him already.
The Israelites had wandered away from God. In His mercy, He was bringing them back … Through the pain of slavery, followed by the joy of deliverance.
Have you wandered away? Have you seen the Lord’s hand of discipline on your life? Are you ready to return to Him? He’s calling you. He’s already sent a deliverer, and His Name is Jesus. Come back to Him. His arms are open wide.
Heavenly Father, Thank You for Jesus, our Great Deliverer. I pray that our nation would return to You, that we would remember the heights from which we have fallen and cry out to You. Forgive us, Father, for we have wandered away from You, the One True God. We have chosen to serve gods of our own making, God’s made by human minds and human hands. Forgive us, Father. Save us, please! Deliver us! Turn our hearts and minds back to You! We need You! It is in the matchless, Almighty Name of Jesus that we bring these requests to You. Amen.
Earlier this month, my youngest son was baptized. Watching him commit his life to Christ is a joy like no other.
I have found such peace, comfort, and hope in knowing the Lord. I believe His Word that eternal life is only available to those who trust in Christ and that eternal damnation awaits those who reject Him. It absolutely breaks my heart into a million pieces to think that any of my children or grandchildren might abandon the Lord and wander away after other gods.
I believe that I have done my best through many ups and downs to be faithful to the Lord in shepherding and discipling my children, but ultimately their faith must be their own. I can’t force anyone to believe. God has to open their eyes, and they have to receive Him by faith.
Heavenly Father, I pray that my children and grandchildren and the generations not yet born will come to You by faith. Let us not want away after other gods and turn our backs on You, the One True God. I pray especially for Daniel as he walks day by day in his new life in Christ. In the name of Jesus I pray. Amen.
After the death of Joshua, the people of Israel inquired of the LORD, “Who shall go up first for us against the Canaanites, to fight against them?”
Judges 1:1 ESV
It is hard for me to go to God when I need direction. I’m much more likely to go to Google or a friend for guidance. I’m trying to learn to ask the Lord and then listen carefully for His answer. He has given me His Holy Spirit to be my counselor and guide. I want to trust, obey, and follow Him … but sometimes I’m running so fast that I’ve already made the decision before I’ve even inquired. Am I the only one? Do you struggle with this, too? 🙋♀️
Heavenly Father, I want to follow You, but it’s hard because I’m moving too fast. I’m running out front, asking for Your wisdom after I’ve already started the race. Please forgive me, Father. Help me to inquire of You first and to wait for Your wisdom before I start running. Thank You for Your mercy. In the Name of Jesus I pray. Amen.
Teach What is Good 
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