GIDEON - Part Two

Romans 10:8-9, But what does it say? “The Word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the Word of faith that we proclaim); because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.----------As we continue our look at the life and judgeship of Gideon, we look to his growing faith in God's plan for his life. The amazing aspect of it is how God uses Gideon's fear to not only help him to grow in faith but also to understand that overcoming his fears is an exercise in taking his eyes off of his own abilities and opportunities so that he might fix his eyes on God for deliverance from those fears.----------It is the story woven throughout the book of Judges--God brings deliverance to His people even when they don't deserve it and even in situations where they don't feel worthy or qualified to accomplish God's purpose.----------Judges, perhaps more than any other book of the Bible, shows us the failure of humanity to live out God's call on our lives. The book's final words sum up the picture: "In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes." (Judges 21:25)