I looked at Gideon last week in our Unlocking the Power of Your Thinking series, and decided to stay with him for the next two chapters. Last week, we looked at how Gideon's thinking did not permit him to receive a word from the Lord. In fact, he argued with and complained to the Lord rather than embracing what the Lord had to say. I noted that when we say, "I need a word from the Lord," we still may not be in a place to receive or obey that word—until we change our thinking. This week, let's look at a theme I have written about many times in the past and that theme is fear, which was certainly near the top of Gideon's challenges as he awakened to his life purpose.
THE PROOF
When we first meet Gideon, he is threshing wheat in a winepress, an unusual place for that activity. We learned early in Judges 6 why he was doing this there:
The Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord, and for seven years he gave them into the hands of the Midianites. Because the power of Midian was so oppressive, the Israelites prepared shelters for themselves in mountain clefts, caves and strongholds. Whenever the Israelites planted their crops, the Midianites, Amalekites and other eastern peoples invaded the country. They camped on the land and ruined the crops all the way to Gaza and did not spare a living thing for Israel, neither sheep nor cattle nor donkeys. They came up with their livestock and their tents like swarms of locusts. It was impossible to count them or their camels; they invaded the land to ravage it. Midian so impoverished the Israelites that they cried out to the Lord for help (Judges 6:1-6).
It is clear that Gideon was threshing his wheat in a place no one would think to look for him because he was afraid—afraid of the Midianites and their power to take away what little wheat he had.
We then see that an angel of the Lord came to Israel because God heard their cries for help. After the Lord reveals the purpose for His visit to Gideon and after Gideon had expressed his displeasure with the way things were going, we read "Gideon replied, 'If now I have found favor in your eyes, give me a sign that it is really you talking to me. Please do not go away until I come back and bring my offering and set it before you.” And the Lord said, “I will wait until you return'" (Judges 6:17-18).
When Gideon returned, the Lord said to him, “Peace! Do not be afraid. You are not going to die" (Judges 6:23). Later when the Lord spoke to Gideon to tear down his father's idolatrous altar, we read, "So Gideon took ten of his servants and did as the Lord told him. But because he was afraid of his family and the townspeople, he did it at night rather than in the daytime" (Judges 6:27). And then when God commissioned Gideon to attack the Midianites, He said,
“Get up, go down against the camp, because I am going to give it into your hands. If you are afraid to attack, go down to the camp with your servant Purah and listen to what they are saying. Afterward, you will be encouraged to attack the camp" (Judges 7:9-11).
This evidence is more than enough to prove that Gideon was steeped in fear, but also shows that God was with him every step of the way to help him overcome his fears. The same, my friend, is true for you.
FIND IT, 'FESS IT, FIX IT
To unlock the power of your thinking, you must allow the Lord to help you confront and overcome your fear. First, assume you are afraid, whether you see it or know it. Second, armed with that assumption, go on a search-and-destroy mission to expose your fear. Third, recognize that your fear often hides behind disguises that sound and appear to be spiritual: "I'm waiting on the Lord. I'm praying about it. I don't want to get ahead of the Lord." Fourth, ask for confirmation, like Gideon did, if you need it for what you believe the Lord is directing you to do, but once you receive it, it's time to act and not delay any longer.
In short, you are to find, confess, and then fix your fear problem the same way Gideon did. You will have to confront your fear head on so you will know the truth and the truth can then set you free. Remember, it all starts by assuming you are afraid whether it appears that way to you or not. If you do that, then you can go looking in the recesses of your mind and heart for those long-standing fear thoughts that have kept you stymied and stagnant for lo these many years. Once you do this, it will become a way of life and you will find great freedom and satisfaction in searching out and destroying the fear that has gripped you for only God knows how long. Have a blessed week.
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