Gideon's Lesson in the

Spirit

By

Morris Cerullo

This book or parts thereof may not be reproduced in any form

without written permission of Morris Cerullo World

Evangelism.

All scriptural references are from The NIV Bible unless

annotated otherwise.

Published by:

MORRIS CERULLO WORLD EVANGELISM

P. O. Box 85277 • San Diego, CA 92186 (858) 277-2200

E-mail: morriscerullo@mcwe.com Website: www.mcwe.com

For prayer, call: (858)HELPLINE

435-7546

E-mail: HELPLINE@mcwe.com

MORRIS CERULLO WORLD EVANGELISM OF CANADA

PO. Box 3600 • Concord, Ontario L4K-1B6 (905) 669-1788

MORRIS CERULLO WORLD EVANGELISM OF GREAT

BRITAIN

P. O. Box 277 • Hemel Hempstead, HERTS HP2-7DH (0)1 442

232432

Copyright © 2003 Morris Cerullo World Evangelism

Published by

Morris Cerullo World Evangelism, Inc. San Diego, CA.

All Rights Reserved.

Printed in the United States of America.

Table of Contents

Introduction. ................................................................................5

Chapter 1

The Struggle of the Ages; Flesh Versus Spirit. ...........................7

Chapter 2

The Eternal Struggle. ................................................................13

Chapter 3

Gideon, As Rough-And-Tumble As A Barley Cake. .................21

Introduction

Partner, you are about to receive a powerful teaching from

the Holy Spirit School of Ministry that will challenge, edify, and

encourage you to walk in the Spirit more and more each day.

You will not be the same as you dive into this month’s teaching

by Dr. Cerullo.

In this lesson you will learn to put your trust in God and not

religious activities you or someone else has contrived. You will

learn to obey His directives and to listen to His voice, and most

of all learn to trust Him explicitly, depending on Him for your

every need.

Now get ready to prayerfully go into the pages of this book,

to continue your journey with Dr. Cerullo, as he takes you

deeper into understanding this powerful revelation through the

Holy Spirit.

Editor

5

Chapter 1

The Struggle of the Ages; Flesh

1

Versus Spirit

One of man’s great failings—and one of his greatest

blessings—is the fact that mankind is a creature of habit.

Another way of saying that is mankind is a creature of religion.

As an example, when you go to church, you probably sit in

the same seat—at least the same section—as you did last week

and the week before.

If you come to church and someone is sitting in "your" seat,

you feel a bit disconcerted. You go ahead and sit somewhere

else, but still, you'd rather be in “your" seat.

Most of us can drive from our homes to our places of

employment without even thinking about how to get there. We

have trained our brains and bodies to do the work for us so we

don't have to think about it.

In that sense, religion is a necessary part of our lives. The

dictionary says religion is “strictness of fidelity in conforming to

any practice, as if it were an enjoined ride of conduct.'

Now, in the context of Christian religion, it is a fidelity to

Him—keeping the practice of knowing Him. That's not the type

of religion I’m talking about here.

Instead, I’m talking about the kind of religion that gets you

to your job without thinking about it. Another word for it would

be “habit.”

Have you ever heard someone say they watch a certain show

“religiously?” They don't mean they are worshiping that

particular show. Instead, they mean they rarely miss it. It is a

matter of habit with them, but they use the word “religion.”

7

Gideon's Lesson in the Spirit

It is in that sense that I use it in this chapter.

Man is a creature of habit—we like to have everything laid

out for us in just the way we expect. Most of us dislike surprises.

We may just think that’s “human nature,” but we’re

committing a great misunderstanding if we do. No, that “human

nature” is actually best called by another name: “Adamic

nature.”

Let’s step back a little bit and take a look at Adam and his

relationship with God.

And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the

garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it. And the LORD God

commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden

thou mayest freely eat: But of the tree of the knowledge of

good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou

eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.

