Judges 6:12 “And the angel of the LORD appeared to him and said to him, "The LORD is with you, O mighty man of valor.”

Judges 6:15 “And he said to him, "Please, Lord, how can I save Israel? Behold, my clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father’s house.”

Many people view Gideon as being a sort of ‘reluctant’ hero. Not really wanting to step out but, in the end, doing God’s will anyway. But if you examine the story closely, Gideon was not reluctant to do God’s work, he just had an identity crisis, a self-esteem problem if you will. When the angel of the Lord addressed this “mighty warrior” he was hiding from the very people God would send him to defeat! God had sent other judges before Gideon and he just didn’t see himself in such esteemed company. I am the weakest guy from the weakest family. That is what Gideon saw in the mirror. God was trying to give Gideon a picture of what he could be…what he created him to be. God did not create us for glory. God created us for His glory. Oftentimes, God does not reveal his full plans for us because our self-image would not allow us to see the plans as possible. Until we learn to see what we can be through our relationship with God, we simply cannot fathom how much we might accomplish. If God says you are a ‘mighty warrior’, than that is how you ‘will be seen’ if you can muster the courage to step onto the battlefield!

Pray: Lord God, my self-image has been shaped by a world that does not know the ‘me’ you created me to be. It has been shaped by those around me who are struggling with their own self-esteem and Identity issues. If you say I am ‘mighty’, then I am mighty whether I can see it or not, simply because, as my Creator, who would know better than you. I do not desire an inflated ego, or to think more of myself than I should. But help me, Lord, to be willing to see myself the way you do. In your all-seeing and all-knowing majesty I ask it – Amen