In this season, God is asking for a simple “yes.” In giving Him our yes, He is taking our weakness and leading us to victory. He is asking us to trust Him with the giants before us and surrender all impossible situations to Him. We are to step out in boldness and courage and take ground for the Kingdom of God. God goes before us and He is the one to whom the victory belongs. God is bringing advancement to His people. We simply need to step out in obedience and trust in the One who brings the victory! This is the moment for boldness and trust!
Go in the Strength You Have
“The LORD turned to him and said, ‘Go in the strength you have and save Israel out of Midian’s hand. Am I not sending you?'” (Judges 6:14)
Gideon is a character in Scripture who was an unlikely hero. In the beginning of the story, he was trapped in victimhood—hiding from the Midianites in a wine vat; lamenting about how God had abandoned the Israelites; and despairing that God had moved on behalf of his forefathers but had left his people all alone. And even though an angel of the Lord showed up and called him a “mighty warrior,” Gideon didn’t believe him (Judges 6:12).
Gideon, still terrified of the Midianites, sought all kinds of confirmation that God was really calling him. And in all honesty, Gideon didn’t have a lot going for him; but God rarely looks at the things we use to qualify people. Instead, He chooses whom He wants to choose.
Almost all of us can identify with how Gideon felt in that moment. Ultimately, it didn’t matter how Gideon felt: small, insignificant, powerless and alone. God wasn’t looking at Gideon’s significance in the natural; rather, God simply needed his yes.
When the angel of the Lord greeted Gideon, he called out his identity and released truth over him: “The Lord is with you, mighty warrior” (see Judges 6:12). Gideon was NOT a mighty warrior in that moment, but God saw that which Gideon couldn’t see. Gideon struggled to believe anything the angel said, yet the Lord still instructed him in Judges 6:12, “Go in the strength you have and save Israel out of Midian’s hand. Am I not sending you?”
I love this so much because God recognized all of Gideon’s weaknesses and chose to use him still. When Gideon asked God for a sign, God gave it to him. Then, God had Gideon reduce his army of 32,000 men down to 300, in order to assure Gideon and the Israelites that their victory would be a miracle from God; and, of course, that’s exactly what happened!
How often do we disqualify ourselves for reasons that don’t even matter to God? God patiently encouraged, confirmed and met Gideon where he was. God can do so much through us, but He needs our yes. God greatly reduced the size of the army down so that Israel couldn’t take credit for the victory. God wanted them to know without a doubt that it was He who brought about their victory, not the Israelites.
God loves to take our weaknesses and use them for His glory. Come with what you have and watch God do the rest. When God chooses us and anoints what we’re doing, we can trust that He’ll carry it out. Gideon was victorious because He told God “yes,” not because he was the most qualified for the job. He was courageous, and because of this, God sent him. (Photo via Unsplash)
God is raising up leaders; He is commissioning people, calling them for specific missions. Although God can move supernaturally, He often chooses to use us to accomplish His mission. This word is for unlikely leaders, as well as those who know that God is going to use them. Some may have already given God their yes, and others may be in the process of giving their yes.
He needs your yes, and for you to courageously obey what He’s calling you to do even if it looks absurd. Don’t allow your insecurities to disqualify you before allowing God to move. If you need confirmation as Gideon did, ask God and He will show you.
Tear Down the Altars
“Break down their altars, smash their sacred stones and burn their Asherah poles in the fire; cut down the idols of their gods and wipe out their names from those places.” (Deuteronomy 12:3)
“[T]hen the LORD will drive out all these nations before you, and you will dispossess nations larger and stronger than you.” (Deuteronomy 11:23)
God gave clear, specific instructions to the Israelites as they were inhabiting the Promised Land. They were to tear down the altars and high places where the Canaanites worshiped their gods. As they did this and were obedient to God’s laws, He would be faithful to drive out their enemy, the giants in the land. The altars and high places created opportunity for the Israelites to adopt the wicked and perverse ways of the natives, and God knew the proclivities and impressionability of His people to adopt the ways of the ones they were with. This is why He gave such specific instructions not to intermarry.
Our God is a jealous God and He desires us to be wholly His. When we choose Him, honor Him with our lives, obey His laws and are faithful to Him, He too is faithful to us. What if God would drive the giants from our land if we did our part in not giving any place for them to get a foothold in our lives? What does this mean for us today?
In our lives, giants can be anything (usually something which feels like an impossibility) that we raise up as bigger than God. It could sound like, “Well, she has stage 4 cancer, but I guess I’ll pray,” or anything that causes us to relinquish our power and authority out of resignation, fear or hopelessness. Anything that feels like an impossibility can become a giant in your life, if you allow it to: looming debt, a job you hate, chronic illness, loss, relationship turmoil, etc. When we allow things to become bigger to us than God’s power, we have given the enemy a foothold in our lives, and we are not renewing our minds with truth—just like when the Israelites did not tear down the altars so that the enemy would no longer have a place to worship in their land. God’s promise to drive out the enemy was dependent on their obedience to tear down the altars.