And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man

should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him. And

out of the ground, the LORD God formed every beast of the

field, and every fowl of the air; and brought them unto Adam

to see what he would call them: and whatsoever Adam called

every living creature, that was the name thereof.

And Adam gave names to all cattle, and to the fowl of the

air, and to every beast of the field; but for Adam there was not

found an help meet for him. And the LORD God caused a

deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and he took one of

his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof;

And the rib, which the LORD God had taken from man,

made he a woman, and brought her unto the man. And Adam

said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she

shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.

Genesis 2: 15-23 KJV

The picture painted here is one of a man and his God who

were intimately involved with each other. They spoke and

communed, and the man received his instructions and directives

directly from the mouth of God.

In the next chapter, the Bible seems to imply that God and

8

The Struggle of the Ages; Flesh Versus Spirit

Adam had a habit of walking together in the Garden of Eden in

the cool of the day, ostensibly just to be in each other’s

company.

It was the perfect relationship between God and man. They

were friends and confidantes, with the man and God speaking

and communing. When God (rarely) gave a command, it wasn’t

a written law, but rather a spoken directive.

The Bible only records two commands the Lord ever gave

the man, and only one of those was restrictive: don’t eat of the

fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil.

Now, partner, understanding that command is fundamental

to understanding the struggle we now find ourselves in.

Have you ever asked yourself why God had a problem with

Adam knowing the difference between good and evil?

On the surface, it would seem like a good thing for man to

know what’s right and what’s wrong.

By knowing what was wrong, man could avoid doing it,

thereby pleasing the Lord, right?

Wrong!

You see, that is EXACTLY the problem we now find

ourselves faced with daily!

Before he ate of the forbidden fruit, Adam did not know the

difference between right and wrong. All he knew was what God

told him.

To know what to do and what not to do, Adam had to go to

his Father and ask Him. He could only please God by spending

time with Him.

But that wasn't good enough for Adam.

He wanted to know how to please God on his own. He

wanted to know right from wrong in his own strength, in his own

power.

He no longer wanted to rely upon God for his source; he

wanted to rely upon himself.

9

Gideon's Lesson in the Spirit

Thus, when the serpent came to tempt the woman and her

husband, his job was easy; it was already laid out for him.

Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the

field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the

woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of

the garden?

And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the

fruit of the trees of the garden: But of the fruit of the tree

which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said,

Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.

And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely

die: For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then

your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing

good and evil.

Genesis 3: 1-5 KJV

Many times, preachers will seize on the final part of that

passage and say, “aha! Adam and Eve wanted to he like God!

That was their sin, just as Lucifer's original sin.”

But partner, we should be careful in making proclamations

like that, because it seems that the serpent’s temptation was less

ambitious than that.

When he says “ye shall be as gods,” the serpent uses the

Hebrew word elohim, which indeed can mean “God” or “gods.”

But the word also can mean “judges,” as in “someone who

knows the difference between right and wrong.”

So it seems the serpent’s temptation may not have been as

ambitious as “you will be gods;” it may have been as simple as

“you will be as those who know the difference between right and

wrong.”

That interpretation is supported by the verses that follow:

And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food,

and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired

to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat,

and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.

And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew

10

The Struggle of the Ages; Flesh Versus Spirit

that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and

made themselves aprons.

Genesis 3: 6-7 KJV

Eve succumbed to the temptation when she saw that the tree

was to be desired “to make one wise.”

Her goal, then, was to be “wise,” to know the difference

between right and wrong.

When Adam and Eve acquired the knowledge they had

sought, they discovered they didn't want it—but it was too late.

Life was much simpler before they understood right from

wrong. Before, they were running around naked and were not

ashamed, because the thought to do anything different had never

entered into their minds. It had never entered their minds

because they had no knowledge between right and wrong, and

God had not mentioned it to them.

And that nature they passed on to their children—that of

knowing right from wrong and the curse that comes with it—

which continues to this day in the unregenerate.

11

Chapter 2

The Eternal Struggle

2

The case of Adam and Eve’s foray into knowledge

highlights the struggle we all face every day of the week.

