A Vessel Chosen For Revival — Keith Malcomson

The Call to a Vessel Prepared for Revival

I want you to turn here this morning to Judges chapter 7. Judges chapter 7, we're going to part 2 of A Vessel of Revival. And I want to read from Judges chapter 7. You'll remember that last week we dealt with a vessel prepared for revival.

How God prepares. And we looked at Gideon and how God prepares a vessel, a church, a people, or a preacher for revival. Preparation is vital. Without preparation you will not be a vessel of revival. But I want to deal with part 2 here.

A vessel chosen for revival. And so last week we looked at how Gideon was prepared. This week I want to look at how he and others were chosen for this revival. Reading from Judges chapter 7 and verse 1.

Then Jeroboam, who is Gideon, and all the people that were with him, rose up early and pitched beside the well of Herod, so that the host of the Midianites were on the north side of them by the hill of Morah in the valley.

And the Lord said unto Gideon, the people that are with thee are, notice this very carefully, are too many for me to give the Midianites into their hands, lest Israel faunt themselves against me, saying, Mine own hand has saved me.

Now therefore go to proclaim in the ears of the people, saying, Whosoever is fearful and afraid, let him return and depart early from Mount Gilead. And there returned of the people twenty and two thousand, and there remained ten thousand.

And the Lord said unto Gideon, the people are yet too many. Bring them down unto the water, and I will try them there for thee. And it shall be that of whom I say unto thee, This shall go with thee, the same shall go with thee.

And of whosoever I shall say unto thee, This shall not go with thee, the same shall not go with thee. So he brought down the people unto the water, and the Lord said unto Gideon, Everyone that lappeth of water with his tongue, as a dog lappeth, him shalt thou set by himself.

Likewise, everyone that boweth down upon the knees to drink, and the number of them that lappeth putting their hand to their mouth were three hundred men. But all the rest of the people bowed down upon their knees to drink water.

And the Lord said unto Gideon, Buy the three hundred men that lapped, will I save you? And deliver the Midianites into thine hand, and let all the other people go, every man unto his place. So the people took victuals in their hand and their trumpets, and he said, All the rest of Israel, every man unto his tent, and retained those three hundred men.

And the host of Midian was beneath him in the valley. And it came to pass the same night that the Lord said unto him, Arise, get thee down unto the host, for I have delivered it into thine hand. But if thou fear to go down, go thou with Purah thy servant down to the host, and thou shalt not be saved.

And afterwards shall thine hands be strengthened to go down into the host. Then went he down with Purah his servant unto the outside of the armed men that were in the host. And the Midianites and the Amalekites and all the children of the east lay alongside the valley like grasshoppers for a multitude, and their camels were without number as the sand of the seaside for a multitude.

And when Gideon was come, behold, there was a man that told a dream unto his fellow, and said, Behold, I dreamed a dream, and lo, a cake of barley bread tumbled into the host of Midian, and came unto a tent, and smote it, and it fell, and it overturned it that the tent lay along.

And his fellow answered and said, This is nothing else save the sword of Gideon, the son of Joash, a man of Israel, for into his hand hath God delivered the Midian and all the host. And it was so that when Gideon heard the telling of the dream, and the interpretation thereof that he worshipped and returned into the host of Israel and said, Arise, for the Lord hath delivered into your hand the host of Midian.

Let's pray together. Father, we thank you, God, that you are preparing a people for this hour for an utterly unique move of God, for an utterly unique hour, for an utterly unique purpose. But oh God, we're very aware that this one thing is in your heart, that your name will be glorified, that no man, that no ministry, that no church, that no organization will get the glory.

But what you're going to do in this hour will be so unusual, so ridiculous, so remarkable, so unbelievable, that only you will receive the glory. And Father, we pray that you will not only prepare a people, but that you will choose a people in this hour.

Lord God, through all that is happening in our world, I pray, lay your hand on a people, begin to deal with the people, choose them in the fire of affliction, oh God, that you'd bring forth a vessel, purified, sanctified, and meet for the master's use.

Lord God, you do choose those things which are foolish, despised, oh God, by man. Lord God, to confound that which is, and we're asking that you do it in this hour. Bring to naught the works of darkness by a foolish vessel that you've chosen and prepared for your own glory and praise.

In Jesus' mighty name, amen. A vessel chosen for revival. A vessel chosen for revival. I believe that Gideon was not only prepared by God, but he was chosen by God for revival, for a very unique work of God.

