DO WHAT YOU FEAR

I have always loved the story of Gideon. He was so human. No bible superhero. Just an ordinary guy God found who was willing to do stuff for God in spite of his fears.

Look at Judges 6:11-12 The angel of the LORD came and sat down under the oak in Ophrah that belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, where his son Gideon was threshing wheat in a winepress to keep it from the Midianites. 12 When the angel of the LORD appeared to Gideon, he said, “The LORD is with you, mighty warrior.” NIV

Gideon was threshing wheat in a winepress. He was doing a necessary and right thing in the completely WRONG PLACE because he was afraid.  And that is where God found him hiding out. But look at what God called him–-MIGHTY WARRIOR!  Here was a new VOICE speaking into Gideon’s life. Saying things Gideon had never heard before.

Gideon basically says, “yeah right! God!” Then he challenges God to explain his absence.Judges 6:13 “But sir,” Gideon replied, “if the LORD is with us, why has all this happened to us? Where are all his wonders that our fathers told us about when they said, ‘Did not the LORD bring us up out of Egypt?’ But now the LORD has abandoned us and put us into the hand of Midian.” NIV

Do you ever feel like you have been abandoned by God? Like he put you out there on a limb and left you? Wondered if God was still there? Ever feel like a defeated coward? Welcome to the club. You my friend are somebody God can use. So look at what God tells him next…

Judges 6:14-15 The LORD turned to him and said, “Go in the strength you have and saveIsrael out of Midian’s hand. Am I not sending you?“ 15 “But Lord,” Gideon asked, “how can I save Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family.” NIV

I love that phrase, “Am I not sending you? God is saying to Gideon, I want to be your new partner. Lets creat an alliance. YOu don’t have to do this by yourself. Judges 6:16 The LORD answered, “I will be with you, and you will strike down all the Midianites together.” NIV God says, I am going to be with you—-but YOU WILL STRIKE DOWN. Yes, I am here but you will do the work.

Here is a guy afraid of his own shadow and God tells him to go in the strength HE HAS. In other words, if you don’t like the way things are—YOU DO SOMETHING! Am I not sending you? And again Gideon gives all the reasons God can’t be right in asking him to save Israel. But eventually he agrees.

I love how God put him out there… He first let Gideon walk through all his doubts. Then he patiently reaffirmed that YES this IS GOD. Then HE GAVE HIM INSTRUCTIONS—NOT ALL AT ONCE—-BUT STEP BY STEP.

Later we find Gideon in the middle of a massive layoff. God is firing his men. From 22,000 down to 300 men. But by now it is too late to turn back.  Judges 7:7-8 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 other men go, each to his own place.” NIV

Now you know Gideon has to be really scared. Win a battle with 300 men?! God must be crazy. So God hatches a plan to help Gideon OVERCOME HIS FEAR. Get this… Judges 7:8-11 9 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. 10 If you are afraid to attack, go down to the camp with your servant Purah 11 and listen to what they are saying. Afterward, you will be encouraged to attack the camp.” NIV

God says, “hey Gid, I know you are scared so here is how you are going to get some courage to get this done. Go down to the enemy’s camp… and by the way, if you are afraid… GO DOWN TO THE CAMP!” God told Gideon that the only way he was going to overcome his fears and get some courage—was to DO THE THING HE FEARED.

Have you ever been there? Feeling defeated, abandoned, and weak? Trying to make aliving in the wrong place doing the wrong thing? Trying to “thresh bread” in a“WINEPRESS of a job” that neither fits you, meets your needs nor utilizes your true gifts and talents? Thinking, “God where are you?” God has the same message for you that he had for Gideon—IF YOU DONT LIKE THE WAY THINGS ARE—YOU DO SOMETHING! 

To overcome your fears, you have to be willing to do the three things Gideon did,

1. Listen for new voices

2. Form new strategic alliances

3. Follow step by step instructions

God wants to send you. He wants to help you step out and be the MIGHTY WARRIOR YOU ARE. But it will take courage to get there and the only way you will get that courage is to DO THE THING YOU FEAR. 

So what are you afraid of? What have you been wanting to do that you haven’t had the courage to do? Nike said it best…

Just do it!