Put your hand on your heart, close your eyes and pray this prayer- Lord every distraction, everything that we don’t want to focus in on is removed today, Lord we put our focus directly in You, Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done in every heart, every life, today in Jesus’ name. Amen!
Give glory to God. Last night I was in one of the communities ministering the Spirit of the Lord dropped in that place, lives were changed and transformed by the Spirit of the Lord, and the Lord is just getting started. He is getting started for all of Bulgaria. I will share something I believe in before I get into the word.
Number one- God is the same yesterday, today and forever. Forever! That means even today. He is the same as He was in the time of Moses, He is the same when He was with Gideon, and He is the same today.
The other thing I believe in is that I can insert my name in the scripture. Because the sacrifice that the Lord Jesus Christ made, He made for you and me and because of that sacrifice and because of the freedom that He gives I can walk, and you can walk in relationship with Him. If the Bible was written today your name could be in it. Christianity wants to put up the scriptures high, which it should but those scriptures can work even through our lives.
Today I am going to share a story about Gideon. I am not going to get in all the details of the story, but I will interpret the scripture in light of my belief system. When I look at the scripture, I can see life coming off the pages. Life all the time. It is not only instructions but also life to us. And when we walk in, that realm of that understanding watch and see what the Lord will do.
The story about Gideon started many years ago. Gideon was of the tribe of Manasseh and in that tribe, they had a number of clans. Bulgaria is a tribe, and it has a number of clans in it. Gideon came and he was actually minding his own business. He was in a winepress. He was walking around crushing the what was there with his feet. That’s his job – stomping in the wine press. But I also believe in a different type of wine coming out of the wine press in our daily live called the Holy Spirit.
In the process of him walking in the great press a new wine was being released and it was the wine of heaven. What do I call the wine of heaven – it is good for us, and we are allowed to walk under the realm of the wine of heaven. That is the Holy Spirit. Walking in the realm of the Holy Spirit is a new wine. The new wine is being released today. Gideon was a part of this. I believe this – every person from the youngest to the oldest can draw upon the new wine and that is the perfect wine of the Lord and Gideon, let me say this, that he was minding his own business and all of a sudden something transforms him. I don’t know how old he was but all of a sudden shows up and the Highest shows up and it transforms him for all eternity. I believe this goes on even today. God is transforming you, me and if you want to walk in religion, that is not what I am offering to you today I am offering to you today the power of heaven that transforms our lives into eternity and it is the good wine of the Holy Spirit. It is the Lord that does it.
See, Gideon was chosen, and you are chosen. What is the difference between you and Gideon? He had his supernatural intervention. You can have a supernatural intervention. God is the same today as He was yesterday. So, I look for patterns in the scripture and I apply all the scripture to my life and then out of that I am able to minister like the Lord wants me to minister. It is the Lord that does it. He is here today. I don’t know what your belief system is, but He is in this place today with us, the scripture is clear that when two or more people are gathered, He is in our midst. I just want to ask this – do you believe the word of God, because the word of God goes into our very DNA. Goes onto our every heart, massages our heart and draws us into alignment with heaven. Gideon could have lived in Bulgaria, or Canada but he lived in Israel, and he was called for such a time as this.
You are called for such a time as this. It is not just working out our lives, remember Gideon was in a winepress. 10 hours a day or more, walking in the winepress making wine and then the Holy Spirit shows up. Suddenly he is changed from a weak man to a strong man. Why? Because the Lord had need of him. I believe there is divine assignments.
You may think you are an accident; your parents had a whoops, but you are no accident. God has chosen you before the foundation of the world and He was in it before you were in it. He chose you; he chose me. I wouldn’t have chosen me, but he did. Gideon had the same mentality. He is wondering what is going on here and Gideon he felt his weakness. That is why the scripture says it is ok to be weak, because when we are weak it is the Lord that is strong in our lives. When I have this platform, this isn’t Peter Nash, this is the Lord speaking through me. And I know that may irritate religion, but I do believe that Jesus when He left the earth, He sent the power of the Holy Spirit for each of us. It is that power that causes us to live for the Kingdom of God. There is in our Canadian military that they are gathering recruits. They say there is no life like it in their advertisements. Yes, there is no life like it – you get shot at, you get stabbed, you go into foreign countries, you represent your country, and you can die in the army. But there is an army of God and in the army of God pushed past every barrier of opposition.
