3 Steps to Becoming a Hero This Year

The Bible tells the stories of dozens of people who seemed unlikely to ever do anything great. Many were fearful; others were already proven failures, yet God enabled them to do the miraculous – triumphing over their enemies and blessing others in the process.

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, fearing an attack by the Midianites. But God saw Gideon as a mighty warrior. It took Gideon a while to believe God. Eventually, Gideon led a troop of 300 to victory over Midian’s army of 135,000!

You can take the same steps that led Gideon to victory! Let’s look at Judges 6 and 7.

Step 1: Get God’s Plans for You

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 (6:14). Without seeing something supernatural, Gideon probably wouldn’t have found the courage to step out and obey God. Ask God to open your eyes to see His plans for your life.

Step 2: Get God’s Perspective about You

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, 14). Instead of seeing Gideon’s weaknesses, failures, and 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 mindset, you need to let God give you a new perspective.

Step 3: Get God’s Power on You

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 strength. If you see an impossible situation, remember 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 a seemingly impossible situation, He alone will receive the glory.

When Gideon accepted God’s plan and became willing for God to use him, “the Spirit of the Lord came upon Gideon” (Judges 6:34). He 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 fight your battles in your own strength.

Friend, it’s time to start looking at the greatness of your God instead of the magnitude 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 there. He’s the God of abundance and overflow, ready to give you overwhelming victory.