Gideon

I had already read this story back when we studied it out in Wired, but while on my way back from louisiana I realized so much more meaning in the story including correlation’s between Gideon’s obedience and our own and the three items given to each of the 300 hundred men during battle.

Gideon Knew his people were being oppressed; He, imaginably like most people of this day, viewed his battle with the sin that plundered and ravished his society as too puissant to overcome. When God came to him he was threshing wheat in a hiding place; he basically just stayed quiet and never spoke up about his opposition to the Midianites rule over his tribe- He grew content and confortable with the situation of the land. God came to his as he was probably crying out for a savior; or somebody to deliver his people and said; “The lord is with you mighty warrior” (judges 6:12). I love it how God already viewed him as a warrior well before Gideon knew he would indeed become one. Gideon of course explained to God why he didn’t believe God was anywhere near his land, for if he were, his people surely would not be suffering.. “If the lord were with us, why has all of this happened to us..”
the the lord said; “Go in the strength you have, am I not sending you?”

God has called us to win this battle- We can no longer think that talking about anything will win- we’ve got to move our feet in cadence with God’s word and win this battle against the sin’s that are raping our people dry. As believer’s we are called to be obedient to God’s word, and I believe this is a time where he is saying to all that are crying out “Go! am I not sending you??” All that believe are to hear this call, but not all that believe are going to have what it takes to take the battle head-on. Gideon blew his trumpet and called Thousands to arms- Here were thousands of folk who heard the call and were pumped to be taking back their land, but who were all without a warriors mentality. God had Gideon sift through the people- And Its not as though we need to sift through people to see who’s ready- Their being ready will be reflected in the way they walk and live their lives. I believe there are alot of believer’s who cry out and who want their cities to be won, but they haven’t got the right mentality to fight the battle, so they never shout or use their voices in any way and they remain in a content state of mind and living. Those in this Generation who will cause the darkness in this land to be revealed to its people are those who are doing more walking than talking, and when they’re talking they’re actually saying something. Just as there were only 300 men ready to fight with Gideon, there aren’t many christians today who will be ready to set the tone and walk-the-talk according to God’s standards. Those who are; the people who not only hear God’s word but heed to it with their response, will set a valuable example that other’s will be quik to follow.
Its easier to move along in the dark when you’ve got a light with you.

I love the moment where Gideon heard what his enemies were saying about him and then he ran back to his camp and shouted “GET UP! The Lord has given the midianites into our hands.” He didn’t just keep that word to himself only tell a few select people, he didn’t softly tell his men of their predetermined victory; He Shouted.. with an exclamation point (!).
Gideon’s tactics had to have been delivered through the spirit because he didn’t equip his three companies with swords, and when they actually battled the Midianties, they made no physical contact at all! Gideon was setting a great example for his men; “Follow my lead..” Each man was given a torch, a jar, and a trumpet.

Here’s my interpretation of these items; 
Those who believe, have all been given these things (Torch, jar [vessel], and a trumpet..as well as a voice to shout with”, but we’ve all just sat around for the longest time trying to figure out what the heck to do with them..untill I read Gideon’s story I only knew what they were and how the functioned separately, but I never understood the true significance of each piece; especially their combined use in battle.
-Torch; We are the light of the world (jn 8:12). We can pretty much look at ouselves like lighthouses placed in the midst of a deep, dark ocean. Torches have alot of significance because they’re an example of a portable light, one that can be carried through any type of darkness. We need to be a light to the world that isn’t only a lamp in our room but a torch on the street. Also, torches can be passed down. Jesus is like the huge flaming bowl at the begining of our running of the torch. only difference between our running of the torch and the olympic’s is that use our torches to light other’s.
-Trumpet; The trumpet’s were held by their Right hands- which commonly represents righteousness. Trumpets also used ot be blown to call a people to arms as well as declaring victory at the end or near end of a battle. I love the way gideon’s SHOUt, his voice, was the trumpet when he called his men to “Get up!” and get ready to fight. I also loved the fact that the actual trumpet was blown before battle- which in my mind, symbolized to Gideon and his men that they had victory even before the battle began.
-Jar; We are vessels of God, who should be filled with his spirit and broken for the lost. Let the sound of us breaking for our people cause the darkness to grow frightened and eventually flee. We’ve got to constantly be a loving people; always showing love to the world and causing them to be thrown off.