Gideon had to push past the lies that he believed in his own life. We all have an idea of who we are and suddenly the Spirit of the Lord drops and changes that idea and totally transforms your life. Then you can say is it no longer I that liveth but Christ who liveth in me. I don’t say that cavalierly, but the truth of the scripture is very clear – Jesus said He must leave, and He said it to His disciples and through the word He said it to us. I must go in order that the Holy Spirit can come, and He’s been working ever since. You may be partially correct when you say that the work was finished at the cross. Jesus finished the work through the cross and through His resurrection but there is a responsibility for us to represent Christ on this earth. It is not about me; it is about Christ. Christ in our lives through the Holy Spirit. The Lord is going to break stronghold, He is going to break ways of thinking that don’t line up to the scripture. Because there is some scripture, I am just going to recite of the top of my head, that Christ has ordained us as more than conquerors. Sounds like a war that is going on if we are conquerors. It is not dependent on where you work it is not dependent on how well you can put words together because Moses said I couldn’t do it and God said He could and the same thing with Gideon, the same thing with Joshua. In this place there a mighty men and women of God, simply because you don’t see it in the natural it is a truth in the supernatural.
Every life, you are more than a conqueror in Christ Jesus.
Here is another scripture – He has seated you in high places, far above. You in high places far above principalities, powers, and rules of darkness. I am not even trying to work out my life, because I know He is working out my life, year ago I died, and I took up His life. His life is transforming, it is changing, and it will bring us into a realm where miracles signs and wonders happen. I have a medical doctor that is on my board of directors, and I say to him every once and a while – I just want to lose my mind and he gets a little bit nervous than he understand. I must lose my mind to have the mind of Christ which is also a scripture. I believe this is available. And just because we may not have arrived doesn’t mean it isn’t for you to have and today, we go to new realms, and it starts with the story of Gideon. It is found in Judges chapter 6.
The other interesting point that I thought I should share is that Gideon’s tribe was the weakest clan in the tribe. God is looking and the scripture says that God is looking for people that He can show Himself through. Could that people be you, be me, the people of Bulgaria? Another scripture that we would have eyes to see into the spiritual realm that’s found in Ephesians chapter 1. That we have eyes to see by the Spirit of the Lord. If you have Christ in your heart, you may have issues you may have problems. I am sure that Gideon had issues and problems and he was still faithful everyday walking in the winepress doing what he had to do, crushing the grapes, but the new wine was being released, it is being released today. It hasn’t stopped being released because if he doesn’t empower you the world is in trouble. The world needs you because you represent the Lord Jesus Christ. Every day when I wake up, I know that the Lord desires not only to touch me, but He wants me to touch people in the name of Jesus. I know when my words are coming out quickly, I know it is the Holy Spirit that is working.
Let’s go in our Bibles, Judges chapter 6:11-18. You know Gideons story, and I won’t go into detail I will highlight some things that are important. There is one point that is key- God will use anyone that is available, and God is the One that equips, that trains, the one that encourages, the one that instructs you can hear His voice whether you think you can or not, you can hear His voice. Gideon was doing his job; I don’t know how old he was. I suppose I could look on the internet and it would tell me. Judges chapter 6:11-18 – “The angel of the Lord came and sat down under the oak in Ophrah” That is not Oprah Winfree.” that belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, where his son Gideon was threshing wheat in a winepress to keep it from the Midianites. 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 if the Lord is with us, why has all this happened to us? Where are all his wonders that our ancestors told us about when they said, ‘Did not the Lord bring us up out of Egypt?’ But now the Lord has abandoned us and given us into the hand of Midian. “The Lord turned to him and said, “Go in the strength you have and save Israel out of Midian’s hand. Am I not sending you?” “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. “The Lord answered, “I will be with you, and you will strike down all the Midianites, leaving nonalive. Gideon replied, “If now I have found favor in your eyes, give me a sign that it is really you talking to me. Please do not go away until I come back and bring my offering and set it before you. “And the Lord said, “I will wait until you return.”
