Encouraged – Praying Pint

29.f. ” See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit”

Colossians 2:2 that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, to reach all the riches of full assurance of understanding and the knowledge of God’s mystery, which is Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. I say this in order that no one may delude you with plausible arguments.

Romans 11:33    Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!

2 Timothy 3:15-17   and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.  All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness,  that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.

1 Corinthians 2:6-7   Yet among the mature we do impart wisdom, although it is not a wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are doomed to pass away.  But we impart a secret and hidden wisdom of God, which God decreed before the ages for our glory.

Matthew 10:26   “So have no fear of them, for nothing is covered that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known.

Ephesians 3:9    and to bring to light for everyone what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God, who created all things,

Colossians 2:8   See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ.

2 Thessalonians 2:9-11 The coming of the lawless one is by the activity of Satan with all power and false signs and wonders,  and with all wicked deception for those who are perishing, because they refused to love the truth and so be saved.  Therefore God sends them a strong delusion, so that they may believe what is false,

For Paul, real riches were found in the believer’s full assurance. Many lack full assurance about the character of God and are unconvinced that He is really good and loving. Others lack full assurance of their salvation and wonder if their Christian life is for real. Great freedom and confidence comes when we come to this full assurance. “You will only find all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge in Jesus. He has them all.” It’s not wrong to seek after wisdom and knowledge; but we must seek it all in Jesus. Real wisdom is not hidden in secret books, but deposited in Jesus Christ so that all can access it. When Paul describes the truth of God with words like riches and treasures, he reminds us that God’s truth is precious and worthy of sacrificial seeking. (Guzik)

It might sound simple, but deceivers are deceivers. They won’t announce their false doctrine as false doctrine, and it will often be similar enough to the truth to be dangerous. Combining The Word of God with worldly knowledge and wisdom will never end well. Dilution of God’s Word will never lead us into deeper understanding, knowledge, and wisdom. On the contrary, it will confuse, weaken, and leave us unsatisfied. We never obtain complete wisdom, knowledge, and understanding but we certainly will grow and mature in it for our entire lives. Line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little and there a little, we will mature if we are diligent in our intentional choice to humbly seek, surrender, obey, follow, trust, and rely on and in Jesus Christ, the mystery of God to man.

27.m. “I urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called”

Ephesians 4:1 I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

Romans 12:1   I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.

Acts 9:31   So the church throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria had peace and was being built up. And walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, it multiplied.

Colossians 1:10  so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God;

1 Thessalonians 2:12 we exhorted each one of you and encouraged you and charged you to walk in a manner worthy of God, who calls you into his own kingdom and glory.

2 Timothy 1:9    who saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works but because of his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began,

What does it mean to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called? Our salvation is in Jesus Christ alone. Nothing we could do or did do would add or take away from His complete work on the cross. There is not a single “Good” person who has done good enough to merit what Christ did on the cross. There is not a single “Bad” person who has done such vile bad things that the work of Christ on the cross will not save them completely. The good and bad people are both sinners, lost, apart from God, walking in flesh and doing fleshly things, and in need of redemption, forgiveness, and salvation. Once they have come to the saving grace knowledge of Jesus Christ, repent of their sin, and trust in, cling to, and rely on Jesus Christ they are saved, born again, a new creation. The Holy Spirit is given to each one of them, to lead, comfort, and die them unlimited power to live in this world in a manner worthy of the price Jesus Christ paid for their sin. So I ask again what does it mean to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called?

This is an ever-changing goal in the life of a Christian. As we grow, here a little there a little, precept by precept, line upon line. As we grow in our knowledge and understanding of God and His grace, mercy, and love, our understanding of what walking in a manner worthy will also grow. That is why it is an ever-changing upward goal. We do well to grow in our knowledge and understanding, precept upon precept, line upon line, here a little and there a little. Too often our attainment of growth is limited because of our lack of knowledge and understanding of God’s Word. Too often we neglect it. Too often we are complacent. Too often we get caught up in the busyness of life and worry about walking worthy of what our neighbors and family will think rather than the one who freely gave His life to redeem you.

21.f. “Cast off and cast away your cloak of filthy rags”

Romans 13:12 The night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us walk properly as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in quarreling and jealousy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.

Ezekiel 18:31-32   Cast away from you all the transgressions that you have committed, and make yourselves a new heart and a new spirit! Why will you die, O house of Israel?  For I have no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Lord GOD; so turn, and live.”

John 3:19-21   And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil.

1 John 1:5-7   This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.  If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.

Galatians 5:16   But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.

1 Thessalonians 2:12   we exhorted each one of you and encouraged you and charged you to walk in a manner worthy of God, who calls you into his own kingdom and glory.

