and allow people to just love him.

The Lord, pretty much told Gideon the same thing in verse 14. He encouraged Gideon to go in this might (strength) of yours. He then told him he would be with him. God never abandons us when he calls us.

The Lord will never give us more than we can bear. (1 Corinthians 10:13; 1 John 5:3). But when we hide from God, our abilities get hidden also. There are others in the Bible who tried to hide from God.

I know you know two sets of characters who invented the idea of trying to play hide and seek with God Almighty. Guess who? Yes, our first parents on the earth gave and taught us the wrong game to play and the wrong person to play it with. (Smile).

Of course, Adam and Eve, right? According to (Genesis 3:8-10). After eating the forbidden fruit, they hid among the trees in the Garden of Eden out of shame and fear because they realized they were naked.

How about Jonah? (Jonah 1:1-10). He tried to flee from God's calling to preach in Nineveh by boarding a ship to Tarshish, famously ending up in the belly of a great fish. Notice the sailors repented, but Jonah initially did not.

Moses- When God first appeared to him in the burning bush (Exodus 3:4-10), he hid his face because he was afraid to look at God. Hiding and fear seem to be synonymous when it comes to us hiding from God.

As it was with Gideon, notice the words God spoke to Moses in verse 12. My beloved friends, we never have to fear or be afraid, fear not the name of "I AM" "Yahweh is his name." All glory to his name!

King Saul- Before he was anointed (1 Samuel 10:21-22), Saul tried to abdicate the position he already knew about (verse 1). So, because of his inadequacies, he tried to hide in the baggage to avoid being Israel's king.

Sometimes we try to hide because we are afraid of making ourselves look bad, or concerned about what others might think, or maybe we're unsure about the direction to go. God will never send us anywhere and abandon us. Trust him.

The Prophet Elijah's hiding place- The Cave (1 Kings 19:1-18). Of all the power of God that was done through Elijah, you might think he would never have a reason to hide from anyone or anything. And yet, after a mighty victory, it happened.

Elijah was divinely empowered by the hand of the Lord. (1 Kings 18:46). He was boasting with belief and confidence at Mount Carmel. Verse 27. (1 Kings 18:21-40). But Elijah was soon to face a new challenge of his own.

No, Elijah did not face a giant bigger than Goliath. He withstood King Ahab and spoke to his face. But after two great spiritual victories, here comes Ahab's wife, Jezebel. What?

The words of this one woman sent him running to hide in a cave? (1 Kings 19:1-18). You must admit, this is quite a change from how he acted on Mount Carmel. Notice again how God always knows our hiding places.

The people of the world- Yes, in 2026 people are still hiding from God's redemptive love. But it will be to no avail. These verses depict the coming of God's wrath on this sinful world. (Revelation 6:12-17).

Again, hiding is impossible. God's eyes are in every place. (Proverbs 15:3). The new heaven and new earth will be ushered in after the destruction of the old one. (2 Peter 3:10-14 KJV). No one will be able to hide from the Lord.

All these stories above are giving to us as an example of how futile and exhausting it is to try and hide from the Lord. You can make excuses for not attending church, not praying, and avoiding Christians. It doesn't work.

Human nature is to run from what you don't know or understand. But there are consequences in trying to hide from God. Why? Because in death you are going to see the Lord anyway. But you have a choice in how you see him.

Do you want to see him as your Savior and Lord at the Judgement Seat of Christ (1 Corinthians 3:11-15; 2 Corinthians 5:7-11; Romans 14:10-12). This is how you come out of hiding. (Romans 10:8-13).

Or do you want to see him as your wrathful King at the Great White Throne Judgment? (Revelation 20:10-15; 21:1-8). The choice is up to you. You cannot hide from God. Why would you want to hide yourself in hell?


🗣📢 Last words: Here are some closing passages to remind you and help you come out of your hiding in darkness and into his marvelous light. Please read the passages slowly into your spirit, family, or study group.

*Psalm 139:7–12: Describes the impossibility of hiding from God's presence. Even the darkness is as light to him. Psalm 44:21: God knows the secrets of the heart. Psalm 69:5: Directly says, "My guilt is not hidden from you."

Proverbs 5:21: Notes that a man’s ways are before the eyes of the Lord. Ecclesiastes 12:14: Warns that God will bring every hidden thing into judgment. 1 Corinthians 4:5: The Lord will bring to light the hidden things of darkness.

Beloved, it's time to bring your secrets to the cross. Jesus already knows our most hidden thoughts and our decisions to run from him before we actually do it. Your true identity is in Christ. God can help you through your doubts.

Where is your fear hiding today? Is it in your marriage? Is it in your employment? Is it in your appearance? Is it in your shame? Is it in your unforgiveness? Is it in your abuse? Is it in your addiction? Is it in your unbelief? In your weaknesses?