Abiezrite- thеy were a clan that was the weakest of the weakest. So, if I came up to somebody and they tell me that they are from this tribe I know instantaneously that he is weak, because that was what the tribe was. Is it not like God to get the weak people? The scripture says that God uses the foolish things of the world and I believe that I am qualified. I cannot be ever dependent on my own strength. I do work out and that is to keep my body strong to be used for the kingdom of God. I try to watch what I eat but with banitsa around in Bulgaria it is very difficult. I need a lot of grace.
The angel found Gideon where? He found him doing his regular, everyday job being faithful. Maybe he had family, responsibilities, maybe he needed to put food on the table, but the angelsuccessfulisn’tMidian'sof the Lord came to him. The same yesterday, today and forever. He came to him, what an honor. This realm is open to all of you, you perhaps don’t need the angel of the Lord to come to you but is the Lord who wants to use you and stay high. When you want to react in anger, react in love, when you want to do God’s will which is bigger than what you think can happen. It is always bigger. He will use me, and others, He will use you to see the Kingdom of God advance not only in. I am going to call each one of you Gideon because maybe you have a Gideon mentality that God can’t use you and then suddenly the Spirit of the Lord shows up and suddenly you are transformed form no longer walking in that winepress. Maybe after he finishes his assignment for God he went back to the winepress, but when I look at Christians, I see them as heroes infused by heaven. Because we are aliens in this land. I am and you are too because our real home is in heaven. Even though I have a Canadian passport I also have a Godly passport and it is stamped in heaven for my life. There is no obstacle or barrier that can prevent the Lord moving through me. I will tell you why. Every time there is a turmoil going on in my life, I have this understanding that the Lord wants to release something good. My focus can’t come down, my focus needs to stay high in the name of Jesus.
Have you flown on a plane? You can have a plane siting on the ground, and it is loading up passengers and there is a torrential storm going on. So much so that they are thinking of canceling the flight but they choose to board the flight and take off. And when it takes off and goes down the runway and then it hits up into the air. And about 10-15 thousand feet suddenly they break into the clouds and the sun is shining on the other side. But it took those first 15-30 minutes to get through the turbulence to get to where the sun shines and where everything looks great. God knows these things and I purpose to fly above the clouds because that is where the Lord does his miracles, above the turmoil, above the circumstances above the distractions. I just choose- Lord, I need you, Lord what do you want to do, I feel weak, I don’t know what to do, but God you know what to do. Suddenly heaven intervenes and changes the course it changes the direction of our lives, and He does it because I believe every Christian has a divine assignment. Maybe not to the extend that Gideon had his assignment, but He has a divine assignment for all of us. It is no longer I that livеth but Christ livеth in me.
“The angel of the Lord came and sat down under the oak in Ophrah that belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, where his son Gideon was threshing wheat in a winepress to keep it from the Midianites.” There are a lot of aids in the Bible and most aids we are in opposition of God’s plan. So, the angel of the Lord comes to Gideon and empowers him to give a great victory to the Kingdom of God. Maybe you are empowered to bring a great victory to the Kingdom of God. I believe in the authority of the believer. I believe the Lord has released much to the believer. That He has equipped us, trained us if we have a desire for it and that we must surrender our lives every day to Him. Gideon had to make a choice but when the angel of the Lord comes to you choose wisely.
“When the angel of the Lord appeared to Gideon, he said, “The Lord is with you, mighty warrior.”- I wonder how Gideon responded to that whether he went to that “Who? Me? A mighty warrior? What have you been smoking, drinking? I am not a mighty warrior.” God says that you are a might warrior. I am saying this to you – you are a mighty warrior. We think nah, no. But we are because we have been chosen by God. What holds us back. Many times it is the opinion we have of ourselves. Many times, we let our imperfections dictate who we are in Christ Jesus and that stopes today. You must see who you are by the power of God, by the word of God. Who you are is rooted in the word of God. When your eyes are open something shifts supernaturally in our lives.
When I got saved, I was totally different than what I am now and all along the way the Lord has been leading me step by step, line upon line. And He is leading me, but He is also leading you. When I have something going on the first thing, I do is to have a conversation with the Lord, I quiet myself from all distractions and it may take hours and hours to think what the Lord is saying. But God has a way and then I come down out of that distraction the power of heaven is there to lead me in my life. I am not being humble when I am saying this, but I am totally incapable to do what God wants me to do. As a matter of fact, He doesn’t want me to be capable is my strength, He wants me to be capable in His strength and this is the story of Gideon, the story of Moses. It is also the story of Jesus, because when He was in the garden He said to the father “If this cup can be taken from me nevertheless not my will your will be done”. Jesus had his own will. Maybe Gideon wanted to stay in the winepress, grinding wheat. Maybe he didn’t want to do this assignment.
