SEE THE ADVANTAGES IN YOUR DISADVANTAGE (PART 2)

APRIL 29TH

TEXT: Judges 6:11-16 King James Version (KJV)

11. And there came an angel of the Lord, and sat under an oak which was in Ophrah, that pertained unto Joash the Abiezrite: and his son Gideon threshed wheat by the winepress, to hide it from the Midianites.

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

13. And Gideon said unto him, Oh my Lord, if the Lord be with us, why then is all this befallen us? and where be all his miracles which our fathers told us of, saying, Did not the Lord bring us up from Egypt? but now the Lord hath forsaken us, and delivered us into the hands of the Midianites.

14. And the Lord looked upon him, and said, Go in this thy might, and thou shalt save Israel from the hand of the Midianites: have not I sent thee?

15. And he said unto him, Oh my Lord, wherewith shall I save Israel? behold, my family is poor in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father's house.

16. And the Lord said unto him, Surely I will be with thee, and thou shalt smite the Midianites as one man.

 “Count your blessings name them one by one” is part of the powerful text of the hymn we all love to sing but not many of us actually take time to count our blessings.  We often would complain about our struggles and disadvantages and in so doing we become blind to the exceptional quality or ability in us that is meant to give us an edge over others. Like Gideon, many of us see so much of our misfortune to the point that we become oblivious of angelic assistance.

Like Gideon, so many of us are complaining about the economic situation of our country in a time the Lord want to use the same situation to bring us to greatness. Gideon did not know that he had something placed there by God to enable him bring deliverance to his people. Even when the angel said to him, “Go in this thy might” (see verse 14), he still focused on his disadvantages. 

Your disadvantages not withstanding there is a seed of greatness in you. Look for it and you will be amazed what God will do with you. Fix your eyes on the Lord and He will take you to where nobody in your family has gone before. You will become empowered to do what nobody has done before. As you do, you will shake your world.

God has a great plan for your life. Fix your eyes on the Lord and you will be able to see the advantages in our disadvantage. Shalom!