We must cast off before we can put on. “The rags of sin must come off if we put on the robe of Christ. There must be a taking away of the love of sin, there must be a renouncing of the practices and habits of sin, or else a man cannot be a Christian. It will be an idle attempt to try and wear religion as a sort of celestial overall over the top of old sins.” (Spurgeon)

The flesh will be as active as we allow it to be. We have a work to do in walking properly, as in the day – it isn’t as if Jesus does it for us as we sit back; instead, He does it through us as we willingly and actively partner with Him. (Guzik)

Spurgeon makes the point of the idle attempt to think it is possible to wear the cloak of religion over the top of unrepentant, unchanged, self-reliant, self-worthy, and self-serving heart, and expect it to, by some means, make you right before God’s eyes. There are those who spit on the garment of salvation. They want no part of it. They see this garment as a filthy rag. They deny it has any beauty or purpose.

There are people that may recognize the need for Christ but they continue to wear the cloak of self-reliance to cover their sin rather than an intentional choice to cast off the cloak of all hope in anything they can do and put on the garment of salvation. They are quick-change artists. They are able to slap an off-market garment that gives the appearance of being a Christian but under that garment still remains the filthy rags of un-repented sin and self-reliance. They never want to take off their filthy rags only cover them up.

The Word of God exposes the stench and ugliness of these filthy rags we cling to so tightly. In His Word, we are able to see them for what they are. We smell the stench and see the ugliness. We become aware and are able to cast them off. It is in this “casting off” that we are able to put on the pure clean garment of salvation. Casting off requires us to recognize the stench and ugliness of what cloaks our hearts, minds, and souls. Without this recognition, the need for the garment of salvation will never be put on. Jesus Christ paid the price (bought our new garment) and when we recognize the filthy rags clothing us and humbly take them off and lay them at His feet, He places this new garment of salvation on us. The stench and ugliness garments are removed forever.

The stench and ugliness of our filthy rags is sin. The garment of salvation is believing in, clinging to, trusting in, and relying on and in Jesus Christ. Recognition, confession, repentance, turning away, from the cloak of sin to the garment of salvation is an intentional choice. We can never buy the garment of salvation, it can only be given to us by Jesus Christ as we cast off our cloak of filthy rags.

86. “You have too many men.”

Judges 7:1 Early in the morning, Jerub-Baal (that is, Gideon) and all his men camped at the spring of Harod. The camp of Midian was north of them in the valley near the hill of Moreh. The Lord said to Gideon, “You have too many men. I cannot deliver Midian into their hands, or Israel would boast against me, ‘My own strength has saved me.’ Now announce to the army, ‘Anyone who trembles with fear may turn back and leave Mount Gilead.’” So twenty-two thousand men left, while ten thousand remained.

But the Lord said to Gideon, “There are still too many men. Take them down to the water, and I will thin them out for you there. If I say, ‘This one shall go with you,’ he shall go; but if I say, ‘This one shall not go with you,’ he shall not go.”

So Gideon took the men down to the water. There the Lord told him, “Separate those who lap the water with their tongues as a dog laps from those who kneel down to drink.” Three hundred of them drank from cupped hands, lapping like dogs. All the rest got down on their knees to drink.

The Lord said to Gideon, “With the three hundred men that lapped I will save you and give the Midianites into your hands. Let all the others go home.” So Gideon sent the rest of the Israelites home but kept the three hundred, who took over the provisions and trumpets of the others.

Now the camp of Midian lay below him in the valley. During that night the Lord said to Gideon, “Get up, go down against the camp, because I am going to give it into your hands. If you are afraid to attack, go down to the camp with your servant Purah and listen to what they are saying. Afterward, you will be encouraged to attack the camp.” So he and Purah his servant went down to the outposts of the camp. The Midianites, the Amalekites and all the other eastern peoples had settled in the valley, thick as locusts. Their camels could no more be counted than the sand on the seashore.

Gideon arrived just as a man was telling a friend his dream. “I had a dream,” he was saying. “A round loaf of barley bread came tumbling into the Midianite camp. It struck the tent with such force that the tent overturned and collapsed.”

His friend responded, “This can be nothing other than the sword of Gideon son of Joash, the Israelite. God has given the Midianites and the whole camp into his hands.”

When Gideon heard the dream and its interpretation, he bowed down and worshiped. He returned to the camp of Israel and called out, “Get up! The Lord has given the Midianite camp into your hands.”

Can you imagine the thoughts going through Gideon’s mind? He has an army of around 32,000 to go up against an army to numerous to count and God says “you have too many men.” So 22,000 are allowed to leave. God says “still too many.” In the end, God uses 300 men so that Israel will not boast in their own strength but in the sovereign power, might, and awesome strength of God alone.