“Pardon me, my lord,” Gideon replied, “but if the Lord is with us, why has all this happened to us?” – Gideon did not see victory; he saw defeat all around him. Maybe the day that the angel came he had no money in the bank, and they were foreclosing on his house, maybe he had a big fight whit his wife, his siblings. Maybe just maybe things were going on in his life that aren’t referred to the scripture. But he was a man much like you and I, but he was also chosen. You are chosen. It is not about making it success. It is totally about the kingdom of God. He brings up to the angel of this portion of scripture – What about this? Why are all these things going on? Why do we have Covid? Why is our economy so poor? Why? Why? Why? That comes from an attitude of defeat. I am going to say this – my God is able to do exceedingly above and beyond my expectations. We can say the river will flow on this side. God says the river is going to flow this high. That is the way that God looks at you because he sees you, like He is looking at His Son – the Lord Jesus Christ. He sees you that way.
“Where are all His wonders that our ancestors told us about when they said, ‘Did not the Lord bring us up out of Egypt?’ But now the Lord has abandoned us and given us into the hand of Midian.”- Gideon goes to the angel and I believe this is an opinion I believe it was the Lord Jesus Christ, the angel of the Lord. I may be wrong but that is what I believe. What about this we don’t see and wonders or miracles anymore? Where are you God? He was right there walking in the winepress with him in there. Walking, sharing back and forth the words of heaven, the words of heaven are never in defeat, the words of heaven are spoken in victory because the Greater one lives in you and me.
Goes on and he says “But now the Lord has abandoned us and given us into the hand of Midian.” – in other words the Midian's were over top of the Jewish people. What did God say? Go into the Promise land and inhabit it. I don’t think God was caught by surprise when the Jewish people found all this giant in the land. I am going to say this perhaps the Lord put those giants there because the lord was bringing a great victory to the children of Israel and he just desired that they would trust him. The issues of the scripture always come down to trust. It may seem stupid, ridiculous but Gideon got out of the winepress and went on assignment for the Kingdom of God. A man who thought he was the weakest of the weakest, but God says I have chosen you. Every person reading this is a chosen one. If you want something for practical living, know that the Lord Jesus is in you. Know His plans are higher than your plans, know His ways are higher than our ways and He delights in touching His people. He delights in releasing Spirit of the Lord to His people. How do you know it is a release? Because you are changed. Your mind is changed, you are not the same as you were before.
Now I can just see Gideon when a revelation comes upon him, he gets up out of the winepress “I am God’s man” and then in that authority he goes out and he achieves the objective that the Lord asked him to. Maybe this was once in a lifetime. Maybe the angel of the Lord visited him once in a lifetime, but it was so profound. He went from a weakling to a man strong in the Lord. It is not about you I totally believe in the transformation of the Holy Spirit in our lives He wants to do it. The Bible isn’t finished, you are on assignment. God has given you great assignment. You know what that assignment is- touch those that are around you in the name of Jesus. It doesn’t have to be anything big. It may be a word of encouragement. In the right season it can change a person’s life. I am called to transform. I am actually an alien here. An alien from heaven. I am not crazy; I am infused by the power of the Holy Spirit. He is doing the same thing all across Christianity right now. Only He can do it. I may have strategies, but his strategies are most important.
“The Lord turned to him and said, “Go in the strength you have and save Israel out of Midian’s hand. Am I not sending you?” – God are you crazy, are you schizophrenic, don’t you realize I am weak, don’t you realize I have noting to offer? No, God says go in the strength you have and save Israel of the Midian’s hand. Am I not the one sending you? I am a sent person but so are you. You are dispatched to this earth like I said you are not an accident. You are divine appointment. Everybody has an assignment bigger than themselves. The assignment for this ministry is bigger than what we see today. Could it affect all of Bulgaria? I am saying yes, like others that understand that the Lord desires the advancement of the Gospel. Can God do it? The Creator of the universe that is still expanding, that has billions and billions and billions of stars? See your mind can’t comprehend the bigness of God. God is bigger than all that. He comes and He touches you and He changes you. How? By the power of the Holy Spirit. By the power of God. It is not finished, every day we have a new opportunity to walk in the realm of His glory.