It says here in Judges chapter 7 and verse 1, then Jeroboam, who is Gideon. Notice here in this first verse, as we embark upon God's message on how he chooses out, how he draws out a vessel made ready for revival, his hand is upon a man.

You know, I've heard for decades people say, we're now in a new era. God isn't going to use great preachers. He's not going to use certain men or gifted ministry. He's going to use a bunch of faceless, nameless people.

He's going to use the entire body of Christ. I want to tell you, God has never done that. He has always used chosen gifted vessels. And yes, he has always drawn out the nobodies and the everybodies, but God does lay his hand on certain individuals.

We see here as God is about to choose out and make ready an entire people for revival. It begins with a man who's been prepared. Unless a man is prepared for revival, unless God lays his hand on a gifted vessel, there will not be a people rise up to be chosen of God for revival.

God always begins with a man. He gives that man a vision. He gives that man a message. He gives that man a word. He lays his hand on that man. And then he begins to prepare a people through the message preached.

God has to first convince a man. That's the hardest task. Then that man has to be clothed with a body or be surrounded by a body that God can begin to use. Look at the vessel here. It calls him Jeroboam, who is Gideon.

Gideon's New Identity and Opposition to Baal

Gideon was given a nickname. That was actually in last week's message and I didn't really note it or go into it. But we read in the previous chapter, chapter six, verse 32, that Gideon earned a brand new name.

It's when he went into his father's house and tore down the idols and destroyed Baal. That the next morning when the apostates or the compromisers or those with a false gospel come wanting to stone him and to kill him, his father, who had become very skeptical of this false gospel, tired of the powerlessness of it, he actually said, let Baal plead for himself.

If Baal is real, let him do the pleading. And we're actually told there that his father renamed him or gave him a brand new name in chapter six, verse 32. His father gave it to him. And this is what Jeroboam actually means.

It means to have a controversy with Baal. Let Baal plead against him because he has thrown down the altar. In other words, his father gave him this new name and said, let Baal fight with him. Let Baal grapple with him.

Let Baal contend with him. Here is an enemy of Baal. And you know what? God's vessel that was chosen for revival, he was given a new name, a new character, a new identity. Because you know what? False Christs and false gospels are going to fight against this man.

Where you find every false gospel, it will fight and contend and grapple with this man. Because this man tears down Baal. This man is against what is false in his father's house. And what a remarkable man he really is.

The Sleeping Church and the Need for Repentance

Saints of God, what will it take to awaken the church in this hour, in this year, in this time? We have just gone through two years, unbelievable in world history. We are actually at a point for the first time in world history where all the governments, the businessmen, the rich men in the world are now coming out and saying, we want to join man, all people to computers.

We want to put a brain chip within every single person. We want to connect you into the internet. We want to put the chip in your mobile phone into your body. Now they're beginning to say it. We have gone through an hour where government has taken control and power and we haven't seen anything yet.

What is it going to take to stir the church? Two years of this and where are your burning altars? Where is the fire? Where is the evangelism? Where are the calls to repentance right across the church?

Why is it the church is still asleep? Why is it hearts are so cold? Why is it men and women listen to the word of God and they're backslidden, they're far from God, they're casual. If you're like this now, God help me, what's it going to take to stir you in this hour?

We are at the most vital hour in all of world history and church history and yet the church is asleep. Unbelievable. Before the enemy is dealt with, Baal must be challenged and that's what happened here.

God raised Gideon up, let's deal with the church first, then let's deal with the enemy. Before we deal with the enemy of this hour, don't talk to me about Klaus Schwab and I've talked a lot about him.

Don't talk to me about the World Economic Forum. Don't talk to me about the UN. Do you know what the issue is? The church of Jesus Christ. We need repentance in the church again. It says in 1 Peter chapter 4, 17, for the time is come.

Do you believe that? Peter said the time is actually come, the judgment must begin in the house of God. Forget social justice. Let's bring judgment to God's house. Let's bring righteous judgment from God to the house.

That's the real judgment we need in this hour, not social judgment. We need God's judgment in his house. He says the time has come, let the judgment of God begin. It must begin in the house of God. And if it first begin at us, you and I, what shall the end of it be to them that obey not the gospel?

In other words, God's judgment, God's going to begin to deal with his church and God help the enemies of this gospel because God is going to deal with hearts. Saints, you can't in this hour sit apathetic, coming, going, casually, sleeping through all that happens.

There's got to be an awakening. Look at Gideon in the previous chapter that we dealt with last week. The spirit of God came upon him and clothed him. The Holy Spirit mantled him. The power of God came upon him.

