YOU CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE

God, if you're with me right now, why has all of this happened to us? Have you ever been in a season where you're looking around, you don't see the hand of God anywhere? Let's be real. Even as believers, there's seasons you get into and you feel like, "Hey, man, God must have taken his hands off me. I don't feel like I got favor." And other people over there, they seem like they got the favor of the Lord. I can I can legitimately see the fruits that are coming from their life. I can see that they're not stressing. I can see that they're not worried.

I can see that they're not struggling. They're not struggling financially. They're not struggling in their relationship. They're not struggling in their business. They're not struggling in their job. They not struggling at all. And God's hand got to be on them. They smiling all the time. I ain't seen them cry a tear once. But here we go. Gideon is asking a question. He said, "Hey man, if if all of this if God is with us, why is all of this taking place right now?" Hallelujah. Hallelujah.

Alas, Alas, hey, I thank you for joining [music] me today because I'm called to give you a message at the beginning of this month and it's [music] about identity, God being in your [music] corner. The Lord wanted to use you specifically to be the individual [music] that's going to serve people this season that he's called you to serve, that he's called you to minister. As I read [music] the scripture, I pray that this speaks to you this season. One thing I've been hearing this season [music] right now is that many people don't know what they need to be doing. and not [music] because they really don't know.

They just feel like what God is calling [music] them to do is not them. It's for somebody else. It's not for them. It can't be for them. And then the other individuals who are going through life scenarios and they really [music] [music] don't know if God is with like God took his hand off the wheel and they seem to be going down a path. And I want to speak [music] to that leader. And I pray that at the end of this video, as you watch to its entirety, that there'll be moments throughout the message, that something clicks, that a light bulb hits, you get a deep [music] revelation.

That's what I want you to get a deep revelation. Something connects with your journey. You all who are Bible [music] readers, y'all read Gideon, so you know what Gideon's talking about, okay? You know what it's saying. You've read it. But for those who have not, this is going to be brand new to you. Okay? And for those who have read, my prayer is you get something brand new cuz I know I did. God was speaking to me, who was ministering to me. And so listen to the entirety of this message. And if you get something from this message today, I pray that you will share [music] this with one person.

You don't got to like the video. Although I would love for you to like the video, but I would love even more if you could share this with one person. Let me be the mouthpiece for somebody that needs to hear this message today. So my leaders, let's pray. Heavenly Father, in the mighty name of Jesus Christ, Lord, we give you the honor. We give you the glory. We give you the praise. Father, we come to you today because we truly need you. We truly want to be in your presence. We truly want to see how we can honor you today.

And we want to hear a word that you have to share with us, Father. We need your directions. We need your clarity, Father God. We need to hear your voice. We need to hear it. We're needing it right now. We want to understand what are you trying to tell us to do this season? Where are we supposed to be? What are we supposed to do? Heavenly Father, some of us are weak right now and we just need strength. So, Father, I'm praying [music] that this message would bring strength. Use Judges chapter 6 to speak a word onto this leader, a revelation. Let a revelation happen.

So, Holy Spirit, do what only you can do [music] and bring clarity to this message. Show me how to speak this word. Lesson me more you be increased as I'm decreased right now. We love you. We thank you [music] for this word today. In Jesus mighty name we pray. Amen. Amen. My leaders, I want you to open up right now to the book of Judges. Judges [music] chapter 6. Okay? I want you to open up to Judges chapter 6. While you open it up to Judges chapter 6, I'm going to breathe in this cool air today. It's It's It's cold today. We in H.

We in [music] Austin, Texas right now. And Texas feels like what it felt like when I was back in [music] New York right now. It is cold. The breeze is going. We have little raindrops [music] [music] falling right now. It feels good. My senses are up right now. So, I feel good. I'm on fire right now. Okay. So, now I'm going to give you a brief recap. the children of Israel.

If you ever read the book of Judges, you know that it's such an interesting book because the children of Israel at one point will be obeying God and then things will be going good [music] for a season and then after things will be going good for a season, the [music] children of Israel started disobeying God. And so this is what we see at [music] the beginning of this chapter. If you read Judges 6 verse1, verse1, here's what it says specifically.

It says, "And and the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord, and the Lord delivered them into the hands of the Midian 7 years." So for seven years, God delivered the children of Israel, his beloved children into the hands of the enemy. And what you're going to see is God is going to, like he's been doing in the book of Judges, raising up somebody specifically to go out and to deliver the children of Israel out of the hands of the enemy, who in this case is the Midianites. Midianites. So I want to begin this chapter on verse 12.

