And so, because we are people called of God, because we are people of faith, we must learn that our God is going to lead us in ways that are very counterintuitive, because He wants to ensure that through your life and mine, He gets all of the glory. Hello, and welcome to another great day here on Destined for Victory, where we feature the preaching ministry of Pastor Paul Shepherd.
Well, God gives each of us certain gifts to use for His glory, but sometimes He'll ask us to step outside our comfort zone, to operate in an area of weakness, not strength, so that when the victory comes, everyone will know that all the credit belongs to God. That's what the Lord did in the life of Gideon, whose story continues today. Before we get going, though, let me remind you to visit PastorPaul.net to hear any of our recent messages on demand, including today's. That's PastorPaul.net. You can also subscribe to the podcast at Spotify or wherever you enjoy podcasts.
Now, with today's destined for victory message, taking only what God gives us, here is Pastor Paul. Look with me at Judges chapter seven, beginning with verse one. Early in the morning, Gideon and all his men camped at the spring of Harod. The camp of Midian was north of them in the valley near the hill of Mara. The Lord said to Gideon, "You have too many men for me to deliver Midian into your hands, in order that Israel may not boast against me that her own strength has saved her." Announce now to the people, anyone who trembles with fear.
May turn back and leave Mount Gilead.
So twenty-two thousand men left, while ten thousand remained. But the Lord said to Gideon, "Too many men. Take them down to the water, and I will sift them for you there." If I say this one shall go with you, he shall go. But if I say this one shall not go with you, he shall not go.
So Gideon took the men down to the water. There, the Lord told him, separate those who lap the water with their tongues like a dog from those who kneel down to drink. Three hundred men lapped with their hands to their mouths. All the rest got down on their knees to drink. The Lord said to Gideon, "With the three hundred that lapped, I will save you, and give the Midianites into your hands.
Let all the other men go, each." To his own place. We'll pause right there. Taking only what God gives us. I need you to understand something about the God we serve. God is not like man in that He leads us in ways that are very counterintuitive to us.
And he has a reason for doing that. The God we serve is a jealous God. He will not share his glory with anybody or anything else. And so, because we are people called of God, because we are people of faith. We must learn that our God is going to lead us in ways that are very counterintuitive, because He wants to ensure that through your life and mine, He gets all of the glory.
The reason you're saved is because God wants to get a lot of glory out of your life before He takes you to heaven. To spend eternity in His presence, He wants to use you on Earth to bring a lot of glory to Him, and the only way you and I will bring Him glory is we have to learn to flow with Him and move with Him, even though His movements tend to make us very uncomfortable. And this text is a case in point.
Now look at what's going on. As we noted in earlier messages. There's an alliance that has been formed against Israel. Not only the Midianites, but other Eastern peoples have gathered and created an unholy alliance. And in the broader context of this passage, we end up learning that the numbers of men are well over one hundred and thirty thousand.
So now there are more than a hundred and thirty thousand of the enemies who have gathered against Gideon and Israel.
So get that in your mind: in excess of a hundred and thirty thousand are gathered in that valley. When they look down and see them, it's a mass of people, men and chariots and warriors. You can see nothing but them. More than a hundred and thirty thousand of them, but the spirit of the Lord we saw in the last message came upon Gideon, and he blew the trumpet, summoning God's people, the men of Israel, to respond to this call to arms. And thirty-two thousand men respond.
Now. Gideon had to have a mixture of emotions. I can well imagine that Gideon, on the one hand, felt the affirmation and the assurance that comes when people are responsive to our call. You know how it feels when you call for folk. I need some help.
Whether you put out some group email or whatever, and you express some need, or whether, or whether you get on the phone and talk to a lot of folk, whatever it is, you put the word around your church or whatever, and you say, "Here is what I need. Can y'all help me?" It is wonderful when you get response. We are wired where we just love to be responded to. And we also get deeply disappointed when we aren't responded to. That's why, in this world where there's so many emails coming at many of us, I'm trying right now to get in a position where I can be more responsive through the staff and what have you.
I'm trying to respond. There's so many folks who are speaking via email and what have you, and I'm trying to be responsive because I know how important it is. And so I'm trying to get it together. If you've tried to get my attention. I haven't responded yet.
I am working on it. Working on it because I know people love to be responded to. It gives you a sense of dignity, and at least I matter. Tell me something, even if you can't help me. Call me and say, "I wish I could help you, but I can't help you." But you know how it feels when you don't hear anything.
You put out this massive call, and none of these jokers. Respond to you—that can feel pretty bad. We like to be responded to, so I can imagine that. Because you know, this isn't a man who's had ROTC. This is not a man who has any leadership training at all.