Then what did he do? He blew a trumpet. Blowing the trumpet represents the proclamation of the word of God. So you have this man Gideon. He has the spirit of God and he has the word of God. These two things never get separate.

You need the power of the Holy Spirit. You need the enjoyment of the Holy Ghost, but you need to proclaim the word of God. You need to preach aloud. These two always go together. And what happened? As he began to proclaim and blow the trumpet, four of the 12 tribes of Israel mobilized and began to arise and began to gather and began to rise.

You know what we need? We need some Gideons upon whom the spirit of God comes and they begin to blow the trumpet that begins to stir the church again. Oh, to see it in our day that there is a stirring of the church of God and a regathering again.

Called and Chosen for a Specific Hour

My message this morning, a vessel chosen for revival. Listen very carefully. And you know the story from Samuel going to the house of David to find the king of Israel to anoint him. And you know his seven brothers get brought before Samuel by the father and they forget about David.

Young David's on the hillside. Listen what it says. 1 Samuel 16 and 8. Then Jesse called for Abinadab. What did he do? He called for him. And he made him pass before Samuel. And he said, that is Samuel, neither has the Lord chosen this.

I want you to notice carefully, Abinadab, David's oldest brother, received a calling to come and be anointed, to come and be chosen, to come and be gifted, to come and be endued by the power of God. Abinadab was called by his earthly father to come to the prophet, to come and be selected.

But as he stood before the prophet, Samuel said, neither has the Lord chosen this. And so Abinadab is a man who has been called, but he has not been chosen. And there's a big difference between being called and being chosen.

You remember what Jesus said in Matthew chapter 20, verse 16. So the last shall be first and the first shall be last. Listen carefully. And this is the reason why the last shall be first and the first shall be last.

This is the reason. Jesus said, for many be called, few chosen. Like with Abinadab, called but not chosen. Many get called. The call goes out to many, a great host. And yet Jesus says, few are chosen.

Do you know what the context of Matthew 20 is? It is the parable of the labors in the vineyard who at different hours of the day from morning till night time, they serve for one penny. All of them agree.

Some of them start working in the morning and they work all day long. There's others only come in at the last hour and they work until finish time. They all get the same pay. They all get one penny. You know, Jesus is talking about this and church history when he says, many be called but few chosen.

He is actually saying the called here are all labors in the harvest field. All of them are laboring for the master. They're all called. They're all serving. They're all ministering. They're all caught up in the things of the church.

But few are chosen. Do you know who the chosen were? They were the 11th hour labors. They were the ones at the end of it all. Those were the ones called in late at the end, at the last. They were chosen, not just called, but they were chosen.

Listen, for a certain hour, for a certain task, they didn't deserve it. They didn't work as hard as everyone else. They weren't any more spiritual than anyone else, but they were chosen for a specific hour, chosen for a certain time.

And others that have been called but not chosen for this hour got annoyed about it. Our message, a vessel chosen for revival. I believe many are called to revival. Very few are chosen for revival, since I hope we're the chosen for revival.

Because many hear the call. Many talk about revival. Many preachers preach about revival. Many of us pray about revival. But out of the many, God is going to choose a specific band of believers to see a revival, an extraordinary outpouring of God.

It's got nothing to do with your unique holiness. It's got everything to do with God's plan. It says in chapter 7, verse 2 here, and the Lord said unto Gideon, the people that are with you, and notice with me, 32 ,000 people had gathered to Gideon.

They are the called, not the chosen. I'm talking about God choosing a vessel. When Gideon began to blast that trumpet and send messengers out and said, we're going to smite the enemy. I have assurance from God.

God has prepared me. God has given me signs. God has given me a message. I know they are that we live in. 32 ,000 from the four tribes gathered to him. They are the called. They're not the chosen. That is not God's vessel of revival.

But this is genuine believers whose hearts are stirred. They believe this. They are praying. They're saying, let us be a part of this movement. We actually believe it's an hour for a revival. It is time when something has to happen.

Look at these 32 ,000. If you compare them to the size of the enemy, and listen, the enemy is 135 ,000 soldiers. And each of them has a war camel that doesn't need to be fed or watered for days. It is a remarkable enemy.

135 ,000. Israel only has 32 ,000 ragamuffin soldiers who are suddenly thrown together. That means if you're a betting man, it's at least four against one. For every member of Gideon's army, there's at least four soldiers, maybe five.