How many times do we face that which is overwhelming to us in our own strength and wisdom rather than seeking Jesus and laying our burden at His feet and trusting Him in total reliance? Far too many times I am sure. It is never too late to confess we were trusting in our selves. It is never too late to repent from thinking we can do it on our own. It is never too late to give it fully into the hands of Jesus.

11. Therefore whoever disregards this, disregards not man but God

Jeremiah 23:17     They say continually to those who despise the word of the LORD, ‘It shall be well with you’; and to everyone who stubbornly follows his own heart, they say, ‘No disaster shall come upon you.’”

Jeremiah 6:14    They have healed the wound of my people lightly, saying, ‘Peace, peace,’ when there is no peace.

Ezekiel 13:10    Precisely because they have misled my people, saying, ‘Peace,’ when there is no peace, and because, when the people build a wall, these prophets smear it with whitewash,

Luke 10:16    “The one who hears you hears me, and the one who rejects you rejects me, and the one who rejects me rejects him who sent me.”

1 Thessalonians 4:8    Therefore whoever disregards this, disregards not man but God, who gives his Holy Spirit to you.

Isaiah 57:21     There is no peace,” says my God, “for the wicked.”

Ezekiel 13:22     Because you have disheartened the righteous falsely, although I have not grieved him, and you have encouraged the wicked, that he should not turn from his evil way to save his life,

Zechariah 10:2   Therefore the people wander like sheep; they are afflicted for lack of a shepherd.

Deuteronomy 29:19    one who, when he hears the words of this sworn covenant, blesses himself in his heart, saying, ‘I shall be safe, though I walk in the stubbornness of my heart.’

Zephaniah 1:12   and I will punish the men who are complacent, those who say in their hearts, ‘The LORD will not do good, nor will he do ill.’

Jeremiah 18:18   and let us not pay attention to any of his words.”

Peace, Peace, there is no peace. People wander like sheep for they lack a shepherd. God’s word whitewashed. Walking in stubbornness following their own heart. Complacent and pay no attention to any of His words.

These scriptures speak to those who play and pretend to be followers of God. They are false followers. They deny God. They spend little to no time in His word. They whitewash their heart with words of peace but the great shepherd has no place in their life. They blindly follow the wind of ideas that flow from society and find comfort in that folly. God is not real in their life. There is no relationship with Him. There is no want to serve Him. There is no desire to seek Him unless something bad has transpired. There is no need of God and His leading. They walk this life with the guidance of their own heart. They never ask God to lead them or show them their sin. There is no fruit of the spirit in their life. God is void most days. Their ears are deaf to Him. Their eyes are blind to Him. His word is foreign to them. His warnings go unheard. They see no need for the bread and water of life found in His word. There is little to no place of God in their life.

What kind of life it this? How is God honored by being complacent? How is God glorified when He is neglected?

God is worthy of all praise, honor, and glory. In Him, we find true peace. In Him, we find abundant life. In Him we see eternity. In Him we find redemption. In Him we find hope. In Him we find rest. In Him we find refuge. In Him we find strength. In Him, we are encouraged for each new day. In Him, our worries are put to rest. In Him, we are filled with a spirit of love.

Intentional commitment to humbly serve, honor, follow and obey God is a choice. Do not choose the way of the world that whitewashes a dedicated life to God.

Fear not, do not be afraid

Genesis 15:1 After these things the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision: “Fear not, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great.”

Genesis 26:24 Fear not, for I am with you and will bless you and multiply your offspring ”

Genesis 46:3 “Do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for there I will make you into a great nation.”

Exodus 14:13 “Fear not, stand firm, and see the salvation of the LORD, which he will work for you today.”

Deuteronomy 31:6 “Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the LORD your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you.”

1 Chronicles 28:20 “Be strong and courageous and do it. Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed, for the LORD God, even my God, is with you. He will not leave you or forsake you”

Isaiah 35:4 “Be strong; fear not! Behold, your God will come with vengeance, with the recompense of God. He will come and save you.”

Isaiah 41:10 “fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”

Isaiah 41:14 “I am the one who helps you, declares the LORD; your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel”.

Isaiah 43:1 “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine.”

Isaiah 51:12 “I, I am he who comforts you; who are you that you are afraid of man who dies, of the son of man who is made like grass,”

Daniel 10:12 “Fear not, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart to understand and humbled yourself before your God, your words have been heard, and I have come because of your words.”

Matthew 8:26 And he said to them, “Why are you afraid, O you of little faith?”

