Recorded January 19, 2025, with Rhonda Harrison.

It's time for the Champions in Christ broadcast

with Rhonda Harrison on 1017 AFN. Good morning

and welcome to Champions in Christ. We're so

glad you joined us today. This is the day the

Lord has made and we will rejoice and be glad

in it. Hallelujah. He is such a good God and

he loves you today and we are so blessed that

we have a Heavenly Father that cares so much

and values his creation so much that he would

be your broad provider, your healer, your strength,

your victory. and pour his love and mercy on

you each and every day. And that is our portion.

He is so good. He is so good. We're going to

go in the Bible today. We're going to talk. We're

going to go to a story that may be familiar with

some of you guys. It's in Judges chapter six.

And in Judges chapter six, we're going to talk

about a man named Gideon. And we're just going

to begin in verse one and it says the Israelites

did evil in the sight of the Lord and the Lord

handed them over to the Midianites for seven

years. The Midianites so cruel that Israel, the

Israelites had hiding places for themselves in

the mountains and the caves and the strong hills.

Whenever the Israelites planted crops, people

from the Midianites would come. and they would

attack Israel and their land and they would destroy

their crops and they left the Israelites with

nothing to eat. They would take their sheep and

their goats and their cattle and verse five says

the enemy hordes coming with their livestock

and tents were so thick like locusts. There were

so many of them and they arrived in droves of

camels too numerous to count. So this is a lot

of people overtaking the children of Israel.

and they stayed until the land was stripped bare.

So Israel was reduced to starvation by the Medianites

and the Israelites cried unto the Lord for help.

All right, so let's stop for a second and talk

about this. So in the beginning of this chapter,

we see that Israel send in the side of the Lord

and so the Lord handed them over to the enemy,

you know, a lot of times in our life when we

send and we keep sending, you know, it opens

the door to allow the enemy and attack to come

on our lives. So not every attack is because

of that, but clearly here. it was because of

that because they had turned their hearts from

the Lord and so they were being attacked and

it was getting to the point was for seven years

and it was getting to the point they were starving

but then it says then they cried out you know

they waited till it was really bad you know I

don't know why sometimes we do that you know

we need the Lord each and every day but sometimes

we wait to cry out for his help and he's always

available always ready to help in the time of

trouble And so they cried out because of the

Midianites and the Lord sent a prophet to the

Israelites. And he said, this is what the Lord's

God says. I brought you up out of the slavery

in Egypt. I rescued you from the Egyptians and

from all who oppressed you. I drove out your

enemies and gave you their land. I told you I

am the Lord your God. You must not worship other

gods of the Amorites. in whose land you now live

but you have not listened to me ouch how many

times has the lord directed us and we didn't

listen you know it always causes us trouble why

because anything the lord tells us to do for

our benefit, for our reward, for our purpose,

for His glory, but it will always benefit us.

So when we turn our hearts as the Israel did

and we began to worship other gods, now their

other gods were made by hand and they were pagan

gods and were objects and things like that, but

in our day and time lots of things can be God.

Food can be a God. Celebrities can be a God.

Work can be a God. Children can be a God. You

know, there's lots of things we can build up

to an altar before the Lord and where he comes

second or third or fourth or last in our life

and God isn't happy with that. You know, he wants

that relationship with you. He loves you and

I so much that he desires to spend that time

with us every day. every day. He's such a good

God. And so the angel of the Lord, we're in verse

11, came and sat beneath the great tree of Ophrah,

which belonged to Joash, the clan of Abazar.

And Gideon, the son of Joash, was in threshing

wheat at the bottom of the winepress to hide

grain from the Medianites. And the angel of the

Lord appeared to him and said, mighty hero, the

Lord is with you. So here's Gideon. He's hidden

away. He's pressing out wheat. to be hidden so

that they can eat something and An angel of the

Lord appears to him and calls him a mighty hero

and says the Lord is with you Well, then Gideon

begins to you know, just share his heart with

this angel of the Lord and says sir if the Lord

is with us Why has all this happened to us where

all the miracles of our ancestor told us about?

Didn't they say the Lord brought you out of Egypt?

But now the Lord has abandoned us to the handed

us over to the media nights you know Gideon didn't

get it he did not understand that it was Israel

that turned from God not God turning from Israel

and so they opened the door for that for the

enemy to come in and the Lord turned to him and

said he didn't you know when the Lord turned

to him and spoke he didn't go back to where they

were he's always giving us something to move

us forward excuse me And the Lord turned to him

and said, Go with the strength you have and rescue

Israel from the media nights. I am sending you.

