When the Odds Are Against You - Part 2

Welcome to the intense podcast with Charles Stanley 13th day that timber 13th map discover some practical steps to take when the odds are against you from the story of Gideon found in Judges chapter 7 when the all odds are against stacked heavily no matter what they may be, it may be in your business.

It may be, in some financial circumstance or whatever it might be there situations in which we oftentimes feel our backs to the wall and that we don't know which way to turn the seven truths in this passage if you will practice them. God will demonstrate his awesome power to deliver you no matter what your face about the first one I want you to jot down what will do is I'll give you each one of these and then God will show you how to apply to your life. The first one is this God will use our difficulty to build our faith number two God will oftentimes require us to do those things that seem very very unreasonable. The third thing I want you to notice here, God will lead us to do that which brings him the most glory now God cannot be glorified. That is you and I cannot give got involved lower than the art ahead, but on the other hand, the way we respond to circumstances, God is glorified. We allow him to demonstrate his awesome power. We don't seek to take any glory. Look, if you will, in the seventh chapter and you remember what God said to get in here in the second verse the Lord said to Gideon, the people who with you. Too many for me to give dominion into their hands. Last S will become boastful saying my own power has delivered me and he knew that if the odds were 13. The one if he knew the odds were for the one that walked away saying we did it we were outnumbered but we did it, but when I got down the 450 to 1. That would've been no possible way they could've taken any of the glory on any of the credit and is he said he in this passage he's going to lead us to do that by which he gets the most glory now when we violate that we violate that simple truth. We got to get ourselves in trouble now. The next one on what you jot down number four God will usually strip us of all dependence on everything but himself, God will usually strip laws of all dependence on everything but himself and look at this passage, he had 32,000 men. God said no that's not that's too many 10,002 minute down the 300 300s a helpless little bunch. First of all the work very good warriors to begin with and very ill equipped 300 you can't do anything with it. Then he said Gideon here is going to be your arsenal, and he didn't say anything about swords and bows and arrows.

He didn't say anything about long javelins and spears. He said he is going to be arsenal number one trumpets gases and muscles. The medium of a headless thing.

Secondly, pitches on clay jar I could throw that in number three torches that I could burn them a little bit and number four. Your voice that's your arsenal. Look at that trumpets clay jars torch and my voice. That's it. God will usually strip laws of everything we depend upon but himself and the reason is because he doesn't want us depending upon anything but himself. He doesn't want us depending on our past, our abilities and talents that does not mean that you and not to have a sense of confidence in the fact that Christ in us can do anything. Remember what Paul said.

He said I discovered that when I am the week is then am I the strongest at what he was referring to is not his drink about the power of the Holy Spirit within him because you see what happens. Is this God releases the power of the Holy Spirit through ours, and in those to the degree to which we are totally and completely and helplessly dependent upon him, and that's why pride and arrogance and self-confidence based on one's own fleshly nature is an absolute disaster. If you want guaranteed failure trust in your personal self-reliance you get through some things you be victorious in some things as far as the world's concern, but in the eyes of God you want and ultimately you come tumbling down.

Number five, God will send this encouragement when we grow fainthearted.

And in verse nine look at this babe come down to 300 now in verse nine says in chapter 7 of the same night. It came about of the Lord said to him, arise, go down against the camp, for I have given it into your hands, and then look at this, but Gideon if you're afraid to go down go with pure your servant down to the camp and you will hear what they say and afterwards your hand will be strengthened, that you may go down against the camp so he went with pure his servant down to the outpost of the Army that was in the camp. So this thinking along the edge of the camp.

Now that the Midianites and the Amalekites and all the sons of the East were lying the ballot as numerous as Locust and their camels were without number. As numerous as the sand on the seashore.

That's the way they look. When Gideon came, behold, a man was riding a dream to his friend he said, behold, I had a dream, a local barley bread in a barley bread with the poorest folks eight.

They fed to animals. A local barley bread was tumbling into the camp of Midian and it came to the 10 instructed so that it fail and turn it upside down so that it the tent lay flat and his finances and said this is nothing less than the sort of Gideon, the son of Joash are men of Israel, God has given Midian and all the camp into his hand and it came about when Gideon heard the account of the dream and its interpretation that he bowed in worship, he returned to the camp of this runs that arise for the Lord has given the camp of Midian, into your hands. This is a very very important pointless God will send this encouragement when he knows we grow fainthearted. Our heavenly father knows that there are some situations and circumstances when you and I get fainthearted because we human God in this one incident demonstrated his sensitivity to man's fainthearted's his unconditional love for man who is willing to be obedient and his sovereign power at a very strategic moment. I think about this he said to get in Gideon Arabia Army for battle.

Gideon, do I detect a little bit of fear in you. Yes, Lord, to be honest, when I think about us going against such odds of 450 to 1 Lord just say the truth, in spite of everything you've done. I am a little fearful.

God said Gideon understand that. Get your servant pure and do what I tell you, you go down to the outskirts of the camp and get as close as you can.

I want you to hear something God led them to this particular tent where he just sent a man a specific dream and the contents of the dream are so designed by God. This man says I had a crazy dream.

This barley loaf of bread came rolling into the camp hit this tent filled up and there turned it upside down and it fell flat on the ground on the road you think that means in God happen to have the right interpretation. The right friend, his friends like today what that means. That means that God has given Gideon, the son of Joash and nobody really and his army. He has given the camp of Midian into the hand of Gideon.