Revelation 1:17 But he laid his right hand on me, saying, “Fear not, I am the first and the last,

Matthew 10:28-31 And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell. Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.

Luke 12:32 “Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.

Fear has a way of robbing us joy, peace, comfort, and rest. It creeps in through the father of lies and festers inside of us seeping poisonous thoughts into heart and mind. Fear is cruel and unforgiving. It attacks us at our core and cares not for the damage it causes in our lives.

I am not talking about the natural sudden fear we are born with that results in fight or flight reactions. The fear I am talking about comes from limited faith in what God can do. It finds the cracks in our faith and seeps through undetected. It eats away at the mortar of faith little by little until we are left with rubble where once a solid wall stood.

Throughout scripture we are given example upon example of God’s unfailing love, unwavering purpose, awesome power and mighty deeds. He wants us to know of them and trust in Him, cling to Him, and rely on Him.

Fear can be recognized and shut down.

When you recognize fear of doubt and uncertainty – give it into God’s hands

When you recognize fear of purpose – trust God’s perfect purpose

When you recognize fear of plans disrupted – trust God’s perfect plan timing

When you recognize fear of finances – rely on God who all things belong

When you recognize fear of health – trust in God the healer

When you recognize fear of disappointment – rest in God the restorer

When you recognize fear of those in leadership – know that God is in control

When you recognize fear of loneliness – cling to God who will never leave or forsake you – He knows the number of hairs on your head

When you recognize fear of the darkness of the society – trust in God the light of the world

When you recognize fear of being lost – call on God who is a place of refuge

When you recognize fear of waiting – know that God is working His perfect plan and purpose for you

When you recognize fear of spiritual warfare – Call on God and trust in His power

When you recognize fear of death – know the eternal God is holding your hand and will protect and carry you through

When you recognize fear of a new challenge – trust God will equip you

Fear should not have a place but it seems to be in our lives. Recognize it and allow it always lead you closer to God in a much stronger faith. God can do more than we ask and much more than we can imagine.

Walked with God

“And I will walk among you and will be your God, and you shall be my people.”

Genesis 5:22 Enoch walked with God after he fathered Methuselah 300 years and had other sons and daughters.

Genesis 5:24 Enoch walked with God, and he was not, for God took him

Hebrews 11:5-6 By faith Enoch was taken up so that he should not see death, and he was not found, because God had taken him. Now before he was taken he was commended as having pleased God. And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.

Genesis 6:9 These are the generations of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his generation. Noah walked with God.

1 John 1:7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.

Genesis 17:1 When Abram was ninety-nine years old the LORD appeared to Abram and said to him, “I am God Almighty; walk before me, and be blameless,

1 Thessalonians 4:1 Finally, then, brothers, we ask and urge you in the Lord Jesus, that as you received from us how you ought to walk and to please God, just as you are doing, that you do so more and more.

Genesis 48:15 And he blessed Joseph and said, “The God before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked, the God who has been my shepherd all my life long to this day,

1 Thessalonians 2:12 we exhorted each one of you and encouraged you and charged you to walk in a manner worthy of God, who calls you into his own kingdom and glory.

Exodus 16:4 Then the LORD said to Moses, “Behold, I am about to rain bread from heaven for you, and the people shall go out and gather a day’s portion every day, that I may test them, whether they will walk in my law or not.

Colossians 1:10 so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God;

Ephesians 5:15 Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise,

Hosea 14:9 Whoever is wise, let him understand these things; whoever is discerning, let him know them; for the ways of the LORD are right, and the upright walk in them, but transgressors stumble in them.

Deuteronomy 5:33 You shall walk in all the way that the LORD your God has commanded you, that you may live, and that it may go well with you, and that you may live long in the land that you shall possess.

1 Corinthians 7:17 Only let each person lead the life that the Lord has assigned to him, and to which God has called him. This is my rule in all the churches.

Psalms 16:8 I have set the LORD always before me; because he is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken.

Micah 6:8 He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?

Psalms 56:13 For you have delivered my soul from death, yes, my feet from falling, that I may walk before God in the light of life.

How we perceive God will direct how we walk before Him. If we seem Him as our heavenly Father full of love, mercy, grace, power, strength, and might we will walk in a manner that is worthy of glorifying God. If we see Him as knowing our thoughts and intents we will keep these in check and recognize those thoughts that do not bring glory and and honor to Him. If we see Him as one who has plans and purposes for our daily lives we will seek to hear His whispers of leading. We will wait on Him when there is uncertainty.

