Take your position

Judges 7:15-25

Mathew 5;14-16

Have you ever fought a losing battle? Your team is behind 100-0 but there’s still time left on the clock. You only realized this morning that you are writing that exam, and you haven’t studied at all the entire semester. You work for a promotion, but the guy you are up against is heir to the family business, or better qualified, more experienced, or simply more likely to get it for a bunch of different and discriminating reasons. Fighting a losing battle! We’ve all been there...

But not when we belong to God. When we belong to God, the battle also belongs to God. As we see today in Israel’s case, the battle belonged to God before His people even stepped upon the field. Yet, they had to step upon the field, nonetheless.

We understand that the battle belongs to the Lord. We understand that Christ did a complete work of Salvation on the Cross. But we must also understand that our sanctification is a process. We also need to understand that we still have a role to play and a position to fill in God’s Kingdom. Even though we are ahead on the scoreboard, and we cannot (really) lose anymore, we must still partake in the game. We must still play our role if we want to be part of the winning team.

Each man among the 300 understood that God would give them victory. But each of them still had to light the torch and make some noise. And even after their enemies fled, other tribes of Israel had to join the chase as well. These men knew God would come through, but they also knew how to take their position on the battlefield.

Today we continue the topic of brotherhood and discipleship. We can only ever be part of the winning team if we understand the roles we and others play on the field. Jesus is Captain and Coach, all in one. But we must fall in behind Him, shoulder-to-shoulder with each other. His Kingdom is advancing, and we don’t want to fall behind, nor hold others back. In fact, we’d rather be in step with Him, wouldn't we?

We have three main positions to take in His ever-advancing Kingdom. 1) A Position as a disciple. 2) Our Positions as the light in the darkness. 3) And the Position as the man of our house.

1. As a disciple of Christ, you are to be a dauntless follower of our Lord and Savior. Making it a priority to stay personally connected to Him through prayer, studying God’s Word, and staying devoted to His Will in our lives through the guidance of the Holy Spirit. This also means we guide others to follow in His steps as we do. Never wavering. A Dauntless Disciple!

2. Like Gideon’s 300 men, we are also to light up our torches and make some noise within the darkness of our world. We are the light of the world, making known the works of our Father (Matthew 5:14-16). A Mighty Warrior!

3. We can never stretch enough the importance of truly being the man of the house. Like the men who took their positions during the changing of the guard, we must also take our positions as men, husbands, and fathers to be watchmen over our families. Light the torch and sound the alarm to let all darkness know under whose Authority your house stands – Jesus’. If you stand under His Authority, you can also stand in His Authority over your loved ones. A Fearless Family Leader!

Read Judges 7:15-25 and Reflect on the Following

1. Which position(s) are you struggling to take in your walk with Christ?

A Dauntless Disciple; a Mighty Warrior; or a Fearless Family Leader?

2. Why is this a struggle, and how can you start stepping into that gap?

3. What do you need to pray about today?