JustJeff

God's power is in all Holy Spirit filled believers and it's force is generated to the degree of our faith. So, little faith little power, great faith, great power. The more power we utilize the more people will see Jesus in us and He will be glorified.

As Jesus has absolute power over all of creation so must the church recognize and funnel that same power from the head throughout the body. Open the doors and let the power flow out to the community by going door to door and offering a good witness and prayer. Watch the power in action as the church becomes the rightful center of activity in Christ.

Paul, by his own experiences, was telling us that as does Christ, so do we have the power to put the enemy under our feet. We are spiritually postioned as the Lord, seated with Him in the heavenly.

The right hand of God means power and superiority. Being in heaven indicates that Jesus is above all other powers and seated with the Father has all dominion. By this He is greater than all others gods, spiritual or otherwise, and as conqueror, He has put them under His feet.

"Open the eyes of my heart Lord" as the song goes. In so doing we are calling upon our faith to grow us to the point where we are able to use the same might in our daily lives that the Father used to raise the Son from the dead. The Ephesians, like all churches, used a limited amount of belief in their Christian life and Paul was teaching and praying for them to exercise their faith. This can only be done by knowing and applying the Word daily.

Gideon's positive effect was to tear down the idols of Baal and the Asheroth pole and return Israel's attention to the only true living God. His leadership strengthened the country spiritually and militarily.

We are "married" to God as His bride which is analogous to the relationship, spiritually, as to a man to his wife. When we adhere to false teaching and false gods we are committing spiritual adultery by going out on our husband, the Lord. The temptation is always present to leave my church that preaches and lives holiness to go to a church that allows sin by teaching false doctrine or ignoring it.

A snare is an unseen trap, something that may be well intentioned on the surface but underlieing is a pathway to sin. The golden ephod became an attraction and something to be drawn to. That lead to affection and then **** which became idolatry. Because Gideon created it, he was the instrument of the adversary and just as guilty as Aaron was for making the golden calf. Sin is transgression against God and His goodness. Evil is evil, knowingly or unknowingly and, from generation to generation causes apostasy. Gideon's family and the people of Israel didn't see the ephod as intended and became idolators and sinners. The Israelites always sought after a tangible God and were guilty of essentially being faithless. Gideon was ignorant.

An ephod is a robe that was worn by a priest and is still so today in some religions. I would imagine that an ephod made of gold would look like a headless, legless and armless statue or, as the Israelies came to see it, an idol.

Gideon asked for and received the gold earings and noserings, along with other precious spoils from the victory over the enemy. As the leader it was his right to do so. Gideon made his mistake when he created an ephod from it which turned into an idol.

Gideon recognizes that God is King and to accept His title would be treason against Him. The Israelies are still worshipping idols and feel no such restraints.

This is the Old Testament and in order to deal equally with the issue God ordered that an eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth be exacted (Deut 19:19-21). This is what Gideon felt obligated to do as he held these two kings responsible for the death of his brothers. Thankfully we are under the New Testament and our faith allows us to wait upon the Lord to deal with such situations. We are obliged to love our enemies.

These two cities doubted that Gideon would be successful and feared reprisal. Because of this Gideon punishes them. We can't doubt the work of the Lord and it is not our job to punish. That belongs to God. Gideon was puffed up because of the victory that the Lord put in his hand and he was out of order. When I cannot see the Lord's work it is because I am being carnally minded. That leads to doubt and fear, which is sin.

Gal 5:9; A little leaven leaven leaveneth the whole lump. Had Gideon not destroyed the entire army they would have lived to grow and fight another day. So it is with us. Problems, specifically sin, must be dealt with fully, or they will simply come back to haunt us.

Because of their might, the men of Ephraim were insulted when ordered to do a mop up operation. Gideon wisely humbled himself and exhalted their work, defusing a potentially devisive situation. A little humility always goes a long way.

By dividing his army into three groups Gideon was able to "surround the enemy" and create the illusion of a much greater size force. With the trumpets and the breaking of the clay jars a sound effect only gave more credibility to the scheme. As a result confusion ensued amongst the intruders and a victory was won. Clearly when we use our heads and do the unexpected we can achieve great things. This is what happens when we allow the Holy Spirit to lead. We become victors instead of defeated.

With the dream the Midianite saw the little barley loaf colapsing the big tent meaning that the small, inferior Israelies would defeat the superior invaders. This gave Gideon the faith to follow through with God's instructions.

God knew how many men He wanted and He knew who would lap the water, the 300.

In my case there always seems to be a degree of doubt which, thankfully, has decreased as I come to know Him more. Prolonged doubt can lead to disbelief and that, is tragic. 1 John 4:1 instructs us to try the spirits to see if they are God's. It is better to prove someone before you blindly follow. Always make certain that what you are being told aligns with the Word. Also, patience is where you find salvation.

God felt that had Gideon's large army been victorious they would get His glory. By shrinking the army to a mere 300 it became clear that it had to be the hand of God to miraculously overcome such overwhelming odds. In this manner Israel would acknowledge the might of and need for Yahweh to be restored to His rightful preeminence in their lives. There is intense spitual pressure when we do not pay heed to the Lord's order, followed by heavy guilt. By faith Gideon was obedient and victorious.

Gideon needs to build his faith which we all do daily as we go through this journey. It is a humble cry for help, not greed. That is how this differs from that which the forefathers did. They were testing God because they were dissatisfied with what He had already provided. They were punished for their sins accordingly.

The Spirit of the Lord inspired Gideon as He did Gideon's peers.

It would seem to me that Joash wasn't being a leader at all. By building idols he was actually being led into sin by the desires of the flesh and the prevailing mentality of Israel. Gideon displays remarkable courage in going against his father and the tide. I believe that the son would always consider the father, especially when he is doing something counter to his father's will. Gideon simply had his priorites in order by obeying God rather than man. The beauty of this all is that Yahweh knew Giseon's father as he knew Gideon and the outcome was that Joash defended his son and dared the idol Baal to defend itself which it could never do because it is false.

As a mere human being I am subject to selfish whims. While a disciple of Jesus Christ these whims have led me to fleshly desires. Still, I didn't stop being a disciple, I was weak and disobedient. As we grow we become stronger and more Christlike. It is being a disciple that allows me to see my mistakes and accomplish this. God has given us a free will and we can quit anytime we choose, God forbid! Gideon had that choice and because he made the right choice Israel was saved. So too will we be when we choose Jesus.

We should always treat our parents with respect and dignity, even when they are wrong. If they sre doing something against God's will then we are expected to obey the Lord. Parents should know their child's priorities and not be offended if it is necessary to humbly correct them. When Gideon obeyed the Lord his father came to his defense. While this may not always be the case obedience to God is our first priority.