CULTURE OF FEAR (10 years after)

In 2009, let's get rid of this
CULTURE OF FEAR in our Community,
by being...

Men Without Fear

In Judges chapter 7 verse 7: The LORD said to Gideon, "By means of the three hundred who lapped up the water I will save you and will deliver Midian into your power. So let all the other soldiers go home."

Let me quickly review the story with you. Verse 2 reads The LORD said to Gideon, "You have too many soldiers with you for me to deliver Midian into their power, lest Israel vaunt itself against me and say, 'My own power brought me the victory.' In verse 3, God told Gideon to "proclaim to all the soldiers, 'If anyone is afraid or fearful, let him leave." Twenty-two thousand returned, only ten thousand remained. I concluded, two-thirds of the men were fearful. This meant that only one-third were MEN WITHOUT FEAR. In verse 4 the Lord said, "There are still too many soldiers. Lead them down to the water and I will test them for you there". There were 10,000 men without fear, but God would use only 300 men.

In verse 5 the Lord said, "You shall set to one side everyone who laps up the water as a dog does with its tongue; to the other, everyone who kneels down to drink." Verse 6 tells us about the 300 hundred men who, while standing lapped water with their hand to their mouth: the rest bowed down.

Although 9,700 men were MEN WITHOUT FEAR, they bowed down to drink. Only 300 remained erect, drinking water from their hand. They seem to remained upright, looking for the enemy. They were PREPARED for battle. In verse 7, the Lord said, "By means of the three hundred who lapped up the water I will save you". The number 300 is less than one percent of the original 32,000 soldiers.

Relevance in CFC-KSA today

I came to the realization and the conclusion that even today, God continues to use only a small number of men. He uses a similar plan, a similar equation, spiritually speaking. Even today, about one-third of men seem to be MEN WITHOUT FEAR – men seeking to serve God. These are men and women who have decided to follow God. God however, will only use a very small number of people to fulfill His divine plan.

How can I be used by God?

How does God determine and then select these individuals? God uses only a few men to fulfill His divine plan. He does not intend for man to receive the glory for His plan or for what He is doing. I believe that God separates His people by selecting those who are WITHOUT FEAR, those WILLING to be used, those SEEKING to be used, those who have PREPARED themselves to be used by God and possibly most important: those WILLING TO GIVE GOD THE GLORY for the victory.

NO MATTER WHAT IT TAKES!

This is where I take my hats off to our "separated" brethren... lagi silang nahuhuli, humihinto ba sila sa gawain nila? I thank them for making me understand the word "conviction", they are truly one of the few and I truly honor them.

You might ask the question, how can I become one of the few in Couples for Christ who are really used by God to fulfill His divine plan? I am convinced that first, you have to be in the WORD every day. Second, you have to be in PRAYER every day, and third, you must FREQUENTLY MEET with others of a like heart, mind, soul, and purpose. This will help you to be PREPARED to be used by God!

Finally you must be willing to GIVE GOD THE GLORY for what HE is doing, what He has done and what He is going to do!

READ!READ!
Judges 7:1-25 Gideon, with three hundred men, by stratagem defeats the Madianites.This chapter presents us with Gideon in the field, commanding the army of Israel , and routing the army of the Midianites, for which great exploit we found in the former chapter how he was prepared by his converse with God and his conquest of Baal. We are here told,

Judges 7
Gideon's army reduced. (1-8)
Gideon is encouraged. (9-15)
The defeat of the Midianites. (16-22)
The Ephraimites take Oreb and Zeeb. (23-25)

[[[Emailed to Cluster 2 on December 29, 2008]]]