If we perceive Him as distant and only seek Him when there are troubles and trials our lives will come up lacking. Our lives will lack purpose and we will jump from one thing to another seeking satisfaction for this life. The problem is that there will be no lasting purpose found outside of humbly serving, honoring, glorifying, following and obeying God.

His word is full of wisdom, knowledge, understanding, and holiness of God. In it we find food for our souls, purpose for our days, and understanding and hope for tomorrow.

Walk with God each day. Stay in His presence.

This Hymn speaks of walking with Him.

I come to the garden alone,
While the dew is still on the roses,
And the voice I hear falling on my ear
The Son of God discloses.

And He walks with me, and He talks with me,
And He tells me I am His own;
And the joy we share as we tarry there,
None other has ever known.

He speaks, and the sound of His voice
Is so sweet the birds hush their singing,
And the melody that He gave to me
Within my heart is ringing.

And He walks with me, and He talks with me,
And He tells me I am His own;
And the joy we share as we tarry there,
None other has ever known.

I’d stay in the garden with Him,
Though the night around me be falling,
But He bids me go; through the voice of woe
His voice to me is calling.

And He walks with me, and He talks with me,
And He tells me I am His own;
And the joy we share as we tarry there,
None other has ever known.

Out numbered

“Truly the Lord has given all the land into our hands”

Judges 7:9
Now the camp of Midian lay below him in the valley. During that night the Lord said to Gideon, “Get up, go down against the camp, because I am going to give it into your hands. If you are afraid to attack, go down to the camp with your servant Purah and listen to what they are saying. Afterward, you will be encouraged to attack the camp.” So he and Purah his servant went down to the outposts of the camp. The Midianites, the Amalekites and all the other eastern peoples had settled in the valley, thick as locusts. Their camels could no more be counted than the sand on the seashore.
Gideon arrived just as a man was telling a friend his dream. “I had a dream,” he was saying. “A round loaf of barley bread came tumbling into the Midianite camp. It struck the tent with such force that the tent overturned and collapsed.”
His friend responded, “This can be nothing other than the sword of Gideon son of Joash, the Israelite. God has given the Midianites and the whole camp into his hands.”
When Gideon heard the dream and its interpretation, he bowed down and worshiped. He returned to the camp of Israel and called out, “Get up! The Lord has given the Midianite camp into your hands.” Dividing the three hundred men into three companies, he placed trumpets and empty jars in the hands of all of them, with torches inside.
“Watch me,” he told them. “Follow my lead. When I get to the edge of the camp, do exactly as I do. When I and all who are with me blow our trumpets, then from all around the camp blow yours and shout, ‘For the Lord and for Gideon. ’”
Gideon and the hundred men with him reached the edge of the camp at the beginning of the middle watch, just after they had changed the guard. They blew their trumpets and broke the jars that were in their hands. The three companies blew the trumpets and smashed the jars. Grasping the torches in their left hands and holding in their right hands the trumpets they were to blow, they shouted, “A sword for the Lord and for Gideon!” While each man held his position around the camp, all the Midianites ran, crying out as they fled.
When the three hundred trumpets sounded, the Lord caused the men throughout the camp to turn on each other with their swords

Joshua 2:24
And they said to Joshua, “Truly the Lord has given all the land into our hands”

Deuteronomy 28:42
The cricket shall possess all your trees and the fruit of your ground.The sojourner who is among you shall rise higher and higher above you, and you shall come down lower and lower. He shall lend to you, and you shall not lend to him. He shall be the head, and you shall be the tail.
“All these curses shall come upon you and pursue you and overtake you till you are destroyed, because you did not obey the voice of the Lord your God, to keep his commandments and his statutes that he commanded you”

300 men were outnumbered by more than they could count. Yet God fought their battle even before they arrived. He had put fear and confusion into the hearts and minds of their enemy. I love how God encouraged Gideon – if you are afraid take take your servant with you and listen to how they are speaking. As soon as Gideon heard the fear in their conversation he bowed down and worshiped God for he heard and realized God’s hand was with him. Remember Gideon had said that he was least in his fathers house and his father house was least in their clan. Listening to God and being encouraged by what He has done, will do, and is doing it is good for us to bow down and worship Him. This is God’s battle not Gideon’s. Sometimes we are in battles that are our own doing because we do not spend time in His word and have abandoned listening to His voice. These battles are only overcome by bowing down and seeking forgiveness before God. Other times God stirs our heart and leads us into areas we, like Gideon, do not feel at all equipped to face. These too are times we need to bow down and seek Him. I keep being reminded of this questions “how are we to know Him and his power, strength, love, and mercy if we spend no time reading His word?” “How are we to obey His leading if there is nothing from His word speaking into our heart?” How are we to know His purpose for our life without seeking the source through His word?”