A Minute In It - What Are You Hiding From?

A minute in God’s Word will change your life. Take a moment to read the texts below and then ponder the questions at the bottom of the post.

11 Then the angel of the Lord came and sat beneath the great tree at Ophrah, which belonged to Joash of the clan of Abiezer. Gideon son of Joash was threshing wheat at the bottom of a winepress to hide the grain from the Midianites. 12 The angel of the Lord appeared to him and said, “Mighty hero, the Lord is with you!”

13 “Sir,” Gideon replied, “if the Lord is with us, why has all this happened to us? And where are all the miracles our ancestors told us about? Didn’t they say, ‘The Lord brought us up out of Egypt’? But now the Lord has abandoned us and handed us over to the Midianites.”

14 Then the Lord turned to him and said, “Go with the strength you have, and rescue Israel from the Midianites. I am sending you!”

15 “But Lord,” Gideon replied, “how can I rescue Israel? My clan is the weakest in the whole tribe of Manasseh, and I am the least in my entire family!”

16 The Lord said to him, “I will be with you. And you will destroy the Midianites as if you were fighting against one man.” Judges 6:11-16 (NLT)

Where was Gideon when the angel found him?
What was he doing?
What was he hiding from?
What did the angel call Gideon?
What did the Lord tell Gideon to do? What was he supposed to go with?
What was Gideon’s response?
What was God’s reply?
What in your life are you not doing that you are supposed to be doing?
What would be God’s reply to you?

Get Your Bold Back

Peter, suddenly bold, said, “Master, if it’s really you, call me to come to you on the water.”  He said, “Come ahead.” Jumping out of the boat, Peter walked on the water to Jesus. But when he looked down at the waves churning beneath his feet, he lost his nerve and started to sink. He cried, “Master, save me!”  Jesus didn’t hesitate. He reached down and grabbed his hand. Then he said, “Faint-heart, what got into you?” Matthew 14:28-31 (MSG)

The disciples were just doing what they were told. Jesus told them “Get in the boat and go to the other side of the lake.” Probably sharing stories, managing the business of rowing the boat and maybe even relaxing a bit. Unexpectedly a storm showed up. The winds began, the waves swelled and the boat started tossing and turning in the black sea. I can imagine this would be frightening if not terrifying.

As Jesus came near them, Peter was emboldened and asked to get out of the boat. I do this. Feeling great after some time with God, trusting his plan, I say something like “Lord, I want to serve you! I want to do what you want! Let me do that please.”

And God says “OK. Step out and do this.”

I look around like Peter and focus on the size of the waves, the force of the winds and what I can’t see under the dark sea. I start to sink. My reaction is to stay in the boat. It’s super easy to get out of the boat when the sea is as smooth as glass. That’s not scary. It’s predictable. But when getting out of the boat involves a stormy mess, well….that’s different.

What we want to say is “Lord, I want to follow you anywhere as long as it’s a smooth ride and there are no problems.” But that is not how it usually works. Trust is most often built when you are in the thick of it.

When Peter realized he was in over his head, he did cry out to Jesus. And immediately Jesus reached for his hand. I love the word used in the MSG when Jesus addressed Peter. Faint-heart which means lacking courage.

I am so Peter. I am bold one minute and faint-hearted the next. But Peter did a couple of things I could learn from. First, he believed that Jesus could make him walk on water. Next, he did step out of the boat. Because he did, he had an experience with Jesus that no one else had. And finally, when he started focusing on his own abilities instead of what Jesus was doing, he refocused himself and cried out for help.

Maybe the lesson is this. Throughout life, you are going lack courage and you are going to want to stay in the safety of the boat. As long as you know where to go to get your bold back, you will do just fine.

Their Perspective

I know the Lord has given you this land,” she told them. “We are all afraid of you. Everyone in the land is living in terror. For we have heard how the Lord made a dry path for you through the Red Sea when you left Egypt. And we know what you did to Sihon and Og, the two Amorite kings east of the Jordan River, whose people you completely destroyed. No wonder our hearts have melted in fear! No one has the courage to fight after hearing such things. For the Lord your God is the supreme God of the heavens above and the earth below. Joshua 2:9-11 (NLT)

Yesterday we talked about how the Israelites didn’t want to go into Canaan because they were afraid of what they saw. They looked at what they couldn’t do instead of what God could do.

In today’s text Rahab was talking to the spies that went into Jericho. She was telling them what they thought of the God of Israel. She basically said “We are afraid of you because of your God. We’ve heard the things he has done for you! From the time you left Egypt until now. We’ve been following what he has done on your behalf.”

I read that and think “WOW!” Here were the Israelites sabotaging their own future because they refused to look at and trust the power that lived right smack in the middle of their camp. He had demonstrated over and over again that he would protect them and care for them. He provided food every day in the form of manna. He parted the Red Sea so they could cross. He fought for them in battle. And still….still they said “We can’t.”

And as I marvel at that, I realize I too do the same thing. When we don’t know how to move forward, or we’re afraid of the next step, we stop. We procrastinate. We make excuses. When will we start to remember what God has already done, not just in Scripture but in our very own lives? Wouldn’t it be better instead to take that step of faith and have people say “We can see God working in your life!”?

As I continue to read through the Bible, I realize I have a long way to go. But, I am determined to keep my path forward and the fears that sometimes pop up around that in God’s hands. I will ask him to remind me of where he has gone before…..and give me the courage to step into his plan.

