In Judges 6 we are introduced to the character of Gideon, who God chooses to be one of the judges to lead Israel in a time of persecution and decline. In verse 12 of chapter 6 we see the angel of the Lord appearing to Gideon and his opening words are, "The Lord is with you, mighty warrior."
What an amazing way to be greeting by and angel of God!! But here's the interesting thing: Gideon was anything but a mighty warrior! In fact, when the angel finds him he is hiding in a winepress treading out grain to avoid being seen by the Midianites. When God calls him 'mighty warrior' Gideon's reaction is not to bow in humble gratitude and awe but rather to argue with the angel about whether God was in fact with Israel. When God ignores his arguing, and commissions him to go and save Israel out of Midian's hand, Gideon once again protests! He goes on to list his weaknesses and insignificance, clearly unconvinced of his status as 'mighty warrior.'
I wanted to illustrate this 'unlikely hero' in my Bible using the Brotherly Love stamp set to create a character that looks pretty far removed from a mighty warrior - because that was how Gideon saw himself. But the amazing thing is that God didn't see him as weak and insignificant. God saw and declared over him his true identity as a mighty warrior. This made me pause and wonder how God might want to be declaring awesome things over us, but how we often resist and protest, choosing to believe the lies of inferiority and weakness rather than the truths of God's Word. When we feel ordinary, God declares we are extraordinary. When we feel plain or ugly, God declares that we are beautiful and unique. When we feel flawed and useless, God declares that He has a plan and a purpose for our lives. Let's choose to believe the realty of God's truth and adopt His words over us as our own!
I created the background for this page by applying ink with a dry baby wipe on the tip of my finger - it's a great way to add colour with or without a stencil or mask as you have a lot of control over where you put the ink! As well as using Brotherly Love, I also used the Wetland Grass, Love Your Neighbor, Skinny Minnie Alpha, and Mini Grunge Type Alpha sets.
Can I encourage you to find out what God says about you through reading, studying and meditating on His Word and choose to listen and believe His voice? After all, He sees the real us, the one He's created us to be, and the one He will help us to flourish into if we put our trust in Him.
Many blessings...
x Amy x
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