Did you know that when God called Gideon into his place of destiny, Gideon wasn’t exactly ready? Not in his own mind anyway. You could even say that Gideon was bitter or angry with God assuming that He had abandoned them. (Read Judges 6:13). The people of Israel had been under heavy oppression from the Midianites for many years, their food had been continually robbed and they were living in constant fear. We meet Gideon in his place of hiding, hidden away in a winepress, threshing wheat. Wheat was commonly threshed out in the open, up on top of a hill, but Gideon was hiding at the bottom of this winepress from his enemies. I can just picture him down there muttering to himself, frustrated and angry, but he had no idea that an encounter with an angel of the Lord was awaiting him…right where he was threshing wheat. For this place, even in his cowering, anger and fear just so happened to be the very mark of his destiny. In Judges 6:11, it tells us that ‘The angel of the Lord came and sat down under the oak in Ophrah that belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, where his son Gideon was threshing wheat in a winepress to keep it from the Midianites.’
It was here that God called Gideon by his name and declared his destiny over him, a mighty warrior, a man of valor. God didn’t acknowledge the present fact that his ‘mighty warrior’ was in hiding, for He doesn’t see what we see. He sees the strength within. You may be in hiding right now, you might be saying to yourself, “How will God deliver me from this? How will I ever fulfil the calling upon my life when I am here, being pressed on every side?” You may be saying to yourself as the Israelites were, “God, when will I be free of this oppression that has been warring against me for years?” I am here to remind you today, son or daughter, that while you may feel as though you are in hiding, you may feel as though things are pressing in on every side, the threshing floor is the very launching place of your destiny. You may even find yourself bitter or angry at God, and I want to remind you today of who you really are. I want to remind you that while it may not feel it, He has never left you or forsaken you. Not once. He had been with you through the darkest of valleys, walking right next to you through it all.I feel this strongly in my spirit, you are about to step up and out of that threshing floor and into the shoes of your calling.
Leave it all behind.
Just as the angel called forth Gideons destiny, the Spirit of God is calling you out today… “Arise, step out of your grief, leave your bitterness and your questions behind. I have appointed you as a Mighty Warrior of the earth. I have already planned your destiny, and now is the time to leave your fears and wonderings behind.” I find it amazing that Gideon was in hiding in a place called Ophrah, threshing wheat under an oak tree owned by his father. Ophrah means a ‘fawn,’ and an Oak tree represents a pillar of strength and longevity. It prophetically points to the fact that while he didn’t yet know it, God had been growing Gideon, even in the pressing, as a pillar of his strength and longevity… it was just still in it’s infancy, like a fawn. In fact, it was his inheritance. A fawn also points to ‘sure-footedness.’ I don’t even think Gideon realized the significance of his own name, ‘one who cus down.’ But God knew. The Father knew the strength He had hidden inside of Gideon, for it was His own DNA, and it was about to come forth. I am here to remind you of this same thing: you may feel weak, you may feel not up to the task, but none of that matters when the King steps onto the scene. His power is made perfect in your weakness, all that He requires is a surrendered yes. He is calling you forth today, mighty warrior, men and women of valour, to take your place as His appointed ones across the earth.
Step into your inheritance.
There is strength, resilience and courage inside of you that you still may not know, but it is your inheritance to walk in it. God is reminding you today of what is on the inside of you. You don’t have to ‘feel’ it to know it’s there. Don’t live one moment longer below the line of your calling, get up, step up and take your place. Stand tall beneath the Oak of your Strength, Jesus Himself. It is not by your might, it is not by your power, but it is by HIS Spirit (Zech 4:6). You were not created with a weak spirit, you were created in the very image of Almighty God and his DNA is filled with MIGHTY POWER. He is calling you forth this day, not tomorrow, not next month or next year…today and calling forth your destiny! Today is your day of being marked with destiny and called up and out. Beloved one, mighty one, you are a son or daughters of valour. You are called to cut down the enemies plans and to establish the Kingdom of God across the earth. It is time to step into who you really are, and as you do, you will taste of the sweet wine He has created through your pressing. The amazing thing is, others will taste of your wine too and find their refreshment in Him through you. Arise mighty ones and take your place!
