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The stories about Gideon were always some of my very favorites in the Bible.  They could have said about Gideon, “he was scared, but did it anyway”.  That could probably be said about many of us, including me 🙂

For example, one of his first tasks was to destroy his dad’s alter to baal, because he was afraid, he did so in the dark ?

For Israel’s sake, Gideon also was called to defeat the Midianites.  God wanted the people of Israel to realize that it was God who saved them.  So God ensured that Gideon only had three hundred men with which to fight thousands!  Gideon was afraid.  Very afraid.  But with God’s help and direction, Gideon won!

There is something else that is important in Gideon’s story.  God is clearly sympathetic to Gideon’s fears.  God even tells’ Gideon how he might relieve some of his fears.  So often, when we are worried or afraid, we beat ourselves up and feel that if we just had more faith we would not ever worry.  That’s just not true.  God clearly loved Gideon, and He called him a “Mighty man of Valor”.  Courage is not the absence of fear-it’s the facing of it.  God understands that, just as He understands and loves us

So we need not let fear keep us from serving God.  At some time in our lives, we are all afraid of something.  And that’s okay, we just need to not let our fear stop us ?

Be the Light ?

From Judges 7:

Gideon Defeats the Midianites

7 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. ² 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.’ ³ 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.

⁴ 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.”

⁵ 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.” ⁶ Three hundred of them drank from cupped hands, lapping like dogs. All the rest got down on their knees to drink.

⁷ 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.” ⁸ 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. 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.” So he and Purah his servant went down to the outposts of the camp. ¹² 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.

¹³ 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.”

¹⁴ 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.”

¹⁵ 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.” ¹⁶ Dividing the three hundred men into three companies, he placed trumpets and empty jars in the hands of all of them, with torches inside.

¹⁷ “Watch me,” he told them. “Follow my lead. When I get to the edge of the camp, do exactly as I do. ¹⁸ 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.’”

¹⁹ 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. ²⁰ 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!” ²¹ While each man held his position around the camp, all the Midianites ran, crying out as they fled.

²² When the three hundred trumpets sounded, the Lord caused the men throughout the camp to turn on each other with their swords. The army fled to Beth Shittah toward Zererah as far as the border of Abel Meholah near Tabbath. ²³ Israelites from Naphtali, Asher and all Manasseh were called out, and they pursued the Midianites. ²⁴ Gideon sent messengers throughout the hill country of Ephraim, saying, “Come down against the Midianites and seize the waters -of the Jordan ahead of them as far as Beth Barah.”-Judges 7: 1-24

And I am grateful for mine!

There are so many Bible verses that speak of Angels in our midst, and yet how often do we forget them?  But they are there, sent by God Himself to help us.

They are here to minister to us, because God loves us so.  Many believe that we can talk to our Guardian Angel.  I think this is true.  And we can thank them.  And we can pray for them.  And we can ask God to send them a special Blessing 🙂

They are here for you.  And they will never leave you.  If an angel appeared to Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane and strengthened Him, then I definitely want our Angels to strengthen us!

There are many Bible verses that speak of the Angels of the Lord, below are but a few 🙂

“Coming out, He (Jesus) went to the Mount of Olives, as He was accustomed, and His disciples also followed Him. When He came to the place, He said to them, “Pray that you may not enter into temptation.”  And He was withdrawn from them about a stone’s throw, and He knelt down and prayed, saying, “Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done.” Then an angel appeared to Him from heaven, strengthening Him.”-Luke 22:39-43

“For it is written, He shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee”-Luke 4:10-11

“The angel said to her, “Don’t be afraid, Mary; God has shown you his grace.”-Luke 1:30

“And the angel of the Lord appeared unto him, and said unto him, The Lord is with thee, thou mighty man of valour.”-Judges 6:12 (An angel talks to Gideon)

So thank you Guardian Angel.  Thank you to all Angels.  For your comfort and strength, and for protecting us.  We are so grateful and we pray that God sends you a very special Blessing ?

With the election not yet resolved, the world has become a scarier place. 

