No More

The power of NO MORE

 

     “And the hand of Midian prevailed against Israel. Because of the Midianites, the children of Israel made for themselves the dens, the caves, and the strongholds which are in the mountains. So it was, whenever Israel sown, Midianites would come up; also Amalekites and the people of the East would come up against them.

So Israel was greatly impoverished because of the Midianites, and the children of Israel cried out to the Lord”. Judges 6.2, 3, 6.

 

     For seven years the children of Israel lived under the dominion of the Midianites, it was the first and worst period for them after they had left Egypt. As the text states above, whenever Israel sowed, Midianites came up and devoured everything, all their sustenance. Likewise, there are many facing the same type of situation today, they’ve worked hard but not for themselves, whatever they produce is not for their families or their own joy, but to make someone else happy. How many people have worked extra hours in two or three different jobs in order to make a little bit of more money to pay bills that seem to have no end?

     How many couples have got marriage full of expectation of living a happy life for all eternity, but today they live in a hell, their home is more like a war zone? How many women had children expecting to raise them up in the right path to make them men and women of success, but now their children became the reason of their tears and shame?

That’s what Israel went through for a period of seven years, they sew their crops expecting that in the harvest time to have something to reap, but the Midianites never gave them any chance to reap anything, this probably has happened to you for over seven years, maybe it’s been taking your lifetime.

     Because of Gideon’s indignation and revolt God appeared to him and revealed to him what he should do for him, for his family and for the entire nation. Gideon fully obeyed God’s commandment; “Now it came to pass the same night that the Lord said to him, “Take your father’s bull, the second bull of seven years old, and tear down the altar of Baal that your father has, and cut down the wooden image that is beside it; and build an altar to the Lord your God on top of this rock in the proper arrangement and take the second bull and offer a burnt sacrifice with the wood of the image which you shall cut down. So Gideon took ten men from among his servants and DID as the Lord had said to him. Judges 6. 25-27

 

     Through Gideon’s obedience by doing exactly as God had told him, by sacrificing not what he wanted to sacrifice, but what God told him to sacrifice, he with 300 chosen men, Israel overcame his enemies.

 

     “Thus Midian was subdued before the children of Israel, so that they lifted their head NO MORE. And the country was quiet for forty years in the days of Gideon.” Judges 8.28

 

     Those who sacrifice have power to say NO MORE to their suffering, disease, financial problem, family fights and so on!!

You too can live forty years of abundant life, abundance of peace, prosperity and every good thing you have ever enjoyed in life, but you have to be ready to sacrifice on the altar of the Lord.

 

Bishop Carlos da Costa