That is the odds that are facing them. It is a remarkable army. I want you to see that in chapter six to eight, we are seeing the weakness, the essential mark of weakness in God's vessel that he prepares and chooses for revival.

God doesn't just choose a vessel because there isn't anything else. He deliberately chooses something where it's utterly impossible if this isn't God. In fact, he rejoices. What does it say in verse two?

And the Lord said unto Gideon, about the 32 ,000, the people that are with you are too many. Can you imagine being told that? I don't know a preacher in the world of my generation believes that, not a one.

But God speaks to Gideon and he says, wonderful, these are the called, the 32 ,000. But do you know what? There's too many. There's far, far too many here. And this isn't my chosen vessel. I'm gonna have to choose a vessel out of these 32 ,000 in order to fight the enemy.

Do you know why he says? To give the Midianites into their hands. And he gives an actual reason. He says, lest Israel vaunt themselves against me. The word vaunt themselves means to embellish. It means to boost or to give an explanation or I love this in the Hebrew.

It means to shake a tree. God is saying these 32 ,000, if I win a victory and use them to bring a revival, I cannot use that 32 ,000. All of them are called. All of them are stirred. All of them are excited.

All of them are praying. All of them are offering themselves. But God says, if I use them, they are the called. But if I use them, do you know what? They're gonna embellish the truth. There's a reason I will not.

There's too many of them. There's too much bad material. I can't use him and him and him and him and all of them and that entire family. You know why? They will embellish. I know their hearts. If I bless them.

Look, it's impossible. 32 ,000 against 135 ,000. It's utterly impossible. Everyone would know this is God. That is a trained dangerous enemy on war camels. This is a bunch of farmers. Everyone would know it's God, wouldn't they?

And yet God knows the heart and he says, you know what? After me giving them the victory and the power to do it, do you know what they would do? They would embellish the truth. They would begin to shake the tree.

You know, once I got Candice to shake a tree, I got it on a video up in Bambridge and the tree was filled with snow. She's a South African, so she doesn't know what's gonna happen. And she shook that tree and she got absolutely drenched in snow.

It was beautiful. But do you know what? The Lord says there's too many. There's far too many. And like Moses, it took 40 years for God to strip Moses of his eloquence, his knowledge, his ability, his self-reliance and said, I need to put you in the backside of the desert 40 years before I can even use you.

I wanna show my glory. You are a chosen vessel, but I'm gonna have to spend 40 years in a wilderness. Nowhere else will do it. I need to put you in a wilderness looking after your father-in-law's sheep and no sheep are gonna break your heart.

They are gonna escape continually. They are gonna deal with you. And you know what God was doing? Stripping him. So when God comes to me, say, I can't do it. I can't speak. You must mean someone else.

Do you realize Gideon didn't need that time? That's where he began. That's where God found him. I'm the least, my family's the least. You can't use me. You don't know who I am. And yet the Lord says, you're my vessel.

You know, God can't begin to work until the situation is beyond all human help. Until circumstance, the enemy, everything is to such a degree, it is utterly impossible. And there's no chance for you to touch the glory.

No chance that you'll say, it was my faith and my prayers and my efforts and my evangelism. If someone got saved through us, we'd say, I led him to the Lord. I done this. I taught the word of God rightly.

They're listening to me. God helps those who are dangerous. God is not just interested, and listen to this carefully. He's not just interested in gaining a victory over the enemy for his people. That's not his intention.

His real intention is that he will get all the glory for his name in that victory. It's not enough to defeat the enemies of the church. It's not enough to bring the church into victory. That isn't enough.

Do you realize a revival could damage you spiritually? It could be dangerous to you unless you are stripped of yourself. I've got three points here in this, a vessel, I hope you understand where I'm going now.

Out of the 32 ,000 called, God's gonna choose a vessel that's gonna look so ridiculous. It's gonna look so weak, so pathetic, so contrary to common sense and logic that all the glory is gonna go to God.

That's why God does it in this way. My three points here, number one, chosen amidst fearfulness. How did God choose a vessel for revival? Amidst fearfulness, amidst fearfulness. It says in verse one that Gideon and all the people that were with him rose up early and pitched beside the well of Harod.

Chosen Amidst Fearfulness

Notice the name Harod. This well of Harod means the spring or the fountain of trembling. Look where God is gonna choose this vessel for revival. It begins at the well of Harod. This is actually a place of trembling, of fear, of no confidence.

Do you realize God chooses his vessel amidst fearfulness? He'll always find a vessel that trembles concerning its own strength or the task that we will have to rely upon the Lord. And it says they pitched or made their military camp beside the well of Harod so that the host of the Midianites were on the north side of them by the hill of Mora.

