Face Your Enemy

Judges 6:11-17

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. And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him, and said unto him, The LORD is with thee, thou mighty man of valour. 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 LORD hath forsaken us, and delivered us into the hands of the Midianites. 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? 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. And the LORD said unto him, Surely I will be with thee, and thou shalt smite the Midianites as one man. And he said unto him, If now I have found grace in thy sight, then shew me a sign that thou talkest with me.

 Thought For Today:  
As Coach Paul "Bear" Bryant from the University of Alabama said, "In a crisis, don't try to hide from it. You will be found eventually." This means that we cannot avoid disasters and must face them head-on. Israel faced defeat from their enemies due to their disobedience to God's teachings, causing them to live in fear. When we do not follow God's Word, our enemies appear larger than they are. Gideon was not chosen for his strength, but rather God chose him to demonstrate His people's might. Israel had to decide between obeying God and defeating their enemies or continuing to suffer. God assured them that He had not forgotten His promise to their forefathers and found Gideon, who was willing to take action to avoid defeat. Just as Gideon was able to defeat his enemies, we must also face our challenges instead of hiding from them. Life will present many difficult situations, but it is important to confront them with the help of God.