PRAYER: ONLY FOR THE BRAVE

Education has become very accessible in our nation with the Free tuition law. Then there's also the upgrade in our educational system with the application of K-12. Include the free wifi and the easy accessibility of information through the internet.

Yet as I observe and minister among people- no matter how much you hand over the information and education right on their lap but they don't do anything about it!

Many have grown educated and even intelligent yet remained derelict (no sense of duty or purpose). And even to the point of cowardice or playing safe. Sa Bisaya pa, "Talawan!"

Maraming "Talentadong Talawan" or "Intelligent Derelicts".

But as I read the Bible, there was also a man who was the same as the current trend in this generation. His name was Gideon. We can learn from Gideon how he overcame and it reflects in his prayer life. 

Let's read the Word:
Judges 6:11-16
11 Then the angel of the Lord came and sat beneath the great tree at Ophrah, which belonged to Joash of the clan of Abiezer. Gideon son of Joash was threshing wheat at the bottom of a winepress to hide the grain from the Midianites. 12 The angel of the Lord appeared to him and said, “Mighty hero, the Lord is with you!” 13 “Sir,” Gideon replied, “if the Lord is with us, why has all this happened to us? And where are all the miracles our ancestors told us about? Didn’t they say, ‘The Lord brought us up out of Egypt’? But now the Lord has abandoned us and handed us over to the Midianites.”
14 Then the Lord turned to him and said, “Go with the strength you have, and rescue Israel from the Midianites. I am sending you!” 15 “But Lord,” Gideon replied, “how can I rescue Israel? My clan is the weakest in the whole tribe of Manasseh, and I am the least in my entire family!”
16 The Lord said to him, “I will be with you. And you will destroy the Midianites as if you were fighting against one man.”

“God Qualified us when He invited and Called us!”

When God Called Gideon, it was not because he was qualified. As a matter of fact according to the passage, he was afraid and thought low of himself. He was even hiding the moment God called him!

Yet, God qualified us like Gideon when He invited us and Called. It was not because of his intelligence and what he finished in college or his ability. It was what God saw in him. Like Gideon, we have our own share of weaknesses and misses and even our fears and doubts. Yet we are unqualified but made qualified in Christ.

It's not about us. Its all about Jesus.

Many are talented, educated and even intelligent yet not diligent because we don't have Jesus.

What is Diligence?

 dil·i·gent

•having or showing care and conscientiousness in one's work or duties.

•constant in effort to accomplish something; attentive and persistent in doing anything:

•done or pursued with persevering attention; painstaking:

•industrious, untiring, tireless, unremitting, STUBBORN

Availability Beats ABILITY

Ang magaling talo ng taong di papigil!

Diligence is also Being Stubborn:

“It is a Virtue when you are right; a character when you are wrong"

As followers of Christ, we should use diligence or being stubborn as a Virtue and not a Character. We should be Progressing. Steady in Growing.

Bawal ang Talawan kay Lord!

Even in Gideon's Story, the "timid or afraid" is a No No!

2 The Lord said to Gideon, “You have too many warriors with you. If I let all of you fight the Midianites, the Israelites will boast to me that they saved themselves by their own strength. 3 Therefore, tell the people, ‘Whoever is timid or afraid may leave this mountain[a] and go home.’” So 22,000 of them went home, leaving only 10,000 who were willing to fight. Judges 7:2-3

From 32,000 to only 10,000! Just imagine that! That's how many are timid or afraid!

Much like in Church. Many are talented, intelligent and educated. They have it all. Yet they are timid or afraid.

Many are church goers but only the few are disciples. Many are disciples but only few are disciplers. 

To quote Leonard Ravenhill:

"No man is greater than his prayer life. The pastor who is not praying is playing; the people who are not praying are straying. We have many organizers, but few agonizers; many players and payers, few pray-ers; many singers, few clingers; lots of pastors, few wrestlers; many fears, few tears; much fashion, little passion; many interferers, few intercessors; many writers, but few fighters. Failing here, we fail everywhere."

Where are you there? 

But God was not yet finished. From the Brave 10,000 to the 300! Judges 7:16-22:

16 He divided the 300 men into three groups and gave each man a ram’s horn and a clay jar with a torch in it.

17 Then he said to them, “Keep your eyes on me. When I come to the edge of the camp, do just as I do. 18 As soon as I and those with me blow the rams’ horns, blow your horns, too, all around the entire camp, and shout, ‘For the Lord and for Gideon!’”

19 It was just after midnight,[c] after the changing of the guard, when Gideon and the 100 men with him reached the edge of the Midianite camp. Suddenly, they blew the rams’ horns and broke their clay jars.

20 Then all three groups blew their horns and broke their jars. They held the blazing torches in their left hands and the horns in their right hands, and they all shouted, “A sword for the Lord and for Gideon!”