It is the struggle between flesh and the spirit.

Since the time of Adam, flesh’s goal in life is to receive

glory, to be praised for its ability to please God.

Paul says it like this:

Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be

justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.

But now the righteousness of God without the law is

manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets;

Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus

Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no

difference: For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of

God;

Romans 3: 20-23 KJV

Since “by the law” does the knowledge of sin come, Paul

says the flesh seeks to use that knowledge to gain justification—

in other words, the flesh wants to please God by keeping

righteousness based upon its own understanding of

righteousness and sin.

That’s dangerous, because the flesh can NEVER please

God, regardless of whatever it does.

For as many as are of the works of the law are under the

curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not

in all things which are written in the book of the law to do

them. But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of

God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith. And the law

is not of faith: but, The man that doeth them shall live in them.

Galatians 3: 10-12 KJV

13

Gideon's Lesson in the Spirit

It’s interesting that most people miss this entirely—those

who commit themselves to live in the power of the flesh doom

themselves to the penalties that accompany the Law!

The Law was designed for one thing: to govern people who

did not want to obey God! Those who didn’t want to obey Him

but still wanted to please him were found wanting, so God instituted laws to govern their behavior, but their hearts were

still unchanged.

Those who are bound to the Law are also bound to its

judgments and curses. Read what Joshua said to the children of

Israel when they said they’d serve the Lord and obey His Law:

And Joshua said unto the people, Ye cannot serve the

LORD: for he is an holy God; he is a jealous God; he will not

forgive your transgressions nor your sins. If ye forsake the

LORD, and serve strange gods, then he will turn and do you

hurt, and consume you, after that he hath done you good.

And the people said unto Joshua, Nay; but we will serve

the LORD. And Joshua said unto the people, Ye are witnesses

against yourselves that ye have chosen you the LORD, to

serve him. And they said, We are witnesses.

Joshua 24: 19-22 KJV

How would you like to hear that from your spiritual leader?

The people said, “We’ll serve the Lord.”

Joshua, however, popped hack with, “You CAN’T serve

Him and you WON’T!”

Their answer was what got them into trouble later! “We

WILL serve the Lord!”

When the people later turned away from the Lord as Joshua

predicted they would, their own actions at the feet of Joshua

served as witnesses against them!

When they didn’t serve Him, they were held accountable for

the Law to which they subjected themselves willingly!

Those who serve the Lord are exempt from the Law. The

reason is clear: the Law is designed to govern behavior. The

14

The Eternal Struggle

Lord, however, wants to govern our hearts!

If your heart is His, the Law has no power over you!

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace,

longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness,

temperance: against such there is no law.

Galatians 5: 22-23 KJV

Jesus made the difference between the Law and the active

lordship of the Holy Ghost in this statement:

Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou

shalt not commit adultery: But I say unto you, That whosoever

looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery

with her already in his heart.

Matthew 5: 27-28

The Old Testament tells you not to touch. The New

Testament tells you not to even think about it.

Now, lest you think Jesus is making a new law here—a new

way of telling you how to behave, He makes it clear:

Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the

prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill. For verily I

say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle

shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.

Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least

commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the

least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and

teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of

heaven.

Matthew 5: 17-19 KJV

Now that sounds good. Jesus says whoever breaks the

commandments of God and teaches men to do so is in trouble!

But what “commandments” was He talking about?

Just a few chapters later, we read this:

At that time Jesus went on the sabbath day through the

corn; and his disciples were an hungred, and began to pluck

the ears of corn, and to eat. But when the Pharisees saw it,

15

Gideon's Lesson in the Spirit

they said unto him, Behold, thy disciples do that which is not

lawful to do upon the sabbath day.

But he said unto them, Have ye not read what David did,

when he was an hungred, and they that were with him; How

he entered into the house of God, and did eat the shewbread,

which was not lawful for him to eat, neither for them which

were with him, but only for the priests? Or have ye not read in

the law, how that on the sabbath days the priests in the temple

profane the sabbath, and are blameless? But I say unto you,

That in this place is one greater than the temple.