Okay, verse 12 is going to be when an angel of the Lord appears unto Gideon. And so it reads, "And the angel of the Lord appeared unto him and said unto him, the Lord is with thee, thou mighty man of valor." And Gideon said unto him, "Oh my lord, if the Lord be with us, why then is all this befalling us?" So first and foremost, Gideon poses a real deep question. The angel is telling Gideon first and foremost, you're a mighty man of valor, which we'll get into. But Gideon is posing a very good question. God, if you're with me right now, why has all of this happened to us?

Have you ever been in a season where when you're looking around, you don't see the hand of God anywhere? Let's be real. Even as believers, there's seasons you get into and you feel like, "Hey, man, God must have taken his hands off me. I don't feel like I got favor." The other people over there, they seem like they got the favor of the Lord. I can I can legitimately see the fruits that are coming from their life. I can see that they're not stressing. I can see that they're not worried. I can see that they're not struggling. They're not struggling financially. They're not struggling in their relationship.

They're not struggling in their business. They're not struggling in their job. They not struggling at all. And God's hand got to be on them. They smiling all the time. I ain't seen them cry a tear once. But here we go. Gideon is asking a question. He said, "Hey, man. If if all of this if God is with us, why is all of this taking place right now? Right now, Gideon is walking by sight and he's not walking in faith. And if if we're being honest, we get into the same space. We begin to walk by what we're seeing around us.

And it's hard for us to truly have faith in what the man of God on stage is telling us, what the word of God is presenting to us, what the angel of the Lord in his case is telling him. So Gideon says this, "If all of this, why then has all of this happened to us?" us?" He says this, "And where be all his miracles miracles which our fathers told us of, saying, did not the Lord bring us up from Egypt?" Egypt?" So wait a minute. My forefathers told me about a time when the God that I serve brought them up out of Egypt.

He told me about the millions that went to the Red Sea. out of the captivity of Pharaoh. And I they told us about the miracle of the Red Sea being parted. Oh, when I heard that story, I said, "Dang, I got to follow this guy." But wait a minute. Now I'm in a situation where I need a miracle. And I'm in a situation where I need my Red Sea Partner. And I'm in a situation where I feel like I'm being held captive by the Midianites. Midianites. If God is for me and if God is for our people, people, where are those miracles? Why haven't those miracles taking place right now?

My leaders, let's be real, man. Gideon is posing a very, very, very good question that talks to us very personally because we have to put ourselves in his shoes. If I'mma being honest, I've been there before. before. I've been there before. Okay, my If I'mma be kind of personal in my marriage, we are two years into this marriage. Okay. Okay. And amongst all this time in this marriage, marriage, there's been three occasions where back to back to back we lost three children.

We go around, we see the miracle of people having babies, one baby after the next baby after the next baby, family members having babies, we have nieces, we have nephews, but when it comes to our marriage, although we've seen the miracles God is doing for everybody else, we know about the miracles he's done for us, it seems as though this Baby, having a child has been one of those things where if I'm like Gideon, I must ask the question, Lord, if you're for us, why has all of this happened to us? That's the question people pose even around us.

If this is a marriage you supposed to be in, why has all of this taken place? It's a real question that was posed. You may have a scenario in your life the same way. Hey, I see the miracles God is doing for everybody else, but where is mine? So, my wife and I, we've had to come to the conclusion that God is still for us. He has to be still for us. The level of love that we have in our hearts, the level of peace, supernatural peace that surpass our understanding can have only come from God.

The way that we're still able to have the strength to minister unto others, to pray for others. The way that when we still see children today, we're still able to praise the Lord and magnify God for a new child has come into this world. [laughter] Glory to God. Gideon says, "But now the Lord hath forsaken us and delivered us into the hands of the Midionites." Midionites." And the Lord looked upon him and said, "Go in this thy might, and thou shalt save Israel from the hand of the Midionites. Have I not sent thee?

So now God is getting Gideon prepared to be the one that he's going to use to handle this problem. Gideon is getting the opportunity to be the one by which God is going to use to save the children of Israel. You've been praying for the miracles. And what happens when you've been praying for the miracles, but God wants to use you as the miracle? What happens? What do you do? do? Well, check this out. You're going to see something that stems out of getting it. And there there's a level of insecurity that I want us to look at.

And he said unto him, "Oh my Lord," Gideon speaking, "where "where shall I save Israel? Behold, my family is poor and manassed, and I am the least in my father's house." So a few excuses that happens. Gideon is poor. Gideon didn't have the resources. Hey God, if you're going to use somebody that's going to perform this miracle, it must come from a man that has resources. It must come from a family that has tools. tools. It must come from a place that has far greater provision than the provision that I have currently. It must be that it can't come from me. In fact, I'm also the least.

