Gideon getting faith

<p>GIDEON GETTING FAITH</p> <p>Hebrews 11:32 And what more do I need to say? It would take a long time for me to tell of Gideon and Barak and Samson and Jephthah, also of David and Samuel and the prophets: who through faith subdued kingdoms, ruled the people well, obtained promises, kept from harm in dens of lions, and in a furnace of fire, escaped death by the sword, and out of weakness were made strong</p> <p>‘Out of weakness and being made strong’ was how Gideon learned how to respond to God in faith. He thought ‘I’m not worthy so God would not bother with me’. He had to learn and to understand the partnership arrangement that God desired to have with him. This message of Gideon getting faith is also God’s message to each one of us, where life and power can be released into any situation through our faith partnership with Jesus, which is simply trusting that God is at work for good in the situation.  We learn to focus upon the fact that God invites us into that partnership with him. </p> <p>Gideon’s response to God’s invitation. Judges 6:11 Gideon was threshing wheat in the winepress Not where wheat was usually threshed!, in order to hide it from the Midianites (which were an oppressive nation that God had used to punish Israel for seven years because of their continual disobedience). And the Angel of the Lord appeared to him, and said to him, “The Lord is with you, you mighty man of valor!” Gideon said to Him, “O my lord, if the Lord is with us, why then has all this happened to us? And where are all His miracles which our fathers told us about, saying, ‘Did not the Lord bring us up from Egypt?’ But now the Lord has forsaken us and delivered us into the hands of the Midianites.”</p> <p>There is a lot of ‘O, if, but, why, where,’ in there. That is because Gideon had a very low estimation of himself and he also underestimates God’s desire to have us work with him. God has to remind Gideon that salvation is his idea and that he will accomplish what he sets out to do and we will have the privilege to be