Not only did Gideon set an example to his own men, but his men in turn set an example for surrounding tribes and those who weren’t neccessarily ready to battle to come down and fight in this battle as well.
As people of obedience who know its been time to battle, we need to get out butts up and use what we have to take on the enemy- God is backing us! In fact, he’s the one who is sending us and the one who is constantly reminding us that it is by his strength alone that we’ve been able to make to where we are today.
We need to set the tone, an example that meets God’s standards, for those who aren’t ready to fight and those who have grown content.

God, use our voices to awaken a hardhearted generation of believers who have forgotten who you are, what you can do, and have done. Fill us with your spirit lord. Give us a boldness and let all who have ears hear the words and commands you speak through us! As I myself have grown into a new age bracket- use me as an example of what it is to be pure to those who are in grade school that battle sexual temptaion daily- let those who knew me outside of you see me now and be affected by the great work you have done in my heart, mind, and spirit. I will be your obedient bride lord, continue to feed me wisdom. Thank you god, in your name ahmen.

Judges 13

God had given the people of israel into the hands of the philistines because they did evil in his eyes once again.     Manorah had a wife who was sterile and childless, but an angel of the Lord appeared to her saying “you are sterile, but you will conceive and have a child”. The child was going to be a nazarite from birth- So the angel told the mother she had to basically set herself apart to god as she waited for her child to grow and then be birthed. The angel, before leaving also told the woman that her son was going to begin the deliverance of israel from the hands of the Philistines.
When Manoah’s wife told him about the man of God; and his prophecy and instruction; it says Manoah began to pray to the Lord; “Oh lord, i beg you, teach us how to bring up the boy who is to be born”
God heard manoah, and sent the man again.. While the wife Was out in the field (manoah wasn’t with her). Manoah’s wife was working, she already knew what she had to do and she wasn’t going to sit around waiting for more instruction; she was confident in what she had to do and she knew that God would carry on the rest.
Manoah seemed like the unsure one; his prayer to god was alone; He was the one who needed more instruction; it seemed like the wife understood what was to take place and she was ready to set apart her life for that time untill her seed had grown.
When the angel (man of God) had reappeared he came to manoah’s wife- she went to get him saying “he’s here!” Manoah then got up; seems like he was literally just waiting, putting his life on hold until the man of God would return and give the couple further instructions. Manoah asked him “When your words are fulfilled, what is to be the rule for the boys life and work?”  The Angel tells him no more than what he had told his wife. God had plans for the boy after he was born, manoah and his wife were just instructed to stay diligent to the instructions given while he was in the womb; still a seed.. I find that when we’re bearing fruit, there is an apponted time in which we should set our lives aside in order for that seed to grow, but what the person grows to a certain point, we’ve got to give him up to God in order that his will be done in that erson’s life and not our own. God doesn’t give us fruit so that we can just let it spoil- we’ll always be a part of their lives, but there comes a point in their maturity where we just need to leave alot of things to God, be there to encourage and not attempt to dictate.

manoah tried Give some type of glory to the angel, but he didn’t know he was an angel, he thought the man was just some holy man. He him a burnt sacrifice, but the angel said for him to sacrifice to the lord, not himself. After that he attempts one more time to bring glory to the man of god by asking “what is your name so that we may give you some kind of honor?” But the Angel basically said my name is beyond your understanding.. As they burnt the young goat unto the lord, the man disapeared into the rising smoke. Seeing this Manoah shouted “we are doomed!! We’ve just seen God!”
Then His wife lists him some logical reasons as to why God wouldn’t want to kill them. Including the son he gve to them..
When samson was born it says the lord blessed him and the spirit began to stir him; The parents did well enough following the instructions that God gave to them, they thought they’d need to kow everything, but knowingthat he was going to be set apart to god from birth till death was all they needed to know- God instructed samson during his life through the spirit.

Judges 17-18

This was back into a time where the people of israel “had no king”, and everyone did as they saw fit. 17 begins with a man named micah who stole money from his mother and decides to return it only because he overheard his mother utter a curse to whoever stole it. As he returns the silver to his mother she says “the lord bless you my son….I will solemly consecrate my silver to the lord to make a carved image and a cast idol”
Micah made a shrine and an ephod and some idols. He installed one of his sons as priest over his household.. I don’t believe they actually knew the lord though- this was more or less all done out of a religious mindset. Everyone in that time did as they saw fit.
Micah’s household worshipped false gods, they were idolaters; and soon after he installed his son as priest a young levite man from bethlehem came and asked to stay at his house- Micah offered him the position of priest of his house as well as a good salary and the young man took it without much hesitation.
“Now i know the lord will be good to me, since I have a levite as my priest.” – Micah had it all wrong, his people had it all wrong. All along god was to be king over the israelites, but as time passed they slowly but surely drifted away from god.. Micah thought he could get close to god, or at least have his favor if he had his own priest; and not just any priest, a priest who had good blood.

