Are You A Gideon?

Do not be afraid, for I have ransomed you.
    I have called you by name; you are mine. Isaiah 43:1 (NLT)

In Judges 6 the angel of the Lord appeared to Gideon. He addresses him by saying "“Mighty hero, the Lord is with you!” Now this is rather odd because Gideon was actually hiding. The Bible says he was threshing wheat at the bottom of the wine press to hide the grain from the Midianites.

And later, as Gideon is called to do God’s work he says I can’t. My tribe is weak, my family is weak and I am weak. God reassures him.

Gideon again questions with “Show me a sign.” (As if an angel sitting in from of you isn’t enough of a sign.) The angel does and Gideon realizes it is an angel. The angel gives Gideon instructions to pull down the temple of Baal. Gideon, still afraid, decided to do it at night. Under cover.

Later, Gideon again is called to fight a battle and again he asks for a sign.

Do you see the pattern? God calls. Gideon doubts. God delivers. Gideon really seems like he is afraid of everything. And my thoughts turned to us. Aren’t we a little like Gideon? OK. Maybe a lot like Gideon. I want to sit here and say WOW! He was a chicken. But in reality, so am I sometimes.

God calls. We doubt and ask for signs instead of moving out when God says move. God gives signs and we ask “Is that you?”

I wonder if that is why God tells us not to be afraid so many times in the Bible. He knows that we need to hear it. A lot.

Afraid But OK!

When Simon Peter realized what had happened, he fell to his knees before Jesus and said, “Oh, Lord, please leave me—I’m such a sinful man.” For he was awestruck by the number of fish they had caught, as were the others with him.  His partners, James and John, the sons of Zebedee, were also amazed. Jesus replied to Simon, “Don’t be afraid! From now on you’ll be fishing for people!” And as soon as they landed, they left everything and followed Jesus. Luke 5:8-11 (NLT)

Jesus had just performed a huge miracle. Peter and his crew had been fishing all night and caught nothing. Exhausted and wanting to go home, Jesus says “Let’s fish some more.” Peter reluctantly agrees and the haul of fish was more than he could imagine.

Peter realizes the magnitude of what had just happened. He understood the man he was standing in front of was no ordinary man and he understood the ramifications of this realization. The Bible says he was awestruck or “overwhelmed by awe” in the ESV version.

As that awe began to sink in and overtake his ability to comprehend, he drops to his knees and says “I am not worthy to experience this. Please leave.”

Don’t we do that? When we encounter Jesus and the magnitude of that experience hits our souls, we want to hide. We understand we are not worthy. We understand there is no way we can grasp this and we understand that this, this Jesus, is way bigger than we can handle.

As we are dropping to our knees in worship we are also saying with our words and deeds, I am afraid of this. It doesn’t fit in what I understand. Maybe I’m not your girl (guy.)

But Jesus says “Yes. You are. Don’t be afraid. Come with me on this adventure and I will show you things you are not going to believe. Stick with me and you will be fine.”

That’s what the disciples did. They dropped what they were doing and followed him.

How about you? The Bible is clear that we all have a call on our lives. What is keeping you from following yours? Are you afraid? It’s OK. That might be why the Bible says “Don’t be afraid.” so many times!

Hold Me

But when I am afraid, I will put my trust in you. Psalm 56:3 (NLT)

My grandson loves to play with his Papou (Grandfather.) He will come over and they will play together and explore all kinds of things. One of the games they play is Hide and Seek. Now that The Little Dude (our nickname for our grandson) is older, my husband hides and the Dude is supposed to find him. Except, the Dude now knows that sometimes my husband will jump out and scare him.

When they start to play, my grandson comes and grabs my hand and says “Hold me.” It’s his way of saying he wants me to pick him up. Then he points to the room where his Papou is hiding and says he wants me to play too. As I walk into the room, he wraps his arms around my neck and buries his face in my shoulder and holds on!

You see, he wants to have the adventure with his grandfather but he is also nervous about what’s around the corner. He doesn’t stop playing and walk away, he goes to get someone that will hold him so he doesn’t have to face it alone.

I feel this same way sometimes. I love the adventures I go on with God but sometimes they make me nervous. Heck, sometimes they are downright scary. A part of me wants to turn around and sit comfortably in the room with all the lights on. There, I can see everything that is going to happen and I know how to handle it. But if I did this, I would miss out on the adventure with my Heavenly Father.

I am trying to be more like my grandson. I go to Jesus and say “I am afraid of this next step. Will you hold me?” And he does. As I pour out my concerns to him, he takes hold of my hand and says “Just keep walking. I am here with you.” I am still nervous, just like my grandson, but somehow venturing into the unknown is a lot easier if I am being held.