Matthew 12: 1-6 KJV

Now, many have looked at this passage and assumed the

Pharisees’ interpretation of the Law was incorrect—but it was

not wrong! Instead, Jesus was making a point!

The Law was clear: you're not to do ANY work on the

Sabbath, including gathering food!

Then said the LORD unto Moses, Behold, I will rain

bread from heaven for you; and the people shall go out and

gather a certain rate every day, that I may prove them,

whether they will walk in my law, or no. And it shall come to

pass, that on the sixth day they shall prepare that which they

bring in; and it shall be twice as much as they gather daily.

Exodus 16: 4-5 KJV

They were to gather enough on the sixth day so they didn't

have to work on the seventh! They were to PLAN AHEAD.

A few verses later, Moses chastises them:

And it came to pass, that there went out some of the

people on the seventh day for to gather, and they found none.

And the LORD said unto Moses, How long refuse ye to keep

my commandments and my laws? See, for that the LORD

hath given you the sabbath, therefore he giveth you on the

sixth day the bread of two days; abide ye every man in his

place, let no man go out of his place on the seventh day.

Exodus 16: 27-29 KJV

Now, God was CLEAR ON THIS. Food was to be gathered

and prepared on the six days when His people could work. On

16

The Eternal Struggle

the seventh day, if they didn’t have food, they were just to do

without, hungry or not.

God is serious about the Sabbath. He said this in Exodus 20:

Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt

thou labour, and do all thy work: But the seventh day is the

sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any

work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant,

nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is

within thy gates: For in six days the LORD made heaven and

earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh

day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and

hallowed it.

Exodus 20: 8-11 KJV

Using Himself as an example, God makes it clear that man is

not to do any work on the Sabbath, including gathering food!

But Jesus and His disciples were hungry, so they went out

into the field and picked wheat to eat there—even though it was

the Sabbath.

Remember, this is the SAME JESUS Who, a few chapters

earlier, said, whoever breaks THE LEAST OF THE

COMMANDMENTS and whoever TEACHES MEN TO DO

THE SAME, will be called the LEAST in the kingdom of

heaven!

Then, to top it off, when He’s challenged on it, Jesus cites

the lawless behavior of another person mentioned in scripture to

justify His own seeming departure from the law, when He says,

hey, what about when David ate the showbread that was not

lawful for him to eat?

But, if you take Him literally, what Jesus is doing here is

BOTH breaking one of the GREATEST of the commandments

—AND He’s TEACHING men to do the same!

Or is He?

When Jesus and His disciples broke the law, the Pharisees

called Him on it. But His answer reveals a great deal about Jesus

and about His message.

17

Gideon's Lesson in the Spirit

First, He said, did you not read what David did by eating the

bread that was NOT LAWFUL for him to eat?

Then He says haven’t you understood that when priests

break the Sabbath, they’re blameless?

But then Jesus gets to the crux of His message, and the

reason He came to Earth in the first place:

But if you had known what this means, 'I desire mercy

and not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the

guiltless.

Matthew 12: 7 NKJV

God’s desire was NEVER TO INSTITUTE THE LAW IN

THE FIRST PLACE!

He wasn’t looking for a method to legislate every little part

of our lives nor does He want little robots running around just

following man-made rules to the letter, regardless of the spirit

and intent behind those rules!

God’s intention from the beginning was to have peoples

whose HEARTS were set upon Him—not people who just read

the instruction book and run along like robots.

What Jesus is explaining to them is that the commandments

He’s talking about not breaking are the same as the law God was

referring to when He told the Israelites not to gather the manna

on the Sabbath.

Remember, He told Moses the purpose of the restriction was

to SEE IF THEY’D FOLLOW HIS LAW. The problem with

that is He hadn’t written down any laws yet!

What law was He talking about?

