Get Your Mind Right: Gideon | Greg Ford | One Church
ICEBREAKER
Share one word to describe what you will focus on for yourself in 2022?
(ie peace, joy, trust…)
MESSAGE NOTES
GET YOUR MIND RIGHT: Gideon
You can’t go to a new level with an old mind
[Judges 6:1-2]
The Israelites did evil in the Lord’s sight. So the Lord handed them over to the Midianites for seven years. 2 The Midianites were so cruel that the Israelites made hiding places for themselves in the mountains, caves, and strongholds.
Prosperity - Turn - Hardship - Repentance - Restoration
It was more than just a military acquisition, it was personal, barbaric, insult to injury
[Judges 6:6]
So Israel was reduced to starvation by the Midianites. Then the Israelites cried out to the Lord for help. 7 years of adversity at the hands of the Midianites serves as a metaphor for those who are dealing with a prolonged season of affliction, distress, difficulty
[Judges 6:7]
When they cried out to the Lord because of Midian
Action Step #1
Be willing to think differently
[Judges 6:11-12]
…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!”
When your vision is survival you think small.
Mighty Hero The Lord is with you
Adversity can either produce humility or timidity. It’s up to you.
Humility- character trait that will serve you well, better decision making, openness to other people, keep you from bravado or self aggrandizement
Timidity- shrink up, suck the faith and courage out of you, not willing to take a risk, shoot your shot again
[II Timothy 1:7]
For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline.
What are you doing with your season of adversity?
[II Corinthians 4:8-9]
We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed. We are perplexed, but not driven to despair. 9 We are hunted down, but never abandoned by God. We get knocked down, but we are not destroyed.
Back to “Mighty Hero”…the Lord is pounding away at his mindset
[Judges 6:13-14]
“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.” 14 Then the Lord turned to him and said, “Go with the strength you have, and rescue Israel from the Midianites. I am sending you!”
He asks questions & God give him a directive without answering His question…
Sometimes you have to move in a direction before you have all of your questions answered, wounds healed, and energy restored.
Action Step #2
Go with the strength you have
“Rescue Israel” - How am I going to do for others what I can’t even do for myself?
“I am sending you” - God wants you to be a part of His work in the world
[Judges 6:15-16]
“But Lord,” Gideon replied, “how can I rescue Israel? My clan is the weakest in the whole tribe of Manasseh, and I am the least in my entire family!” 16 The Lord said to him, “I will be with you. And you will destroy the Midianites as if you were fighting against one man.”
Action Step #3
Simplify and Act
Conclusion: Get your Mind right
[Judges 8:18]
Then Gideon asked Zebah and Zalmunna, “The men you killed at Tabor—what were they like?” “Like you,” they replied. “They all had the look of a king’s son.”
[Judges 8:27]
Gideon made a sacred ephod from the gold and put it in Ophrah, his hometown. But soon all the Israelites prostituted themselves by worshiping it, and it became a trap for Gideon and his family.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
Has your vision been reduced to survival? Take a moment to ask God to give you His vision for your future?
What are some things in your own life that has become stumbling blocks to keep you from moving forward?
Are you too willing to think differently?
What can you simplify and take action?
What in your life is God telling you to go Go in your own strenght?