If there's one man you wouldn't call exceptional, it's Gideon. Gideon was an antihero. His life and challenges serve as a backdrop for defining the characteristics of exceptional men. One day, he was visited by the angel of the Lord, who urged him to take responsibility.
Here was a man who didn't see himself as important or capable. No one would have chosen or elected him as a leader, a manager, or a chief, not his family or his community. He was a fearful man. He didn't shine with faith either; he even called out to the angel of the Lord, saying, 'Where are the miracles our fathers told us about?'"
It was a time when the people were oppressed, depressed, unhappy, saddened, dejected, and defeated by their powerful neighbors and enemies. Hope was slim, and no one had risen up as a liberator, unlike the prophetess Deborah in her time. Deborah had risen up as a mother in Israel when the leaders were powerless. This was not the case with Gideon. Far from it, even when the call was made to him to deliver his people, he saw himself as incapable and small.
This is a demonstration that God can use everyone, and it is He who decides what you are capable of, not you. Not only does He know the hidden abilities and potential within us, but also those He will develop within us. And this was the case with Gideon, who went from coward to liberator. Thanks to him, his people were freed. He became God's agent, and his life shows us what makes an exceptional individual, a partner with God who will fully serve His cause and advance the Gospel.
1. Fully embrace God’s mission
Gideon, after his initial astonishment, ended up accepting the word spoken over him. A true partner in the gospel, an exceptional individual who will be used by the Lord in these last days, is someone who will align himself with God's word, mission, and calling. He will fully embrace this mission, recognizing that God is capable of making him what God wants; it is liberating.
When the Lord called me to the ministry, I thought I wasn't capable, and especially that I wasn't the kind of person who should be doing the work of the ministry. For me, I was the kind of person who should be writing books, who should be an international author, who should be an international speaker, but certainly not a pastor. So for me, it was, 'Oh no, that's a miscasting,' but God insisted on His call and His mission. And I accepted.
God continues to seek people in every generation. Many are called, but few are chosen. He is looking for a certain type of person, not everyone. He is not looking for people who have arrived. He is looking for people who allow themselves to be led by Him and who submit to His thinking, who do not obstruct His affairs with their thoughts. These are people who accept the challenge. Gideon accepted the challenge, God's mission, and went out to conquer.
To refuse is to miss one's destiny, to miss what one should be, or could become. This is the case of Gideon; he accepted, after laying down fleeces, according to the understanding he had. We have the Holy Spirit. He obtained certainty and moved forward.
And because he accepted God's mission, God supported him and gave him success.
2 Accept responsibility
He not only accepted the mission, he accepted the responsibility that came with it. Gideon was to lead an army into war. He couldn't be a couch potato. Nor could he find excuses to justify his inaction. God gave him the responsibility to deliver his people.
Sometimes when we read these stories in the Bible, we don't realize the immense courage of these individuals. Nowadays, Christians fail when faced with a train or subway problem. They are disgusted because the church is far away, they complain about a two-hour reading, or a two-day workday. Our weakness is such that small things confuse us, insignificant things tire us, depress us, and we complain about ridiculous things over which we should have dominion.
Why? Because we have not accepted the call to responsibility. We have not recognized that He has placed things within us that enable us to prevail over adverse circumstances. We have not submitted to that hand of God that is capable of shaping a human being. If you are as you were when you were converted, or just a little better, you have wasted time. You must be the opposite of what you were, on every level: in joy, in inner strength, in faith, in ability, and in power.
We have a responsibility to free our generation from the devil's grasp. We have work to do, and if we accept our responsibility, we will quickly realize the need for transformation. God encourages, but He doesn't just encourage us; He transforms us. He transformed Gideon.
3 Develop faith in one's ability in God
I'm always amazed at what people consider difficult, complicated, unbearable, too much to ask, etc. Someone will work in a hotel lobby and find it too much work, too much responsibility, and too stressful. Someone else will manage five hotels without batting an eyelid. What's the difference?
Ability, and faith in their ability. No person born of God should live and die small. No person born of God should see small things as great. No one should miss the opportunity each day, not only to grow, but to accomplish great things, to do what they are incapable of doing.
Every person on whom we see the hand of God, at some point, must agree to become what they did not think they could become or to do what they did not think they were capable of doing or called to do. But God knows what he has put inside and He also knows what he is capable of forging in us. So, it is a monumental error to refuse the call, the instructions; the directives, the responsibilities, the tasks, because I am not…, I cannot
Gideon had a large army, but God caused him to reduce it in number. He was left with a handful of men. However, he believed that God could give him victory. And if you know the story, you also know that God gave him tremendous encouragement. He allowed him to hear two people in the enemy camp testify, following a dream, of God's hand upon him and the victory he would achieve.
4 Face difficulties without weakening
What God is going to be able to do with your life is linked to your idea of difficulty. It is really essential that we take the time to meditate on the saints of the Old Testament because they accomplished exploits. They did breathtaking things. If we had to travel to Marseille three times a week, whereas we will do it by TGV, we will feel that it is too much, it is enormous, it is complicated, it is difficult.
The 300 men who remained with Gideon did not falter in the face of the difficult task. They saw their brothers in arms return home. But they remained courageous. They were facing an extremely large and powerful army. They did not falter. God has a habit of presenting His children with great challenges. When the 12 leaders were sent to spy out the land God had given them, there were still giants and strong men in the land.
Some people want a red carpet rolled out for them to come to church, to be served caviar, small dishes, and to have their back, hand, and arm stroked. They want all their problems taken away, for their life to be pleasant, for them not to have to work hard for anything, especially, especially not in the service of God.
Someone I knew had lost their footing in a situation, much to the surprise of another person. Their shock was amusing to see, but I was glad. Why? Because we should be shocked by pettiness, baseness, and mediocrity. Obviously, if you were to talk to the person who had lost their footing, you would have the impression that, frankly, it was too much. It was too hard, too complicated, it was enormous, they couldn't take it, it was exaggerated.
So many sink into mediocrity and fail to fulfill God's will because it is difficult. God's mission is on hold here and there because it is difficult. This is not the life of comfort many expect.
For some, church life is about minimal discomfort and maximum benefit, like being served in a grand hotel. And people who operate this way end up like Israel in Gideon's time, in chains, because they haven't paid the price to be free and become a liberator.
To continue.
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