SDCCM Blog

Judges 6:34 – So the Spirit of the Lord came upon Gideon; and he blew a trumpet.

After the angel of God had called Gideon, He gave him instructions to tear down the altar of Baal using his father’s bull. He was further instructed to take a second bull, seven years old and offer it as a sacrifice using the wood from Baal’s altar. Gideon did as he was instructed. Of course, this caused a great anger among the men of the city and they sought to kill Gideon. The Spirit of the Lord came upon Gideon and Gideon blew a trumpet to summon the men of Israel to battle.

Jesus was anointed with God’s Holy Spirit and power to destroy the works of the devil (Acts 10:38). Jesus, in turn, when raised from the dead and ascended to the Father’s right hand poured out the Holy Spirit on all who believed in Him. We, like Gideon of old, are called to “blow the trumpet” of God’s Word. We are to proclaim that “Jesus is Lord” and that the “promise of the Father” has come, the Mighty Holy Spirit. We are to proclaim the “command to repent” for the Day of the Lord has come. This repentance includes turning from a lifestyle of self to living for the Lord Jesus Christ. The trumpet sound is going out in the entire world calling for the nations to surrender to Jesus, God’s eternal king. As believers, we are to declare justice and righteousness throughout the land.

In Gideon’s day, false religion had taken control of society. God raised up a deliverer in the man Gideon. Today, false religion dominates society throughout the world, but a Savior/Redeemer is among us. Jesus has torn down the altars of false gods and is reigning as God’s Anointed King. He is summoning a people, filled with His Holy Spirit, to be bold like Gideon and stand against the gods of our times. The Lord is looking for the Gideon’s who might have some fear, who will test the Lord’s Word, but ultimately will obey and subdue the enemy in their life and the lives of others. As the people of God, we must stand together against unrighteousness in the nation. It is our responsibility to help lead our nation back to God’s will and His purpose.

Gideon presented a fleece and put it before the Lord because of what he had heard. What has the Lord been saying to you? If you have not heard His Spirit speaking to you, take time in his presence and in His Word. Then, as He speaks, prove the Word in the way He directs you. Fear not, the Lord declares, for I am with you!

Judges 6:7 – Now it came about, when the sons of Israel cried to the Lord on account of Midian, that the Lord sent a prophet to the sons of Israel.

The prophet prophesied deliverance to the children of Israel. Gideon is the man that the Spirit of the Lord chose to deliver Israel. He did not look like a deliverer or sound like one either. When the angel of the Lord addressed Gideon, He said to him, “The Lord is with you, O valiant warrior” (Judges 6:12). Gideon had “why” questions for the angel. Why has all this happened to us? Where are the miracles which our fathers told us about?

Again, we see when God’s people cried out to the Lord, the Lord responded. The Spirit of God raises up prophets to proclaim what is in God’s heart. In the New Testament, all of God’s people are called to be prophetic. Some are called into the office of Prophet. He also anoints those called to lead into the battles that face us. Leaders are developed to lead God’s people to fulfill God’s purpose. Both leaders and people work together in defeating God’s enemies and to establish righteousness in the land.

A leader is first called, but then must be forged. The story of Gideon is the story of how the Spirit of God called a farmer and formed him into a leader. Gideon became a judge of God’s people. The character of leadership is something that all of us should press toward. As a believer, one is automatically called to be a leader. It might be at work or school or in the neighborhood. God has called for His people to learn to lead in society. It is time for the people of God to arise and volunteer to take back territory the enemy has stolen.

As Gideon was visited by the angel of the Lord, he asked hard questions. He sought to prove what he was hearing. God wants us to prove Him. A key to being developed by the Spirit of God is to wait upon Him and test all that we hear so we can obey with true faith. The expression of true faith is found in obedience. Obedience must first be expressed by obeying God’s written word. Obedience requires studying and praying concerning the word of God preached by His servants. Obedience is expressed by becoming sensitive to the Holy Spirit’s promptings in one’s life. This kind of obedience demonstrates a true faith toward God.

In the normal flow of life, the Spirit of the Lord will speak to us and call us to a place of influence in our sphere. When He does, ask the questions that are in your heart. Prove Him fully and then simply obey as Gideon did. Our God wants to show Himself mighty through His willing servants.

