The following is a work in progress. Just a few chapters have been written. This is not a final, but you should get a good idea what it is all about. I apologize for the formatting, but I am working on that.

10 Super Powers You Need to Survive

Chapter 1: You've Got the Power

Judges 2:16-19 Then the LORD raised up judges, who saved them out of the hands of these raiders. 17 Yet they would not listen to their judges but prostituted themselves to other gods and worshiped them. Unlike their fathers, they quickly turned from the way in which their fathers had walked, the way of obedience to the LORD's commands. 18 Whenever the LORD raised up a judge for them, he was with the judge and saved them out of the hands of their enemies as long as the judge lived; for the LORD had compassion on them as they groaned under those who oppressed and afflicted them. 19 But when the judge died, the people returned to ways even more corrupt than those of their fathers, following other gods and serving and worshiping them. They refused to give up their evil practices and stubborn ways.

Life isn't easy. It takes super human strength to survive.
There are times I wish I had the speed of The Flash. Business trips cut in a fourth of the time.
Or I wish I had the rage of the Hulk. Imagine some guy cutting me off in the car and I step out screaming, my clothes ripping, turning green. He'll never do that again.
Or the agility of Spiderman. I'm sure that web firing mechanism would come in handy if the elevator was out or I just wanted to grab the TV remote across the room.
Or the intense drive of Batman. All that rage and a cool utility belt too!
Or the strength of Superman. Nothing penetrates that hard exterior, except Kryptonite and love.
Super humans are human, but super. Better. Way above average. Not common.
With their ability comes a sense of service too. They have been given the power not just to sit around and act all powerful, but to actually help others.
Super humans also face super enemies. Super antagonism requires super strength. Villains show up in the cities where the super humans live. It never fails. Super humans must tap into their known strengths and strengths they never knew they had.
Super humans juggle a dual life-a life lived in the world and a life lived out of this world. They are both common and extraordinary.
Yes, we long to be super human. I remember playing with toys as a kid. Whether it was a G.I. Joe or a Batman action figure, my character would never die. Knocked down, yes. Beat up, sure. Blown across the room, always. But he would always get up and fly back to the enemy (even G.I. Joe in my world could fly) leveling his enemy with a super-colossal punch. Even if that enemy was a giant Kermit the Frog.
"Take that!"
I wanted to be that super human, especially when, ten minutes later, I got on my bike, fell down and scrapped my knee.
"MOMMY!"
Superman would never call for his mommy. (Batman can't cry out for his mommy because his mommy's dead. That's why he's so mad. Maybe, at times, he would scream, "ALFRED!" (the butler), but never "mommy.")
We want super human powers because our limitations are obvious every time we take a test, get a doctor's report, lose a friend or find ourselves in the deep dark tunnel of our future.
God wants to give us those super powers.

