Today’s Scripture – Judges 6:11-18 2 Cor. 10:3-5; Phil. 1:20 (S.O.A.P. Judges 6:12; Phil 1:20)

Then the angel of the Lord came and sat beneath the great tree at Ophrah, which belonged to Joash of the clan of Abiezer. Gideon son of Joash was threshing wheat at the bottom of a winepress to hide the grain from the Midianites. ¹² The angel of the Lord appeared to him and said, “Mighty hero, the Lord is with you!”

¹³ “Sir,” Gideon replied, “if the Lord is with us, why has all this happened to us? And where are all the miracles our ancestors told us about? Didn’t they say, ‘The Lord brought us up out of Egypt’? But now the Lord has abandoned us and handed us over to the Midianites.” Read More

2 Corinthians 10:3-5

We are human, but we don’t wage war as humans do. ^4 [a]We use God’s mighty weapons, not worldly weapons, to knock down the strongholds of human reasoning and to destroy false arguments. ⁵ We destroy every proud obstacle that keeps people from knowing God. We capture their rebellious thoughts and teach them to obey Christ.

Philippians 1:20 Paul’s Life for Christ

For I fully expect and hope that I will never be ashamed, but that I will continue to be bold for Christ, as I have been in the past. And I trust that my life will bring honor to Christ, whether I live or die.

After thoughts: Two different circumstances, both men in precariously dangerous and disturbing situations – both men familiar with the LORD but one doubtful and the other determined to trust. One walking by faith and the other by sight … Both, I dare say, a familiar reminder of a scenario from our own lives at some point. Both, good lessons for us in our walk of faith when … like Gideon, we can’t see what God is doing and we feel like He has let us down but know He’s asking us to trust Him in what He’s calling us to do – we must remember the angel’s words – “The LORD is with us“. Or, when … like Paul, we find ourselves between the throes of life and death may we remember what God has done in the past and trust that He is with us – and honor Him with unshakable faith. – *Note the main difference between the two – Gideon’s eyes were on his circumstances and Paul knew his circumstances but his eyes were on what God had done/could do and His calling to be bold and live to honor Christ – whether in life or death.

Me – From the Insideout