The word “hero” conjures images of a strong, stoic man with a chiseled jaw and a smoldering look on his face. The kind of guy you hope would show up if you were ever in a life and death kind of situation. The reality is heroes are not a “one size fits all”. Heroes come in all shapes and sizes. The most unlikely looking heroes often turn out to be the greatest heroes, having the greatest impact. This Sunday we look at a guy who when we first meet him, is a very unlikely hero. Gideon is his name and we find him living in a culture overrun with false worship that he is doing nothing about. His nation is being ravished by another nation, and he is doing nothing about it. To add insult to injury, we first meet Gideon hiding from the enemy in a wine press.

In Judges 6 Gideon has a visitor, a preincarnation of Christ, who calls him a man of valor . . . a mighty warrior. I can imagine Gideon looking over his shoulder to see whether there was a real hero standing behind him that the visitor was talking to. But no – it was Gideon he was speaking to and it was Gideon that God would call to be a deliverer to the people of Israel. Christ can see in His people what we can’t see in ourselves.  The account of Gideon provides for all of us principles, that if applied to our lives by faith, can turn any ordinary Christian into a person of valor. 

There are people right now who need you to be a person of spiritual valor! A might warrior of spiritual warfare! God may not be calling you to lead army like he did with Gideon, but he calls all of us to be a witness to others of the greatness of God. This Sunday we will see that Gideon was called a mighty warrior not because he had a resume of military victories under his belt. Gideon was called a mighty warrior because of the God who called him. In God’s economy the outcomes don’t depend on what we bring to the equation but depend on the God we are willing to trust to use us for His glory. You can be a person of valor. There are people in your life right now who need to be that person. Join me this Sunday as we look at this unlikely man of valor and how God desires to use any of us to be a spiritual hero for other people.