“And the angel of the Lord appeared unto him, and said unto him, The Lord is with thee, thou mighty man of valor.” Judges 6:12 KJV

Mighty man of valor. The angel of the Lord called Gideon. Gideon saw himself, fearful and weak. But God saw him as a mighty man of valor. The angel reminded him, the Lord is with You. The Lord wanted Gideon to see himself as God sees him. When we focus on the circumstances of our lives with natural eyes, we focus on our shortcomings, our weaknesses and failures. Looking at circumstances with natural eyes prevents our seeing victory. It’s only when we fix our eyes on God, His word and who we are in Christ are we victorious. God sent Gideon a word, a message of hope to strengthen him to be who God says. Victory comes when we see ourselves as God sees us and that is only accomplished with spiritual eyes. Things of the spirit are not understood in the natural. God wants our spiritual eyes open so we can see ourselves victorious. Goliath saw David as a boy, David saw himself as a conquering warrior. Just as David saw himself victorious over Goliath, God wanted Gideon to see himself as a man of valor, conquering warrior. Gideon saw himself weak, hence, Midianites intimated him. When we know God is on our side, that which seems impossible becomes possible. When we see ourselves as God sees us, there is no limit. The word of God opens our eyes to see we are more than a conqueror through Christ.