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Strength in Weakness
Finding God's Strength in Your Weakness
Gideon
teaches us how to take the next step in our journey of faith.
Choosing to do our
primary work in the smaller, less noticeable spheres and devote our best gifts
there is often a foreign thought to us.
We usually want to
jump from the center directly to the perimeter of impact, skipping over the
areas most closely connected to us.
The result? A life
and calling that eventually implode, caving in upon their shoddy, unstable
structure.
God had
strategically set Gideon in this family, in this tribe, and in this valley for
a reason. He fully intended to call and equip Gideon to affect his closest
relationships before moving on to something and someone else.
The priority and
preeminence of serving those in the sphere closest to us is seen throughout
Scripture.
When Abraham was
chosen by God to be the father of Israel, he was given instructions for what
his first tasks should be.
"For I have
chosen him so that he will command his children and his house after him to keep
the way of the LORD by doing what is right and just. This is how the LORD will
fulfill to Abraham what He promised him." Genesis 18:19, HCSB
Centuries later,
as Jesus' disciples were ushered into the age of the church, God gave them a
unique power to function on His behalf, and then clearly outlined the course
their ministry was to follow.
"But you will
receive power when the Holy Spirit has come on you, and you will be My
witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."
Acts 1:8
The disciples were
in Jerusalem when they received these instructions from Jesus.
They were to focus
on the ministry to be done where they were standing even as they began moving
outward on mission.
Start inward, move
outward.
First things
first. Both for Gideon and for us.
Gideon had been
reared in an idol-worshipping family. His own father was the keeper of the Baal
altar in their town of Ophrah.
“So Gideon took 10
of his male servants and did as the LORD had told him. But because he was too
afraid of his father's household and the men of the city to do it in the
daytime, he did it at night.” Judges 6:27
Often, like in
Gideon's case, our smaller spheres of influence are not easier to contend with
just because they are smaller.
On the contrary,
some of the most difficult and intimidating opportunities to walk in God's
calling come when we are staring in the faces of those who know us best and
whom we love the most.
Consider how
Gideon must have felt tearing down what his father had spent his lifetime building,
teaching, and defending.
With each stone
that he and his servants dismantled, another layer of the ideology that had
overrun his family came unglued.
This overnight
idol-demolishing wasn't affecting some random town and family he would never
see again.
This was a task he'd
feel, see, and endure the consequences of every day from that point on.
· When the Christian daughter chooses to
evangelize her non-Christian parents . . .
· When the godly wife chooses to set an example for
her unsaved spouse . . .
· When the teenager seeks to impact his pagan school
environment . . .
· When the coworker tries to influence her friends on
the job . . .
The stakes are
often much higher when the mission field is so personal.
What lies ahead in
your journey is not nearly as critical as where you are right now.
Wherever you are
now is where you are meant to serve now.
These innermost
circles are often the ones that offer the least amount of recognition. This is
why so many people try to circumvent them.
And yet your
greatest impact will be done here — in the ordinary rhythms of your daily
living.
Following God
wholeheartedly within these up-close loops of faith will often cause you an
internal uneasiness and daily faithfulness that cannot be escaped just because
it's 5 p.m. and the workday is over.
It's easier to
stand on a platform and teach people we may never see again than to walk with
our own children, friends, and loved ones in accountability and discipleship.
But these spheres
encompass the heart of true ministry.
Begin to clarify
who the people in your primary sphere of influence should be. Refuse to search
for significance in another place if you've bypassed any near and necessary
steps in the journey God has for you.
Pray for a
courageous faith and holy boldness to start where you are. He'll give it to
you.
This article is an
excerpt from the member book of Priscilla Shirer's Bible study, Gideon: Your Weakness, God's Strength. Also, watch below as
Priscilla discusses her inspiration for writing the study and what she hopes
women will discover about God and themselves as a result of this study.
Priscilla Shirer is a wife and a mom first,
but put a Bible in her hand and a message in her heart and you’ll see why
thousands meet God in powerful, personal ways at her conferences and through
her Bible studies. For over twenty years, Priscilla has been in full-time
ministry to women. She and her husband Jerry lead Going Beyond Ministries and
count it as their privilege to serve believers across the entire spectrum of
the body of Christ. Priscilla is the New York Times bestselling author of more
than a dozen Bible studies and books. Priscilla has also created "The
Prince Warrior Series" - an epic, adventured filled, fictional saga that
introduces teenagers to the realities of spiritual warfare. She has had roles
in films like War Room (2015), I Can Only Imagine (2018) and the upcoming movie
Overcomer (August 2019). Between writing and studying, she spends her days
cleaning up after (and trying to satisfy the appetites of) three rapidly
growing sons - Jackson, Jerry Jr. and Jude.
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