The secret behind Gideon's power was that "the Spirit of the Lord came upon [him]" (Judges 6:34). He may have been fearful of the task ahead of him, but he was God-confident.

There is no need to be self-confident (or reliant on yourself) when God is on your side and behind your plans. God does not need large numbers.

Most of us find that we are timid in the face of opposition. But, the opposition we face is nothing compared to what Gideon and, certainly, what Jesus faced. Gideon risked death; Jesus suffered death. God is more than likely not asking you to face death, just discomfort. 

Like Gideon, we often feel God can't use us because of our weaknesses, but sometimes God works through our weaknesses better than through our strengths.

Seeking to please God is one of the hardest things to even begin to put into practice. It seems so natural to please ourselves. But Jesus says, "I seek not to please myself but him who sent me."

Praying for guidance and wisdom means nothing if we don't take the time to meditate on God's Word and listen when He answers.

You probably have some good ideas, maybe you even have some great ideas, about what your life should look like and the jobs you want to do. Yet, have you ever stopped to think about God's ideas?

It is David's desire that the name of God, and more importantly God himself, should be held everywhere in awe and worshiped.

Now, we, being on the other side of Jesus' resurrection, have a Savior to proclaim to all the nations.

Like David, when we truly understand the magnitude of God's love for us, our natural response is to worship Him with every gift we have.

God is looking for those who love Him to share his love. 

It's all about love. God's love, Jesus' love, and our love.

Our thoughts and actions should reflect Jesus' love to the world, but to do that we must first understand how great the love of our Heavenly Father for us.

We all want to be useful. We'll see, over the next 9 weeks, how God used the lives of imperfect men, like David and Gideon, and one perfect man, Jesus, to fulfill His will, and how we can better work for God in our daily lives to bring all glory to Him and help save the lost.