Gideon felt inadequate, he felt insecure. He lacked confidence. His self-esteem was pretty low. If you will allow Him, God will never leave you in that low state. Inside noise puts you into the pit. Insecurity will leave you there to waste away your days. But, Jesus is here to lift you out of the pit and establish your goings.
Jesus Will Lift You Out of the Pit
ILLUSTRATION:
A man fell into a pit and couldn’t get himself out.
A subjective person came along and said, “I feel for you down there.”
An objective person walked by and said, “It’s logical that someone would fall down there.”
A Pharisee said, “Only bad people fall into pits.”
A mathematician calculated how deep the pit was.
A news reporter wanted the exclusive story on the pit.
A self-pitying person said, “You haven’t seen anything until you’ve seen my pit.”
A fire-and-brimstone preacher said, “You deserve your pit.”
A Christian Scientist observed, “The pit is just in your mind.”
A psychologist noted, “Your mother and father are to blame for your being in that pit.”
A self-esteem therapist said, “Believe in yourself and you can get out of that pit.”
An optimist said, “Things could be worse.”
A pessimist claimed, “Things will get worse.”
Jesus, seeing the man, took him by the hand and lifted him out of the pit.
- How will Jesus lift you out?
- What tools has He given us to help us get out?
First, He Has Given Us His Voice.
The voice of the Lord will cut through the soul-ish noise within.
- Let’s take a look at a ‘pit breakout.’
- This occurred via a conversation between God and Gideon.
Judges 6:11–12 (KJV)
11 And there came an angel of the LORD, and sat under an oak which was in Ophrah, that pertained unto Joash the Abi-ezrite: and his son Gideon threshed wheat by the winepress, to hide it from the Midianites. 12 And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him, and said unto him, The LORD is with thee, thou mighty man of valour.
- Gideon hid in the winepress (vs. 11).
- He was projecting what he felt within with that action.
- God’s response to that was, ‘You are a mighty man of valor’ (vs. 12).
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Gideon said…
Judges 6:13 (KJV)
13 And Gideon said unto him, 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.
God’s response to that was…
Judges 6:14 (KJV)
14 And the Lord looked upon him, and said, Go in this thy might, and thou shalt save Israel from the hand of the Midianites: have not I sent thee?
Gideon said…
Judges 6:15 (KJV)
15 And he said unto him, 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.
God’s response to that was…
Judges 6:16 (KJV)
16 And the Lord said unto him, Surely I will be with thee, and thou shalt smite the Midianites as one man.
- God continues to cut through all of Gideon’s insecurities with His own voice.
- The Lord is very calm in His responses.
- He doesn’t get excited.
- He is real cool throughout the whole exchange.
- God gives Gideon His own voice, His own words, to help him combat his own inner noise.
- What God did for Gideon, He will do for you.
Second: He Has Given Us a Call
The call of the Lord will cut through the soul-ish noise within.
Mark 3:14–15 (ESV)
14 And he appointed twelve (whom he also named apostles) so that they might be with him and he might send them out to preach 15 and have authority to cast out demons.
- God called us to be with Him.
- Look at the order of these two things. It’s important.
- ‘Being with Him’ comes before ‘working for Him’.
- Understand that this is what Jesus wants for your life.
- At times, we get so intent on trying to accomplish something for Him.
- We replace taking time to be with Him with working for Him.
- Gideon made the right choice. He choose to be with God.
Judges 6:22–24 (KJV)
22 And when Gideon perceived that he was an angel of the Lord, Gideon said, Alas, O Lord God! for because I have seen an angel of the Lord face to face. 23 And the Lord said unto him, Peace be unto thee; fear not: thou shalt not die. 24 Then Gideon built an altar there unto the Lord, and called it Jehovah-shalom: unto this day it is yet in Ophrah of the Abi-ezrites.
- When Gideon finally realized who was speaking to Him, when he finally realized it was the Most High God, he immediately centered on His relationship.
- Doing so, opens up a channel where you can receive from Him. Things that will help you cut through the noise within.
- The very night after Gideon built the altar, God spoke to him and gave him direction.
- He followed it. He was still afraid when he did it but he did it anyway.
- What happened next was the difference maker.
Judges 6:34 (KJV)
34 But the Spirit of the Lord came upon Gideon, and he blew a trumpet; and Abi-ezer was gathered after him.
- Look at Gideon’s actions now that God has encouraged him with His own voice and gave him a call.
- He doesn’t blow the trumpet at night. He blows it during the day time.
- The Spirit of God came upon him and helped him to become all that he was to meant to be; a mighty bruising warrior.
- In a similar way, Jesus chose you that you might be with Him and that you might preach, or be a witness.
