GIDEON.🤍

Judges 6:12 GW

[12] The Messenger of the Lord appeared to Gideon and said, “The Lord is with you, brave man."

if your name is Gideon and you're reading this, special shout out to you! 

okay, I'm kidding.😭

special shout out to you, God's beloved, reading this.

Growing up— I mean, I'm still growing....

but yeah, growing up, I knew Gideon as one of those strong men or rather, one of the Bible heroes; which infact is candid.

And you know something about this thing  called growth? Here's a formula for growth — the deeper=the higher. 

But hey, I'm not writing all of this about growth.

I could see the growth in my devotional life to God, when my Bible study began to birth insights. I'm gradually leaving behind the childhood narration of who was who in the Bible. As Apostle said (please read this in his voice)....." I have put away the childish thingssssszxxxxxxx." 

One of the signs of growth in your devotional life is the depth of insight birthed.

Back to the main chick — Gideon!

Gideon was a man whose identity revolved around fear and timidity.  He had "self issues". The mirror he looked into every morning showed him a different reflection of who he truly was. Gideon's self esteem was nothing to write home about. Gideon's self-view revolved around what he was conditioned to believe, and to grow up with. He even exhibited some traces of having abandonment issues in Judges 6 v 13.

He was full of self-doubt, and he thought he was the least and he'll never be good enough. He had some real life identity crisis.

Do these things above sound familiar???

Let's look at God's response before and after Gideon's CV/ Rant; 

- Before Gideon began his rant....

Judges 6:12

[12] The Messenger of the Lord appeared to Gideon and said, “The Lord is with you, brave man.”

The Lord called Gideon who He created Gideon to be. The Lord called Gideon his original name and identity. The Lord didn't call him "shy" or "timid" for hiding to do a legitimate thing.

Instead, He called Gideon a BRAVE MAN!

My story......

I saw myself as one who was never going to be enough or even good enough. I had a really low self esteem for years, in ignorance, not until God began to show me these problems sometime in 2023/24.

I bedwetted for close to 16 years, and being in a boarding school, the devil made me to believe that all I ever was, was "a bedwetter" or as QC girls called it, "a picer". I tried covering up this "shame" with a sort of unapproachable aura and pride, because left to me, the foundation of my identity was really tied to shame, even as the devil didn't relent to keep reminding me.

2023 came, and God gave me a new name...Beulah!

He didn't call me "an ex-bedwetter" neither did God call me by my sin or my shortcomings....He called me His Bride! And now, I live with the knowledge that I'm not just 'anybody', with all sense of humility and mercy. 

The Lord called out strength from the timid Gideon. He didn't even acknowledge his timidity or low self esteem....He called Gideon what/who He made him to be! And you know what? Gideon did mighty things for the Lord!

Again, it all makes sense....God alone has the right to name you and define your identity — not your past, not your failures, not other people. There’s only one who has the right and authority to name you — the one who gave you life.”  

Dear friend, the devil fights against us getting the revelation of who we are in Christ, because He knows that a man who has grasped his/her identity in Christ is unstoppable. 

He whispers condemnation, deceit and accusations into our souls and spirits, to rob us of our true identity in Christ. What has the devil made you to believe, that isn't written about you in the volume of God's books? 

Do not be ignorant!

Friend, you're a king, a queen, a priest, salt of the earth, the light of the world, the apple of God's eyes, his son and daughter, a city on a hill...

What does God say about you in His Word? 

let me know in the comment section!🤍