@AYENCO 9 January 2022 more from that month

TOPIC: OBEDIENCE AND SACRIFICE: PATHS TO VICTORY* TEXT: JUDGES 6 and 7. KEY VERSE: Judges 6:2- “And the hand of Midian prevailed against Israel...” The greatest tragedy that can befall anyone is to be in the middle of a storm and be left to fight alone, that is what disobedience does to us; it strips us of the energy to fight, and like the Israelite army at the sight of Goliath, we retreat when we should be making progress. Someone said that, "what you are afraid of doesn’t stand a chance when you do whatever God tells you to do.” The man Gideon is an amazing character and an example of what every child of God should be. An angel came to him in the form of a man (I suppose). He didn’t know he was an angel, yet he called him ‘Lord.’ Secondly, even though he wasn’t sure of what the angel told him, nor believed it totally, but one thing he was sure of was that it was ‘good news’ (and too good to be true). For bringing good news to him, he begged the angel not to go until he had given him a present. This was the same man that described his family thus: "...my family is poor in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father’s house.” (Judges 6:15) Nevertheless, he still offered something. He didn’t see himself as too poor to give. Paul referring to the Macedonians in 11Corinthians 8:2 said that out of their depth of extreme poverty gave liberally, lavishly, generously, and above all, joyfully. How do you see yourself? Are you one of those that appreciate God when He sends good news to you, or do you just wave it as one of those things? God issued an instruction to Gideon that same night: *“Take thy father’s young bullock, even the second bullock of 7 years old, and throw down the altar of Baal that thy father hath, and cut down the groove that is by it. And build an altar unto the Lord thy God upon the top of this rock...”* That was in deed, a tall order! God wanted a revolution from a man that saw himself as insignificant, but that night, in spite of his fear for his family and the men of the city (V.27) he carried out God’s instruction. This man makes us understand that there are two things that don’t fail to speak for us when we hit a wall; they are sacrificial giving and prompt obedience to God. After he had given so sacrificially and obeyed the instruction given, he gathered 32,000 soldiers to battle against the Midians who had made a mess of their existence, but God turned back 31, 700 men, and gave Israel victory with just 300 men. God was passing a message to generations unborn that when you give to the Lord willingly and joyfully, and obey His commands promptly, you have mapped out a path for your victory. God isn’t demanding from us what is unattainable; however, we can decide to live victoriously like David who never lost a battle, or like the mighty fallen. Join the throng of men and women, whose obedience to God continue to unleash the power of Christ in their lives and make great things begin to happen to them and in them. One of such people is Abraham. Apostle Arome in his sermon *“Kingdom Power,”* speaking of the power Abraham wielded, in that he could change the numbering of God, said, *“He changed it by what he was in the spirit realm. His obedience spoke alongside his request.”* When we make demands, what speaks alongside our request- obedience, or disobedience? May God give us the grace to be prompt in obeying His words and instructions.