898 Less and Less

Do you feel like you’re in a losing season? Like all you worked so hard to build is falling apart? Like more is going out than is coming in? What’s up with this … like really? Is God telling you you’re destined to lose? Is he preparing you for defeat? Is he letting you down here, watching it crumble and tumble, and not stepping in to save you? If this sounds painfully familiar and personal, I’m really glad you’re listening because you need to know … God’s not planning for your defeat here, he’s preparing you for your victory. This is where the arrow is pulled back before the launch. This is where the fire refines and we come out stronger. This is where the excess is stripped and we’re left with the bare minimum. But understand, God never wanted all the extra, he always wanted to get to the core anyway. The excess was in the way. You wanted it, but God doesn’t require it. Whatever you have lost, understand it wasn’t required. God’s great plan already took into account the details of this hardship. Today has already been factored into your future, and God said “this is all I need!” It may take faith to look around at your reality and say “this is all I need”, but that’s exactly the solid ground God wants to build on. One thing is required before building a tall structure. Before we build up, we must dig down. Excavation is step one of building. Excavation sucks. It seems counter productive to dig when you’re wanting to build up. But without a deep and firm foundation poured below the surface, all that is built on top will be in jeopardy. You want to build up. You want to see progress. You want signs this is working, but what you don’t understand is this excavation process in your life of digging and removing is the beginning of it all. This is tremendous progress. Your foundation is being prepared! Get excited here as things are being taken out and less and less is left. It’s all for a purpose. There was a soldier preparing his army for a great battle. A battle he was destined to win, but the Lord allowed a total excavation of all he had before the victory. We can learn from this story in Judges 7. Gideon was chosen by the Lord to lead the Israelites into battle against the Midianities. There was one problem, Gideon had 1/4 of the soldiers of his enemy. With only 32,000 soldiers to fight against the people who had held them captive for 7 years, stealing everything from them, it seemed like an impossible battle. But with 32,000 soldiers, already outnumbered by more than 4 to 1, God told Gideon he had too many soldiers. Gideon thought his problem was the numbers, now God was making his numbers even less. You’ve been thinking your problem is numbers. You don’t have enough. But maybe, just maybe God is in the process of proving he is all you need, so even less is required here. I remember thinking my problem was numbers too … that’s right before God drastically reduced my numbers even more! It seemed like devastation, now I realize it was just excavation for the foundation. Gideon told his already outnumbered army that anyone who was scared could go home. 22,000 soldiers left. Now, he was left with only 10,000. It seems his problems just got worse. Fewer men to fight surely meant harder battles to win. But God said there were still too many soldiers in Gideon’s army. All the men were taken down to the water for a test. If they got down on their knees to drink, they were to leave. Only if they took the water into their hands and drank from their hands were they to stay and fight. From 10,000, only 300 were left. Now, the Lord says you’re ready for this battle. Now you have exactly what I want you to move forward with. Gideon’s 300 soldiers were facing the Minidianites numbering 135,000.