Devotional Thoughts

Judges 7:20-22     "And the three companies blew the trumpets, and brake the pitchers, and held the lamps in their left hands, and the trumpets in their right hands to blow withal: and they cried, The sword of the LORD, and of Gideon.  (21)  And they stood every man in his place round about the camp: and all the host ran, and cried, and fled.  (22)  And the three hundred blew the trumpets, and the LORD set every man's sword against his fellow, even throughout all the host..." At the time appointed, Gideon divided the 300 men into three groups. They went against the darkness in the darkness, but their confidence was in the Lord's power and leadership. The only weapons they had in their hands were trumpets, lamps, and pitchers of clay. They used the element of surprise in the darkness to shatter the pitchers and let the light pierce the darkness. They blew their trumpets and the enemy went into shock thinking they were completely surrounded by a host of ...

Matthew 13:53-58     " And it came to pass, that when Jesus had finished these parables, he departed thence.  And when he was come into his own country, he taught them in their synagogue, insomuch that they were astonished, and said, Whence hath this man this wisdom, and these mighty works?  Is not this the carpenter's son? is not his mother called Mary? and his brethren, James, and Joses, and Simon, and Judas?  And his sisters, are they not all with us? Whence then hath this man all these things?  And they were offended in him. But Jesus said unto them, A prophet is not without honour, save in his own country, and in his own house.   And he did not many mighty works there because of their unbelief."  Jesus had spent a considerable amount of time teaching and doing many miracles of healing. He taught a lot using parables because it was not given to the multitudes to understand the mysteries of the kingdom like it had been to His discipl...

Judges 7:9-10    "And it came to pass the same night, that the LORD said unto him, Arise, get thee down unto the host; for I have delivered it into thine hand.  (10)  But if thou fear to go down, go thou with Phurah thy servant down to the host" Judges 7:15    "And it was so, when Gideon heard the telling of the dream, and the interpretation thereof, that he worshipped, and returned into the host of Israel, and said, Arise; for the LORD hath delivered into your hand the host of Midian." After a few tests, the time had arrived for Gideon to go against the MIdianites. He had thrown down the fleece in order to be assured that it was the Lord who was telling him to fight. He then assembled 32,000 men to go against the host of the Midianites. That would normally have not been enough men to fight the assembled army of Midian, but in the sight of God that was too many. God pared down the number until it was 300 men of Israel against the "host" of the enemy. You...

Matthew 13:51-52     " Jesus saith unto them, Have ye understood all these things? They say unto him, Yea, Lord.  Then said he unto them, Therefore every scribe which is instructed unto the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is an householder, which bringeth forth out of his treasure things new and old."   It is a great blessing in our lives to understand the things of Christ. The greatest understanding that we can have is that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God (Matthew 16:16). Jesus says if we have this understanding that we are blessed. He also declares that we did not figure it out for ourselves and no man taught us, but rather, it was revealed to us directly from God. I am thankful for the opportunity to share my thoughts with you from the scripture. If you find comfort, hope, or instruction from any of these efforts, know that I do not deserve the credit for that. That is the Holy Spirit working in your life. God alone deserve...

Judges 6:25-27     "And it came to pass the same night, that the LORD said unto him, Take thy father's young bullock, even the second bullock of seven years old, and throw down the altar of Baal that thy father hath, and cut down the grove that is by it:  (26)  And build an altar unto the LORD thy God upon the top of this rock, in the ordered place, and take the second bullock, and offer a burnt sacrifice with the wood of the grove which thou shalt cut down.  (27)  Then Gideon took ten men of his servants, and did as the LORD had said unto him: and so it was, because he feared his father's household, and the men of the city, that he could not do it by day, that he did it by night." The first thing God did was to assure Gideon of His presence and power to accompany in the battles ahead. After that assurance God gave his first instructions to the young man: "throw down the altar of Baal that thy father hath, and cut down the grove that is by it." He was ...