Move now..

This can no longer be a time where we just talk and profess things- This is a time to take action; a time to live the word out. We can’t be afraid to use our voices- Satan is shouting aloud and we should right back, because our voices are backed by God. We need to truely speak out against the things that are afflicting our generation;  There isn’t anytime to be timid. Speak out against the things that oppress our people; they may not know that they’re being ruled over and are indeed subject to opression, but we can see it- And alot of youth in our country are growing content with opressors such as sexual sins, abortion, and those who speak 1/2 truths to rule over them.  

(Judges 14:11) The Israelites were well aware of the fact that they were being ruled over by and oppressive people, yet they grew content. After Samson had acted out against the Philistines his men came to him to put a stop to him saying, “Don’t you realize that the Philistines are rulers over us? What have you done to us?”- Samson sets a great example to me  in the sense that he realized his people were being oppressed and instead of being timid and just letting things sty the way they were he did something to put up an attack against the Israelite’s opressors, of course while being filled with the Holy Spirit. “WE need to Respond to what God has told us to do, then flip out afterwards”, Josh Dailey. That speaks deep to me because its so easy to over think directions instead of just stepping out in faith.

If God gives us instruction to do something we’ve got to know we can do it; Its the same as Jesus asking us to live without sin, it must be possible.

 

May 5, 2008

“My son, pay attention to what I say; Listen closely to my words. Do not let them out of your sight, keep them within your heart; for they are life to those who find them and health to a man’s whole body.” “Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.” 

God chose to dwell within our hearts; our hearts are what contain wisdom- understanding is the way we live out the wisdom God gave to us. My mind is always in a battle and will always create a conflict between what is right and wrong- It is easy to know the difference between the two, but our Heart is what determines which we choose to do. “preserve sound judgement and discernment”- We’ve got to preserve this wisdom given to us by God; Because without it (in our own strength) we have nothing but death. Wisdom truly costs all we have- sacrifice your life for sound judgement- for something more than just head knowledge; sacrifice Your life, for True life. What we have without wisdom is worth nothing more than dirt, for truly all we are without God’s spirit dwelling within us is a walking shell of dirt.. lifeless will we accept life. 

preservance can be obtained as we deny ourselves and choose to follow God’s law that is written upon our hearts; Our hearts pump his law through our entire body and sustain life; once we chose to follow our mind (emotions/thoughts) we die again, Our hearts are holy vessels that really do keep us living when God is within them- a person can go brain-dead and still technically be living, but if their heart gives out, they’re physically dead..
..We must develop a preserved wisdom through christ in order to continue the race set out for us.  

Judges 6

Israelites-
Those were some weird people, and yet, in that thought of them; they truely do show a great representation of how alot of people think today. They sinned alottt, yet God, being the amazingly amazing King that he is, always delivered them from their sins as soon as they began to CRY out. They were definitely a people who lived in a cyclical nature; they would be delivered out of hardcore slavery to their sins, then just allow the sin that they overcame to gain mastery of them OVER an OVVVER. But, isn’t that what alot of us do today? Si senor.. God Would’nt give up on his people, but he would give them into the hands of the sin in which they delighted and served.. God didn’t want his people to sever him, and something else- God is king, He alone is served..that was his basic rule to them, they had favor in his eyes, yet they grew simple minded- the law in which they followed was easily forgotten and/or ignored.

