THE SWORD OF THE LORD by Carter Conlon

“So Gideon, and the hundred men that were with him, came unto the outside of the camp in the beginning of the middle watch; and they had but newly set the watch: and they blew the trumpets, and brake the pitchers that were in their hands. And the three companies blew the trumpets, and brake the pitchers, and held the lamps in their left hands, and the trumpets in their right hands to blow withal: and they cried, The sword of the Lord, and of Gideon. And they stood every man in his place round about the camp: and all the host ran, and cried, and fled” (Judges 7:19-21).

The whole host of the enemy fled before Gideon and his three hundred! At the sound of the trumpets, the Israelites broke the pitchers in their hands—representing the breaking off of all human reasoning, all human frailty, all sense of self-loathing and unworthiness. They smashed it all and held up the torch that was inside the clay vessel, which was a symbol of the power of God.

“The sword of the Lord, and of Gideon” they shouted. That refers to the power of God through the people who believe Him. You see, when you decide to stand in a public place, refusing to let the testimony of God be hidden, God will do for you what He did for Gideon and his army—He will send confusion into the ranks of the enemy! The Bible tells us that the Midianites started turning and fighting with each other. Confusion ensued because a visible testimony of God had arisen in the earth again—through people who simply believed God in spite of their weakness and frailty.

And so the same incredible victory is available to you and me today. All that has ever been necessary is for someone—or perhaps ten or twenty or fifty or a hundred—to rise to their feet and declare, “I believe God! I believe that God can take my life and make a difference. I believe He can put compassion in my heart and make me a voice in this generation. I believe Him even in my insufficiency. I know that I do not have much to bring but I believe God will provide everything that I need.”

Even now I imagine that all hell is trembling, for the enemy knows what happens when you and I dare to believe like this!

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Carter Conlon joined the pastoral staff of Times Square Church in 1994 at the invitation of the founding pastor, David Wilkerson, and was appointed Senior Pastor in 2001. A strong, compassionate leader, he is a frequent speaker at the Expect Church Leadership Conferences conducted by World Challenge throughout the world.