This is first time blowing the trumpet, summoning people. He's never been a general in training, never even been a sergeant or private anything. And now God is making a warrior out of him, and he's just having to follow the lead of the Spirit of the Lord. He blows the trumpet. And thirty-two thousand respond.
That's got to feel good. Wow, that's great. Because before that, you don't know. When you put out your chumpy call, whatever it is you're trying to get people to respond to, you don't know what you're gonna get. That can be a real strange feeling until you know.
I remember when we had the first service of this church. We. Called the hotel and and said we need some space for a service because we have announced on the internet that we're gonna have a church. But it felt funny to just put out into the internet world we're gonna have a church, and but inwardly you're saying I hope somebody comes to the first service because literally we. We didn't know, and we thought, well, we might want to set it up where we have time for two services.
But frankly, we didn't even know if we need one service. You don't know till you know.
So it feels good when you finally get response when people are are letting you know I'm I'm here, I'm with you. And I can imagine as those thousands were gathering and what have you, brothers showing up. Hey, man, I heard Trump. What's up? What you need?
That feels good. On the one end, he's feeling good, but on the other hand, he's practical enough to say, "Okay, did y'all count these up? Yeah, how many we got? Thirty-two thousand. All right, now how many is down in the valley?
Well, I don't know, but look like at least one hundred thousand of them." Somebody will say, "No, it's more than that. No, it's more than that. About one twenty, one thirty." Imagine that the affirmation and the good feeling of being responded to gets neutralized by the reality that, although we have thirty two thousand, there are well over a hundred thousand down there.
So we are. Outmanned several times over, you don't feel great about that. And then look at what happens that morning, that is spoken of here in Judges seven. That morning, they're in camp. They are positioned to begin to strategize.
Okay, what does God want us to do to defeat this enemy? And before God gives them a strategy, He gives them a directive that had to hurt Gideon's very heart. Don't go away. The rest of today's Destined for Victory message with Pastor Paul Shepard is coming right up. You know, all over the world, people are in search of the truth, and that's our mission at Destined for Victory—to share timeless truth for a victorious life, so that everyone who hears these messages might come to faith in Christ.
We'd love for you to join us in this mission by sending a generous gift today. Visit our website, PastorPaul.net, to make a safe and secure donation online. That's Pastor Paul dot net, or you can call eight five five three three nine five five zero zero.
Sometimes God will give you a little more, more resources, more talent, more people to encourage you, but every now and then He'll give you a little less. Let's get back to the rest of today's message, taking only what God gives us. God said, "Get in. You have." Too many people for me to do what I'm planning to do. Normally, when we assess a thing, and if you would hear somebody say, "We can't do it with this number of folks," normally what that means is the implication is we need more.
But when God said, "I can't do it with this many folks," what He meant was, "I need less." What do you do when you have done your best to gather your resources to face a challenge? They are still not enough.
So you think to deal with the challenge, but you've done your best. What do you do when God shows up and says, "Well, actually, I can't do it with this"? And you're thinking, "Oh, good, He's going to give me more." And He says, "You have too much for me to do. What I'm doing." What do you do when you go to God and say, "You know, I'm grateful that you've given me a job.
So many people are unemployed, and I'm glad that I'm, I'm working. But Lord, this this job really isn't paying me enough to get done in my life what I want to do. Lord, I need you to give me a better paying job, or I need you to give me additional streams of income." And God says, "Well, actually, you' about to get a pink slip this week." That's what happened to Gideon. You are looking for more because I am already. I can't.
I can't do it like this. And God says, "You are right. You think you can't do it because you don't have enough, and I know you can't do it because you have too much." Gideon had to be a distraught brother. God, are you serious? God said yes.
So what I want you to do is go there, there on Mount Gilead. I want you to stand somewhere where everybody can hear you, or pass the word and tell them that I am saying, anyone who trembles with fear. May turn back and leave Mount Gilead.
That's the instruction. Go and let folks know, Gideon, that God said, "If you're really scared, if you really don't want to do this, it's okay. I'm giving out honorable discharges." This isn't a dishonorable discharge. God isn't saying, "Tell them if they're scared, go home, you old coward." Not what He said. This is not a kick in the pants.
This is not a shaming them. This is not a you.
Something ain't right with you, so I can't use you. No, no. God is saying, "If you are afraid, it's all right. You can go home." Honorable discharge. Gideon then had to watch twenty two thousand people say in response to that, "Really?
Yeah." They said, "God, that's what God said." If you scared, you really don't do this. Just go ahead home. It's cool. Twenty two thousand brothers said, "Deuces." Let me translate. Twenty-two thousand people said, "Okay, I'm leaving.