The Israelites allowed a distance to grow inbetween themselves and God (their king). The Medianites were strongly oppressive- As are sins when we allow them to take life. The isralelites Began to realize that God was gone…because they had basically walked away from him, and they felt as though HE had ABANDONED THEM. (???) Pride was definitely a huge issue for those people; they could not realize that their sin caused this slavery to occur. God didn’t intend for them to be slaves to these people, but its what they were delighting in- and if sin is what creates distance; then alot of sin= alot long distance. In the beg. they delighted in their sins with the false belief that God had their back and no matter what he’d always be there for them..and he was, It was just them that weren’t always there with him.. What happend during the medianites takeover is a great visual of what sin does in our lives when we allow it to accumulate- Crops were destroyed; no food for the people.. they couldn’t feed themselves- basically no food, no land, no livlihoods (spelt that wrong :/)- OR No life [because sin IS death], No victory whatsoever [ because it takes land to plant seed and bare fruit], and nothing to keep a good name [they couldn't work; or maintain any daily functions]. Sin ravaged their lives to the point that they were hiding out in the mountains while they watched the land they worked so hard for, the land they earned; go to hell- destroyed by the midianites.
They finally realized “oops, maybe we really do need god…”. 
I love the way the person God always chooses to rise up is the least likely peoson for the job in our eyes. The prophet addressed Gideon by who he really was- “mighty warrior”. I could just sense the fear that Gideon had when he heard this calling over his life.. Funny how God picks even those who may still carry fear- He wanted the people to realize HE IS GOD- the only KING for them, he knew they’d have to see it.. so he worked throught the least likely guy to prove it. “Go in the strength you have..”. God wanted him to go as he was, He didn’t want him to train for months or to pray for weeks about it, it was an obedience issue, Gideon heard the word then responded. “Am i not sending you?”.. God’s word is final.
I loved the way he blew the trumpet in freedom.. where the spirit of the lord is, there is freedom- and it says Gideon was filled with the spirit, so that horn declared freedom for his people…

Back into proverbs.

Proverbs 3:5 “Trust in the lord with all heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.” 
True understanding comes when we choose to turn from evil; when we follow the law- “Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the lord and shun evil..”. In our own, anything..we fall short of everything. True strength and knowledge comes from god. Our muscles give us only physical strength with can only be applied to things such as lifting weights; But, Where do we find the strength to lift the great weight of sins from our hearts?- God. He is the essence of love, mercy, grace, wisdom, boldness; all of which are the roots of true strength.
Verse 6
“..Acknowlegde him, and he will make your paths straight.”
How can I not acknowledge god? I look at my life now and the condition of my heart and its totally apparent that he’s here.. he isn’t just some fairy tale; He is living- He dwells in my heart and my life is to be a total reflection of his law; and his wisdom.
A straight path for me to start my endurance race  was constructed the moment christ was on earth.
At times i feel that my mind is set too much upon the way things on earth go; The things of the spirit Always blow my thoughts out of the water; wisdom and every thing that comes from the spirit are almost always out of my comprehension- they baffle me at times almost as much as the thought of a 4th dimensional world- like, what would that look like??..hurts my small brain to think about. I love serving a god that doesn’t fit in my brain- He chooses to dwell within my heart; the organ which pumps life throughout the entire body.. well at least NOw more than ever does it truely do that.  
  

Dead to old law- Self created law

Our lives are the testimony of the work we’ve allowed christ to do in our hearts; of the new law written apon our hearts by the spirit, no longer in inatimate fluids such as ink. 
Paul: [Romans 7:1-6] “no longer are we to follow old ways..”
No longer am i to be a slave to the law i once knew; the law i felt brought righteousness, though in truth, only brought death to me. No longer shall i follow the false idol of god that i made; the God I created through escapism..
The law we follow is new, and is written upon our hearts the moment we allow christ into our hearts- At the same time that he enters into us, we enter into him and the death of our sin takes place.. the death of ourselves. New revalation i’m receiving through reading romans is that the law i follow isn’t religious. At times i’m attacked by religious-type mindsets and the truth is, i’ve already gained victory over those mindsets, I serve god, and the law he has written on my heart, not religion. The law we serve isn’t written on stone, so the way that i can share what god desires of us is through my life..

His law is written upon my HEART; [def.] The hollow muscular organ located behind the sternum and between the lungs; its rhythmic contractions move the blood through the body. My heart is hollow in flesh, but filled with the spirit; my heart is where god’s spirit [wisdom] dwells. Every step i take is for god, because he is what sustains my life, he is my heart now, i’ve died to the stone heart that i created through sin. [Romans 6:2] “We died to sin, how can we live it any longer?”. Death no longer has mastery over me, i’ve already overcome death/ sin through christ- i’ll maintain this victory through god given humilty.. My heart now circulates wisdom through my body.. Just as christ died to sin once and for all, I have also; and just as he lives for god alone now, so should I…
There isn’t an hour in my day that should be lived for anything else than for God, Why do I feel at times that i’ve got no time for him?? Its by his mercy and grace that i’ve died to sin and resurrected into life; My day is his, my life is his.. The moment that i begin to think i need to take control is the moment i begin to give power to the death that once owned me.. The death that i’ve now conquered. God strip me of this israelite-type mentality! Life away from god is death to me.. he is all who sustains my life, without him i feel like nothing more than just a lifeless shell of dirt.
I have got alot which concerns me these days; graduation, college, finding work, mainting my passion for music, finding time to write and to make art.. and through all of this, my mind feels stressed, it feels heavy.. In truth, I know that by serving God first, above everything else, he will assist me in all of these matters; and my life will by a reflection of his will.
I am not a slave to the old law (my old law), to death, sin, or to myself. I am an intrument of god, I am alive through god, and i will serve only god, first and above all.

