Arise O mighty man of valor

I believe in my heart that something awesome will happen in this place today. Certain altars will be broken, and we will erect new ones unto the Lord.

Read Judges 6:11-27.

We are familiar with the story of Gideon and the children of Israel but this morning there is a revelation I want to share with you before you pray. When you read Judges 6:1, it says the Israelites sinned against God so he handed them over to the Midianites. One thing the Midianites did to oppress the Israelites was to destroy their harvest after they had collected it. One day, Gideon had gotten some grain and, to hide it from the Midianites, he hid in the winepress to thresh it. While doing this, an angel appeared to him and greeted him, “Greetings, O mighty man of valor.” He was surprised by that greeting because his circumstances did not match the greeting. Some of us have allow the circumstances of our lives to dominate us but that should not be for we are a special people and a chose nation. This morning, may you recognize that the Lord has purchased you with a great price.

Gideon retorted, “If the Lord is with us, why have all these things happened to us?” Some of you wonder if the Lord is with you because of the circumstances of your life but I came to assure you that the Lord is indeed with you. May you arise in this knowledge in Jesus’ name.

Gideon had heard of many great things the Lord had done for his people in the past and wondered why those things had ceased but the angel of the Lord did not argue with him. he only told him to go in his current might. There is a certain strength that God has deposited in you. it is time for you to rise and operate in it. it is time you arose and did something about your situation. God is not bothered by your many questions and murmurings. God is looking for people who will arise and take charge.

Gideon prepared food for the angel and placed it on a rock. Fire came from the rock to consume the food. I believe that rock was Christ. After that, he went to sleep but, in the night, God appeared to him and told him to destroy the altar of Baal in front of his father’s house. I believe that that altar was part of the reason why the children of Israel were going through what they were going through. It wasn’t Gideon who put it there but the impact of that altar affected him. if people have erected evil altars you don’t know about that are working against you, this morning we will overturn the work of those altars and build better ones in their place.

Benson Idahosa told a story of what God made him do to take over his city. God gave him some days to pray at the roundabout in his city. On the last day of his assignment, when he went to the roundabout, there were animals killed with blood all over the place and he saw his name written on papers that said he was a dead man. He was afraid because he was carrying out that assignment alone but he heard the voice of the Lord encouraging him to go on with the assignment so he continued. From that day, the demonic activities in his city ceased.

Because Gideon was afraid of the people of the city, he did the operation in the night. Some operations are best done at night. It is only in the day that people will see the effects of your work. You are a mighty man. It is time for you to arise and pull down the altars working against you. Pull down those altars and erect the altars of the Lord in their place.