21 Each man stood at his position around the camp and watched as all the Midianites rushed around in a panic, shouting as they ran to escape.22 When the 300 Israelites blew their rams’ horns, the Lord caused the warriors in the camp to fight against each other with their swords. Those who were not killed fled to places as far away as Beth-shittah near Zererah and to the border of Abel-meholah near Tabbath.

It's easier to obey God when it is okay or yu understand it. Easy when you are healthy or have money or easy and comfortable. 

But that's not faith. 

When God called Gideon, it was not his ability but his availability. It was not his talent or intelligence but his obedience. 

3 Things we can learn from Gideon:

1. PRAY: Judges 6:17- 23

“If you are truly going to help me, show me a sign to prove that it is really the Lord speaking to me." (verse 17)

Just imaging that- Gideon talking to the angel of God and He Dared to Pray like that. How daring are you in your prayers?

Have you dared to Pray like Jesus too? Hebrews 5:7-8

7 While Jesus was here on earth, he offered prayers and pleadings, with a loud cry and tears, to the one who could rescue him from death. And God heard his prayers because of his deep reverence for God. 8 Even though Jesus was God’s Son, he learned obedience from the things he suffered.

"We can't expect a big manifestation of our prayers, if we pray quiet, restraint and passionless prayers." (Pastor Ruffy Lagat)

Gideon Dared to Pray a Daring Prayer To God! And God Answered Him!

How will we know if God answered our Daring Prayers?

His peace brings Strength. Judges 6:24

24 And Gideon built an altar to the Lord there and named it Yahweh-Shalom (which means “the Lord is peace”). The altar remains in Ophrah in the land of the clan of Abiezer to this day.

2. PRESERVE: Judges 6:25-32

The reason you are so timid or afraid, you have "idols" and compromises that suck your courage and not fully rely on God alone.

Tore down your idols! If I would dare you as Joash, the father of Gideon did: Judges 6:31-32

31 But Joash shouted to the mob that confronted him, “Why are you defending Baal? Will you argue his case? Whoever pleads his case will be put to death by morning! If Baal truly is a god, let him defend himself and destroy the one who broke down his altar!” 32 From then on Gideon was called Jerub-baal, which means “Let Baal defend himself,” because he broke down Baal’s altar.

If that person, relationship, addiction, possession is more powerful than God in your life- let it defend you! Can it? I dare you.

If you want to live this life not timid or afraid- you've got to let go of something or even someone that takes your courage or trust on God alone.

Sins, failures, fears and doubts could also be timid makers and courage breakers. Give it up to Go up!

3. PERSIST: Judges6:36-40

"36 Then Gideon said to God, “If you are truly going to use me to rescue Israel as you promised, 37 prove it to me in this way. I will put a wool fleece on the threshing floor tonight. If the fleece is wet with dew in the morning but the ground is dry, then I will know that you are going to help me rescue Israel as you promised.” 38 And that is just what happened. When Gideon got up early the next morning, he squeezed the fleece and wrung out a whole bowlful of water. 39 Then Gideon said to God, “Please don’t be angry with me, but let me make one more request. Let me use the fleece for one more test. This time let the fleece remain dry while the ground around it is wet with dew.” 40 So that night God did as Gideon asked. The fleece was dry in the morning, but the ground was covered with dew."

Gideon was one persistent guy! Actually more like stubborn!

Gaano ka ba kakulit kay Lord?

Luke 18:1 also reminds us in our prayers to be persistent and to the point of stubbornness!

"One day Jesus told his disciples a story to show that they should ALWAYS PRAY AND NEVER GIVE UP. 2 “There was a judge in a certain city,”he said, “who neither feared God nor cared about people. 3 A widow of that city came to him repeatedly, saying, ‘Give me justice in this dispute with my enemy.’ 4 The judge ignored her for a while, but finally he said to himself, ‘I don’t fear God or care about people, 5 but this woman is driving me crazy. I’m going to see that she gets justice, because she is wearing me out with her constant requests!’”

I heard of a story of a prophet who saw a room in heaven which were full of "unclaimed blessing".

It was answers to prayers that were supposed to be delivered to their rightful owners. But on the day the angel of the Lord delivered it, the person already stopped praying or left the place of prayer. 

God's delays are not His denials. 

"Seeming delays, strengthen our faith." Pastor Ruffy Lagat

Kung di ba ibigay ni Lord agad, hihinto ka ba agad?

Our life with the Lord is like a 48k marathon run and not a meter dash. 

The last one is Prepare. Prepare to receive. 

Hebrews 10:23 

"Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, FOR HE WHO PROMISED IS FAITHFUL."

God will answer. But will you be faithful to receive His faithfulness?