He was talking about the living instruction that comes

directly from His mouth, the gentle tugging of His Spirit, the

leading of His voice that comes into our lives when He comes to

make His home in our hearts.

And that is the colossal struggle between the flesh and the

spirit! We want to keep a list of rules and regulations—to the

18

The Eternal Struggle

point that when the One Who WROTE those rules and

regulations comes down from heaven to live among us—we

want to accuse Him of unrighteousness. How prideful and

absurd is that?

That struggle permeates every aspect of our Christian lives

—we struggle to please God in our own flesh, an effort that is

hopelessly doomed to failure.

Partner, if we can understand that fundamental truth, we’ll

find ourselves living a Christian life beyond our wildest dreams

—a life in concert with the Holy Ghost living in our hearts and

moving to permeate every aspect of our lives.

19

Chapter 3

Gideon, As Rough-And-Tumble

3

As A Barley Cake

When we first meet Gideon in the Bible, we get a rather

unusual description of him.

And there came an angel of the LORD, and sat under an

oak which was in Ophrah, that pertained unto Joash the

Abiezrite: and his son Gideon threshed wheat by the

winepress, to hide it from the Midianites. And the angel of

the LORD appeared unto him, and said unto him, The LORD

is with thee, thou mighty man of valour.

Judges 6: 11-12 KJV

Now, Gideon was anything but a mighty man of valor. He

was secretly threshing wheat and hiding it so that his enemies

couldn’t see it and steal it. A mighty man of valor would have

stood guard and driven his enemies away from the wheat.

But Gideon, though patriotic, was not mighty, nor was he

valorous.

But the angel was not speaking in faith—he was speaking a

prophecy that would reveal exactly how God desires to be in

communion with man!

And Gideon said unto him, Oh my Lord, if the LORD be

with us, why then is all this befallen us? And where be all his

miracles which our fathers told us of saying, Did not the

LORD bring us up from Egypt? but now the LORD hath

forsaken us, and delivered us into the hands of the

Midianites. And the LORD looked upon him, and said, Go in

this thy might, and thou shalt save Israel from the hand of the

Midianites: have not I sent thee?

Judges 6: 13-14 KJV

21

Gideon's Lesson in the Spirit

What might was the Lord talking about?

Gideon had exhibited nothing but fear and disbelief! The

Lord called that—Gideon’s fear—his MIGHT!

David said it like this:

To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David, the servant of

the LORD, who spake unto the LORD the words of this song

in the day that the LORD delivered him from the hand of all

his enemies, and from the hand of Saul: And he said;

I will love thee, O LORD, my strength. The LORD is my

rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my

strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my

salvation, and my high tower.

Psalm 18: 1-2 KJV

God's goal in Gideon’s life was to demonstrate that in the

weakness of flesh, the strength of the Lord could be made

manifest.

More succinctly, however, the prophet Jeremiah said;

Thus saith the LORD; Cursed be the man that trusteth in

man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth

from the LORD.

For he shall be like the heath in the desert, and shall not

see when good cometh; but shall inhabit the parched places in

the wilderness, in a salt land and not inhabited.

Blessed is the man that trusteth in the LORD, and

whose hope the LORD is. For he shall be as a tree planted by

the waters, and that spreadeth out her roots by the river, and

shall not see when heat cometh, but her leaf shall be green;

and shall not be careful in the year of drought, neither shall

cease from yielding fruit.

The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately

wicked: who can know it?

Jeremiah 17: 5-9 KJV

The man who trusts the Lord as his strength instead of the

arm of flesh is the man God calls blessed. The man, however,

who trusts in the flesh to be his strength or his guide, is the man

22

Gideon, As Rough-And-Tumble As A Barley Cake

God calls cursed.

The line, proverbially, is drawn in the sand!

On one side are those who trust in themselves and in their

power to please God.

On the other side are those who know they have nothing in

themselves and have no power to please God without His direct

intervention.