The Bible says nothing of it as I does what we cut says the Bible says that Gideon when he heard that that he bowed down this here he is on the edge of the enemy camp and he and pure on their knees worshiping God. He bowed in worship and praise and thanksgiving for what he just heard was not a beautiful act of God, loving a man in the heat of the battle when his heart grew a little fainthearted God could've said muster your courage Gideon and get with the battle. He said Gideon I think I detect a little bit of fear and I'm gonna help you handle that just do not tell you. Follow me on what you notice something else. The Scripture says something happened in that camp. So number six shut this down limited Robin to put it this way.

I want to use the word camp here because sometimes the situation the circumstance and odds are against is it doesn't mean that the other side happens to be our enemies could be in your home. For example, your husband or wife said not your enemy. You may feel like it, but they're not your parents or your children are in your business are among your friends, whatever it might be someone to say that the prep is the six-point that is, God always got always works in the other camp in our behalf got always works in the other camp in our behalf. And so what was he doing in the other camp he was creating fear because as that man more than likely told his friend what he felt. I'm sure he didn't keep that to himself, and that probably went through that whole army. Maybe not all of it but a portion of it.

They were saying so and so had a dream and what he dream meant that we were going to be defeated and be sure you have the Lord works. He's always working in the other camp. Listen, this everything is perfectly time when God is in control. The Scripture says, verse 19 of chapter 7, so getting on the hundred men who were with him came to the outskirts of the camp at the beginning of the middle wants to think about is 1030 at night. The beginning of the middle wants. That means the men who'd been watching was still asleep in so little hazy and so they would get ready go to bed.

The manhood been asleep. You know, brushing their eyes.

The sleepy out of their eyes and slowly get into their position and so you have a change of guard here in this change of guard. These are half sleep in these about have sleep and when they had just posted the watch and all of a sudden the attack came and the Scripture says if you'll notice in verse 22 and when they blew 300 trumpets, the Lord set the solar one against another, even throughout the whole army and the Army fled. That is, they began to kill each other because everything that moved.

They thought must be an Israelite based on killing each other than the dark and knocking over the lights and destroying one another, and finally began to flee, and ultimately the Bible says that Gideon sent the word to his men who had already left that the enemy was on the way to come over the river since the words of the Ephraimites to also Catch up on the other side and so they defeated the whole Midianite arm along with Amalekites is something we forget when the odds are against us and we don't know which way to turn and we look at what appears to be the enemy of the opposition. Whatever the characteristic of it may be what we forget is that if God is giving us direction here. What to do.

He's also working on the other side. This last point is absolutely essential if you miss this when you blow the whole thing. Number seven. Listen to what happens now God will give us specific instruction, resulting in victory. If we obey him, God will give us specific instruction, resulting in victory. If we obey him. I think about this at any point in which Gideon had disobeyed God about what his reasoning may have been, he will suffer defeat, supposing to sit will have 32,000. That's better than a 41 God is no way I'm going to send it about a home then they would have been defeated down the 10,000 God 13 to 1 odds. There's no way I'm going to do that they would've been defeated down the 300 and God said is what I want you to do is about the 300 been in the three groups of 100 each that I think a trumpet to take a a torch in the cupboard with this clay picture or jar and then here's what you do, do you want to lead this by blowing the trumpet breaking that picture raising the torch and shouting the soul of the Lord, Gideon. If Gideon had disobeyed God in a single command that God had given him. They would have suffered ultimate defeat and listen carefully. The reason you and I get defeated is we defeat ourselves. We defeat ourselves by choosing to do it our way. The reasonable but comfortable. The more secure the less risky way. God's way is usually more risky.

God's way is usually more difficult that is appears to be difficult. God's way is usually more taxing, more threatening, more challenging, more demanding, requiring more sacrifice, but it is always the best way if you want victory the way to be victorious is one simple word obedience. If you want to do it your way, you can remember this when you leave God out of it or you try to change God's plan to fit your program you are going to suffer defeat because what you're saying is this first volume expressing pride and secondly you saying God at this little itsy-bitsy juncture over here. I do feel I really do feel this is the better way. Let me ask a question, why have you not trusted Jesus Christ as your personal savior and ask him to forgive you of your sins on the me tell you why you may have a thousand reasons.

But let's bore them.

The bottom line is this somehow in your thinking.

You have decided you never said that you decided your way is really about away, but it's not you, Rick, and destroy your life, you gonna ruin your potential to be used of God. Your way is not a better way. You cannot improve on God's way. I know that to confess your sins and admit that you have wronged God in you been disobedient, rebellious, requires humbling yourself before God in your pride will cause you to stumble.

Your pride may separate you and your God challenge you to be wise enough to ask God to forgive you of your sins and tell him that you placing your trust in him for the forgiveness of your sins. You do believe that his way is the best way and you do need him in your life because the truth is, no matter what you have in your resources and finances of people to assist you. All material wealth. I want to tell you my friend, you don't really have anything to do you have God what is it that God is been challenging you with and you backed off and said Lord is no way and God is been the process of stripping you of your resources and you been blaming God and saying, Lord, what's wrong, I can tell you what's wrong God strips is about resources in order to teach is the trusted listen, you know, we oftentimes do when you and I learned to be trustworthy. Listen carefully when you and I learned to be trustworthy and learned that no matter how large or great.

Our resources become. We are absolutely desperately hopelessly helplessly depended upon him no matter what we have. God oftentimes will heat the resources and abound in the blessings toward you because he knows you are trustworthy and not trusting in your blessings. You know I think about it he's made it so simple, but only if I'm wise to obey that guarantees the bank you are listening to part two when the odds are against you if you'd like to know more about Charles Stanley for intense ministries.

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