WEBVTT

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Day 68, or March the 9th. Size doesn't matter.

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Our thoughts today are rooted in Judges chapter

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7, verse 7. The Lord said to Gideon, With the

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three hundred men that lapped, I will save you

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and give the Midianites into your hands. Let

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all the others go home. Now the big picture surrounding

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this verse. One of the most famous judges was

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Gideon. He is still remembered today through

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that well -respected international ministry called

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Gideons, who distribute Bibles in places like

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schools and hospitals and prisons. Their team

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is relatively small in number, just like the

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army of Gideon, which was only 300, but managed

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to defeat the larger army of the Midianites.

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Gideon was called by God and was at first very

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reticent to obey. He twice put out a fleece to

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test the call before responding and being used

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in an amazing way by God. He was so successful

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that he was asked to be king, but insisted that

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God was the king and would continue to rule over

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the Israelites. And now our action step for today.

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After gathering a vast army of 32 ,000, Gideon

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was told by God to send home all who were afraid.

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Only 10 ,000 remained, but Gideon was confident

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that there would be enough to win victory. Imagine

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how he felt when it was reduced to only 300 after

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seeing them all drink water from the spring of

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Harod. Logistically, surely it's better to have

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a large army rather than a small one, isn't it?

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The key is found in chapter 7, verse 2. The Lord

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said to Gideon, You have too many warriors with

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you. If I let all of you fight the Midianites,

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the Israelites will boast to me that they saved

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themselves by their own strength. Too many well

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-meaning Christians actually believe that they

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can do the work of God without God's help. Whenever

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you feel inadequate, remember to rely on the

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Lord, who actually doesn't need our help to win,

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but prefers to work with us whenever possible.

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We are only essential to God's work because He

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chooses to make us so. We all need to recognize

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this.