That means it's only five miles away. You have an army of 135 ,000 men. You're five miles away from the enemy. There are 32 ,000 of you. And where is God gonna begin? At a place of trembling, a place of fear.

You see, I believe God found his vessel for revival amidst terrible fear, terrible trembling. I believe this entire camp was trembling under the fear of God and the fear of the enemy and the fear of self.

And God is gonna have to choose out and produce a vessel at this particular point. Now look for a moment at Gideon. Gideon was a man with a weakness. Gideon was a man who feared. You may say, okay, God is gonna choose amidst great fear.

So he's not gonna choose the fearful. He'll choose men of faith who have no fear of the enemy, no fear of anything. You may say that, but listen, Gideon was the embodiment of what God was gonna do. Remember in the previous chapter, chapter six, verse 11, we find Gideon, when the angel first comes to him, he was threshing wheat in a winepress alone in secret.

So you immediately see he is hiding. He is alone. He is doing this in secret. He is hiding from the enemy. This is a man who knows what it is to fear the enemy and the consequence of the enemy and the attack of the enemy.

And so he's hiding. And then in chapter six and 23, we read that the Lord speaks on him. Remember when the offering comes and he realized, this is God, this is the Lord, the angel of the Lord. Listen to what God says, because he thinks I'm gonna die here, I'm finished.

It says, Gideon was so scared, he thought he was gonna die. So he's hiding from the enemy. He is scared of God. And he says, I'm a dead man. But it goes further in chapter 6, 27, when he goes to the house of his father to tear down the idol, it says he did it at night and he took 10 friends.

Why? Because he feared his father's household and the men of the city. He was scared of false Christianity. He trembled at the consequence of attacking what is false in daylight or for his voice to be heard.

Do you see what sort of man Gideon is that God chose? Or what about chapter 7, verse 10, a bit later here, it says, See, God knew Gideon, even after this first trial of choosing amidst fearfulness. He said, Gideon, if you should fear, then we'll work out a plan.

Yes, I'm afraid. I'm afraid of the enemy. I'm afraid of what you've called me to. I am trembling. My knees are knocking together. So let's go with your plan B with this. Do you see what sort of vessel God chose in Gideon?

It is utterly, utterly remarkable. You have 32 ,000 men. And do you know what's about to happen on this day? At this place, in this particular spot, at this well of trembling, 22 ,000 men in this army are about to leave him.

They're about to leave him. Listen to what it says, verse three. Now therefore go to and proclaim in the ears of the people all that are called, saying, whosoever is fearful and afraid, let him return and depart early.

First thing in the morning, get out of here. First thing, don't hang around. From Mount Gilead, that's where I want you to leave from. And there returned of the people 22 ,000, and there remained 10 ,000.

Gideon gave them a choice. And he said, if you're scared, leave first thing in the morning. I don't want you going into the battle with us. If you're scared, if you're terrified, will you please leave?

You're not a true, you see, we're gonna find out not who is called, not who has came to the battle, but who is chosen by God. And so he gives them an opportunity. If you're fearful, if you're afraid, then go home.

I want you to turn back. I want you to leave and return again. 22 ,000 left him, said, I'm scared. I can see five miles away, the entire valley is filled with a mass army. Do you know there are more Midianites and Ishmaelites here than British soldiers that fought in the first Gulf War.

This army was massive compared to the entire British army that went to fight Saddam Hussein. This is a massive army. And as they left, they go, I am terrified, I'm gonna die. And they go, thanks Gideon, I'm going back to my house.

I'm following your advice. You realize that 10 ,000 who stayed were giving themselves forward to be the chosen vessel for revival. I want you to say something about fear here. There is a fear that's disobedience.

There's a fear that makes you turn back. There's a fear that disqualifies you. There's a fear that freezes you in the spot. There's a fear that's gonna come up on words of your mouth and you will discourage other Christians.

In fact, you will make other Christians faint in the battle. If you're allowed to stay in that army, there is a sort of fear that will grieve the Holy Spirit of God. There is a certain fear that will stop you going forward with God.

You won't go and evangelize. You won't tell your family about Christ. You won't go forward in the will of God. You won't be in the prayer meeting. You won't pray out when we're all gathered together. There's a certain type of fear that hinders you.

It's very real sense of God. There's a certain fear that is disobedience to the Bible. It stops you doing the will of God. This fear that is wrong is contagious. This sort of fear makes your heart faint.

