January 13

Now, therefore, proclaim in the hearing of the people: ‘Whoever is fearful and trembling may turn back and leave Mount Gilead.’” So twenty-two thousand of them turned back, but ten thousand remained. — Judg 7:3 BSB

Though God needed only a few men for His purposes, He wanted the best. So the first task was to weed out the incompetent. The army was stronger with just the brave ten thousand, rather than the original thirty thousand that included twenty thousand cowards.

Fear is contagious, and many churches would be stronger today if they were purified in the same way as Gideon’s army. The weakness in churches often comes from the large numbers of half-hearted members—those who have lost interest or were never truly committed in the first place. They add no strength, but instead hold back the church and dampen its passion.