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Young
or old, anyone can be passionate for God. Time has no
power to wrinkle our souls! The specific calling God
places on people is reflected in the specific passions
they have for Him. God elects people from every walk of
life and all age groups. Our passion for Him generates
the enthusiasm in us to live under His will and purpose.
Passion is something that springs up spontaneously
without the help of anyone. The love for God and longing
to see His intervention generates the passion within us.
We all have desires and dreams. Mix it with love and
faith in God that will produce passion in us. Passion is
the burning desire to see something realized. A
passionate person cannot be stopped by the risks
involved in his path.
We see a great passionate man in the book of Judges. He
had a question in his heart. If the Lord is with us, why
did all this happen to us? Where are His wonders and
miracles? "Pardon me, my lord," Gideon replied, "but if
the LORD is with us, why has all this happened to us?
Where are all his wonders that our ancestors told us
about when they said, 'Did not the LORD bring us up out
of Egypt?' But now the LORD has abandoned us and given
us into the hand of Midian." (Jdg 6:13, NIV). His faith
in God is asking a very positive question unlike many
have a blaming attitude towards God.
It was a time the Israelites were facing disaster from
God. Forsaking the living God by going after the gods
and goddesses of the land costed the Israelites dearly.
"Whenever the Israelites planted their crops, the
Midianites, Amalekites and other eastern peoples invaded
the country. They camped on the land and ruined the
crops all the way to Gaza and did not spare a living
thing for Israel, neither sheep nor cattle nor donkeys.
(Judg 6:3-4). God had taken away His protection from His
people. So the enemy prevailed on them. They had to
leave their homes and take shelter in caves, mountain
clefts and strongholds.
In Christian life too, the devil has no power to touch
God's people as long as they are faithful to Him being
under His prtoection. God punishes by taking away His
protection from people and the it becomes easy for the
devil to attack from left right front and back. The
devil is weak and exhausted only before those who are
covered by the blood of the Lamb of God. The power from
the cross of Jesus Christ diffuses the strength of the
devil, making him a failure before God's people.
The Israelites had no choice but to flee from their
homes due to oppression from the enemy. They shrunk
their lives to fit the inconvenience they faced in the
mountains and caves. Isn't it ridiculous to reject
humility before God and then get humbled so much to be
able to adjust with all that pathetic situation? But a
passionate Gideon was not ready to give up battle. He
was neither willing to leave his home nor to give his
harvest into the enemy's hands to be destroyed. I
believe there were two things burning in His heart.
Primarily, he trusted in God and wanted to see all those
wonders and miracles of God that his ancestors saw.
Secondly, he was not ready to give his harvest into the
hands of the enemy.
As Gideon was longing for God's presence and His mighty
deeds to be revealed he said in his heart, the harvest
belongs to me I have sown I will take it! The dangerous
situation could not stop Gideon from taking his harvest.
God looks for passionate people like this. We are crying
out unto the Lord for His love and mercy to be
manifested through His saving power in our nation of
India and in the time of harvest we don't show the
courage to grab our inheritance from the enemy's hand.
"Those who sow with tears will reap with songs of joy".
(Psa 126:5 ). We are not mourners but reapers; we weep
but we also reap. How many of us dare to put our lives
at risk when we see people under the oppression of the
devil? How many of us have the insight that the people
in this world belong to God and the devil has no right
and authority to oppress them? Are we just called out to
cry out? If we sow in tears God is faithful to give us
the harvest too. The situation is risky but do not
forget that the harvest belong to the sower.
There comes the angel of the Lord to such a person with
passion for God. When the angel of the LORD appeared to
Gideon, he said, "The LORD is with you, mighty warrior."
(Jdg 6:12) You never fought a war but your name is
"mighty warrior" because God honours your passion for
Him. His intervention will change every situation in our
lives. And the anointing follows . 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?" (Judg
6:14). God gave Gideon the power and authority to battle
against Midian and save his people from his hand. The
intention of Gideon was just to save his harvest from
the enemy. The encounter with God made him save the
whole nation from the clutches of the enemy and lead the
nation. That led Gideon to the larger purpose of God set
on him.
Our impossibilities are possible with God. There is a
larger purpose set on every child of God. Do not be
withdrawn but ignite the spark inside you. God looks for
passionate people so that He can manifest His power in
and through them.
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