From Victim to Victor

God wants to take us from being a victim of our circumstances to being victorious in our walk with Him as we accomplish the great things He has called us to do. That is what happened in the life of Gideon. (Stay with me, women. Just think "warrior princess" like Eowyn in "The Lord of the Rings" - beautiful and strong.)

Seven years of living in fear in the mountains and caves. Seven years of seeing everything they worked for taken by the Midianites. When Israel stopped living according to God’s ways, they suffered from corruption within and oppression from without. Gideon was used to living in fear, used to living a meager existence. Even his own father, like many others, worshiped the pagan idols of the day. So when he received a message from God, he struggled to believe it. He was used to being a victim of circumstances. When God showed Gideon his true identity and that He had something for him to accomplish, that changed everything. He went from victim to victor. But first, there was a struggle to believe that God actually meant all that He said. It was like a chess game.

God’s perspective: “The Lord is with you, O valiant warrior.” (Judges 6:12)

Gideon’s perspective due to circumstances:
Disappointment due to difficult circumstances
Wounded faith
Feeling abandoned by God

God’s response:
Go and deliver Israel because I am sending you.

Gideon’s argument because he felt inadequate:
But God, my family is the least and I am the youngest.

God’s reassurance:
“Surely I will be with you and you will defeat Midian as one man.”(Judges 6:16)

Gideon asked for confirmation and God confirmed His word to Gideon.

When Gideon obeyed, the results were just as God had promised. He may have still felt inadequate and afraid, but his faith was demonstrated by his obedience and God proved faithful. We can look at life through our past or our circumstances, but when God comes on the scene, everything changes. He wants to lift us up and reveal His truth to us in the following areas:

1. God is with you.
2. You are a man or woman of God.
3. He has great plans for you to accomplish in His strength.
4. Because of this, you can go from victim to victor.

Back to our warrior princess, Eowyn. When she admitted to King Aragorn that she was afraid of wasting her life away in a cage, he told her that she was a daughter of kings and he did not think that would be her fate. How much more so with the King of kings!