The Gideon Series: On the Inside
Gideon Series: Dealing With the Enemy Inside Before Facing the Enemy Outside
Sometimes the biggest battle we face is not the one in front of us. It is the one within us. The story of Gideon in Judges 6 reveals a powerful truth: before God can use us to face the battles outside, He often calls us to deal with what is broken on the inside first.
Why Running From Your Problems Does Not Make Them Go Away
It is easy to become skilled at ignoring problems, looking the other way, and hoping things will eventually resolve themselves. But dysfunction does not disappear just because we stop looking at it. The problem will still be there tomorrow, and the next day, until it is actually dealt with.
God was calling Gideon to face a massive enemy outside of Israel. But before that could happen, God had something else for Gideon to address first.
The Enemy Inside the Camp: What Was the Altar of Baal?
In Judges 6:25-27, God gives Gideon a specific assignment before any battle begins:
"That night the Lord said to Him, '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.' So Gideon took ten men of his servants and did as the Lord had told Him. But because he was too afraid of his family and the men of the town to do it by day, he did it by night."
Israel had been worshiping Baal. This was not just a spiritual problem in the abstract. Baal worship was deeply embedded in the culture, tied to sexual practices and even child sacrifice. Israel wanted God to deliver them, but they also wanted to keep their idols. They wanted deliverance on their own terms.
Why Do We Want God's Help But on Our Own Terms?
This is a tension many people face. We want God to intervene in our circumstances, but we are not always willing to remove the things that are standing in the way. Israel cried out to God for rescue while still maintaining an altar to a false God. They wanted breakthrough without obedience.
God does not call us to give out of excess. He calls us to give out of obedience. When we give out of excess, the cost is minimal. When we give out of obedience, the cost is real. Gideon was being asked to sacrifice something valuable, risk his relationship with his Father, and confront the spiritual compromise of His entire community.
How God Uses Pit Stops to Prepare Us for the Final Destination
God often gives us the big picture first. He shows us the destination. But there is a process involved in getting there, and that process includes stops along the way that fuel us for the next leg of the journey.
Gideon was given the big picture: lead Israel to victory over the Midianites. But before he could get there, he had to tear down the altar of Baal and build one to the Lord in its place. That was a fuel stop. It was not the final destination, but it was necessary to reach it.
What is also worth noting is that God told Gideon to use the Asherah pole as the wood to burn the offering. The very thing that once represented bondage became the fuel for worship. God has a way of taking what the enemy used against us and turning it into something that glorifies Him.
Does a Genuine Encounter With God Mean Your Struggles Will Disappear?
After Gideon tears down the altar, the Spirit of the Lord clothes Him. It sounds like a turning point. And then, almost immediately, Gideon asks God for a sign. Then another sign.
Judges 6:36-40 records Gideon laying out a fleece twice, asking God to confirm what He had already promised. Even after a powerful encounter with God, Gideon still struggled with doubt and fear.
There is sometimes a false idea that a genuine encounter with God should eliminate all our struggles. But sanctification is an ongoing process. We can have a real encounter with God and still wrestle with fear, anxiety, doubt, and discouragement. Our struggles after an encounter with God do not mean the encounter was not real.
What Charles Spurgeon and Gideon Have in Common
Charles Spurgeon was one of the most influential preachers of the 1800s. Thousands gathered to hear him preach. Tens of thousands came to faith under his ministry. His sermons were printed and distributed around the world. And yet Spurgeon battled deep, painful depression throughout his life and ministry.
He eventually wrote about what he called "the minister's fainting fits," describing the crushing weight of discouragement he personally experienced. His struggles did not disqualify him. In many ways, they kept him humble and dependent on God.
Gideon's story and Spurgeon's story both remind us that being called and anointed by God does not mean the road will be free of struggle. Sometimes God uses those very struggles to keep us dependent on Him and to make clear that the power at work in us is not our own.
Your Weakness Does Not Disqualify You From Being Used by God
Gideon saw Himself as the least in the weakest clan. And yet he had servants. His perception of himself did not match reality. How we see our situation is not always an accurate picture of what is actually happening.
God does not wait for us to become a finished product before He uses us. He takes us in our weakness, our brokenness, our fear, and our failure. He uses broken people because when He does, He gets the glory, not us.
If you feel unqualified, too weak, or like you have made too many mistakes to be used by God, hear this: God always uses weak people. He always uses broken people. Your weakness does not limit God. It may actually be the very place He is calling you to step into.
Life Application
This week, ask God to show you if there is an idol, a compromise, or a problem you have been avoiding that He is calling you to deal with. It might be something in your home, your workplace, your relationships, or your own heart. Like Gideon, you may feel afraid. You may feel unqualified. Do it anyway. Obedience does not require perfection. It just requires a willingness to move when God says move.
Take one concrete step this week to tear down what God is pointing to, even if you have to do it afraid.
