ESOCS Devotional 28 July 2023
MEMORY VERSE: “And the LORD looked upon him, and said, Go in this thy might, and thou shalt save Israel from the hand of the Midianites: have not I sent thee?” Judges 6:14 KJV
TEXT: JUDGES 6:11-33 (KJV)
11 And there came an angel of the Lord, and sat under an oak which was in Ophrah, that pertained unto Joash the Abiezrite: and his son Gideon threshed wheat by the winepress, to hide it from the Midianites.
12 And the angel of the Lord appeared unto him, and said unto him, The Lord is with thee, thou mighty man of valour.
13 And Gideon said unto him, Oh my Lord, if the Lord be with us, why then is all this befallen us? and where be all his miracles which our fathers told us of, saying, Did not the Lord bring us up from Egypt? but now the Lordhath forsaken us, and delivered us into the hands of the Midianites.
14 And the Lord looked upon him, and said, Go in this thy might, and thou shalt save Israel from the hand of the Midianites: have not I sent thee?
15 And he said unto him, Oh my Lord, wherewith shall I save Israel? behold, my family is poor in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father’s house.
16 And the Lord said unto him, Surely I will be with thee, and thou shalt smite the Midianites as one man.
17 And he said unto him, If now I have found grace in thy sight, then shew me a sign that thou talkest with me.
18 Depart not hence, I pray thee, until I come unto thee, and bring forth my present, and set it before thee. And he said, I will tarry until thou come again.
19 And Gideon went in, and made ready a kid, and unleavened cakes of an ephah of flour: the flesh he put in a basket, and he put the broth in a pot, and brought it out unto him under the oak, and presented it.
20 And the angel of God said unto him, Take the flesh and the unleavened cakes, and lay them upon this rock, and pour out the broth. And he did so.
21 Then the angel of the Lord put forth the end of the staff that was in his hand, and touched the flesh and the unleavened cakes; and there rose up fire out of the rock, and consumed the flesh and the unleavened cakes. Then the angel of the Lord departed out of his sight.
22 And when Gideon perceived that he was an angel of the Lord, Gideon said, Alas, O Lord God! for because I have seen an angel of the Lord face to face.
23 And the Lord said unto him, Peace be unto thee; fear not: thou shalt not die.
24 Then Gideon built an altar there unto the Lord, and called it Jehovahshalom: unto this day it is yet in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.
25 And it came to pass the same night, that the Lord said unto him, Take thy father’s young bullock, even the second bullock of seven years old, and throw down the altar of Baal that thy father hath, and cut down the grove that is by it:
26 And build an altar unto the Lord thy God upon the top of this rock, in the ordered place, and take the second bullock, and offer a burnt sacrifice with the wood of the grove which thou shalt cut down.
27 Then Gideon took ten men of his servants, and did as the Lord had said unto him: and so it was, because he feared his father’s household, and the men of the city, that he could not do it by day, that he did it by night.
28 And when the men of the city arose early in the morning, behold, the altar of Baal was cast down, and the grove was cut down that was by it, and the second bullock was offered upon the altar that was built.
29 And they said one to another, Who hath done this thing? And when they enquired and asked, they said, Gideon the son of Joash hath done this thing.
30 Then the men of the city said unto Joash, Bring out thy son, that he may die: because he hath cast down the altar of Baal, and because he hath cut down the grove that was by it.
31 And Joash said unto all that stood against him, Will ye plead for Baal? will ye save him? he that will plead for him, let him be put to death whilst it is yet morning: if he be a god, let him plead for himself, because one hath cast down his altar.
32 Therefore on that day he called him Jerubbaal, saying, Let Baal plead against him, because he hath thrown down his altar.
33 Then all the Midianites and the Amalekites and the children of the east were gathered together, and went over, and pitched in the valley of Jezreel.
Read Yesterday’s ESOCS Devotional here
According to Newton’s first law of motion; a body remains at rest or in uniform motion except being acted upon by an external force. The meaning of that is; man remains in a static position until he/she comes in contact with the supernatural. This was the state of Gideon according to our text. He practically lived in fear of the Midianites to the extent of threshing wheat by the winepress (Judges 6:11). He would have remained in this condition if not for the divine visitation that changed the narratives “And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him, and said unto him, The LORD is with thee, thou mighty man of valour” (Judges 6:12). Hence, this singular visitation became the key for his divine discovery; it guaranteed his manifestation in the face of intimidation and handled his frustration. This angelic encounter became the answer to all the questions in the life of Gideon and then provoked his empowerment for a greater testimony. Hence, the charge to go in his might.
This same visitation and charge is equally coming your way today. It is pulling you out of every place of stagnation, frustration and fear to a higher place of manifestation, dominion and victory in the Name of Jesus Christ.
Here are some of the dimensions of might we are expected to go in:
- Revelational Might: Gideon got a deeper revelation of who he was and the stuff he was made up of. “…for I am fearfully and wonderfully made…” (Psalm 139:14). Make conscious effort to have the clear revelation and understanding of who you are. Revelational might keep vision alive and helps you remain focused in your pursuit of destiny. “The eyes of your understanding being enlightened…” (Eph. 1:18). Never embark on any journey until you are equipped with the requisite revelations.
- Physical/Emotional Might: As we go, the need for physical and emotional fitness becomes a necessity. We need to develop ourselves in such a way that we can withstand physical and emotional pressures as they come per time. To be emotionally traumatized is to be vulnerable to attacks.
- Spiritual Might: As you go, be strong spiritually to withstand the enemy and secure the salvation of everyone around you. You must understand that every other might without the backing and support of the spiritual might amount to exercise in futility.
- Be readily positioned for divine visitation always.
- Lord, I receive the empowerment for the journey of life and destiny.
FURTHER READING: Nehemiah 1:1-11; Luke 8:26-39; Acts. 22:22-30; 23:1-11
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ESOCS Devotional 28 July 2023
