April 30, 2014
Some people's opinions are more valuable than others. For instance, I can be kind toward anybody by God's grace, but I am not interested in what a totally godless, profane man's opinion is of the things of God, or even of me. I know that his orientation is completely off and he does not have the ability that is given to those who know God to see reality.
But some people's opinions really matter to me. And there is One whose opinion is my ultimate concern: God. God sees everything perfectly. His evaluations are spot-on. When He speaks I should listen even if seems contradictory to my thinking. When He tells me who I really am, I should trust His evaluation, not my own.
So, what does God really think of you? You might be surprised. When He came to Gideon, who was the youngest son in a small, unnoticed family, His greeting declared something that Gideon didn't even know about Himself. Gideon thought of himself as a coward who could do very little.
The Angel of the Lord appeared to him and said to him, “The Lord is with you, O valiant warrior.” (Judges 6:12)
There were two things that startled Gideon, as evidenced by his response.
He was surprised by God's presence with him and he was surprised by the description the Lord gave of who Gideon really was. The Angel of the Lord described him as a ""valiant warrior."" Time proved, of course, that God's evaluation was exactly right. God was with him and he really was a valiant warrior that put a massive army to flight.
If Gideon had not been in the presence of God, he may have never seen or understood his true nature or destiny.
When you get into God's presence, what does He really say about you? Gideon was very surprised and you might be too. God may have a higher opinion of what He has created (in you) than you do.
If I were you, I'd listen to His evaluation, not the worlds. And then proceed accordingly to fight with power the battles that are before you.
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