
When I think about the Grace of Empowerment, Gideon (Judges 6 & 7) comes to mind. Here is a young man in his own words, “Oh my Lord, wherewith shall I save Israel? Behold, my family is poor in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father's house” (6:15). This young man counted himself the least among his family who were facing extremely grave attacks from large enemies. But the Lord appeared to Gideon one day and addressed him how He saw him.
Great forces came against the Israelites, the Amalekites, the Midianites, and the children of the East and we don’t know how many they were but they all came to destroy the children of Israel. It was a formidable situation, and this young man Gideon did not think in any way possible he could be of any help to his leaders in this situation. Yet God chose him. God saw who he was even though he himself didn’t think much of himself. The surrounding enemy nations had destroyed all of their crops and left them impoverished, and there he was all by himself practically hiding threshing wheat to hide it from the enemies..
When the forces of darkness come against us what do we do? We call upon the Lord, the God of Heaven and this is what the Israelites did. They cried unto God and He raised up the least from among them, Gideon. Gideon was doing the least he thought he could do and that was to thresh the wheat by the winepress, to hide it from the Midianites who kept destroying it, instead of destroying the enemies. That did not even enter his mind that he could possibly eliminate the enemy, the threat altogether. Sometimes we have to stop and ask ourselves if we are simply doing things within our own strength to hide from the enemy or keep the threat at bay instead of pulling on the strength and power of God to go beyond our natural abilities and eliminate the enemy completely. When we just try to hide ourselves or try to keep the threat at bay, the fight is always there, but when we eliminate that threat that battle is over and we can move on in victory to greater things in our lives.
God had greater plans for Gideon. God addressed him through his angel “thou mighty man of valor.” Gideon’s response was, “Oh my Lord, if the Lord be with us, why then is all this befallen us? and where be all his miracles which our fathers told us of, saying, Did not the Lord bring us up from Egypt? but now the Lord hath forsaken us, and delivered us into the hands of the Midianites” (6:13). How many times have we looked around at our circumstances and wondered if God is for us why then is everything against us. If my Heavenly Father loves me and everything belongs to Him, why don’t I look like the child of a King? Our present situation causes us to forget all the many great things He has done for us so far.
So God instructed him to look within himself for the answers. The Lord said to him, “Go in this thy might, and thou shalt save Israel from the hand of the Midianites: have not I sent thee? Within him was the strength and might he needed to defeat this humongous enemy before his family, the House of Israel. What humongous battle are you confronted with at this moment? What enemy is threatening your peace at this time of your life? Within us is the grace of empowerment, the might, the strength, the know-how, and the strategy to conquer our enemies and threats.
As we read about Gideon’s encounter with the angel of God that day, we are able to see he not only changed his opinion of himself, but he received the divine help he needed to conquer his enemies. God will equip us with the divine help we need to not only fight our battles of life but to also win them. With the grace of empowerment through the Holy Spirit we are able to do all things through Jesus Christ who strengthens us. Jesus promises us that nothing shall be impossible with Him because according to John 1:16 (AMP) “For out of His fullness [the superabundance of His grace and truth] we have all received grace upon grace [spiritual blessing upon spiritual blessing, favor upon favor, and gift heaped upon gift].”
We have been doubly empowered through the Holy Spirit to be victorious in the world but we must stay connected to the source of the grace of empowerment. Once disconnected we are no longer able to find the help and strength within us to do what we are called to do and have to do. As the people of God, we do need that power from God to be victorious and conquer the forces that come against us every day of our lives. Of our own strength, we will look like grasshoppers in our own eyes, we will see ourselves as inadequate and insufficient, but we must see ourselves through the eyes of Christ. He sees us as mighty warriors, royal priests, and peculiar people (not ordinary), and it behooves us to stay connected to the source of our strength, our anointing, our unction and we will be able to do all things through Christ who strengthens us.
Blessings