Judges 7 - 300 Men to War

The art of intimidation.... With Gideon at the head of merely 300 men, who lap like dogs, the LORD is able to send the Midianites running.  God doesn't need a huge army to send them packing.  The army is about thirty-two thousand, but God will only use three hundred of them.  The rest are sent home. He pares the army down to a few and then....  the rest is history...

It's not just about the art of intimidation though.  It's really about the fact that God is with Gideon and the Israelites and God wants them to know, to realize, that He is their deliverer.  He wants the men to be of good courage.  He wants men who will trust Him in that He will be with them, that He will give them victory.  God will give the Midianites over to them.  It is God who will deliver them and He wants them to know this.  He doesn't want them taking credit for themselves, because then they will start trusting in theirselves and in the end they will fail.  It is God who does these things for us.  Without Him, we can do nothing.

Fear is a great obstacle to success.  It will subdue our faith.  Ego can be just as devasting to our lives.  It will subdue our trust in God.  Their is only one God.  Listen to Him!  Trust Him!  Follow Him!