How Does God See You?

Dear Pastor,

In the book of Judges 6:1-10, Israel is called out by God for their rebellion and idolatry. For seven years Israel was delivered into the hand of the Midianites, the Amalekites, and peoples of the East. The enemy would come in on Israel to steal and destroy their produce, their sheep, their ox, and their donkeys. They left no sustenance for Israel and the children of Israel made hideouts for themselves in dens, caves, and strongholds in the mountains. The children of Israel "cried out" to the Lord and He heard their cry (Judges 6:8-10). The Lord sent a prophet to them and the prophet reminded them of their deliverance from bondage out of Egypt and that God had driven out their oppressors and gave them their land. "But you have not obeyed My voice (Judges 6:10).

The Angel of the Lord appeared to Gideon, son of Joash, and said to him, "The Lord is with you, you mighty man of valor''. Gideon was threshing wheat in a winepress, (normally wheat was threshed out in the open), but because of fear Gideon was hiding. Gideon, like most of us, tried to beg off from the purpose and call God had on his life. God was calling him to go and save Israel and Gideon responded. "O my Lord, how can I save Israel"? Indeed, my clan is the weakest in Manasseh and I am the least in my father's house. (Judges 6: 14-25). Like we, from time to time, Gideon was fearful. I am sure that the greeting by "the Angel of the Lord" was ringing in his ears, "you mighty man of valor" (Judges 6: 1-2) Not me Lord, you have called the wrong man. I can't do it.

Why would the Angel of the Lord, (note the Angel was not referred to as an angel from the Lord, but as The Angel of the Lord, in other words, the Lord Himself), say to Gideon, ''The Lord is with you, you mighty man of (fearless) courage". (Amp. Judges 6:12). ls it possible the Lord saw something in Gideon through His eyes that Gideon didn't see in himself? Instead of a fearful coward, the Lord saw what Gideon would become. He saw Gideon through His eyes as a mighty man of courage. How does God see you and me?

The Lord knew humanity was lost and separated from Him because of sin. (Isaiah 59:2) However, God always had a vision of a loving, living, and viable relationship with His children. He had a plan and that plan was fulfilled at Calvary with the crucifixion of His Son, Jesus Christ. Christ paid a sin debt He did not owe to cover a sin debt we could not pay.

Back to the question how does God see you and me? Is it different than how we see ourselves? He saw mankind redeemed and restored by the blood of His Son and that "whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved." (Romans 10:13}. And the Spirit and the bride say, "Come!" And let him who hears say, "Come" and let him who thirsts "Come". Whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely. (Rev. 22:17} God does not see us as we were, but as we have become and are becoming through the shed blood of His Son, Jesus.

The question Pastor, for you and for me, is what image do we have of ourselves? Do we sometimes view ourselves as Gideon, fearful, hopeless, and overwhelmed with circumstances, challenges, and issues of life? Or do we see ourselves as a child of the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords, filled with the Spirit of God, an overcomer who puts on the garment of praise to drive out the spirit of heaviness? (Isaiah 61:1-3}.

Do we see ourselves through His blood, well, whole, restored, redeemed, set free, and filled with the Spirit of God that raised Jesus from the dead? And, "if The Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead, (Romans 8:11}, lives in us, then He who raised Christ from the dead will also restore to life our mortal, (short-lived, perishable), bodies through His Spirit who dwells in "us". Think about it! That same power (dunamis power), (Acts 1:18, 4:33), that raised Jesus from the dead resides in you and me. Teach us, Lord, to have faith and boldly walk in and appropriate that power. Would we dare step out in faith and trust God? If we truly believe, we will step out in faith. Faith is a direct result of what we truly believe. In America, there is great fear to address the issues of today that are so prevalent in our culture. Maybe we do not see ourselves as "mighty men of God" to step out and confront the evil that has pervaded our culture. Dietrich Bonhoeffer said, "Silence in the face of evil is itself evil: God will not hold us guiltless. Not to speak is to speak. Not to act is to act."

Do we see ourselves in the eyes of Joshua and Caleb or do we see ourselves through the eyes of the other ten spies who saw themselves as grasshoppers compared to the giants in the land? Praise the Lord, as He saw Gideon He sees us as "mighty men of valor" so let's put on the Armor of God (Eph. 6:11-18), filled with His Spirit and His Word to go forth with a mighty shout. (Psalm 47:1) Jehoshaphat, through faith, shouted victory before he ever saw victory. And having done all, stand. We must not give one inch and we must not leave our post.

Pastor, you are blessed today with all the Spiritual blessings, (Ephesians 1:3), you need to fulfill His purpose and calling, and may He fill you with His love, His strength, His joy, His peace, and His power. Always remember our first calling is into a relationship with Him and we must spend daily time with Him before we go minister. If we keep sowing, in due season we will reap!

You are greatly appreciated and esteemed.

Brother Gene Lamberth

ServingHIM Prayer Team Lead