Father, speak to me and cause me to be an influence for righteousness in my sphere of influence. Help me to obey as Gideon obeyed and to prove you mighty through my life.

Judges 5:31 – Thus let all Your enemies perish, O Lord; But let those who love Him be like the rising of the sun in its might.

This verse is taken from the song of Deborah which covers the whole fifth chapter. It is her song of victory after defeating the Canaanites. The enemy had created problems for the work force in Israel. The highways were deserted and travelers went by roundabout ways. Society was in turmoil without security for tomorrow. When God’s people are serving the Lord and His purpose there are “pleasantries.” But when God’s people choose to serve the gods of this world, the pleasantries cease.

At the time of this writing, our nation has forsaken the Spirit of the living God and we are hurting in many areas, just as Israel was at that time. The nations of the world that serve false gods of secular humanism have taken control. Many in the church seek after worldly ways to expand the church, but God’s Spirit is frustrating their efforts.

Deborah, a prophetess and a judge over Israel, received a word from the Lord that He was about to deliver the Canaanites into Israel’s hands. She gave that word to Barak who was told to take an army against Jabin’s army and that Israel would conquer the enemies of God. God’s Spirit is looking for those today, who will hear and obey God’s word. The world is in crisis and only the people of God can bring the deliverance that is needed. It will take those consecrated to the Lord’s will. Judges 5:2 sums up our thought in today’s devotion, “That the leaders led in Israel and the people volunteered.”

God is looking for those called to lead. He is seeking a people that will volunteer. It is time for the people of God to arise and take down the enemies of the Lord. The Spirit of the Lord is looking for the Deborah’s and the Barak’s of today. Read over Deborah’s song in Judges Chapter five and see if the Lord has things to say to you.

Oh Lord, my prayer is that all Your enemies will perish and that those who love You will be like the rising of the sun in its might. Father, strengthen me to be an example in my life of how to overcome the enemies of God. Cause me to be a volunteer wherever Your Holy Spirit leads me to serve in order to accomplish Your purposes in this season.

Judges 3:15 – When the sons of Israel cried to the Lord, the Lord raised up a deliverer for them, Ehud the son of Gera.

We must always be vigilant when it comes to sin. The enemy is always waiting to lure us away from our relationship with the Lord. Israel had known the peace of God for forty years and then they reverted to idolatry. The Lord strengthened Eglon the king of Moab against Israel, because they had done evil in the sight of the Lord.

The Lord will strengthen the enemy against us in order to bring us to repentance. Jesus covers this point in Matthew 18:31-35 when he tells the story of how a king dealt with an unforgiving servant who failed to forgive one that owed him a little compared to what he owed the king. The king throws him in jail until he paid his debt to the king. Jesus then says “My heavenly Father will also do the same to you, if each of you does not forgive his brother from your heart.”

In God’s great love, He will discipline His children to get their attention and draw them back to serving His kingdom of righteousness. Ehud went straight to the king of Moab. Ehud told him that he had a message from God. For the king it was a message of death as Ehud plunged a knife into Eglon’s abdominal area. We must be intentional and ruthless when dealing with the enemies of God’s people. In New Testament terms, disobedience to God’s word is an enemy. Carnality is an enemy. An unforgiving heart is an enemy to God’s purposes.

Regardless of the sin, it will separate us from God’s intended relationship with us. Ehud knew what it would take to restore the people of God and he accepted the responsibility to go after Moab and put an end to the tempter’s power. God accomplished this for us in Christ. Our deliverance has been purchased, but we must implement what Christ has done. It is our responsibility to rebuke the enemy of our souls. We are to remind him of his utter defeat by the Lord Jesus Christ. We can stop his aggressions against us by using the weapons the Lord has supplied. The sword of the Spirit is our weapon. “The weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses” (2 Corinthians 10:4). Today, be resolute in your determination to overcome sin and binding the enemy by putting to death the lusts of the flesh through the overcoming life of Christ that resides in you.

