It seems like in some ways the darkness is all around us. It feels that way. I think there's a sense of angst and wondering where is this all going?

What's happening to our country?

What's happening to the church?

Where has God gone?

And in that vein, I have been convicted. I have been humbled, convicted, challenged and encouraged by the story of Gideon.

And I know this is probably a familiar story to many of you, but I want to go over it again.

I want to look at some of the things that the Bible has to say, and really it's an example of God's

grace.

That's why these stories in the Old Testament

are given to us as examples, as warnings to us,

things that patterns of sin and behavior

that we should avoid, and also encouragement to us this is what

God does with broken individuals, sinful individuals, flawed individuals and I am the

first among them and so if you feel like you're inadequate,

like you're flawed, how can God use you,

the darkness seems overwhelming?

Well, this is a story for you this morning.

So if you would turn with me to judges chapter 6. We're going to be reading

from judges chapter 6 and 7. We're probably going to be doing a lot of reading this morning. And I want to give

you a title and I want to give you a title and I want to give you a thesis.

So my main point, what I'm trying to convey, and the title here is The Hand of the Lord on Gideon.

I thought of calling it what conservative evangelicals need to know and do.

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