What’s Your Level Of Faith (Moving From Little To Great)

 

What's Your Level Of Faith? (Moving From Little To Great!)"

Pastor Jim Lowe III

Sunday Morning,  9:30am Stream

03/19/23 (3rd Sunday Message)

 

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{All scriptures are NIV84 unless stated}

We know the story of Gideon.

 

Now that we know the story…we can take a step back and look.

 

it’ll help us see some of the things God was doing Gideon didn’t notice.

 

Scripture tells us that Gideon was a mentally, emotionally and spiritually BROKEN person.

 

He went from being a quiet farmer…

 

  to an elite general in a short amount of time.

 

How did he do it?

 

Did he change overnight or was there a gradual change?

 

Scripture shows us that Gideon went through a major change…

 

And we SEE it in his ACTIONS

 

but there were levels to it.

 

Today’s message:

 

What's Your Level Of Faith? (Moving From Little To Great!)"

 

If you need a refresher of the story, it’s Judges 6:1 through Judges 7:22.

 

You can also check my messages starting with “The Cycle From Sin To Deliverance.

 

But let’s get back into this to see what God did.

 

Let’s look at Gideon…

 

NOT what he says…What he DOES.

 

The Changing Levels Of Gideon’s Faith:

 

Judges 6:11

11 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. 

 

We talked about how Gideon was in hiding because many years in slavery taught him that.

 

Israel had been under Midian rule for 7 years.

 

The first 5 verses talks about how terrible it was for the Israelites.

 

We also talked about how you don’t “thresh wheat” in a winepress.

 

you thresh wheat on a “threshing floor”

 

  you press grapes in a winepress.

 

A winepress was an enclosed, hidden space.

 

  -a room…cave…hole in the ground.

 

The Threshing floor was an open area, usually outside.

 

Because Farmer Gideon was afraid for his life,

 

He would use the winepress to thresh wheat so he could stay hidden.

 

We also know from his conversation with the Lord:

 

 (v.13…the Lord has abandoned us.) - About God

 

 (v.15 …my clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family.) - About 

  Himself

 

So we see from this:

 

Gideon Was Inside, Hiding With No Faith In God Or Himself - Level 0

 

How does Gideon grow his faith?

 

{God if it’s really you…please prove it and accept my offering.}

 

The Lord waits AND accepts the offering.

 

{the young goat and the loaf of bread from all that flour stuff happens}

 

The Lord then tells him what to do:

 

Judges 6:25-26

 

Gideon was told to tear down the altar to a god…

 

one of the gods the community was serving at the time.

 

he KNEW this would get him in trouble.

 

BUT! Gideon’s offering had been accepted by the Lord.

 

he KNEW God was talking to him.

 

Judges 6:27

27 So Gideon took ten of his servants and did as the Lord told him. But because he was afraid of his family and the men of the town, he did it at night rather than in the daytime.

 

We see that although he was afraid…he was out in the open.

 

Gideon Was Now Outside, Hiding In The Dark With Little Faith In God - Level 1

 

Judges 6:33

We know Midian joined forces with other nations and became a bigger threat to Gideon.

 

Gideon still has weak faith…asking God for conformation.

 

“God are you going to do what you said?”

 

Judges 6:36-38

36 Gideon said to God, If you will save Israel by my hand as you have promised— 37 look, I will place a wool fleece on the threshing floor. If there is dew only on the fleece and all the ground is dry, then I will know that you will save Israel by my hand, as you said. 38 And that is what happened. Gideon rose early the next day; he squeezed the fleece and wrung out the dew—a bowlful of water.

 

Gideon did this experiment twice.

 

Both times God responded.

 

But WHERE did Gideon put the fleece?

 

On the Threshing floor…the place he was afraid to go in the beginning.

 

Now it’s HIS idea to go there.

 

  which he went out there 4 times (one to place, one to check, one to place and to   check!

 

Gideon Is Out In The Open Without Thought Asking God For More Faith - Level 2

 

The bible doesn’t highlight it…but look at the growth already.

 

He used to be afraid to be on the threshing floor.

 

Judges 7:1

Early in the morning, Jerub-Baal (that is, Gideon) and all his men camped at the spring of Harod. The camp of Midian was north of them in the valley near the hill of Moreh.

 

The men were camped.

 

The enemy was north of them in the valley.

 

Right before God purges his army.

 

Gideon is ready to go to war and be in the area of the enemy.

 

Gideon Now Has The Faith To Be In The Vicinity Of The Enemy - Level 3

 

After his army of 32,000 was lowered to just 300…God tested Gideon again.

 

Judges 7:9

9 During that night the Lord said to Gideon, Get up, go down against the camp, because I am going to give it into your hands.

 

Gideon…the man with no faith and confidence…was willing to go into the enemies camp.

 

Gideon Has The Faith To LEAVE His Army To Go Into The Camp Of The Enemy - Level 4

 

Gideon was afraid to be seen by the enemy at the beginning…

 

now he is going into their camp.

 

How do we get to level 5?

 

Judges 7:13

when Gideon arrived, he heard a man talking about a nightmare he had.

 

His friend interpreted the dream:

 

Verse 14:

14 His friend responded, This can be nothing other than the sword of Gideon son of Joash, the Israelite. God has given the Midianites and the whole camp into his hands.

 

Gideon goes back and gives orders to his men that the battle will be won!

 

Gideon Has Enough Faith To Be Outnumbered, Leave His Weapons and STILL Win The Battle Against The Enemy - Level 5

 

It took at LEAST 7 years to rob Gideon of his faith and confidence.

 

God restored it in a matter of days.