Yesterday, the Attorney General announced that there would be investigations.  And who knows, those investigations may turn into criminal ones.  But will it be enough to set aside the media’s choice of Biden as winner? No one really knows.  America appears to be crumbling, and that frightens a lot of us.

But although our beloved country may be in trouble, we are not!

God was in charge then and He is now!

A wise friend sent me a great message after the media declared for Biden:

“Sometimes when life seems SO hard, it is easy to forget that God’s answers to our prayers impact many others and involve many different things, WAY BEYOND our immediate requests. Truly, God needs first to save His Children and expand His Kingdom. In Jesus’ Name. Thy Will be done. Amen.”

It would be really great if every human being would accept Christ as their Savior and put God first, when life was easy. But one has only to look around to know that this was not happening.

However, God uses “all things to the good of His people”, and He will use this election as well.  In the end, because of this election, more people will choose Christ. 

And really, isn’t that the mission?  Bring as many as we can to Heaven with us ?

^” And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring; Men’s hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.”-Luke 21:25-26 KJV

Is our nation facing Judgement or the End Times? It’s hard to say, especially since only our Father “knows the day and the hour”.

A woman had a vision once, two suns appeared in a rearview mirror. The message on the rearview mirror was that “Objects are closer than they appear”

We need to walk with Jesus now!. Accept Jesus as our Savior and Live as the Bible teaches us. And we will return to our home-Heaven-together 🙂

We don’t often think about the great power of God, but God does have great power! God created the world in which we live. He created the mountains, the rivers, the seas, and the fields…He created the sun, the moon and the stars, the animals and us! When we choose to actively focus on that, we have no fears!

The evil that is currently being spread by those who serve evil ‘s cause is nothing to God. Their power is little compared to God’s Great Power.

Why is this important? Because while the gates of hell may seem to be prevailing, they are NOT! God has more than enough power to protect us, no matter who wins this election. And God will because He loves us!

So today, Rest in God’s Great Power. He has more than enough to protect you and all those you love!

A friend of mine always says, “Prepare, Watch and Pray”. Good advice for every day use 🙂

So how do we prepare? Some say we don’t need to, but preparation never hurts! We don’t know who will “win” this election, or how long it might be in court. But taking steps to “prepare” can not hurts us, it can only help us 🙂

First, buy a Bible NOW.  While they are still written as they should be.  God’s Word reminds us of just how much God loves us and how faithful He is. We will need those reminders in the coming days. And we will want to share them. Also there are many who wish to alter the Bible so that God’s Word will allow them to lead whatever lifestyle they choose.  We need God’s Word as it is, not as some wish it were.

Christianbook.com has some very inexpensive Bibles.   Personally, I use the KJV version, but I have a really good friend who uses the ESV version.  What matters is make sure you buy a Bible that was produced before 2021, and one that truly reflects God’s Word.

Second, I heard a great idea on the radio.  Decorate early for Christmas.  Normally, I like to wait until Thanksgiving.  But the person on the radio had a great idea!  Not only are Christmas decorations happy, but they remind us every day that Jesus came and He is coming back!  So put those lights up, light up your neighborhood. We need not fear!

Third (or maybe it should be first, lol) Thank Jesus.  There is a site that sells Thank You Jesus yard signs!  Here is a link:  Thank You Jesus Yard Signs. I have personally ordered from them, and this is the most inexpensive place to get them that I know of.  A young man started it and you can feel really good about helping him spread Christ’s love for us ?

Fourth, Keep a prayer journal.  It’s important to realize that God is still here.  And He still loves you.  There may be some really hard times.  It will help to know that God is still listening and still answering your prayers!

Fifth, Wear a Cross. There may soon come a time where the church (meaning God’s people) are forced to “go underground”. Remember the fish? In the old days, Christians hung a fish above their door or drew one on the ground to single that Christians were welcome and safe. If such as day comes again, Christians may need to be careful.

But right now, we are still free! When we wear a cross, it reminds us of what is important to us, and it also encourages the Christians we encounter, for they know they are among “family”. While we are still free to wear a Cross, wear one and encourage one another 🙂

These are just a few ideas. Share your own! Be The Light!

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