That's the word of the Lord. Now, they didn't

have the Bible back then. They didn't have the

Holy Spirit living in them because, of course,

Jesus had not died and rose again. So they have

to go completely on God's word. And this is the

angel, the Lord, speaking to him. And so Gideon

replied, Oh, and then the Lord continues. Let's

see, let me back up. No, verse 15, but the Lord

Gideon said, how can I rescue Israel? My clan

is the weakest in the whole tribe of Manasseh

and I'm the least in the family. You know, he's

looking. He's looking in the natural as many

times we do when God puts something on our heart.

Maybe God's put it in your heart to start a business.

Maybe he's put it in your heart to be a teacher

or a professor at a college and you don't see

how to get there. You're like, oh, I'm not that

smart or oh, I can't do it. God sees and puts

that dream in you because he sees you. your best

because he knows when he's with you he will enable

you to do that which he's called you out to do

and so he's called Gideon to rescue Israel out

of this mess and Gideon's only looking at himself

he's looking at what he has but you know what

little we have when we give it to God it becomes

mighty in his hand and Gideon was looking at

himself and the Lord said, I will be with you

and you will destroy the Medianites as if you

were fighting against one man. Wow. Wow. When

God says that to you, that's amazing. And Gideon

replied, if you are truly going to help me, show

me a sign to prove that it's really the Lord

speaking to me. Don't go away until I come back

and bring my offering because immediately He

wanted to give something to the Lord, you know,

that's our heart to when. Whenever God moves

in your life your your heart becomes his heart

and you begin to want to give back to him in

many ways and so Gideon wanted to give an offering

so he went home got a goat and a basket and some

flour and yeast and he put it all together and

then in verse 20 the angel of the Lord said place

the meat and the unleavened bread on the rock

and pour broth over it and Gideon did as he was

told and the angel of the Lord touched the meat

and the bread with the tip of his staff and in

his hand and fire flamed up from the rock and

consumed all that he brought and the angel of

the Lord disappeared. That's when Gideon realized

and verse 22 says when Gideon realized that it

was an angel of the Lord. He cried out. Oh sovereign

God. I am doomed. I've seen the angel the face

of an angel of the Lord face to face and 23 the

Lord replied. It's all right. Don't be afraid.

You will not die. You know, again, if we would

just trust God's word, you know, they didn't

have the Bible back then, but we have it today.

If you're looking for a promise to stand on,

to start that business, to step out into something

new, to move to a new place, find a verse, hang

on to that promise and God will see you through.

If you will do it, if you'll put action to your

faith. And this is what God's trying to make

Gideon understand. Trust me, just trust me, just

trust me. And Gideon built an altar there and

named it Yahweh Shalom, which means the Lord

is peace. God will always guide you by that peace.

He will always lead you down the right path through

the peace within your heart, not within your

head. Just like Gideon, fear can try to come.

But fear is not our portion as a Christian. And

when you get born again and the Holy Spirit comes

to live in you, he puts the courage of God down

inside of you. You just have to step out in that

bravery in that courageous act. You have to walk

forward. He's not going to do it for us, but

he will give us everything we need to do it.

Why? Because in our weakness, he is made strong.

He will get the glory. You know, Second Timothy

one seven says God has not given us a spirit

of fear, but power love and sound mind or self

-control. You know, he says in Psalms. 34 for

I sought the Lord and he answered me and delivered

me from all my fears. That's exactly what just

happened to Gideon Gideon sought the Lord and

and God delivered him from his fears. God is

trying to tell him get up and move. This is what

I want you to do. And so Gideon built an altar

of course Yahweh is peace and he got that peace

of God and that night the Lord said to Gideon

and began to give him instructions and talk about

telling him to pull down the altar of Baal cut

down cut it down and build an altar of the Lord

it says in verse 26 then build an altar to your

God here on this hilltop sanctuary laying the

stones carefully sacrifice a bull as a burnt

offering on the altar and use as fuel the wood

of the acera pole that you cut down because the

acera pole held up that altar of veil. And Gideon

took ten of his servants and did as the Lord

commanded but he did it at night because he was

afraid of other members of his father's house

He was afraid what these other people who worship

bail would do He was afraid again that fear comes

fear will come at you from every side in different

Circumstances, but we have to make the choice

We have to say no fear will not have way with

me and we can say that because there's a scripture

God is not giving you the spirit of fear, but

he's given you power and love and a sound mind.