I'm not really mighty. I'm not really strong. I'm not really brave. It must come from somebody that has more courage, somebody that has more boldness, somebody that has more expertise, somebody that has more experience. It must come from that. It has got to come from that. It can't come from me. No, no, no, no, no, no. It can't come from me. I'm the least in Manasseh. I'm the I'm poor. [laughter] And the Lord said unto him, Surely I will be with thee, and thou shalt smite the Midianites as one man. Okay?

And he said unto him, if now I have found grace in thy sight, then show me a sign that thou talkest with me. So, first and foremost, here it comes. Gideon does not understand who he is in the Lord. And very early we see that the angel of the Lord in verse 12 calls Gideon a mighty man of valor. In fact, in Hebrew, Gideon's name bad means to cut down. Okay? His name literally means to cut down. And it's a prophetic name given to him as the one who is going to cut down the Midianites.

And now here we have an angel of the Lord also revealing to him that he's a mighty man of valor. He's a mighty man of war. Although he sees himself as poor, a man of no resources, and as though he sees himself as the least, a man that is incapable, God sees him for who he actually is, a mighty man of valor. And he says this, he says, "Surely I will be with thee, and the you shall smite the Midionites as one man." So, here's the thing about God. God. When there's favor on us, when God's hand is on us, there's victory. There's supernatural victory. victory.

There's victory that exceeds your understandings. Although Gideon felt a way, when God is with you, it doesn't matter who you are. It doesn't matter what your upbringing comes like, the victory is yours. Gideon, I'm with you. And because I'm with you, it's not going to be you, okay? You're just the vessel that I'm using to do my will. will. And for many of us right now as I'm speaking these words, you're the vessel by which God wants to use in order to bring about the victory in your family. Okay? You're the generational curse breaker. You're the one that's going to start the business.

You're the one that's going to open up the nonprofit. You're the one that's going to raise your children in a way nobody ever raised your children. You're the one that's going to go into the politics. You're the one that's going to speak unto the nations. You're the one that's called to do something great. Okay? Because why? God sees you as mighty. mighty. He sees you as a mighty man of valor. He doesn't see you as somebody that has these weaknesses. He doesn't emphasize your flaws. Okay? He doesn't care about your upbringing. He doesn't care about your resources. He doesn't care if you never saw a miracle in your life.

There's going to come a season where you finally see that miracle. But what this message is about, regardless of where you are, continue to put your trust in the Continue to put your strength in Jesus Christ. Continue to do it. Continue to do it. It doesn't matter how many times my wife and I may have gone through a tumultuous situation when it comes to having a child. We're not going to give up. And we're going to continue to press forward forward knowing that a day will come when a child is born.

[laughter] A day will be born where hey there's a Gideon that we create that's going to be raised up by us and the Lord so that he can go out and deliver God's people. There was a time where I was born by my mother and my father who had the privilege of raising me up where now like Gideon regardless of all the insecurities and all the doubts that I may have experienced all the all the things I may have seen at some point in time God said you know what I need you to go minister to my people I need you to start it I'm going to get you on

the team okay I'm going to put you in a church community I'm I'm gonna put you around inside an army, but I need you to go out and do what I've called you to do as one man because one man can make a difference. So, if I'm speaking to you today, your life matters. And as one [music] person, you make a difference in any environment that you're in, any workplace that you're in, any home that you're in, anywhere you find yourself, God wants to use you. Remember that. Let's pray.

Heavenly Father, in the mighty name of Jesus Christ, Lord, Father, I just want to say thank you for the privilege and the honor of speaking into your leaders today. Father, I just pray that they understand the magnitude of who [music] they are, what you've called them to do, heavenly father, and that's to truly lean on you and go with the strength that they [music] have, Lord. Go with the strength that they have. The strength that they have that's in you means that your grace is going to go before them, Lord Jesus. your grace is going to go before them. There's favor on this leader's [music] life, Lord God.

Now, I just pray that they move with boldness and that they move with courage [music] and that they continue to remember the things that you've done in their life up until this point and [music] and the favor in the miracle that you've done and even other individuals life. Heavenly Father, you are not done with them. Heavenly Father, it [music] is not time for them to be down in the pit. Not time for them to be depressed. Not time for them to give up on the fate, but it's time for them to lock in because you want to go with them.

and you saying go with the strength that they have, you going to be with them. And Lord, if you're [music] with us, we're going to be against us. So, Father, I just want to say thank you for your word today. [music] Thank you for calling us mighty. We are mighty in you. We are [music] empowered in you. We are strengthened in you. So God, I just pray that we continue to lean on you this season as we continue to do your perfect will. So Father, [music] we thank you for your love. We thank you for your grace. We thank you for your mercy.

It's in your precious son Jesus mighty name that we pray. Amen. Amen. Amen. Hallelujah. My leaders, [music] I love you. Okay. Talking to you. I love you. Remember this. Jesus Christ loves you more. We out. >> [snorts]