Here are your recap study notes about Gideon and other passages to place near your eyes at all times. Let the light of God's Son shine in every day. Begin a good habit to meditate on God's care for you and your family.

A) God meets us exactly where we are hiding. Gideon was in the winepress. Fear kept him there, not the grapes. God didn't wait for him to get his act together before showing up.

I remember many individuals who told me they would come to church after they got their life straightened out a bit first. That usually led them to missing more days of not showing up.

B) God names our potential, not our current posture. The Angel called Gideon a "mighty warrior" while he is still actively hiding and acting out of fear. God can see all he has placed in you. (Romans 4:17; 1 Peter 2:9; Exodus 4:11-12).

C) God's presence is greater than your performance and the materialism you hide in. When Gideon objects based on his weak family status, God simply answers, "I will be with you."

God's words have power behind them. You can trust him when he speaks to your heart. (Proverbs 3:5-6). God never leaves his followers dangling in the wind. The eyes of God are on this earth (2 Chronicles 16:9; Romans 5:8).

[God’s eyes are everywhere and none, whether great or small, can hide from his sight. We can see from the build-up that some people tried to hide from God because of fear; some did it in an attempt to disobey God.]

There will also be people who will try to escape his wrath during the last days and his return. Gideon, who was just an ordinary man was encouraged by God to something extraordinary. You also are called by God to serve him.

[Although God promises us the tools and strength we need, we often make excuses. But reminding God of our limitations only implies that he does not know all about us or that he has made a mistake in evaluating our character.]

Memory bullet points:
🔵 God can use ordinary people in extraordinary ways.
🔵 Trusting God is more important than being strong or popular.
🔵 Obedience brings victory.
🔵 God can help you be brave, even when you feel scared or small.

If this is your first time visiting "Try Jesus Ministry" searching because you feel trapped in a winepress of low self-esteem, like Gideon, here's some truth for you. Your value was never determined by your family background.

Your value is not determined by your bank account, or your past failures. God does not look at you and see a coward; He looks at you through the lens of grace and sees a conqueror. (Romans 8:37; 2 Corinthians 12:9).

So, I'm challenging the body of Christ to step out of the four walls surrounding it and boldly proclaim to your lost hiding neighbors that they are men, woman, and children of hidden talents that God can unlock his potential in them.

Remind them to stop repeating the lies that they aren't good enough, and start believing what the creator of the universe says about them. When the enemy (Satan) whispers to them that they are too weak, remind them that God says, "I will be with you."

Today, your identity is in the God who knitted you inside the womb with all the promises, purpose, and plan he has for your life. Remember beloved, God defines us by our future in him, not our current hiding place.

God does not call the qualified but qualifies the called. Trust God through your supposed vulnerabilities. Don't attend church with your favorite mask on each Sunday.

You can smile at the greeter, sing every song, and still keep the most broken parts of your life hidden in the dark shadows. When you realize who God says you are, you feel affirmed, protected, and valued.

The weight of the world patrolled by Satan continues to threaten to crush us. Jesus told Peter that Satan wanted to sift him like wheat. But Jesus later restored Peter after he ran away to hide in his previous occupation, fishing.

When the enemy sends persecution and we feel helpless and afraid, our first instinct is to run to our isolation cave. But God, here in 2026 is still inviting us to run into the safest hiding place in the universe, "himself."

So, I'm repeating the question again until you receive it, with all the biblical examples of hiding, "Why do we still think we can hide from God in 2026?" Again, God is the wrong person to play "hide and seek" with sin attached to us.

When we try to play it, I think God will just look at us, love us, and just say, "Peek-a-boo, I see you!" This game is always played with infants, right? Only Childlike faith gets you into the Kingdom. (Matthew 18:3; Mark 10:15).

Got it? Then stop playing the game and get out your hiding place.


🛐 Here’s a prayer you can pray to stop playing the hide game with God. "Heavenly Father, we thank you that you are a God who pursues us. Thank you, that you do not wait for us to become perfect, brave, or successful before you.

When you knock on the door of our heart, you meet us right in the middle of our winepresses, in our fear, our insecurity, and our hidden places. Forgive us for believing the lie that our value is tied to our performance.

Thank you Jesus, for coming to make us new from our past. Today, we break agreement with low self-esteem and imposter syndrome. We lay down our masks and our hiding strategies at the foot of the cross.

We receive the identity you have given us. Remind us this week that because you are with us, we are enough. Give us the courage to step out of the cave, leave the winepress behind, and walk forward as mighty warriors.

Thank you for giving us your armor to resist the temptation of going back to spiritual Egypt. Your armor has been fit with all we need to walk forward right into your heavenly glory. Bless the Lord, oh my soul, in Jesus' name, Amen."


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🙏 Please remember to pray for the people in Israel. They are God's people because of his covenant promises to them. (Genesis 12:1-3; Numbers 6:22-27; 24:8-9). ✝️



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