On valour

Uni-verse 189/10,000 For better through verse

Jdg 6:12 And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him, and said unto him, The LORD is with thee, thou mighty man of valour.


Gideon was only a farmer when the angel of the Lord appeared before him. He considered himself the least in the tribe of Manasseh and the poor house of his father. What holds us back from our divine destiny is negative conditioning from our ancient past , inherited conditioning from the previous generation and peer pressure to conform from our current generation. As a result, Gideon trembled with fear at the mere prospect of fighting the powerful Midianites or even challenging the practices of his own people. Even extracting his own wine, he did in stealth and hiding. Yet, the angel declared him to be a mighty man of valour. God sees qualities in His chosen children that they themselves or their contemporaries cannot see and affirms these qualities. He does not look at where we came from but where we are going. It is His presence in His chosen that transforms us into mighty people of valour.

Courage is overcoming our biggest fear. The fear factor should not be denied but identified and acknowledged. The biggest fear that mankind collectively and individually face is the fear of death, a violent or untimely death. When Christ is in us and we are in Christ, we overcome this fear as Christ has overcome death. His resurrection power available to us makes us mighty people of valour. Unlike Gideon, we should not ask for signs to confirm God’s Word but instead believe God’s Word and sign, wonders and mighty acts will follow.

Gideon the farmer was transformed into Gideon, the soldier, the general, the freedom-fighter, the deliverer, the leader. Before he was transformed, he was transfixed with fear and self-doubt. He asked the angel for a sign. The angel transformed his offer of a meal of meat and bread into a “heavenly barbecue on the rock” to confirm his calling by God to be a new generation Moses, one who breaks the yoke of the oppressors. The might was not of Gideon but it was sourced from JehovahShalom as he himself soon acknowledged in an act of worship and commemoration. We are called in this generation to be a new- generation- Gideon, to reveal the might of God in and through our lives, to act with courage in overcoming the biggest fear and challenges in our current situation. For the Almighty Lord is with us, we mighty people of valour. We can reveal His might to all people in all fields.

Prateep V Philip