That’s exactly what Jesus was talking about when he spoke

this parable:

And he spake this parable unto certain which trusted in

themselves that they were righteous, and despised others:

Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee,

and the other a publican.

The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I

thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners,

unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. I fast twice in the

week, I give tithes of all that I possess.

And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so

much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast,

saying, God be merciful to me a sinner.

I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather

than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be

abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.

Luke 18: 9-14 KJV

“Humble” does not mean “falsely subjected.” It does NOT

refer to those who PRETEND to be contrite. It refers to those

who understand the nature of the relationship between God and

man—a relationship based on man understanding that the active,

living participation of God in their lives is the ONLY way they

can please God at all!

Paul gives a very sobering rendition of that truth when he

says:

For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the

flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit.

For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually

23

Gideon's Lesson in the Spirit

minded is life and peace.

Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is

not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. So then

they that are in the flesh cannot please God.

Romans 8: 5-8 KJV

Another way of saying that is “those who LEAN ON THE

FLESH cannot please God.”

The reason is because they are depending on the flesh to

teach them right and wrong ... and want a list of rules instead of

a Living God.

The reason God chose Gideon was precisely because he was

weak!

Why did God choose David, a young and ruddy lad, to

deliver Israel from Goliath the giant? Because, through David’s

weakness, God's strength could be displayed.

David’s life is filled with examples to demonstrate that only

by relying on God can we please him—even when we stumble in

our own lives.

In the case of Gideon, after he is convinced that God indeed

is planning to use him—inexplicably, in his own mind—to

deliver Israel from the Midianites, God makes it perfectly clear

what He is trying to accomplish—and it is not necessarily the

deliverance of Israel.

Then Jerubbaal, who is Gideon, and all the people that

were with him, rose up early, and pitched beside the well of

Harod: so that the host of the Midianites were on the north

side of them, by the hill of Moreh, in the valley And the LORD

said unto Gideon, The people that are with thee are too many

for me to give the Midianites into their hands, lest Israel

vaunt themselves against me, saying, Mine own hand hath

saved me.

Judges 7: 1-2 KJV

The deliverance of Israel was a means to an end. The end

was that Israel would recognize it must totally rely upon God.

The means was the deliverance from Midian.

24

Gideon, As Rough-And-Tumble As A Barley Cake

God was using the situation to make a point—the point

being He wanted a relationship with the people of Israel, a

personal, living, breathing relationship.

Even in Gideon’s day, the people were asking, “Where is the

God we’ve heard about Who worked so many miracles?”

Does that sound familiar, partner?

That same question is still being asked today!

But more importantly, God was making a point.

Now therefore go to, proclaim in the ears of the people,

saying, Whosoever is fearful and afraid, let him return and

depart early from mount Gilead. And there returned of the

people twenty and two thousand; and there remained ten

thousand.

And the LORD said unto Gideon, The people are yet too

many; bring them down unto the water, and I will try them for

thee there: and it shall be, that of whom 1 say unto thee, This

shall go with thee, the same shall go with thee; and of

whomsoever I say unto thee, This shall not go with thee, the

same shall not go.

So he brought down the people unto the water: and the

LORD said unto Gideon, Every one that lappeth of the water

with his tongue, as a dog lappeth, him shalt thou set by

himself; likewise every one that boweth down upon his knees

to drink.

And the number of them that lapped, putting their hand to

their mouth, were three hundred men: but all the rest of the

people bowed down upon their knees to drink water.

And the LORD said unto Gideon, By the three hundred

men that lapped will I save you, and deliver the Midianites

into thine hand: and let all the other people go every man

unto his place.

So the people took victuals in their hand, and their

trumpets: and he sent all the rest of Israel every man unto his

tent, and retained those three hundred men: and the host of

Midian was beneath him in the valley.

Judges 7: 3-8 KJV

25

Gideon's Lesson in the Spirit

From 32,000 men, Gideon is left with 300 men; the rest of

them have gone home. Certainly, it was somewhat of a domino

effect.