He will stand strong in you as you step out,

but we have to step out. So again, early the

next morning as the people began to come around,

they discovered the altar of bail had been broken

down. and in their place a new altar had been

built and the remains of a bull was on there

and they're like who did this you know. So verse

30 says bring out your son the men of the town

demanded to Joe Ash he must die for destroying

the altar of Baal and cutting down the Asherah

pole. You know, this is wild because here's getting

he gets told to do something from the Lord. He's

obedient and what happens he gets persecuted.

They want to kill him. But guess what? That fear

came to his mind again. So what does he have

to do? What we have to do today when fear hits

us, we have to stand strong in the midst of trouble.

Stand strong when we're getting persecuted. Stand

strong when the pressure's on and the tension

is big. Stand strong and just obey what God tells

us to do. They wanted to kill him. But God had

already told him he was going to deliver the

Israelites. So he had to get through this part

of the process. This part will make him stronger

to deal with the Mennonites. And so Joe has shouted

at the mob, and he confronted him. His dad stepped

up, thank God, and began to say, will you argue

his case? And they began to go back and forth.

And he says, if Baal is truly a god, let him

defend himself and destroy the one who broke

down his altar. His dad stood up for God and

for his son, knowing that they could turn on

him too. And he said, let Baal destroy this altar

if he's more powerful. God and so soon after

the army of Midianites and the people from the

East formed an alliance against Israel and crossed

the Jordan camping in the Valley of Jezreel and

then the spirit of the Lord clothed Gideon with

power and he blew a ram's horn called the arms

of the men and they all came to him and he also

sent messengers throughout Manasseh. Asher, Zebulon,

and Naphtali, summoning them warriors and all

of them responded. So again, Gideon is gathering

the truth because There's getting ready to be

a war, but Gideon gets nervous again. And again,

he asks God for a sign. And he says, if you're

truly going to use me to rescue Israel as you

promised, prove it to me in this way. And he

puts out a fleece and he says, I will put out

a wool fleece on the threshing floor at night.

And if the fleece is wet with dew in the morning,

but the ground is dry, I will know you're going

to help me and rescue Israel as you promised.

Now did God really need to do? this. No, he did

not need to show himself faithful because God

everything God says he does and God will not.

be left wanting and he will never lie he cannot

lie the word of God says that but again fear

hit him and the Lord says over and over in the

word be strong and courageous he said it in Deuteronomy

he said it to Daniel he said it to Joshua he's

saying it to Gideon and he's saying it to you

and I today be strong do mighty exploits don't

fear fear has no way with you God's given you

what again power, love, and a sound mind. Hallelujah.

Hallelujah. And then Gideon once again. says

in verse 39, please don't be angry with me, but

let me make one more request. Let me use a fleece

for one more test. He's wanting to test God again.

Oh my goodness. Thank God. We don't have to test

God on his word now because we have the Holy

Spirit living in us. Therefore, that same power

that raised Christ from the dead, that same voice

that spoke to Gideon that came in the form of

a a man to be an angel of the Lord and then disappeared,

that same God speaks to you today. The Bible

says if you have an ear to hear, how do we get

an ear to hear? Get alone with him, get in his

word, get to know him so you know what he would

say and wouldn't say. Everything he says to you

to do will line up with the word of God. If it

doesn't, throw it out because it's not him. So

we can continue on. The story goes on and on

he starts out with 32 ,000 men and then he begins

to Lower that number Okay, so he begins to the

Lord says you have too many warriors with you

If I let you fight the Midianites that Israel

will boast and not in me and but in themselves

and their own strength God does not want us doing

things in our own strength. If you've got a mission

that's not bigger than you, then it's not big

enough. If you've got a dream that you can do

in your own strength. It's not a big enough dream.

