Who are you?

"Now the Angel of the Lord came and sat under the oak (terebinth) at Ophrah, which belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, and his son Gideon was beating wheat in the winepress to hide it from the Midianites.  And the Angel of the Lord appeared to him and said to him, The Lord is with you, you mighty man of [fearless] courage." (Judges 6:11, 12 AMP) The story of Gideon and his valiant victory can be found here in Judges chapter 6 and 7. Notice in the verses above what has just been said.  Gideon is working. He is beating wheat in the winepress.  Why?  Because he is afraid.  The Midianites are oppressing the Israelites and have been stealing the crops from the Israelites.  So Gideon decides to hide out.  He decides to work in the winepress so the Midianites don't steal the wheat.  All of a sudden the Angel of the Lord appears and says to Gideon,  "The Lord is with you, you mighty man of [fearless] courage."  What?  Doesn't the angel see that Gideon is working in secret because of his fear of the Midianites?  How is Gideon fearless and courageous?   When we are called into something, or when we are filled with desire to accomplish something for the Kingdom, we will always be filled with truth about ourselves right before we're called. Look at Gideon, He is fearful and scared of the Midianties.  The Angel says to Gideon, "You are fearless and courageous."  The Angel is releasing Kingdom truth into Gideon to prepare him for the coming battle and commission. He is preparing Gideon so he can accomplish his destiny.  Notice that Gideon is not subjected to a counseling session, he is not lead through deliverance to remove the spirit of fear over his life, the angel doesn't talk to Gideon at length about past experiences that made him fearful.  Simple truth was spoken over Gideon, truth that only God could see.  The Angel empowers Gideon by releasing Gideon's true identity so he will be able to fulfill his destiny. This is what I love about God.  When he prepares us for victory he starts by releasing our true identity.  He doesn't keep us in fear and darkness but He releases light into our hearts.  He is uplifting.  He is honest and truthful. He doesn't say, "Go work on this fear and I'll be back when you've mastered it."  He blocks the lies of the enemy, lies that say, "You're worthless. You're scared. You'll never accomplish anything. You'll be in bondage forever."  He says "I see your true self. You're strong. You're courageous. You're a valiant warrior." It is so important for people to know and understand who they really are.  Not based on circumstances, and not based on their past failures or accomplishments, but based on what the Bible says and what God says.  When we identify ourselves according to what we have done or what has been done to us, we limit what God can do in our lives.  When we hear, believe, and partner with who God says we are, we are empowered to take over our lives.  We are given the strength we need to live a life worthy of the calling God has placed in us.   Be encouraged. Be strengthened. Be courageous.  Ask God to speak to your heart and reveal what He has placed inside you, what he sees in you.  Listen to what He says about you.  Be aware that the devil works to disguise who you really are. He will always lie to you and tell you that you are worthless and scared.  God will always speak truth to lift you up, to tell you you are valued. You are courageous. You're fearless. You are a valiant warrior. As Christians, we all have a passion in our lives. A passion to go into third world countries and bring the gospel, a passion to live in your community and change the way things work.  Whatever you're passionate about doing for the kingdom, whatever you are called to do, whatever your destiny is, you won't fulfill your destiny until you learn to believe what God says about you, what God believes about you. This morning I asked the lord to reveal what He sees in me and what He says about me.  I want my perception of who I am to come from Him and only Him.