Get Out of The Cave in 2012

by Olga Hermans

The philosopher Plato wrote an allegory in which he compared people to prisoners chained in a cave. The only reality they knew was the tiny space of their surroundings. But if a person would stand up and break out of the chains, they could step out of the cave and into the light. This analogy can relate to our lives spiritually. The Bible says in John 1:5 that God is light and in Him there is no darkness at all!

You could be in a type of a cave. That cave could symbolize fear, depression, shame, or bitterness. The awesome thing is that Jesus has already paid the price for you to be free from the chains of the enemy. God has called you out of darkness and into the light of Christ Jesus.

There are so many distractions that will try to keep you from fulfilling your God-given purpose. You see, the enemy knows the potential that resides on the inside of you and he will do anything he can to keep you in fear of stepping out into something greater.

But you must wake up and realize you have been brought into the Kingdom for “such a time as this”. God has a purpose, an assignment, for you to fulfill. It is time to get out of your cave and be a light in this world.

God called Gideon out of the cave and to step out. “Cave dweller”, that is how Gideon, an Israelite, would have been labelled. The background on why this man was living in a cave is found in Judges, chapter 6. The story starts where the children of Israel had gone away from God.

They had begun to worship other gods, so they got out from under God’s protection. The Midianites (their enemies) took control for seven years, causing the Israelites to resort to dwelling in caves to hide from their enemies. Basically, the Israelites were in bondage and fear.

While in hiding, Gideon’s eyes were opened to the promises that God had for him. The angel of the Lord brought a word that Gideon needed to hear in Judges 6:12.

I love this because “God calls those things that are not as though they were” Rom 4:17, and that is what God does in our lives. Gideon was in hiding and God came and said, “Gideon, you’re a mighty man of God.” And Gideon said, “Who? Me?”

Gideon is wondering why everything had happened to them if the Lord was with them and where all the miracles are that all their fathers told them about. Judges 6:13

So many times we do that as well. We think, Well, if God is really with me, why are all these things happening to me? Gideon was complaining, but the children of Israel actually put themselves in the situation because they had gone away from God.

And so, the Lord turned to him and said: “Go with the strength you have, and rescue Israel from the Midianites. I am sending you!” “But Lord,” Gideon replied, “how can I rescue Israel? My clan is the weakest in the whole tribe of Manasseh, and I am the least in my entire family!” Judges 6:14-15

Gideon did what most of us have done: He began to compare himself with others and say, “But me? I am the weakest. I am the least. What do I have? Why are you choosing me, God? I can’t sing like that person. I can’t do this like that person.”

The Bible tells us it’s not wise to compare ourselves with others. 2Cor.10:12. Why? Because God is not going to help you to be anyone else other than the person He made you to be! God has put gifts inside you to bless someone else, not for you to get jealous or compare your gifts with someone else’s gifts. You better accept yourself as God made you.

Psalm 139:13-15 “The Message” says, “… You formed me in my mother’s womb … I am marvelously made! … You know exactly how I was made, … how I was sculpted from nothing into something …”

You are uniquely designed by God for a special purpose. God has put gifts and talents inside of you that no one else has, and He desires that you use them for His Glory! Don’t let comparison or fear keep you from stepping out into your destiny.

I remember the time that my husband and I stepped out to build a bible school in Amsterdam. I remember how overwhelmed I felt by the assignment and didn’t feel capable, but He saw something in us that we didn’t see. We had to trust God that He would give us the grace in everything that needed to be done.

I felt like Gideon at the time, trying to make excuses of why I couldn’t do it. But then we finally said, “Lord, we will do it, but we need your wisdom to do it.” We knew it was God’s will for us to do it, and He was faithful to give us the grace needed for the task. My husband and I had to choose to get out of the “cave” and depend on His grace and power to help us accomplish what He was asking of us.

Gideon was a lot like Moses. Gideon had a word from the Lord, and he started making excuses of “I’m the weakest, and I am the least.” I thought about the story of Moses in Exodus 3. Moses was the same way with God. Here are two men in the Bible who are listed as people whom God used, and they both made excuses of how they didn’t think God could use them.

Both Gideon and Moses were about to put their lives on the line. They were looking for the absolute knowing that the Lord had called them to take on their enemies and deliver their people.

When the Lord calls us to do something for Him, it’s not a lack of faith to ask Him to confirm the word that He’s told us. Remember, He’s more concerned about your doing the assignment than you are, and He’s well able to send a clear sign to you about how to fulfill it. But He doesn’t want you to hold back in fear. He wants you to use all that is available to you so that you can step out of your cave into something extraordinary in 2012.

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