As soon as the multitudes saw droves of people leaving, they

thought, “I'm not planning on dying today. I’m leaving, too,

since everyone else is.”

With 300 men, Gideon didn’t stand a chance against the

Midianite hoards. And that’s exactly what God wanted!

God wanted to take Gideon beyond the point where flesh

could reasonably claim responsibility for the victory. He wanted

the people to be sure to understand that the deliverance was

supernatural in nature, not a fluke of nature.

So in this situation, God thinned out the armies of Gideon so

much that the “mighty man of valor” began to doubt again that

God was really in this.

And it came to pass the same night, that the LORD said

unto him, Arise, get thee down unto the host; for I have

delivered it into thine hand. But if thou fear to go down, go

thou with Phurah thy servant down to the host: And thou shalt

hear what they say; and afterward shall thine hands be

strengthened to go down unto the host. Then went he down

with Phurah his servant unto the outside of the armed men

that were in the host.

Judges 7: 9-11 KJV

Gideon indeed was scared—he went down just as the Lord

said he should do if he was fearful.

Remember, that weakness, that proper evaluation of his own

natural limitations, is what God was looking for in Gideon that

made God think Gideon was the right man for the job—because

God could demonstrate His true nature in the Spirit through the

weakness of Gideon.

And the Midianites and the Amalekites and all the

children of the east lay along in the valley like grasshoppers

for multitude; and their camels were without number, as the

sand by the sea side for multitude.

26

Gideon, As Rough-And-Tumble As A Barley Cake

And when Gideon was come, behold, there was a man

that told a dream unto his fellow, and said, Behold, I dreamed

a dream, and, lo, a cake of barley bread tumbled into the

host of Midian, and came unto a tent, and smote it that it

fell, and overturned it, that the tent lay along. And his fellow

answered and said, This is nothing else save the sword of

Gideon the son of Joash, a man of Israel: for into his hand

hath God delivered Midian, and all the host.

And it was so, when Gideon heard the telling of the

dream, and the interpretation thereof, that he worshipped,

and returned into the host of Israel, and said, Arise; for the

LORD hath delivered into your hand the host of Midian.

Judges 7: 12-15 KJV

Note the imagery, partner.

The Midianite that’s discussing the dream sees the “sword

of Gideon” as a biscuit made of barley, which unless you choked

on one is probably the most harmless object you could imagine.

Who in their right minds would he afraid of a barley cake?

But God made Gideon understand there that God was strong

through Gideon's weakness—and that lesson is intended for us

today.

Unlike Adam, whose goal was to serve God in his own

strength, to know God’s will in his own abilities, Gideon learned

that God wants us to rely on Him for everything!

Partner... that is the secret to walking in the Spirit!

Understand the lesson of Gideon.

Give up your own strength. Give up your own ability to

please God. Instead, rely on Him for every aspect of your life—

including pleasing Him.

Isaiah made a stunning statement: “But we are all as an

unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags."

(Isaiah 64: 6 KJV)

Now, Isaiah didn't say all our ATTEMPTS at righteousness

are as filthy rags. He said our SUCCESSES at righteousness are

as filthy rags in God’s sight!

27

Gideon's Lesson in the Spirit

When we, as Adam, succeed at leaning on our flesh and

allowing it to work its own understanding of righteousness, it is

filthy in God’s sight! It is only when we give up on the power of

our own flesh and allow God to take over that our righteousness

wins accolades in His sight!

Hallelujah!

28

Document Outline

- Gideon's Lesson in the Spirit

- Table of Contents

- Introduction

- 1 The Struggle of the Ages; Flesh Versus Spirit

- 2 The Eternal Struggle

- 3 Gideon, As Rough-And-Tumble As A Barley Cake

Table of Contents

Introduction.

The Struggle of the Ages; Flesh Versus Spirit.

The Eternal Struggle.

Gideon, As Rough-And-Tumble As A Barley Cake.

Gideon's Lesson in the Spirit

Table of Contents