 

God Can Undo Years Of Pain And Trauma In Your Life If You Let Him!

 

With the directives God has given us…

 

When It Comes To Accomplishing What God Has For You:

Which Type Of Faith Do You Have? 1-5?

1.No Faith (No Trust In God)

2.Little Faith (Small Trust In God)

3.Average Faith (Trusting God In Some Things)

4.Strong Faith (Believing God Can Do It)

5.Great Faith (Knowing God Will Do It)

 

Once you realize where you are…you can see how you need to grow.

 

God is trying to move ALL of us from where we are to level 5.

 

Full trust and faith in him.

 

How Do We Strengthen Our Faith?

 

Luke 17:5-6

5 The apostles said to the Lord, Increase our faith! 6 He replied, If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, Be uprooted and planted in the sea, and it will obey you. 

 

Jesus said “as small.”

 

not “as big.”

 

Another scripture talks about the mustard seed being one of the smallest seeds.

 

It doesn’t require much faith.

 

But with it you can do great things.

 

You Don’t Need Mustard Seed Faith To Talk To Mountains Or Trees.  You Need It Because With It You Can Do What Seems Impossible!

 

The point isn’t to talk to trees or mountains…

 

it’s to say that YOU can do what you don’t think you could!

 

Mark 9:23 (b)

Everything is possible for him who believes.

 

Everything is possible.

 

Does the idea of being a minister for God seem impossible?

 

Does the idea of writing a book for God and his kingdom seem impossible?

 

Does the idea of starting a business to help God’s people seem impossible?

 

Does the idea of what God has for you seem impossible?

 

don’t think you’re interesting enough?

 

don’t think you’re smart enough?

 

God wouldn’t ask you if it were impossible!

 

Nothing Is Impossible For God - Including Using You For His Glory!

 

Sometimes the most impossible stuff is changing us from where we are

 

to where we need to be.

 

But God has a vision for us to be a blessing to someone else.

 

Ephesians 2:10

10 For we are Gods workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

 

Good works for someone else.

 

He called a farmer a mighty warrior.

 

What Is God Calling You? What Is He Calling You To Do?

 

It probably won’t be what you want to hear.

 

But God will increase your faith in ways to help you learn to trust him!

 

 

- Look At The Prayers God Has Answered And How That’s Made You Stronger!

- Look At Where You Are Today Vs. A Year Ago!

- These Are Things God Uses To Build Your Faith!

 

"I’m not where I want to be but thank God I’m not where I used to be!”

 

God is slowly changing you teaching you to trust him!

 

He is teaching you to grow that faith.

 

Because we need it!  We HAVE to have it!

 

Hebrews 11:6 (a)

6 And without faith it is impossible to please God…

 

Gideon couldn’t BE a mighty warrior until he could believe it.

 

You Can’t Qualify For The Vision Unless You Believe It!

 

No matter how many times God called Gideon a mighty warrior…

 

it wouldn’t matter if Gideon never believed it himself.

 

that’s why God had to build his faith.

 

No matter what God calls you…

 

you won’t qualify for it unless you believe you CAN do it!

 

And even if you believe you can do something…

 

you can’t just sit on it.

 

You Can’t Achieve The Vision Unless You Walk In It!

 

This is where MANY of us get caught up.

 

We believe what God said but aren’t doing ANYTHING related to it.

 

James 2:17

17 In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.

 

Gideon was a mighty warrior.

 

but that wasn’t proven without action.

 

How about you?

 

Can You Be A Minister Without Ministering?

 

Can You Be A Warrior Without A Battle?

 

Can You Be A Ball Player And Never Play Ball?

 

Can You Be A Dentist And Never Look At Teeth?

 

Can You Be A Christian And Not Love?

 

Can You Be Anything And Never Do It?

 

You can’t be alive and not breathe?

 

Everything requires action!

 

Even being lazy requires work!

 

But God is showing us that our faith requires action…

 

Your Actions Establish Who You Are, Not Your Words!

 

Gideon was called a mighty warrior when he was just a farmer.

 

He was a farmer until he started walking as a warrior

 

{repost again}

  • Look At The Prayers God Has Answered And How That’s Made You Stronger!

 

Look at how when you’ve trusted God, he’s come through.

 

You’ve learned that God is a God you can call when you need help!

 

This tells you you can TRUST God in times of need!

 

  • Look At Where You Are Today Vs. A Year Ago!

 

Look at how you’ve changed.

 

You don’t notice it until you stop and see how far you’ve come.

 

This tells you that God has slowly been building you towards his call for you.

 

God Has Already Validated Us!  Let’s Trust HIS Plan!

 

Psalm 37:5-6 (MSG)

5 Open up before GOD, keep nothing back; hell do whatever needs to be done: Hell validate your life in the clear light of day and stamp you with approval at high noon.

 

Jeremiah 17:7-8

7 But blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. 8 He will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.

Blessed…

Like a tree planted

  (established)

Leaves shall be green

  needs met (health peace finances)

Neither cease from yielding fruit

  you’ll continue to produce…to work…never be useless.

 

From earlier:

 

It took Gideon at least 7 years to have lost his faith.

 

God undid all of that in a matter of days.

 

What Can God Do For You If You Let Him?

 

This Week:

1.Review This Message

2.Ask God To Remind You Of The Prayers He Has Answered

-(We tend to forget all that God has brought us from)

3.Ask God To Help Grow Your Faith So You Can Walk More In His Will

-The people we read about aren’t just stories

-they had to figure this thing out just like we do.

-and just like them, God is wanting to work with you also.

 

Let’s grow our faith so he can do more with us.

 

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