Stand- Pt. 3
Pastor Ryan
5 minute read
It’s essential that we live a life of faith because when we do not stay close to God, we slip further away.
There is no standing still.
This applies to us as individuals and as a nation. Today, we are going to start with a man named Gideon, in which we can find a picture of where we are as a nation and where we are individually. Israel had just experienced a significant victory with the previous Judge, Deborah, and her commander, Barak, who defeated the Canaanites.
Before we continue with scripture, you must know that there are seven phases to a revival, and the story of Gideon serves as a type of map for those phases in a national revival. Let’s take a look at the phases by studying this passage, Judges 6:1-:
Phase 1- Regression
“The people of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, and the Lord gave them into the hand of Midian for seven years.” They did not obey or incline their ear but followed the counsels and the dictates of their evil hearts. The Midianites encamped against them and devoured the produce of the land, as far as Gaza, leaving no sustenance in Israel, no sheep, ox, or donkey.
In the same way, the enemy oppresses our lives today through international, national, relational, and personal ways.
Phase 2- Intersession
Verses 6-7
“And Israel was brought very low because of Midian. And the people of Israel cried out for help to the Lord.”
This is the second phase of revival – intercession. What happens when a nation prays? “If my people, who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.” It’s important to put on the whole armor of God to stand against the schemes of the devil.
Phase 3- Correction
Verses 8-10
“The Lord sent a prophet to the people of Israel, saying, ‘I led you up from Egypt and brought you out of the house of slavery. And I delivered you from the hand of the Egyptians and from the hand of all who oppressed you, and drove them out before you and gave you their land. And I said to you, “I am the Lord your God; you shall not fear the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell.” But you have not obeyed my voice.'”
Phase 4- Revelation
Verses 11-12
“Now the angel of the Lord came and sat under the terebinth at Ophrah, which belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, while his son Gideon was beating out wheat in the winepress to hide it from the Midianites. And the angel of the Lord appeared to him and said, ‘The Lord is with you, O mighty man of valor.’”
Phase 5- Dedication
Verses 15-16
“That night the Lord said to Gideon, ‘Take your father’s bull, and the second bull seven years old, and pull down the altar of Baal that your father has, and cut down the Asherah that is beside it and build an altar to the Lord your God on the top of the stronghold here, with stones laid in due order. Then take the second bull and offer it as a burnt offering with the wood of the Asherah that you shall cut down.’”
Phase 6 – Confirmation
Gideon follows the Lord’s instructions and puts together an army of only 300 men, chosen by how they drank water from a stream. They approach the Midianite camp at night, carrying trumpets and torches hidden in clay jars. At Gideon’s signal, they blew trumpets and shouted, causing confusion and fear among the Midianites, who began to fight each other. The Israelites easily defeat them and pursue them until they are completely routed.
Phase 7 – Celebration
Israel is finally delivered from the oppression of the Midianites. They praise the Lord and offer Him sacrifices. Gideon is asked to rule over Israel, but he refuses, saying that the Lord alone should rule over them. The land has peace for forty years during Gideon’s lifetime.
I want to be frank. I believe America is in need of a revival. As you saw, under Gideon, Israel went through a cycle of regression, intercession, correction, revelation, dedication, confirmation, and celebration. This victorious cycle is what I pray is in America’s future.
When we find ourselves in a place of oppression or regression, we should cry out to God for His help and for Him to intercede for our nation. We must be willing to receive correction from the Lord and allow Him to reveal Himself to us in new ways. We need to be dedicated to the Lord and willing to do whatever He asks of us, even if it seems difficult or impossible. Finally, we can trust in the Lord’s confirmation of His plans and celebrate His victory in our lives.
Let us all strive to live lives of faithfulness to God, staying close to Him, and knowledgeable in His Word, so that we may stand firm in the face of oppression and continue to move forward in our journey with Him.