One of the most powerful truths in the story of Gideon isn’t found on the battlefield, but it is found in a place of seclusion; it’s found in a conversation.
When God called Gideon, he didn’t find a fearless warrior standing on a hilltop, he found a frightened man hiding in a wine press, threshing in secret so that the enemy would not discover him and steal his harvest (Jud. 6:11) Gideon had allowed his circumstance to shape his identity. Fear had become normal, and insecurity was the lens he was viewing everything through.
Identity is one of the most difficult issues that a human has to deal with. A person gets their identity from many different areas. Some get their identity from their family, some from their work, some from their financial status, and some from their social standing. Our identity defines our perspective on who we are. For the believer, our identity doesn’t come from any of these. Our identity comes from Christ’s design and the truth of who he created us to be, his desire for us. There are two types of Identity for a believer: corporate and personal. The corporate identity we find in Scripture. The Bible plainly identifies a believer as part of the bride of Christ. Just research “our identity in Christ,” and you’ll come away with a very comprehensive list of who you are in Christ. But there is also a personal identity that Christ has given you. It is directly aligned with the task or purpose he has given you. It is directly related to what you need to be to complete your assigned task.
This is where we find Gideon. God’s first words to him were remarkable. “The Lord is with you, mighty man of Valor. From Gideon’s perspective, nothing could be further from the truth. Those words made no sense to Gideon. He didn’t see what God was seeing. He responded by pointing out his weaknesses, his family’s insignificance, and his lowly position in his family. Gideon defined himself by his circumstances; God defined him by the finished product he had already seen.
That’s the difference between human identity and divine identity.
Our identity is built on past experiences. We allow our failures, our fears and what others have said about us to shape our perspective of who we are. God’s identity for us is rooted in his purpose and his presence. He doesn’t ignore our weaknesses, but neither does he allow them to define us. Notice that God called Gideon a mighty man of valor before he ever stepped on a battlefield. Before a battle was fought God was speaking to who Gideon would become, not merely by who he appeared to be at the moment.
The same is true for the believer today. Your current circumstances do not determine your God-given identity. Your past doesn’t have the final word, God does. God’s calling is greater and more powerful than your fear and insecurity and his purpose is bigger than any man-made perspective you may have.
Like Gideon, we grow into our identity. God reveals it to us as we mature and walk in obedience. Every step of faith reinforces to us what God has already decreed concerning us. The world may say, “Who do you think you are?” But God says, “Will you believe what I say about you?” Your greatest breakthrough will happen when you stop agreeing with what your circumstances, self-opinion, and others say you are and start agreeing with what God says about you.
A.W. Tozer said this “The opinion God has of you is infinaely more important that the opinion you have of yourself.”
Your Path to success doesn’t depend on your perspective; it totally rests on how God perceives you and what he says about you and whether or not you choose to believe what God says about you.