Peace be unto you." Here's what I need you to see: God is teaching Gideon what He's trying to teach some of us right now—that before. He works the miracle He has ordained to work in and through your life. He is going to first do some stripping away, some downsizing, some pruning, some subtraction, some reduction, and some elimination. Before God works the work in your life that He has ordained, instead of you seeing more come, you are going to see more go. Before He blesses you financially, some of you He is going to first strip away what you're currently depending upon.
Before he blesses you relationally, he is going to say you must announce to some of the folk in your life they are free to leave.
Now I want you to walk with me through this because God is saying to some of us right now, we have got to be okay. With the subtraction that He has ordained, it's not comfortable when you don't even feel like you have enough as it is, and God says some of what you're holding on to is nothing I can use, so you gotta let it go. God says. It's time for you to give out some honorable discharges.
Some of us are holding on to people, guilting them into staying in our lives. You, I, you know, I could always count on you, and you owe me. You know, I've always been there for you. And some of us are recounting to other folk, reminding them of how loyal we've been and how good we've been and treated you well, and all that. And the implication is, you owe me.
But the Lord has given me this word to give to you to let you know it is time for you to bless people as they leave. Because the leaving is ordained of God.
Now it's not comfortable to do. I promise you, it's not comfortable to do. When there are people you've gotten used to, people you've gotten comfortable with, and suddenly God is saying, "Nah, let them go." Not comfortable, but it's necessary for God to get the glory He wants to get. Out of our lives.
So here is what you got to do: Some of us have to look and realize there are people in our lives who are already showing us that their hearts are not there anymore. It's already there. It's all you have to do is look. They're not responsive like they used to be. They're not enthusiastic about you like they used to be.
They just are in a different place. You see it on their face. You see it in their. You used to get on the second ring. You called them and they were picking up, talking to you.
Now you go into voicemail. Used to be responsive on with to the texts and the emails and all that, and now you don't know when or if you're gonna get a response.
Some folk you used to see them and you both greeted each other and like Mary and Elizabeth and you hugged and and and something leapt inside of you. Wonderful fellowship, and now you look at them and they look at you. But it's not the same. If you force a hug, that's all it is. Is God is saying, "I have ordained them to leave." Your life.
Stop trying to hold on to them. Stop trying to guilt them into loving you and taking care of you and being there for you. If I didn't ordain them, they can't stay. Let them go. And he's saying, "Let them go." Like Gideon had to let the twenty-two thousand go.
Let them go with an honorable discharge. Don't talk about them while they go. It wasn't much in the first place. I really ain't missing a whole lot. That's not what God said.
He said just let them go. Cause some of them twenty two thousand. Were fearful. Those brothers were scared. They responded because the call was there, and they just felt like I really need to respond.
These are the days where men only responded to call to arms. The sisters couldn't be an army like y'all can be now. And so this was the men only. And some of those brothers were scared, but they went anyway. Their boys were gone, and they didn't want to look like a punk.
And so I'm going.
Some of them, perhaps their wives, pushed them on out there. I know you're not gonna let all the rest of these brothers go out there while you're sitting in here watching sports. Senator, devil is a lie. You need to get yourself up. Whatever happened?
More than two thirds of the original respondents, their hearts weren't there. They were scared. And God looked at him and said, "I can't work with that." He said, "Tell him it's all right. They can go home. Give him an honorable discharge.
Let him go home and tell their wives, 'God said I can come home.'" In the hands of God, a little is always more than enough. Thanks so much for being here with us for today's Destined for Victory message. Taking only what God gives us. To learn more about our mission and purpose, stop by our website, PastorPaul.net. And while you're there, make sure to look for details on how to download our app.
That way, you'll be able to listen to Destined for Victory anytime on demand. And let me ask a question: Have you ever felt called to do something you didn't yet feel ready for? If so, we've got a great resource to help you navigate your way through what can be a confusing time. Introducing our latest booklet, Called Before Qualified. Inside these pages, you'll get an up-close and personal look at Gideon, a man called by God to be a mighty warrior long before he was brave enough to go into battle.
So, if you've been stalling on your calling until you feel qualified, this booklet will remind you: God may not always call the qualified, but He absolutely qualifies the called. The booklet is called "Called Before Qualified," and it's our thank you gift this month for your generous donation to the Destined for Victory Media Ministry. Give by phone by calling eight five five three three nine five five zero zero. That's eight five five three three nine fifty five hundred. Or visit PastorPaul dot net to make a safe and secure donation online, or mail your gift to Destined for Victory, Post Office Box seventeen sixty seven, Fremont California nine four five three eight.
One of the hardest things God is calling some of you to do, but you must do it, is assess the people in your life who it is clear they're there but they're not there. God says, tell them. Listen, it's been great, but it's obvious we're now moving in two different directions. And that's tomorrow in our continuing message, taking only what God gives us. But until then, remember, He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion in Christ.
You are destined for victory.
