Obedience in the Face of Fear

July 28

Read: Judges 6:25-27

Obedience in the Face of Fear

[27]” So Gideon took ten men of his servants and did as the LORD had told him. But because he was too afraid of his family and the men of the town to do it by day, he did it by night.”

The transformation into who you are in Christ takes time. When the Lord shows up and whispers to you who you really are in him - “you are my child, a mighty one of valor” - he will in short order present an opportunity for you to grow into your new identity in Christ. It was that very evening after speaking to Gideon that he met him again and told him what was next. (V.25) The Lord called him to something that required him to grow into the person the Lord was making him; the Lord knew the task was one for a courageous man of valor.

How did Gideon respond ? He did what the Lord told him to, but in the evening because he was too afraid to do it during the day! How did God respond? Was the Lord angry? Did he rebuke Gideon? NO. Not at all. What matters to the Lord is obedience to his call and leading Gideon was not rebuked for his fear, but rewarded for his FAITH.

Faith in the Lord does not mean immediate removal of all fear. The Lord will call into practice the things he reveals to us. In those moments what matters most is courage … action in the face of fear… obedience. It does not mean that you “lack trust in God” when you feel afraid to do what he calls you to do. (Think of Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane!) What matters most is obedience. Are you willing to move forward in the face of that fear. This is how you are transformed into the one that the Lord knows you are… The one the Lord is making you. The enemy wants you to feel ashamed, embarrassed, and as if you lack faith because you experienced the emotion of fear. Your ability to do what God is asking you through his empowering of you is the actual working out of the very faith you have.

What happens when we obey? We experienced the transformation that God is working out in us. Gideon finds out that the Lord had already entrusted to him the courage and valor he needed to do the task at hand. It changes who Gideon is. It makes him more equipped for the next time the Lord speaks to him. The same goes for you. You don’t lack faith if you feel afraid of what God has called you to, it just means that it’s an opportunity for you to experience miraculous transformation and breakthrough from the Lord.To think anything different is a lie from the devil, designed to keep you in active… Designed to impede your transformation. The true test of faith comes in obedience to the calling the Lord has given you… even if it means pulling the tower down at night because you are too afraid to do it during the day! It’s OK to be afraid, it’s not OK to disobey. The greatest growth happens through these trials by fire … faith grows through obedience in the face of fear. Love you guys ! - JDP