You've got a dream big you've got to allow you

and I both have to allow God to use us in that

way and you will it'll be the greatest adventure

you've ever had in your life. The adventures

of God never end unless you stop believing he

said believe him. and his process and his prophets

and so shall you prosper and we're reading about

a prophet right here right here in the word of

God and we believe the word. So basically and

I'm running out of time to narrow this story

down. the Lord in verse chapter seven, verse

seven, the Lord told Gideon with these 300 men,

he had reduced the number from 32 ,000 to 10

,000 to 300 men. Imagine fighting an army of

medianites with 300 men. But God did not want

Israel to be. proud and think they did it in

themselves. God wanted them to know it was God's

working that did it and so and then he even allowed

Gideon one more time. This is the mercy of God

and the grace of God. He allowed him he said

if you're still nervous he take Pura and go down

to the edge of the camp and when he did he heard

them talking about a dream and the dream talking

about how this barley bread and this is in chapter

7 verse 13. I had a dream and in my dream a loaf

of barley bread came tumbling down in the median

night camp and it hit the tent and turned it

over and knocked it flat. And this other medianite

said, which was his companion, your dream can

only mean one thing. God has given Gideon, the

son of Joash, the Israelite victory over the

median and all his allies. Wow. So the enemy's

having a dream, interpreting the dream. Gideon

overhears this with his servant. They take, they

go. and they bowed right there before the Lord

Gideon and Purah and he returned to the Israel

camp shouting get up for the Lord has given you

the victory and I say that to you and I today

get up the Lord has given you the victory shake

shake it off stand up in the power of his might

move forward you know a friend of mine actually

he's like a son to me. He just made a huge step

out of a one direction of a career with a family

of five and step completely in another direction.

Took a cut and pay because he knew in his heart

that's what he needed to do. And now he's thriving

in that. And that was a huge step. with a family

of five. The same way if God's speaking to you

and you're just nervous about making that step,

step out and do it. Go for it. Go for it. Ask

God for that strength and you will see the glory

of God in the land of the living and you will

give him glory for it. He is a good good God.

So let's continue and see what happens. So it

was just after midnight. This is in verse seven.

I mean chapter 7 verse 19, it was just after

midnight after the changing of the guard when

Gideon and a hundred men with them reached the

edge of the median night camp. Suddenly they

blew the ram's horn and broke the clay jars and

all three groups blew their horns and broke their

jars. They held blazing torches in their left

hand and their horns in their right hand and

they shouted a sword for the Lord and for Gideon.

And each man stood at his position around the

camp and watched as all the median nights rushed

in a panic, shouting as they ran to escape. When

the three hundred Israelites blew their ramps

horn, the Lord caused the warriors in the camp

to fight against each other. Wow. So his Holy

Spirit moved in there and they began to fight

with one another and those who were not killed

fled to places as far away. as Beshitha and Zerar

and to the border of Abiyo -Maloha, oh boy get

a load of these names near Tabath and I'm sorry

I'm probably butchering them. Then Gideon set

forth the warriors of Naftali, Asher, Manasseh

who joined in chasing the armies of Midian. Gideon

also sent the messengers throughout the hill

country of Ifram and said come down and attack

the Midianites and cut off the road the shallow

cross crossing between the Jordan River and Beth

Barah. So needless to say all of this happened

and guess what Gideon won the battle the children

of Israel won the battle the same way God wants

you to win the battle in your situation if you're

believing God for something don't give up Don't

let down your guard keep pressing on keep believing

keep standing keep speaking keep walking in the

ways of God and he read he He got the victory

because even when the fear was attacking his

mind, he kept moving, he kept doing, he kept

turning back to God. When that fear hits you,

go to his scriptures, look up the word of God,

find where it says in Philippians 4, 6, and 7,

don't be anxious, don't fear anything but in

everything with prayer and supplication. Let

your requests be made known unto God and that

same piece that hit Gideon will take you to...

It will take you farther than you could ever

go yourself. God says in Isaiah 41 13 for I the

Lord your God hold your right hand. It is not

I who says to you, but it is the Lord fear not.

I am with you who helps you Psalm 118 6. The

Lord is on my side. I will not fear what man

can do unto me. We're going to take a break and

I'll catch you on the other side. We're going

to listen to a song about fearing not. You might

think that I'd be afraid Running scared with

a shaken faith But the God I know says it ain't

over Hallelujah, hallelujah, fear not. We have

nothing to fear because the Lord is on our side.

So excites me. Listen, if you don't know this

God we're talking about and you want to, or maybe

you've walked away from him, pray this prayer

with me. Dear Jesus, thank you for coming on

this earth, dying on a cross and being raised

from the dead to be my sacrifice, cleanse me

of my sin. I thank you, Lord, that you fill me

with your Holy Spirit. I declare you Lord and

Savior of my life, and I ask you to help me.

Give me the courage, the strength, and no fear

to move forward. In Jesus' name, amen. If you

prayed that prayer with me, you have been born

again. Go out and make it a great day. We want

you to know that God loves you, we love you,

and you are a champion in Christ.