It actually causes you to go, what's the point? Or I can't do this. Or why are we here? Or God is never gonna do a miracle. Or God isn't answering our prayers. Or they will never get saved. You know what that is?

That's fear. And that fear is disobedience. And I tell you, that fear is not chosen for revival. You could never stand at the front line of revival because you know what? You'll be telling me why revival can't come or why it's delayed.

Gideon is a man who knows what it is to fear. Fear the enemy, fear man, fear God, fear circumstance. But do you know what? His fear doesn't paralyze him. Have you noticed that? He does fear. He's got a real fear.

And do you know what? There's a fear that isn't sinful. There is a natural fear, a healthy fear. You're not scared of the enemy. You're a fool. If you don't look at what God's calling you to and don't tremble.

If he calls you to preach and you go, praise God, I'm ready for it. There's something wrong with you. Every preacher I've known in my lifetime who I believe was really called of God said, I tried to run from it.

I tried to get out of it. I argued with God. All the preachers who told me and said, oh, I had no problem. They're not worth anything. Absolutely nothing. I'm telling you from what I've seen down over the years.

It says in Deuteronomy 20 and eight, what man is there that is fearful and faint hearted? Let him go and return onto his house. Let his brethren's heart, lest his brethren's heart faint as well as his heart.

This is contagious, this fear. It'll stop you fighting the enemy. Nothing's gonna happen. After all, it didn't happen in their day. Why should it happen in our day? No revival for years. What makes you think, Malcolmson, that you're gonna see revival?

I believe it. I utterly believe it. Oh, but what about this and this and that? Shh, you better just zip your mouth. You know what? It is a biblical principle. You remember the 10 spies that were sent out to spy the land and they came back and they talked an entire nation out of going into the land.

Look at the giants. It's impossible. We can't do this. And they turned an entire nation back into the wilderness who are gonna die in the wilderness over the next 40 years. 10 men who fainted in heart, who got scared of the giants, the size of the walls, they looked with their eyes and they put that fear in the entire people of God.

Don't tell me fear's not dangerous. You see, God brings them to a place and said, I'm gonna deal with this issue of fear. You know the thing about Gideon? He did have fears, but he always overcame, always kept going straight ahead.

He always said, Lord, please show me that this is you because I want to do your will. Two thirds of an army were fearful, heartless. Can you imagine if they'd gone into the battle and right in the heat of battle, they all turned back and run?

You're defeated, you're finished. If that should happen. Let me say a bit more about this issue of fearfulness in the Bible. When the apostle Paul in the New Testament went to the city of Corinth, listen to how he went.

1 Corinthians chapter two and three. And I was with you in weakness and in fear and in much trembling. Do you think Paul was disqualified? Absolutely not. When Paul went to Corinth, he is trembling. He has fears in his heart and yet there's no sin in it.

God doesn't rebuke him. God doesn't say I can't use you. Or what about when he's serving in Corinth in the early months of preaching and he begins to have doubts. Maybe I need to leave Corinth. Nobody's getting saved, nothing's happening.

Maybe God isn't gonna move. Listen to what happens in Acts 18 and 10. The Lord speaks to him and says, be not afraid. Paul was afraid. But speak and hold not thy peace. For I am with thee and no man shall set on thee to hurt thee for I have much people in this city.

Or what about a bit later when Paul is on a boat on his way to Rome? Do you remember that? In Acts 27 verse 24, it says the angel of the Lord, they're about to be shipwrecked. They have no food. It is dark.

They don't even know where they're going. They're gonna die. The angel of the Lord appears to him and says, fear not Paul, thou must be brought before Caesar and know God has given thee all that sail with thee.

Paul knew what fear was. Gideon knew what fear was. But 22 ,000 men said, I'm scared. And you know what? I'm going home. Do you realize at this fountain, their hearts were tested. Do you know in reality, we're all scared.

I'm scared of the future. I'm scared every time I pray for Candace's healing. I am terrified. I've known in January what it was for the first time in 50 years of my life. First time, never once have I, I've been scared of very little in my life.

I can, I never once was terrified in my entire life. Even when that big bull elephant charged me and my mother-in-law sitting in the front seat, I wasn't scared. I just prayed. I prayed, I was glad that she was sitting in front of me.

But do you know what? I'm gonna tell you this January, I was terrified, terrified. Don't tell me that all who fear are disqualified. They're not. They're actually not. Do you know what the issue is? Are you terrified and you'll turn back?