Walking Past Your Promised Land

I know that you can do anything, and no one can stop you. Job 42:2 (NLT)

The Israelites were told to go explore the land of Canaan (Numbers 13). This is the land that God had repeatedly promised to give them after they left Egypt. Moses picked twelve men to go on the expedition. When they returned, ten of them were against going in and two were for it. The ten men that were against moving forward were afraid. They saw things unfamiliar to them. They saw obstacles that were bigger than their courage could handle so they decided that this would be a failure.

They described the new land as bountiful; flowing with milk and honey. And then they did what we do. They said “But.” But, the people living there are powerful. They have lots of weapons and fortresses. They are all over the place! They were huge. We are nothing compared to them. We cannot do this. It’s too big for us.

They forgot some important “Buts.”

But, you are God’s people.
But, God will go before you.
But, there is nothing stronger than your God.
But, if this is God’s plan for you nothing can stop it.

The Israelites were so focused on what they saw instead of who they knew that it stopped them from stepping into God’s plan for them.

Do you do this? How often do we look at the path ahead and decide it is too hard for us? Our courage evaporates because we can’t see past our fears. Probably more often than we’d admit. We should never confuse what we can do on our own with what God can do for us. When we do, we miss out on our promised land.

Dream BIG!

I have some big dreams.  Dreams that are way bigger than me. I know these are God-sized dreams and as it has been said "If your dream doesn't scare you, then it's not from God." So what do you do when those dreams scare you?  Give up?  NO WAY!  

Usually we stop in our tracks when we start looking at what we can do and not what God can do. That's when we turn to God's Word for a "shot in the arm" of courage.

If God is for us, who can ever be against us? Romans 8:31 (NLT)

Jesus looked at them intently and said, “Humanly speaking, it is impossible. But with God everything is possible.” Matthew 19:26

I know that you can do anything, and no one can stop you. Job 42:2

O Sovereign Lord! You made the heavens and earth by your strong hand and powerful arm. Nothing is too hard for you! Jeremiah 32:17

Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think. Ephesians 3:20

And finally, when we don't understand why it doesn't look like we think it should.....

My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts, says the Lord. And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. Isaiah 55:8

Have a very courageous day!

For When I Am Afraid

Be strong and courageous.....Joshua 1:6, 1:7, 1:9, 1:18

As I was listening through the book of Joshua, I noticed that he is told many times to Be strong and courageous.

Courageous is defined as "not being deferred by danger or pain. Doesn't you won't face danger or pain but you shouldn't be deterred by it.

Let's face it. Joshua was about to face both danger and pain.  The Israelites entire agenda was fraught with danger. And pain? There was pain because not only was he leading a group of people who were sometimes super difficult but potential pain because a lot can happen in the middle of a war.

Sometimes we look at the people in the Bible and we think they had it all together. We believe that we can't do great things for God because we aren't that good. Do you think Joshua was told multiple times to be strong and courageous for a reason? Do you think God knew he was going to face tremendous fear and worry? 

Maybe he was saying to him "Sometimes it is going to get downright scary and you are going to be afraid. Be strong. Trust me and then dig deep into your courage and move forward." He says the same thing to us.

We are not heading into literal battles. The battle is often in our minds. We look at a situation and imagine the very worst that could happen. The fear sets in and we are stuck. It's at these times that God says "Be strong and courageous. You are not fighting this alone. I am with you. Always."

Perspective

This is my command—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. Joshua 1:9 (NLT)

Be strong and courageous! Boy, there are days when I need to do that. The projects that loom seem to be more than I can handle. I don’t feel like I have enough of what it takes to get the job done.  Oh heck, I don’t feel like I am what it takes.

There are decisions to be made that will impact business. Should I make them? Should I call that client and ask for a different method? Should I tell my employee that they aren’t measuring up? Be strong and courageous.....

And what about personally? Is now a good time to spend the money on the home project? Did I reach out to my friend who needed support or did I get too busy with my list of to dos? Am I supposed to speak at that engagement? Be strong and courageous......

Here’s the thing.  I’m quoting a Bible verse to give me encouragement but, I’m missing the best part. I’m quoting the part where I do something....be strong and courageous. But the reason I am supposed to be strong and courageous is missing.

I am not supposed to be strong and courageous because I can make awesome business decisions. I am not supposed to be strong and courageous because I have good ideas or because I am a good friend or a good speaker. I am supposed to be strong and courageous because of what it says in the second half of the text.

For the Lord your God is with you where ever you go.

So next time you come up against a decision or a thought that has you feeling weak and afraid, repeat to yourself "The Lord your God is with you wherever you go."

That’s the reason for strength and courage. You are not alone and what he brings with him is way better than what you’ve got.

God's Got This

God will do this, for he is faithful to do what he says, and he has invited you into partnership with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.  1 Corinthians 1:9 (NLT)

Most mornings, I wake up, say "Good Morning" to God and ask him what he wants to read. I figure I may as well go straight to the source. Not every morning do I get a clear, concise answer but I did this morning.  The text that popped into my mind was 1 Corinthians 1:9.  Super random so I figured it was probably God. I got up and read it. Then, I read it in different versions. Here it is in the MSG.

God, who got you started in this spiritual adventure, shares with us the life of his Son and our Master Jesus. He will never give up on you. Never forget that.

After praying over this and pondering it for a while, I think I have a paraphrase that I can take with me today.

God's got this. Don't worry. He doesn't ever drop the ball. If he's invited you to join him and Jesus in a partnership, you are good to go.

Pretty much, he's invited us all to join him and Jesus in a partnership.  I guess we have no excuse to not join in.

Happy Friday Everyone!