His Strength and Our Obedience
by David Cross
When facing challenges in our lives, it’s very tempting to adopt the strategies of the world to achieve our goal, even when we believe that the goal is one that God has set before us. Our strength, our experience, our intellect, our cunning, our plan can all seem indispensable for getting the result we want.
Gideon assumed that the huge battle he was facing against the Midianites needed significant manpower, but he was to discover that God had a very different plan. Gideon sent out messengers to the tribes of Israel to join his army which reached a very encouraging total of 32,000 fighters. Then, unexpectedly, God spoke to Gideon in the words of today’s verse, effectively challenging him as to what strength he was relying on for the task that God had given him.
As God gave instructions to Gideon, he chose to walk in obedience and he watched, probably with some concern, as God whittled down his army from 32,000 to 300, ready for the battle the next day. Gideon used these few remaining men wisely and we read that, in an extraordinary way, the enemy went into self-destructive confusion. Dear brothers and sisters, this is something that can still happen in the battles we face today, if we recognise that Kingdom victories in the world are achieved by the covenant alliance of God’s strength together with our obedience.
David Cross David is part of the Executive Leadership of Ellel Ministries, with particular responsibility for the Ellel centres in Western Europe. He is married to Denise and they have three grown up children and eight grandchildren. David has been a civil engineer and ski-touring instructor in the Highlands of Scotland. He is passionate about the teaching and practice of the healing and deliverance ministry of Jesus and has written several books: Soul Ties, Trapped by Control, God’s Covering, The Dangers of Alternative Ways to Healing(co-authored with John Berry), an A to Z Guide to the Healing Ministry, What`s Wrong with Human Rights? and, most recently, God`s Way out of Depression. You can follow a daily thought from David on Twitter: @dmcross62
Please feel free to use this devotional to send on to your friends or share with your church fellowship. Provided full acknowledgement is made to Seeds of the Kingdom as the source, you are also welcome to use it in a non-commercial way and reproduce it in magazines or other Christian websites. The copyright for any commercial use of the material remains with Ellel Ministries International.