Wisdom

The metaphor for wisdom in proverbs is a woman; i think that’s because wisdom is beauty in God’s sight; she is more precious than silver and gold, and is much counted as riches beyond human comprehension. Mankind does not comprehend its worth, in fact most people rebuke wisdom and choose to remain in their foolish way even after god calls them; even when they’re falling and god’s stretches out his hand to them, they refuse to take ahold of it. People back then and now conform to escapism; the idea that they can create their own realities.. They have the knowledge of good and evil; right and wrong, yet they choose to stay in their simple ways- that’s where proverbs is so far showing me where people far short of wisdom- instead of taking god’s hand they rely on their own strength to get them out of their situations. Man is filled with knowledge- but wisdom is more than knowledge, wisdom is applied knowledge, wisdom coincides with actions.

Wisdom is like a fountain; her words will always refresh and strengthen. People reject wisdom almost how israel rejected god; crying out, then as soon as a new mindset and perception is givin, we begin to allow old ways to overtake us, for some its so cyclical due to their failure to speak against that whish attacks them; they refuse to call out their sin for what it is. Wisdom doesn’t just call to you when your in an intellectual state, she calls aloud in the busy streets, in the center of the calamity that surrounds you; we’ve all got to accept her, we’re foolish not to..we’re dead without her. She calls out to us with her hand outstretched when we’re in the midst of all the testings around us; She offers us the upper hand to battle our testings and prevail, yet most turn down her offer to help because they are unwilling to go all in and drop their prideful ways.

“The words of a man are deep waters, but the fountain of wisdom s a bubbling brook.” I feel that people need to quit turning the wisdom that god feed them through his word into just knowledge that they shove into the backs of their thoughts.. I know a ton of knowlegeable people whose conversation is deeeep, yet they lack wisdom..they know what’s right and what’s wrong, yet they live in full blown sin.. its sad. I know from experience how hard it is to not let that conversion occur, but what i know to do know is to not rely on feelings and keep pressing into god in obedience to his word..

I am going to continue to read proverbs, i find poetry in the old testament and i dig it very much.
de of his word we’re dying..its like starving yourself, and our malnutrition is our children’s malnutrition.

 

Wisdom

Wisdom: the quality or state of being wise; knowledge of what is true or right coupled with just judgment as to action (Insight).

Proverbs 1:8 [Embracing Wisdom]

The wisdom that we attain through the word of god should be living; Once received we should be able to live it out. I find it similar to the awesome analogy that PA and JD tend to use; If you claim to have been effected by christ your life would be altered, you would’nt leave that encounter with god the same way you entered it. Well If you ask for wisdom, when you receive it, it should effect your mindset- you shouldn’t think the same, act the same, be the same, once that knowledge is added to your spirit. Even in its definition Wisdom implies action.

Verse 8
“Listen, my son, to you father’s intruction and Do Not forsake your mother’s teaching. They will be the garland to grace your head and a chain to adorn your neck”. – Wisdom is found only within god, through parents it is given as a gift to us, I eally liked this because I eel my parents have spoken much wisdom into my life that was straight from the heart of god. The whole children honor your mothers and fathers thing that i ever so smoothly ignored as i was younger really hit me hard in recent times.. God was speaking wisdom to me through my parents all along, but in my younger days i truely dwelt in the foolish thoughts that told me to “REBEL!!”.
(3:13-16) “wisdom is more profitable than silver, and yields better return than gold”. In these same verses it refers to wisdom as “she”; “At her right hand is long life, and to her left hand is riches and honor..”. Wisdom is beauty is god’s sight- Our perception of beauty is all external (looks/appearence)but all of that is fleeting, charm is deceptive, beauty is found within wisdom. “..women who fears the lord is to be praised..”.
Job 28:12-19
“man doesn’t comprehend it worth” – thats why we search for other things to become rich in; money, god looks, etc. Alot of us don’t really realize how much wisdom is worth, or even where true wisdom derives from. Wisdom can’t be found within books that a man writes with no inspiration from god’s words, wisdom’s roots are found in god..

We have to apply the wisdom that we get to our daily lives; it should effect our thoughts, our character, our being in itself..