Victory Keys

The Bible tells the stories of dozens of people who seemed unlikely to ever do anything great. Many were fearful, others were failures, yet God enabled them to do the miraculous and triumph over their enemies.

One of these Biblical characters is Gideon, an unlikely hero for sure. When God called him, he was hiding in a wine press and threshing wheat, getting ready for an attack by the Midianites. He ultimately would defeat the huge Midianite army, needing just 300 men. But three key steps were involved in his victory, as we see in Judges 6 and 7.

KEY 1: Encounter the Supernatural

When Gideon was at his lowest point, living in fear and desperation, the Angel of the Lord appeared to him and said he would save Israel from the Midianites (6:21-22). Without seeing something supernatural, it’s doubtful Gideon ever would have found the courage to step out and obey God.

KEY 2: Get God’s Perspective

Despite Gideon’s dismal circumstances at the time, the Angel of the Lord said to him, “The LORD is with you, you mighty man of valor!…Have I not sent you?” (6:12, 6:14). Instead of seeing Gideon’s weaknesses, failures, or mistakes, God saw a man of fearless courage—a victor instead of a victim.

Yet Gideon didn’t initially accept God’s evaluation. The Lord had to change his perspective and get him to start seeing himself differently.

Perhaps you’ve had the same struggle as Gideon did with low self-esteem. “How can God use me?” you ask. “Look at what I’ve done and all the times I’ve failed.” If this has been your mind-set, you need to let God give you a new perspective.

KEY 3: Rely on God’s Power

The Lord told Gideon, “Surely I will be with you, and you shall defeat the Midianites as one man” (6:16). How was one man supposed to defeat an army that was “as numerous as locusts” (7:12)? Only one way…with God’s power.

God is asking you to do the impossible, too. He allows you to face problems you can never solve in your own strength. If you see a situation that looks impossible, remember that God says, “I’m not limited to the natural. My power has no limits. If you could do it in your own strength, you wouldn’t need Me.”

As soon as you acknowledge that you can’t do it on your own, God will step in and bring you victory. And when He gives you victory in an “impossible” situation, He alone will receive the glory.
When he accepted God’s plan and became willing for God to use him, “the Spirit of the LORD came upon Gideon” (Judges 6:34). Gideon wasn’t given additional human strength—he received the very strength of God.

In the same way, God wants to clothe you in supernatural power, enabling you to step into your destiny. He will never leave you to fight your battles in your own strength and ability.

Friend, it’s time to start looking at the bigness of your God instead of the bigness of your need. You may be in your darkest hour, surrounded by enemies like Gideon was. But fear not! God is going to come and meet you at the point of your need. He’s the God of abundance and overflow, ready to give you overwhelming victory.