Safe By The Fire

So they arrested him and led him to the high priest’s home. And Peter followed at a distance.  Luke 22:54 (NLT)

Peter had spent a lot of time with Jesus. Jesus spent more time with Peter, James and John than the rest of the twelve. Peter knew him and he knew him well. He’d seen him heal people. He’d seen him raise someone from the dead. He’d heard him talk about God and his mission and he knew the depth of the love that Jesus had for him.

Yet, when Jesus was arrested, Peter was afraid. The Bible says he followed at a distance. He joined a crowd by the fire and tried to blend in. He didn’t want to stand out. He didn’t want to be noticed. What he wanted was to be near enough to know what was going on but not engaged enough to be at risk.

When the people around the fire directly asked him questions about who he knew, he denied it. After all, admitting that he was a Christ follower could have consequences. There would be a ripple effect, fallout and possibly a sacrifice he was not willing to make.

Let me ask you. How often do we act like Peter? In our world of conforming and fitting in, do we shy away from being different? Do we try to walk the middle line and not stand out? Do we hide our convictions so as to not draw attention to ourselves?

God wants us to be all in. He wants us to take a stand and do what is right. He wants us to be so in love with him that we are willing to take a risk and say “Yes!” to his calling.

What about you? Are there areas in your life that you need to define more clearly? Are there areas where God is calling you to take a risk? Will you walk away from the crowd by the fire and be different?

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."

Get Out Of That Hole!

But the servant who received the one bag of silver dug a hole in the ground and hid the master’s money. Matthew 25:18 (NLT)

Do you ever feel like this guy? You have been given something to do and you are 100% positive you can't do it. The one thing you are really, really sure of is the knot in your stomach and the fear that follows you around telling you that you are not qualified to do the thing God has given you to do.

I have been there. And there are still days that I feel this way. It makes you stop in your tracks and become unable to move forward, no matter how much you want to. Those voices that whisper to you of failure....they really are crippling.....as long as you listen to them.

And there, my friend, is where you have a choice. The man in the parable of the talents made his choice. He buried the cause of his fear and walked away. You don't have to do that. You can turn to God and tell him about your fear and ask him for courage. You can turn to the Bible and read his promises. You can strengthen yourself by remember the amazing things he has done in the past.

And then, after you remember who gave you the assignment; that he is all powerful and that he promises never to leave you for forsake you; then you can dig up what you buried and take a step forward. 

Don't kick yourself for being afraid. Fear is normal. But don't be like the man who buried his life with his fear. Recognize it for what it is and ask God to give you strength. He has great plans for you but he can't fulfill them with you hiding in a hole.

And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns. Philippians 1:6

Fear Not

This morning I woke up hearing the words to Zach Williams song "Fear Is A Liar." The chorus goes like this:

Fear he is a liar
He will take your breath
Stop you in your steps
Fear he is a liar
He will rob your rest
Steal your happiness
Cast your fear in the fire
'Cause fear he is a liar

I went to my Bible and it confirms it.  We have nothing to fear.

I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid.  John 14:27

But now, O Jacob, listen to the Lord who created you.
    O Israel, the one who formed you says,
“Do not be afraid, for I have ransomed you.
    I have called you by name; you are mine.  Isaiah 43:1

I prayed to the Lord, and he answered me. He freed me from all my fears. Psalm 34:4

So humble yourselves under the mighty power of God, and at the right time he will lift you up in honor. 7 Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.  1 Peter 5:6-7

When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought me joy. Psalm 94:19 (NIV)

The Bible tells us to not be afraid a lot. So this week, when something spikes your anxiety and you feel that knot in your stomach, open up the word and dive in.

Hold My Hand

For I hold you by your right hand--I, the LORD your God. And I say to you, 'Don't be afraid. I am here to help you. Isaiah 41:13 (NLT)

I was at a pumpkin patch - fall festival kind of event this past weekend with my Daughter and Grandson. As we were walking around, we had to keep a close eye on my Grandson because he's little and he darts out in front of people and tractors and trains, etc.

As we were walking along, I heard a parent say to their child "Hold my hand."  Made me think of God. He says to us

"Hold my hand. Don't be afraid. I'm looking out for the tractors, trains and people that might run you over. And when you venture out, I'll be standing right beside you."

My grandson is too little to do the hand holding thing for too long but when he does head somewhere, he looks over his shoulder expecting that we'll be there.

Wouldn't it be perfect if we did this with God? First, we hold his hand but if we let go for some reason, we look over our shoulder to make sure we haven't wandered too far off.....and we would see him standing right there.