There are at least five major lessons we learn from the story of Gideon in Judges 6-8. Here’s the third one:
The passcode to unlocking God’s activity in your life is surrender.
Before my wife can use her smartphone, she first has to enter a passcode. Everything begins with entering that passcode. Then and only then can the phone be used. In the same way, without surrender God can’t use us. Everything begins with surrender. Then and only then can God use us. We’ve got to be willing to surrender our will and obey God if we want to be used of God. Notice how it worked with Gideon…
- God told Gideon to go and save Israel out of Midian’s hand. Gideon’s response was: Yes Adonai.
- Since Gideon obeyed, God revealed to Gideon the next step in His plan for his life. God told him to tear down his father’s altar to Baal and replace it with an altar to the one true God. We read in Judges 6:7 “So Gideon took ten of his servants and did as the Lord told him.”
- Since Gideon obeyed, God revealed to Gideon the next step in His plan for his life. God told Gideon to weed out soldiers from his army by testing how they drank from the stream. We read in Judges 7:5 “So Gideon took the men down to the water.”
- Since Gideon obeyed, God revealed to Gideon the next step in His plan for his life. God told Gideon to go to the Midianite camp with his servant to listen to what the Midianites were saying. We read in Judges 7:11, “So he and Purah his servant went down to the outposts of the camp.”
God was at work in Gideon’s life because Gideon surrendered his will to God’s – When God told Gideon to do something Gideon obeyed. Some of you want God to give you the next step in His plan for your life – but you’re unwilling to give God the honor that’s due Him by obeying Him. If that’s you, let me remind you of something – God’s activity in our lives, as it was in Gideon’s, is totally dependent upon our obedience. As we learn from Gideon’s example – when we’ve obeyed the last thing God has told us to do, He speaks to us again, giving us the next step in His plan for our lives. Some of you aren’t hearing anything about His plan for you life because He’s been speaking to you for months (or years maybe) about something and you’re answer has been “no.” Well the good news is that God is just waiting for you to surrender this area of your life to Him – and when you do – God’s activity in your life will pick right back up. Because again – The passcode to unlocking God’s activity in your life is surrender.