- Be encouraged to get the order right in your life.
- Think about that, the Most High God, Maker of Heaven and Earth wants you to be with Him.
- Do you understand what that means?
- Jesus wants to associate Himself with the likes of you.
Understand that the veil that has covered ‘your value’, in your own eyes, is uncovered by this association.
- Jesus only hangs out with quality people so if He desires to hangout with YOU, and He does, that must say something positive about you.
- If you are in a negative state, this can only mean a change is coming in your life because God will not leave you as He found you.
- If you feel you are not what you are supposed to be, if you are hampered by inferiority, if you are hindered by insecurity, the hand of Jesus is coming to pull you out.
- He will pull you out of the pit of inferiority and insecurity.
- He will do it with His own voice.
- There is absolutely something about Jesus that will help you hold your head up.
- The Bible tells us to lift up our heads.
Psalm 24:7 (KJV)
7 Lift up your heads, O ye gates; And be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors; And the King of glory shall come in.
Psalm 121:1 (KJV)
1 I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, From whence cometh my help.
Men receive from God when they look up to Him.
Luke 21:28 (KJV)
28 And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.
Your Infinite Value to God
- Let’s look at the idea of personal value from another angle.
- Jesus says that he wants you to be with Him.
- The fact that He wants to hang out with you says something about you.
- It says something about your value.
- This thought is expressed in the Psalms.
Psalm 8:3–4 (ESV)
3 When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, 4 what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him?
- The Psalmist was in awe over God’s opinion of man.
- It is essential that you understand your value.
- You are highly esteemed by the Creator of men.
Not understanding a persons value has kept…
- Geniuses from creating,
- Artists from painting,
- Preachers from preaching.
- Lack of self-worth has wasted man’s creative potential.
- It has caused unhappiness.
- It has contributed to human failure.
Insecurity is Personality Defeat.
- It crushes the spirit of man and causes maladjustment, sometimes with devastating results.
- Learn the story of the eagle
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ILLUSTRATION: It’s an Eagle, Not a Chicken
A certain man went through the forest seeking any bird of interest he might find. He caught a young eagle, brought it home and put it among the fowls and ducks and turkeys, and gave it chicken food to eat even though it was an eagle, the king of birds. Five years later, a naturalist came to see him and, after passing through the garden, said ‘That bird is an Eagle, not a chicken.’
‘Yes’ said the owner, ‘but I have trained it to be a chicken. It is no longer an eagle, it is a chicken, even though it measures fifteen feet from tip to tip of its wings.’
‘No,’ said the naturalist, ‘it is an eagle still; it has the heart of an eagle, and I will help it soar high up in to the heavens.’
‘No,’ said the owner. ‘It is a chicken and will never fly.’
They agreed to test it. The naturalist picked up the eagle, held it up and said with great intensity. ‘Eagle thou art an eagle; you belong to the sky and not to this earth; stretch forth your wings and fly.’
The eagle turned this way and that, and then looking down, saw the chickens eating their food, and down he jumped.
The owner said; ‘I told you it was a chicken.’
‘No,’ said the naturalist, ‘it is an eagle. Give it another chance tomorrow.’
So, the next day he took it to the top of the house and said: ‘Eagle, you are an eagle; stretch forth your wings and fly.’ But again the eagle, seeing the chickens feeding, jumped down and fed with them.
Then the owner said: ‘I told you it was a chicken.’ ‘No,’ asserted the naturalist, ‘it is an eagle, and it has the heart of an eagle; only give it one more chance, and I will make it fly tomorrow.’
The next morning he rose early and took the eagle outside the city and away from the houses, to the foot of a high mountain. The sun was just rising, gilding the top to the mountain with gold, and every crag was glistening in the joy of the beautiful morning.
He picked up the eagle and said to it: ‘Eagle, thou art an eagle; you belong to the sky and not to the earth; stretch forth your wings and fly.’
The eagle looked around and trembled as if new life were coming to it. But it did not fly. The naturalist then made it look straight at the sun. Suddenly it stretched out its wings and, with the screech of an eagle, it mounted higher and higher and never returned. Though it had been kept and tamed as a chicken, it was an eagle.
- You are God’s valued eagle.
- I don’t care what the inside noise has been telling you.
- Once an eagle always an eagle no matter what lies you may have believed.
Call to Action:
The positive affirmation of these Spirit truths will build a conscience in you that will eventually suppress, dissipate and or eradicate the noise within. Confessing the Word, agreeing verbally with the Word, saying the same thing as God is saying about you builds the reality of your identity in Christ into your heart.
Question: How have you overcome an area of insecurity? What did you do? What was the key turning point in your thinking? Would you please leave your remarks on this in the comments section below?