God is making an offer to eliminate the giants in our lives if we will agree to destroy any place where the enemy has a foothold. Have you made an agreement with a lie? Have you partnered with fear? Have you resigned your situation to your circumstances instead of what God has promised? Have you lost faith and hope for your situation? Hope is KEY for standing in faith and eliminating giants.
This word is for those who feel like they’re facing a giant (impossibility) and have forgotten that God is more powerful than their circumstances. Spend time in God’s presence. Lay down your thoughts, fears and conclusions about your situation and ask God to speak truth to you. Write it down and speak it out loud every day until it becomes bigger than your giant.
Time to Stand
“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.” (Joshua 1:9)
In the Bible, God was very clear about the importance of being bold and courageous in all circumstances. Fear often makes us do foolish things, suppresses who we are and what we want, and causes us to cower to people who are louder and bolder than we are. We have been conditioned to be subservient, to sit back, to not cause a ruckus and to raise our hands when we want to speak. God is a God of order, but there are times when we need to STAND. Often, it is easy to dismiss the need to stand as not being “our personality.” God commanded us to be strong and courageous many times throughout the Old and New Testament. He does not call us to do anything we are not able to do, so we may need to shift our thinking.
We are living in days where corruption is rampant, and more the norm than not. Jesus abhorred corruption and boldly spoke the truth whenever He encountered it. We need to take a lesson from Him and boldly speak the truth. In order to do that, we must be so intimately connected to God. We must know what is on His heart, what grieves Him and what He is breathing on. Society has made us believe that our voices don’t matter, that we are inconsequential and that we are powerless to make a difference; but that is not what God has said to us throughout the Bible. If we do not fight for righteousness, who will? (Photo via Flickr)
He is lighting a fire in His people right now to throw off the quiet conformity, passivity and “turning a blind eye” to evil and corruption. He’s calling His people to boldly speak the truth and fight for those who cannot fight for themselves.
This word is for those who have felt an urge to stand up and speak the truth in the face of corruption, but are afraid. If your heart has been stirred as you see righteousness being suppressed, the innocent being victimized and corruption and evil prevailing, then this is for you. Pay attention to what God is highlighting to you—the particular arena where you have favor and authority, or where your heart is leading you. Pray with Him about what steps you are to take now and watch how He meets you!
Kingdom Momentum
“‘The days are coming,’ declares the LORD, ‘when the reaper will be overtaken by the plowman and the planter by the one treading grapes. New wine will drip from the mountains and flow from all the hills.'” (Amos 9:13)
This is a season where God is opening several doors at once. Pay attention to the favor you’re receiving and the peace you have about an opportunity. It is possible that God may be breathing on all of the options, and He’s giving you the opportunity to choose the one/ones you want. It’s also possible that one of the contending options will be the only one that remains as you step forward in faith.
There is a momentum, even an urgency, in the spirit right now that will carry you through this time. More will be accomplished with less time, money and energy because the Kingdom is advancing rapidly. Some options may feel less “holy” than others (business vs. ministry), but don’t discount those doors because God is moving in other arenas besides the church right now. The Kingdom is gaining ground on multiple fronts, and because of this, we need warriors on all those fronts! The amount of things that you feel to say yes to may not make sense in the natural, but if God is breathing on it, He is giving you the grace and capacity to run the race with excellence.
We are in an accelerated season, and because of this, God is opening multiple doors at once for people. More is expected of leaders during this time, but more capacity is being given to accomplish more than normal. God is calling up His leaders, His warriors, to rise during this time.
This word is for those who have been conflicted by multiple opportunities at once, and they feel like they lack the capacity to commit to more than one thing. Pay attention to the urgency you feel so that you can feel what God is breathing on. Say “yes” and move forward in faith, knowing that God will meet you and you are not alone.
Declarations
• I am giving God my full “yes.”
• I am trusting God with every giant in front of me.
• I am stepping out in boldness and courage!
• God is opening doors before me and I am advancing the Kingdom of God.
• God is using my weakness for His glory and for my victory!
Anne (Ballard) Jackson
The Crowning Jewels
Website: www.thecrowningjewels.com
Email: hello@thecrowningjewels.com
Texas-born Anne (Ballard) Jackson worked as a nurse for seventeen years before fully embracing her creative nature. Having grown up believing that God only spoke through the Bible, her life was transformed with the personal knowledge that He still speaks today. As she experienced a revelation of God’s love for her and the power of words to transform and heal, she began designing jewelry, partnering with Holy Spirit to create a tangible way to bring Heaven to Earth. This is where her prophetic jewelry company, The Crowning Jewels, was birthed. Many people recognize her company as a business-ministry hybrid. She is known as a prophetic visionary with the drive to accomplish her dreams. Her mandate is to champion others as they discover their God-given identity and fulfill their divine purpose. After living in Redding, CA for ten years, she recently moved back home and currently resides in Texas.