As we reach the end of the year, some of us have yet to see the covenants increase, destiny, fruitfulness, legacy, and intimacy come to pass. We’re in a place where we’re saying, “God, I’m still waiting for my miracle to happen.” There is a disconnect that God wants us to overcome so that we can step into everything He desires for us.
By Pastor Gerald Tan
Judges 6:11-16 (NASB) Gideon Is Visited 11 Then the angel of the Lord came and sat under the oak that was in Ophrah, which belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, as his son Gideon was beating out wheat in the wine press in order to save it from the Midianites. 12 And the angel of the Lord appeared to him and said to him, “The Lord is with you, valiant warrior.” 13 Then Gideon said to him, “O my lord, if the Lord is with us, why then has all this happened to us? And where are all His miracles which our fathers told us about, saying, ‘Did the Lord not bring us up from Egypt?’ But now the Lord has abandoned us and handed us over to Midian.” 14 And the Lord looked at him and said, “Go in this strength of yours and save Israel from the hand of Midian. Have I not sent you?” 15 But he said to Him, “O Lord, how am I to save Israel? Behold, my family is the least in Manasseh, and I am the youngest in my father’s house.” 16 Yet the Lord said to him, “I will certainly be with you, and you will defeat Midian as one man.” |
In this passage, an angel visited Gideon to release three powerful truths
The Lord is with you
You are a valiant [mighty] warrior
Go in the strength of yours and save Israel from the hand of Midian
For Gideon to walk in these truths, he needed to overcome the disconnect between what God was speaking over him and situation he was in.
Disconnect 1: God’s covenant versus our current reality
We see that the angel said to Gideon, “The Lord is with you.” That was God’s promise. That was God’s truth. That was God’s covenant to Gideon.
But how did Gideon respond to God’s word? “O my lord, if the Lord is with us, why then has all this happened to us?” In Gideon’s mind, if the Lord was truly with them, they would not be suffering under the hand of the Midianites.
We can often ask God the same thing: “God, if You’re really for us, if You’re fulfilling these covenants in my life, then why am I still suffering?”
There are three reasons why we face suffering
We live in a fallen and broken world – Because Adam and Eve disobeyed God, their sin resulted in a fallen and broken world. This corruption ruined God’s perfect plan.
The work of the enemy – Because of the fall of man, the devil has authority over this world, bringing destruction and havoc into our lives. Often, you and I are facing the realities of the demonic powers. The principalities of this dark would be working against us and against the Kingdom of God.
The consequences of our choices and actions – Because of our humanness, we make bad choices and we must face the consequences of our actions.
How do we overcome this disconnect between God’s covenant and our current reality?
Accept that there will always be a natural disconnect – As long as we are living on this earth, there will always be a natural disconnect from God’s covenant with our current reality. But we must remember that God’s covenant is based on His unchanging character and nature.
Do not compartmentalize/dichotomize – Many times, we take promises of God and file them away in a mental folder called “biblical truth.” Then we go through the journey of life believing that biblical truth has no practical relevance in our everyday lives. We must accept God’s promises while accepting that we live in a fallen and broken world.
Meditate upon the covenant and declare it over yourself – The covenant of God originates from God’s goodness and intent and supersedes our current realities. Allow the covenant of God to invade our current reality! The truth of God is greater than the works of the enemy. The truth of God is greater than the ways of this world. The truth of God can overcome every situation we are in.
Disconnect 2: God’s ways versus our ways
“...where are all His miracles which our fathers told us about, saying, ‘Did the Lord not bring us up from Egypt?’ But now the Lord has abandoned us and handed us over to Midian.”
Gideon expected that if God was with them, God would not have allowed Israel to fall under the oppression of Midian, even though Israel had turned away from God and chosen another path.
Similarly, you and I can have expectations or pre-conceived ideas of how God should move.
“God if You are the healer, then You will immediately heal.”
“God if You are the provider, then You will bless us abundantly and we will be able to live in huge houses and drive big cars.”
In the book of Isaiah, God declares that “My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are My ways your ways...My ways are higher than your ways and My thoughts are higher than your thoughts” (55:8-9).
When we tell God what to do, we are telling Him that He doesn’t know how to do His job. We are saying, “I know better than You.” Sounds ridiculous, doesn’t it? We need to let God be God; we need to be His servants.
When we cannot fathom or understand or see God move, we end up becoming disappointed with God, or believing that God has abandoned or forgotten us.
Yet God’s ways flow from His heart and His sovereignty. Our expectations come from our finite thinking and personal desires. If we are to overcome this disconnect, we need to --
Surrender our expectations and dreams – “Not my will, but Yours be done.”
Learn to die to self – “It’s never about my ways, but God’s ways.”
Acknowledge God’s sovereignty – “God is God, not me.”
Trust God completely
When we learn to submit to God’s sovereignty and trust in Him completely, we inevitably find ourselves walking into the fulfillment of His covenant for our lives.
Disconnect 3: God’s declaration versus our self-perception
What was God’s declaration over Gideon?
“The Lord is with you, valiant warrior….Go in this strength of yours and save Israel from the hand of Midian.”
But notice Gideon’s response: “O Lord, how am I to save Israel? Behold, my family is the least in Manasseh, and I am the youngest in my father’s house.”
“God, I cannot. I do not want to. I am not able to.”
Sometimes, we allow self-perception to be something different from what God has intended. The Bible contains God’s declarations over us – the prophetic truths of God.
We place limitations on God’s declaration when our self-perception distorts our reality.
When Gideon obeyed God’s command to tear down his father’s altar, and the people first found out it was him, they demanded that Gideon be put to death. Yet, Gideon’s father defended his son, and the people left Gideon alone (5:25-32). How could this family be the “least” when the people were willing to listen to Gideon’s father?
Moreover, despite living in a land that was constantly ravaged and raged by the Midianites, Gideon’s family still had the means to sacrifice two bulls and one goat (v19, 25). The family was not impoverished or as miserable as Gideon perceived them to be.
Our self-perception can be distorted by many things, such as wrong self-image, bad experiences, negative self-proclamation. When left unchecked, self-perception distorts our ability to receive God’s truth and limits our lives.
When God said to Gideon, “Go, you are a mighty warrior,” it was not about what Gideon achieved or could do in his own strength. When Gideon delivered the Israelites from their enemies, it was 300 men against 135,000 soldiers (Judges 7), not a huge army or fantastic military strategy.
God fulfilling His covenant is never about our qualifications, our accolades, our achievements, or our abilities. To overcome the disconnect, let’s –
Recognize God’s call as the starting point (not our self-perception) – Our self-perception causes us to look inwards. God has called us to impact our world and to embark a journey of faith that will see His name glorified.
Focus on God (not ourselves) – When we fix our eyes on God, God becomes greater in our lives.
Focus on God’s power (not the limitations of our reality) – As we choose to focus on God’s power, it will be the power of God that works through us to bring about miracles and breakthroughs.
Listen to the full sharing on The Great Disconnect here.
Do you have a testimony to share about how God has blessed or ministered to you through this sermon? Send in your testimony via testimonies@trinity.sg to bless and encourage others!
Reflect & Respond
What is a limitation or self-perception that God wants to break through?
Focus on the power and prophetic declaration of God in your life.
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