​You are mighty warrior! (yes, you)

Scripture:
When the angel of the Lord appeared to Gideon, he said, “The Lord is with you, mighty warrior.”... “Pardon me, my Lord,” Gideon replied, “but how can I save Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family.”
Judges 6:12, 15 NIV

Application:
The story of Gideon shows how anyone's instinct of low self esteem, fear, and timidity can be eliminated. It also shows that, no matter how little we think of ourselves, God sees incredible potential in every one of us. God sends encouragers, but we have to listen to them. That takes perseverance. That takes not listening to doubt. When we have been put down and discouraged for years, we lose hope, and that's how Gideon's people were. They begged for rescue. Remember, they had descended into very bad lifestyle, including pagan worship and perhaps child sacrifice. So their bad situation was their own doing. Did that cause God to abandon them?
No!
God took Gideon, a self-proclaimed coward, and worked through him. Gideon didn't instantly transform into a super hero. He still had self-doubt. He assured God that He chose the wrong person. Gideon called himself the weakest of the weak. He put up "fleeces" (tests to prove that God really was talking to him), snuck to his mission during the night so he wouldn't get caught. When challenged, he had to be backed up by his dad. Even then, he overpacked a workforce, thinking he had to have more back-up than he actually needed. Only when he heard of a dream, or vision, did he begin thinking he could succeed.
That's important for all of us. God works with us just as we are. Little by little, patiently. He gradually changes our attitude until we whisper to ourselves, "maybe so, just maybe I can do this!"
Anything, with anyone, under any circumstances, is possible with God.

Prayer:
God, make us believe in ourselves as much as You believe in us. Amen.