Ten Minute Bible Talks Devotional Bible Study - The Third Option | Historical Books | Judges 7:1-8

Starting point is 00:00:00 Welcome to 10-minute Bible Talks, where we connect the Bible to your life in the time it takes to get to work. I'm Tanya Wilmuth. I was inspired this morning by a friend who just got back from a conference and said that her favorite talk at the conference was on option three. It was a whole talk about looking at life from the lens of two different options and actually adding a third option that we don't ever consider to our list of what we can do next. I thought it was really, really great. And I think it really applies to the way that we look at some of these passages in the Bible and the way we apply them to our lives. So today, thank you, Mindy, for the idea, the third option. So we all face moments of weakness getting into the options part, right?

Starting point is 00:00:50 And when that happens, maybe it's because we're feeling out of our depth and a new job. Maybe we're struggling through a personal loss. Maybe we're just realizing that we've made a mistake that's hard to own. maybe it's just one of those days that feels off. But anyway, when we're in that place, it feels like we only have two options or two choices. Option one is just like the picket by your bootstraps kind of option. Push through and pretend we're fine. Act like we have it all together, ignore the struggle, and convince ourselves we don't need

Starting point is 00:01:21 help, don't ask for help. And that, of course, leaves us feeling pretty exhausted and isolated. Okay, so then there's option two. And that's the shutdown and withdraw option. Give into frustration, avoid the hard conversations, decide we're not strong enough, basically give up, throw in the towel. Forget the relationship, whatever it is that's making us feel uncomfortable. But then retreating often deepens the struggle rather than resolving it, right?

Starting point is 00:01:47 Neither of those responses really help us move forward. But what if there is a third option? Instead of forcing strength or giving up, what if we leaned into honesty? And what if we admitted where we are, what if we acknowledged our limits and reached out instead of retreating. Picture this. You're struggling with a challenge, whether it's at work, in a relationship, or just within yourself. Someone asks you how you're doing, and you have a split-second decision. Do you brush it off with, I'm fine, or do you choose to be honest? There's a power in honesty in saying, I'm figuring it out,

Starting point is 00:02:26 but it's hard. I don't have the answer yet. but I'm working through it. I could use some perspective on this. That's not weakness. It's just strength in a different form. But here's the deal. We don't just reveal our character in moments of confidence. We reveal it in how we handle moments of uncertainty and how we respond in these moments, whether we try to mask it, run from it, or face it with honesty, shapes who we become. So today let's talk about what it really means to embrace the third option. in moments of weakness, not pretending or shutting down, but stepping into something deeper. This principle of recognizing our limitations and relying on someone greater than ourselves

Starting point is 00:03:10 is seen in the story of Gideon and judges. Gideon was chosen by God to lead Israel against the Midianites. The battle had been building for years, and logic dictated that Israel would need every available soldier to stand a chance. Gideon's army started with 32,000, men, a seemingly reasonable force for war. But God had a different plan. God instructed Gideon to actually reduce his numbers. First, he told him to send home anyone afraid to fight, and 22,000 of the men left. It made sense on a practical level. Fearful soldiers are less effective in battle. Then came the second cut, which made even less sense. Actually, didn't make any sense at all. God told Gideon to take the remaining men to the water and separate them based on how they drank.

Starting point is 00:04:03 Those who lapped water like a dog were set aside, leaving Gideon with just 300 men. This wasn't a mistake. God intentionally reduced Gideon's army so that Israel would recognize that their victory was not by their own strength, but by God's power. As he said, in order that Israel may not boast against me that her own strength has saved her, in Judges 7-2. Now, Israel would either acknowledge that their success came from God or take credit for themselves. And this is a warning for us as well. The danger lies in believing we've achieved everything on our own. The real danger lies in thinking that we have done something to save ourselves. The same lesson appears in the New Testament through the words of Paul. Paul suffered from what he described as a thorn in the

Starting point is 00:04:54 flesh. Yet rather than removing it, God reminded him, my grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. In 2 Corinthians 129, God's power is most evident to us and probably to those around us when we are at our weakest. So how do we embrace this mindset of humility and reliance on God? Well, first, we have to recognize that salvation is. isn't earned. We are saved not by our actions, but by God's grace. When we internalize this truth, we move past insecurities that drive us toward pride or self-boasting. Second, we have to understand the depth of forgiveness. We've all made mistakes, some that feel unforgettable. But when we grasp the extent of God's grace, forgiveness becomes a transformative experience. It's not about

Starting point is 00:05:51 minimizing our wrongs, but about recognizing the greatness of God's mercy. And third, seeing growth in weakness, most of our personal growth happens in seasons of difficulty. When we feel strong and self-sufficient, we often don't seek God. But when our safety nets are removed, when we lose a job, when we face an unexpected trial, or feel out of our depth, we turn to him in a way we never would have otherwise. Now imagine the 300 men in Gideon's army looking around before battle. They're outnumbered. Their strategy makes no sense, and their only option is to trust that God will deliver them. That kind of dependence is both terrifying and freeing. Have you ever felt like that? Maybe you started a new job and felt completely out of your depth, like you were learning how to ski

Starting point is 00:06:45 every single day. Maybe you lost a source of security, whether financial, relational, or emotional. In those moments of weakness, did you see God more clearly? Or did you at least have to depend on him more fully? How did that experience shape your foundation? Our instinct is to rely on our own strength. We want to win battles on our own terms. But the truth is, God does his best work when we acknowledge our weakness and rely on him. So the next time you face a challenge, will you ask yourself, am I choosing the path of self-reliance? Am I tempted to give up? Or am I willing to take the third option? To trust, depend, and to let God work through my weakness, to let God show me who he's making me be in this moment. Because it's in those moments that we truly will see God's power.

Starting point is 00:07:45 in our lives. Now, who are you going to be in your weakness? So instead of trying to get out of it, what if the real question is not just about what we do in our weakness or getting through our weakness, but who we will become in it? Will we be better, frustrated, and resistant? Will we be prideful and boasting to cover it up? Or will we allow, ourselves to be shaped into someone more patience, more humble, and more faithful. The choice is ours. Friend, your weakness is an invitation into a trusting relationship in your maker.

Ten Minute Bible Talks Devotional Bible Study - The Third Option | Historical Books | Judges 7:1-8

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