Becoming a Mighty Woman of Valor

Becoming a Mighty Woman of Valor   

   

Judg 6:14-15

 

14 Then the Lord  turned to him and said, "Go in this might of yours, and you shall save Israel from the hand of the Midianites. Have I not sent you?"

15 So he said to Him, "O my Lord,* how can I save Israel? Indeed my clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father's house."

NKJV

 

An inferiority complex.  That is definitely what Gideon is saying back to the Almighty God.  "I know you think you see something in me, but I am nothing.  My family is the least important, and I am on the very bottom rung of the family ladder."

 

To read the rest of today's devotional, come meet me at "Laced with Grace", where I am visiting for the day.  You can click on the link below or on the link on the butterfly on the right.

 

 

Victory Over Rejection

 

    

 

    

1 Sam 17:28

 

"Now Eliab his oldest brother heard when he spoke to the men; and Eliab's anger was aroused against David, and he said, "Why did you come down here? And with whom have you left those few sheep in the wilderness? I know your pride and the insolence of your heart, for you have come down to see the battle."

NKJV

 

We all have heard the epic tale about how David, a young shepherd boy, slew Goliath, the giant warrior.  But the lesser known story is about the "bratty shepherd brother turned King".  In other words, prior to greatness, David dealt with a whole lot of minimizing.  When Samuel the Prophet came to his home to anoint a king, his father overlooked him and did not even call him in from the field to be considered. 

 

In the passage above, we see the pep talk that he received from what should have been his closest supporters- his family.  But as you can see David's oldest brother Eliab, saw him as a nuisance that rubbed him the wrong way.  When David tried to assess why Goliath was left to taunt the Israelites, David was reminded about his station in life: "With whom have you left those few sheep...?"  Talk about a put down!  He was reminded that he was only a shepherd.  And only a small-time shepherd with a few sheep.  When the big boys, the serious men of battle were talking about the enemy, David was made a fool of for even trying to assess the situation.

 

The remarkable part of this story is that David was not moved by his nay-sayers.  They never saw merit in him. Oh, well!  Still his zeal for God arose. If you read this account in full, you will see that NO ONE thought he had anything of value to offer the situation.  His oldest brother tried to shut him up.  The next people he talked to replied in the same manner.  Undaunted, he was taken to the king.  Finally!  He was being taken seriously.  Not so!  Observe King Saul's reply:   

 

33 And Saul said to David, "You are not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him; for you are a youth, and he a man of war from his youth."  (1 Sam 17:33)

 

His father did not regard him as valuable.  His brothers diminished him, and even the king told him he had nothing to offer.  And still David continued to stand in his confidence of what God could do through him.  When he finally came before his enemy, dressed simply and toting a sling shot, his enemy taunted him across the field:

 

    

So the Philistine said to David, "Am I a dog, that you come to me with sticks?" And the Philistine cursed David by his gods. 44 And the Philistine said to David, "Come to me, and I will give your flesh to the birds of the air and the beasts of the field!" (v. 43-44)

 

Have you spent your entire life feeling rejected, put down and overlooked?  Take heart! God sees you and your worth is defined by Him.  He alone knows the germ of greatness that he has planted inside of you!  He knows what He can accomplish through you!  The job He has called you to is greater than you are- but not greater than He is within you! 

 

What people speak over us, as well as their attitudes toward us, can cause us to struggle with low self-esteem and a sense of being rejected.  Those experiences and attitudes can be difficult to overcome.  But if we allow it, God can use it to  garner our God-confidence despite all of the obstacles that we face. After today's story David did not immediately rise to greatness.  Once he began to prove his worth, rather than being heralded a hero by the king, he found himself a target for the king's spear.  While he was playing music for the king's enjoyment and relief!

 

The road to destiny and greatness is often paved with rejection, ridicule and resistance.  Hold tight to what the Lord has promised you. He alone knows how the story ends!

 

Dear Lord, today I pray for the rejected, the outcast and the abused.  Help them to rise above the lies of their enemies, and hear instead, Your voice.  Your voice that speaks confirmation, affirmation and faith to their heart.  Arise O God, and let our enemies be scattered!  In Jesus' Name.  Amen.

 

 

 

 

Who Do You Think You Are?

“For by the grace given me I say to every one of you:  Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you.” Romans 12:3

This is one of those “take you down a notch” passages.  Every now and then, we need to be reminded who we are and Whose we are.  Let’s be honest.  Nobody really likes someone who is arrogant, conceited or a know-it-all.  Being full of yourself is a turn off- so much more so in the kingdom of God. 

When we come to Christ for salvation, one of the first steps is recognizing our own sin nature and shortcomings.  We have to recognize that we are not perfect and reach out to the One who is.  Pride is the opposite of that. Pride says:  “ I have it all figure out. I know what to do.  I’ve got it going on.”

Now on the contrary, this also does not mean that Christians should go around feeling like they are lower than low.  Christians should not be shrinking violets with poor self-esteem.  We are children of the King; we are his beloved.  Therefore we are worthwhile people with a great purpose.

So where is the balance?  This passage indicates that we are to think of ourselves in sober judgment.  This is means that we are humble enough to see the truth about ourselves and turn to God for help and forgiveness.  The measure of faith we have been given allows us to be a child of God.  The measure of faith helps us believe for whatever we need from God.    By humility we know what we deserve, but by faith, we walk in His favor.  By understanding of the truth, we know our short comings; but by the measure of faith, we receive our inheritance in Christ.

The bottom line is that we get our sense of worth from Christ.  If we are somebody because he loves us and paid the price for us, that is a sobering truth.  Why? Because it is not based on us or our goodness, but rather on His character, which is always love.

Pride is a fault all of us struggle with.  We have to strive not feel we deserve to get our way all of the time.  We have to strive not to feel that we are right all the time.  We have to strive to get ourselves off of our minds, period.  Some people struggle with a different type of pride where they always feel like they are not good enough.  They feel as if they don’t deserve anything.  How is this pride?  It is pride because it is exalting our opinion above what the Bible says about us.  If the Bible says we are “the apple of His eye.”  That is what we are.  If the Bible says we are his children, that is who we are.

I urge you today to evaluate the way you view yourself.  Pray not to think more highly- or more lowly- of yourself than you ought to think.  Rather, see yourself through the lens of truth, which is the Word of God.

Dear Lord, examine my heart.  Show me places that pride lurks.  Forgive me my tendency and help me to see myself as you would have me to, in balance with Your Word.  In Jesus’ Name.  Amen.