Sometimes the biggest battle we face is not the one in front of us. It is the one within us. The story of Gideon in Judges 6 reveals a powerful truth: before God can use us to face the battles outside, He often calls us to deal with what is broken on the inside first.
Why Running From Your Problems Does Not Make Them Go Away
It is easy to become skilled at ignoring problems, looking the other way, and hoping things will eventually resolve themselves. But dysfunction does not disappear just because we stop looking at it. The problem will still be there tomorrow, and the next day, until it is actually dealt with.
God was calling Gideon to face a massive enemy outside of Israel. But before that could happen, God had something else for Gideon to address first.
The Enemy Inside the Camp: What Was the Altar of Baal?
In Judges 6:25-27, God gives Gideon a specific assignment before any battle begins:
"That night the Lord said to Him, '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.' So Gideon took ten men of his servants and did as the Lord had told Him. But because he was too afraid of his family and the men of the town to do it by day, he did it by night."
Israel had been worshiping Baal. This was not just a spiritual problem in the abstract. Baal worship was deeply embedded in the culture, tied to sexual practices and even child sacrifice. Israel wanted God to deliver them, but they also wanted to keep their idols. They wanted deliverance on their own terms.
Why Do We Want God's Help But on Our Own Terms?
This is a tension many people face. We want God to intervene in our circumstances, but we are not always willing to remove the things that are standing in the way. Israel cried out to God for rescue while still maintaining an altar to a false God. They wanted breakthrough without obedience.
God does not call us to give out of excess. He calls us to give out of obedience. When we give out of excess, the cost is minimal. When we give out of obedience, the cost is real. Gideon was being asked to sacrifice something valuable, risk his relationship with his Father, and confront the spiritual compromise of His entire community.
How God Uses Pit Stops to Prepare Us for the Final Destination
God often gives us the big picture first. He shows us the destination. But there is a process involved in getting there, and that process includes stops along the way that fuel us for the next leg of the journey.
Gideon was given the big picture: lead Israel to victory over the Midianites. But before he could get there, he had to tear down the altar of Baal and build one to the Lord in its place. That was a fuel stop. It was not the final destination, but it was necessary to reach it.
What is also worth noting is that God told Gideon to use the Asherah pole as the wood to burn the offering. The very thing that once represented bondage became the fuel for worship. God has a way of taking what the enemy used against us and turning it into something that glorifies Him.
Does a Genuine Encounter With God Mean Your Struggles Will Disappear?
After Gideon tears down the altar, the Spirit of the Lord clothes Him. It sounds like a turning point. And then, almost immediately, Gideon asks God for a sign. Then another sign.
Judges 6:36-40 records Gideon laying out a fleece twice, asking God to confirm what He had already promised. Even after a powerful encounter with God, Gideon still struggled with doubt and fear.
There is sometimes a false idea that a genuine encounter with God should eliminate all our struggles. But sanctification is an ongoing process. We can have a real encounter with God and still wrestle with fear, anxiety, doubt, and discouragement. Our struggles after an encounter with God do not mean the encounter was not real.
What Charles Spurgeon and Gideon Have in Common
Charles Spurgeon was one of the most influential preachers of the 1800s. Thousands gathered to hear him preach. Tens of thousands came to faith under his ministry. His sermons were printed and distributed around the world. And yet Spurgeon battled deep, painful depression throughout his life and ministry.
He eventually wrote about what he called "the minister's fainting fits," describing the crushing weight of discouragement he personally experienced. His struggles did not disqualify him. In many ways, they kept him humble and dependent on God.
Gideon's story and Spurgeon's story both remind us that being called and anointed by God does not mean the road will be free of struggle. Sometimes God uses those very struggles to keep us dependent on Him and to make clear that the power at work in us is not our own.
Your Weakness Does Not Disqualify You From Being Used by God
Gideon saw Himself as the least in the weakest clan. And yet he had servants. His perception of himself did not match reality. How we see our situation is not always an accurate picture of what is actually happening.
God does not wait for us to become a finished product before He uses us. He takes us in our weakness, our brokenness, our fear, and our failure. He uses broken people because when He does, He gets the glory, not us.
If you feel unqualified, too weak, or like you have made too many mistakes to be used by God, hear this: God always uses weak people. He always uses broken people. Your weakness does not limit God. It may actually be the very place He is calling you to step into.
Life Application
This week, ask God to show you if there is an idol, a compromise, or a problem you have been avoiding that He is calling you to deal with. It might be something in your home, your workplace, your relationships, or your own heart. Like Gideon, you may feel afraid. You may feel unqualified. Do it anyway. Obedience does not require perfection. It just requires a willingness to move when God says move.
Take one concrete step this week to tear down what God is pointing to, even if you have to do it afraid.
- Is there an area of your life where you have been asking God for breakthrough but refusing to remove what is standing in the way?
- Are you trying to get God to work on your terms rather than His?
- What internal battle has God been calling you to face before He can use you in the battle outside?
- Have you allowed a struggle or a failure to convince you that your encounter with God was not real, or that He can no longer use you?
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