Victorious this 2013!

ONE FIRM TRUTH I can hold on to as I face 2013: I have all the strength I need

While others are consumed to catch some luck as they prepare to welcome 2013, I sat down and made sure I'm geared to face the new year with the Truth.

I have this December 31 habit of making sure I have reflected and evaluated the past year so I can be ready to move forward to the coming year. And so while my relatives are busy preparing for fooooood (as it was too many) and other stuff to cater my clan's reunion, I grabbed my pen and journal and wrote down things I'm thankful for last 2012 and things I'm hopeful for this 2013. :) It isn't enough that I have just these lists but it's a personal necessity that I have something firm I can hold on to as I face 2013's thrills & challenges. Where else can I get that but from God's Word?

I was reading through Gideon's story (Judges 6) and saw a different light to it other than the usual spotlight of him getting signs from God that he'll get victory over his enemies.

¹² The angel of the Lord appeared to him and said, “Mighty hero, the Lord is with you!”

Here, God is sending Gideon to lead the Israel people out of oppression from Midian's cruel hands. But for some humanly reasons, Gideon complained as if he didn't know why they were facing such a crisis. (Reason is SIN in case you, too, didn't know)

14 Then the Lord turned to him and said, “Go with the strength you have, and rescue Israel from the Midianites. I am sending you!”

 

Funny how Gideon responded again with human logic: “how can I rescue Israel? My clan is the weakest in the whole tribe of Manasseh, and I am the least in my entire family!”

In other words, he was reasoning out, thinking "Lord, what strength are you talking about? I'm a nobody!" If I were him, I would've felt the same: UNWORTHY and UNABLE to be victorious.

But the catch is, Gideon looked at the typical human perspective of STRENGTH which is usually associated with PHYSICAL, EXPERIENCE, ACHIEVEMENT, POWER, POSITION or AUTHORITY, not realizing that at the very first statement of God in this conversation, He has already revealed the kind of strength that will give him victory: GOD's PRESENCE (v.12).

And so, I can imagine God scratching his head as He reply to Gideon how he will be able win: ¹⁶ “I will be with you. And you will destroy the Midianites as if you were fighting against one man.”

 

So there's ONE FIRM TRUTH I can hold on to as I face 2013.

I have all the strength I need...

to overcome whatever may come my way

to be victorious over my giants and challenges and

to eliminate unnecessary fears that paralyzes my advancement toward my God-given destiny. :)

Isn't that more powerful than the horoscope, predictions, feng sui, lucky charms, etc, which really aren't reliable anyway!?!

HAPPY VICTORIOUS NEW YEAR EVERYONE!