You may have pain in your body, and sickness, you may have people telling lies about you, you can’t seem to do anything right, but God comes and says, “I make you a champion”. You are a champion; I have redeemed you and I have ordained you for such a time as this. If you are thinking right now that there is now way this could happen to me, I had that thinking too. I understand in His word that you are more than a conqueror in Jesus’ name. Look at yourself when you are going through the opposition like an airplane taking off, going through the storm and getting up to a spiritual level that storms don’t matter anymore.
During the time of Covid I read an article. And back then it was getting very serious because it was hitting young people. I don’t know why I was reading this because fear was being released through everything that was being said. Covid is a reality on the earth. There is not one person in this place that has not been affected by Covid. I have two boys, and both had Covid. I hadn't back then. I don’t know why I could get it, but I am not going to abort my assignment because of something like that. God is making the way. “Go in the strength you have and save Israel out of Midian’s hand. Am I not sending you?” – sent ones in this place.
“Pardon me, my lord,” Gideon replied, “but how can I save Israel?” – You don’t need to know the plan because God is going to reveal it to you. I have a small story. I have a friend in Canada who has been to Bulgaria many times. Probably four years ago there was a big bus accident in Canada, bus full of young hockey players. I do believe God has a special place for hockey players. There were people how were close to death and his name is Harold. He felt the Lord was saying to him “Go and pray for the man how is in intensive care is Saskatoon”. Seven-hour drive. He shared with a couple of people – some people reacted and said “Are you crazy? Are you nuts? Driving seven hours and driving seven hours back?” But he did. There were others saying “Go for it”. He had no guarantee that they would let him in ICU. He didn’t even know the names of the players. So, he shows up at the hospital with the boldness of the Lord. He stood up there and said “I really feal I need to pray for that young man in ICU.” You know what. They let him in. He had no plan, he just showed up and they let him in. He prayed for that young man, and he is alive and well today. The suddenlies of God – we can hear by the Spirit of the Lord.
Those are the things I believe in. It doesn’t have to make sense. Your mind doesn’t understand God. It never understood God, gets in opposition of God. But God does it anyway. He is looking all over the earth for people to show himself through. If you don’t represent Christ who will. God has called you to be that representative. It is no longer I that liveth but Christ that liveth in me. I believe the scripture and I believe they produce much fruit in your life. You are here on an assignment it is not small, and it is important.
“The Lord answered, “I will be with you, and you will strike down all the Midianites, leaving nonalive.”” – Gideon started to put all this together. He started to think “Maybe the way I think isn’t right, I can be a man used by God, to see His Kingdom”. I can’t do these things not through me, but God said I will be with you. Time and time again I know without a shadow of a doubt that the Lord has been with me. There is no negative, there is noting to tell me that doesn’t happen. I have seen it too many times and I know the Lord has me for such a time as this. The message that I carry is also a message for your heart. That God desires to use you to touch other. You may be in the winepress, crushing grain for 40 years and then the Lord shows up and says, “I am going to be with you”. I believe the Lord walks with me, and I know that is going to shake something, but he also walks with you and there is no exemption here. We all can go higher.
O man I just so love this – “Gideon replied, “If now I have found favor in your eyes, give me a sign that it is really you talking to me. Please do not go away until I come back and bring my offering and set it before you. And the Lord said, “I will wait until you return.” – can you imagine a picture the Lord waiting for Gideon, can you get a picture of that. God is looking at his watch and says, “Gideon you said you are going to be back in 10 minutes”. No, that is not God. The Lord was going to wait there until Gideon received the revelation and then we find out in chapter 7 the great miracle – Gideon and the mighty man. The Lord wants to move not through the multitude but just through those that have a heart for Him that know that He has chosen them. You might have opposition, you might say where is the Lord. We haven’t seen any evidence of him in our lives. Lord where have you been. We might have those things but the suddenies of God remove all those things in the name of Jesus. Much love.
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