Devotional Song: … GO TO THIS LINK … Please take the time to take in a video of Steven Curtis Chapman singing his lyrics in, His Strength Is Perfect, declaring the reality of God’s promise to give us His strength to cover our weakness in the battles of life.
Highlight Passage: Judges 7:2 [NKJV] …
2 And the Lord said to Gideon, “The people who are with you are too many for Me to give the Midianites into their hands, lest Israel claim glory for itself against Me, saying, ‘My own hand has saved me.’
… God showed Gideon that the Lord was all he needed to win in battle with the Midianites.
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Highlight Context – Judges, Chapters 6-7 [NKJV] … USE THIS LINK …
… Gideon learned that God was his strength in battle.
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Reference Passage #1 - Isaiah 41:10 [NKJV] …
10 Fear not, for I am with you; … be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you; yes, I will help you. I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.
… God is all we need to cover our weakness in the battles of life.
Reference Passage #2 - 2nd Corinthians 12: 9 [NKJV] …
9 And He [Jesus] said to me [Paul], “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
… Our weaknesses can actually be our best witness to God’s strength in life.
Reference Passage #3 - Philippians 4: 13 [NKJV] …
13 I can do all things, through Christ, Who gives me the strength.
… No matter what the circumstances, our strength from God’s Spirit is all we need.
My Journal for Today: Today’s Our Daily Bread author, Jennifer Benson Schuldt, wrote of Gideon being called to lead God’s people in battle against the fearsome Midianites [read Judges, Chapters 6-7]. Schuldt wrote: No one could have mistaken the ancient Babylonian soldiers for gentlemen. They were ruthless, resilient, and vicious, and they attacked other nations the way an eagle overtakes its prey. Not only were they powerful, they were prideful as well. … God did not want this kind of self-reliance to infect Israel’s forces as they prepared to battle the Midianites. So He told Gideon, Israel’s army commander, “You have too many men. I cannot deliver Midian into their hands, or Israel would boast against me, ‘My own strength has saved me’ ” (Judges 7:2).
And we know, from the rest of the story, God paired Gideon’s forces down to 300 worthy warriors; and God led these men to victory over the tens of thousands of crack Midianite soldiers. I really love the story of Gideon in the OT because God came to him as a sniveling coward; and we see that the Lord could even use this weakling once he surrendered to the Lord’s strength to win a great victory for the Lord. And that was the lesson the Apostle Paul also learned and reported in 2nd Cor. 12: 9, where he remembered that Jesus taught him that God’s strength is always enough when we are weakened in fighting the battles of life (see also Isaiah 41:10 and Phil. 4: 13).
So, if any of my fellow Christian warriors are feeling weak in the face of our worldly circumstances today, realize that the best posture we can be in is right where the soldier is in today’s attached photo. And when we realize the truth that Steven Curtis Chapman sings about in the linked song, above, we’ll be able to let God’s strength cover our weakness and do battle in this - at times - cruel world.
So, … today, … let’s surrender to our Lord and let Him give us the strength to do battle.
My Prayer Today: Heavenly Father, … Today, You’ve got my back, Lord. Let’s do battle in Your Name and for Your glory!! … Amen
Blogger Note: Everyday during this year, my daily devotional blogs are influenced by the reading and study of the online devotional blog entitled Our Daily Bread, distributed online via email by RBC Ministries. If you GO TO THIS LINK on the date of my blog, you can read/study the ODB blogs; or you can subscribe to the blog via email at that site.
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