Father, in Jesus’ name, I put on the armor of God so I can stand against all the trickery of the enemy. Help me, in the power of the Holy Spirit, to be resolute in my resistance against sin, the world and the devil. Father, I ask You to empower me to restore others to You.

Judges 3:10 – The Spirit of the Lord came upon him, and he judged Israel.

The first Judge in Israel was Othniel, the younger brother of Caleb. God raised up Othniel after Israel had cried out to the Lord for deliverance from their enemies. Israel had a habit of falling into idolatry and becoming the slaves of others. Idolatry always leads to “servitude”! God had mercy on His people and sent them a deliverer. Othniel prevailed over the enemies of God’s people and the land had rest for forty years.

Whenever we find ourselves in bondage to others or things, it is important to examine our heart to see if we have made people or things a god to us. A dear sister in the Lord received deliverance from the Lord as she recognized she had made her husband a god. She depended on him for everything and found herself with a bad attitude when he did not meet her expectations. She had stopped seeking the Lord for herself and hearing the Spirit of Lord speaking to her. As she repented and released him to his rightful place as her husband and not a god, she experienced God’s rest and peace filling her soul once again.

Idolatry can take on many forms. For Israel, it came in the form of sexual sins. The nations around Israel worshipped the creature more than the Creator (Romans 1:25). It takes a warfare attitude to defeat the enemy and overcome the sin of idolatry. Othniel led the people of God into war against their enemies and God gave him great victory. First we must identify the “sin of idolatry.” Then we must rout it out of our lives. We do this by confessing the sin of idolatry, repenting of any idolatrous activity, renouncing it as wrong and against God. Finally, ask that the blood of Jesus cleans you from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:5-10). Once this is done, rest will return and a renewed fellowship with the Spirit of God.

Society around the world is filled with the sin of idolatry. It is almost impossible not to be touched by it in some form or fashion. Ask the Lord to show you any idolatry in your life. With a willing heart, repent and let go of every form of idolatry the Spirit of God reveals to you.

Father, I recognize that the sin of idolatry has always plagued Your people, please show to me any form of this sin in my life. I ask You for the overcoming victory of Jesus to reign in my life.

1 Corinthians 12:10 – To another is given the interpretation of tongues.

Seven of the Gifts of the Spirit are common to both Testaments, but two gifts, the gift of tongues and the gift of interpretation of tongues have come into operation since the Day of Pentecost. The gift of interpretation of tongues is the only gift dependent upon another. It could have no meaning without the gift of tongues.

Interpretation of Tongues is the supernatural showing forth by the Spirit of God the meaning of an utterance in tongues. It is not an operation of the mind of an individual, but of the Mind of the Spirit of God. The interpreter never understands the tongue being interpreted. The interpretation is just as much a miracle as the original utterance in tongues. The purpose of the gift is to render the gift of tongues intelligible to others, so that the church may be edified (I Corinthians 14:5, 27).

Note, it is “the gift is interpretation of tongues,” not the translation of tongues. A “translation” is a rendering from one language to another in equivalent words. An interpretation is a declaration of the meaning (1 Corinthians 14:11). The Greek word means to explain thoroughly. Many varieties of expression might be used and many details added without altering the sense of the words. This explains why sometimes the message in tongues is much briefer than the interpretation. The speaker is not translating, but interpreting. The Holy Spirit is explaining the meaning in a miracle of utterance called the “gift of interpretation.”

There are two reasons, I suggest, why this gift is not experienced as much as other gifts. First, as Paul explains in the fourteenth chapter of First Corinthians, the gift is given to bring understanding to the church when the gift of tongues is exercised to declare the gospel in the known language of an unbeliever coming into the assembly. Paul encourages in the church gathering the use of the gift of prophecy where no interpretation is needed. In the early days of the Pentecostal movement in the twentieth century, tongues and interpretation were common. Today, the gift of prophecy is emphasized for the corporate gathering. Tongues are encouraged for one’s prayer life, bringing balance to these gifts and a great alignment to Paul’s teachings.

You may or may not ever operate in this gift of the Spirit. Yet today, ask the Lord for a great sensitivity to the Spirit’s presence and His desire to use you to help another understand more perfectly God’s mind and His will for them.