In the book of Joshua, we see the Israelites living in the Promised Land, aptly named because it was promised to them by God through the lives of Abraham and Moses. They've crossed the Jordan River, thanks to their newfound leader Joshua, Egypt now forty years behind them. It was a new generation of Israelites, all but two of them knew what life was like as a slave.
The Promised Land wasn't Easy Street. Most promises come with some degree of difficulty. Wars and conquests characterize the book of Joshua as a foothold was placed in the new land.
The book of Judges begins with the death of Joshua. The people of that time did a smart thing right at the beginning. They turned to God for help against their mortal enemies, the Canaanites. This promising beginning began a series of terrible failures, as they refused to obey the God they first turned to.
What happened?
They lost their faith. God answered their Canaanite appeal and told the tribe of Judah they would defeat the enemy. Judah responded by asking the tribe of Simeon to help them. That's like Superman turning to Underdog and asking for help. Why does Superman need anyone's help? God told Judah they had all the superpowers they needed to win the battle and they asked for back-up?
Judah defeated a number of enemies, then met their match in the hill country. An army of iron chariots, normally not a problem for God-led attacks, pushed them back. Their lack of faith showed the limitations of their strength.
They lived with their enemies. The rest of Judges tells the failures of the tribes of Benjamin, Joseph, Zebulun, Asher, Naphtali and Dan. None of them could entirely defeat the villains of their region, so a remnant of enemies continued to live in the area.
The failure of most superheroes is that they win the battle, but they never annihilate their enemy. Think if Batman defeated the Joker then, while the clown was down, Batman fired three shots into his skull. Cruel, yes. Effective, absolutely. No more Joker. Superheroes never kill the villain, who ultimately returns four episodes or issues later to wreak havoc. They always get carted off to jail or fall into a "pit" of some sort, only to miraculously escape and it starts all over again.
Israel never wiped out their enemy because they couldn't (they weren't strong enough or organized enough), they didn't want to (they liked the enemy women and their idols) and God wouldn't let them (the enemies came in handy to teach the Israelites a lesson).
In Judges Chapter 2, God tells the Israelites He'll always be with them, but so will their enemies. God chose to keep the villains in Israel, refusing to drive them out, so that the Israelites would always stay close to God. This means that our enemies play a very important role in our relationship with God. They keep us humble and weak. Humble and weak people eventually turn to God for strength.
Think how bored Aquaman would be without The Black Manta or The Ocean Master. What would the X-Men do without Magneto? Wonder Woman would sit around the house eating ice cream, getting fat and lazy if it weren't for Dr. Psycho and Ares. Villains keep superheroes in shape, on their toes and at their peak of their skills.
God leaves the enemies in our lives, not because He hates us and wants us to succumb to their temptations, but because He knows that without them, we would become spiritually fat and lazy, sitting around all day eating ice cream.
Enemies test our devotion to God. God says in Judges 2:21-22 that He wanted the enemies to stay to see if Israel would walk in the way of the Lord or not.
Now the difference between the Israelites and comic book superheroes is that the superheroes really want the villains out of their lives. The Israelites tolerated the enemies, hating them intensely while becoming darkly attracted to them, their women and their gods. In that sense they quietly wanted the enemy to stay.
God let them. Joshua 3 tells us those enemies are:
The Philistines
The Canaanites
The Sidonians
The Hivites
We will see more of them soon.
They lacked leadership. Say what you want about the awkward relationship between the unmarried bachelor Bruce Wayne and young, nubile Dick Grayson, but at least Batman mentored Robin. Superman had Superboy. Wonder Woman had Wonder Girl. Professor X had a whole mutant school.
These seemingly immortal super heroes raised up a future generation since they knew it were entirely possible that they wouldn't be around forever. If comic book superheroes knew that, why didn't the Israelites?
Joshua 2:10 tells us that when the Joshua Generation died, so did the nation's reliance on God. You see, the old generation lived through the forty years of nomadic struggle and faith in the desert and saw the conquest and Grand Opening of Israel. The next generation only knew the comfort of their homes and a relatively safe environment. They were not taught to respect the Lord and seek him earnestly in times of difficulty and war.
So they sought the idols and hung out with the enemy.
Many authors today focus their studies on the generation that lived through World War II. This dying generation understood what it was like to live through hard times. Vietnam, Korea, the Gulf and Iraq wars were hard, but they did not change the lifestyle of the whole world. World War II was the last devastating conflict that tested the tenacity and resilience of the human spirit.
That generation then gave birth to the sixties generation. What happened? The fifties were pretty much conflict free, a hey-day of fun and wealth. It made them soft. We definitely can learn lessons from the World War II generation, but they failed to impose those lessons on their hippie children. Rebellion occurred without mentoring the kids.
Losing faith, living with their enemies and lacking leadership, the Israelites faltered. For years they lived under the guidance of Moses or Joshua. Now, they were twelve separate clans living separately. No superstar rose to prominence. They conformed into the bad guys, adopting their religious practices. Moving into a new house takes up all your time. The Israelites substituted their work and time with God for work and time planting, building and fighting for the new land. Their faith got sloppy and eventually they left it abandoned on the side of the road.

Judges is all about an endless cycle of rebellion, realization, repentance, request, response, restoration and relationship. A cyclical series of ups and downs.
First the Israelites always rebelled against God. God caused adversity to come their way.
Then the enemies arrived, subdued the Israelites who soon realized they had strayed from God.
They cried out and repented of their evil ways.
They requested God for help.
God responded by sending a superhero to save them.
The superhero fought and defeated the enemy, restoring the land to the Israelites.
The Israelites renewed their relationship with God.
That would last a few years, until rebellion started all over again.
The Bible calls this superhero a Judge. Now we think of Judge Judy or Judge Mathis or Judge Texas Outlaw Justice Guy. Black robes, "all rise," gavel in hand, goofy bailiff at his side. Not in the case.
Biblical Judges performed the duties of a judge by righting the wrong and bringing justice to the situation. None of them went through law school. For the most part, they were politicians or warriors.
What you find common in all of them is that, for the most part, they weren't super strong, super smart, super powerful men or women. The strongest of them all, Samson, was actually the weakest in many ways. Each of them had a mastery or a skill in one (or more) areas that made them effective.
It was God who turned them into super heroes and he wants to do the same with you.. Their super powers are the super powers God wants you to have.
Imagine if you had a super power. What would you want?
Invisibility?
Strength?
Quickness?
Laser bolts from your finger nails?
The power to read minds?
Or to retain every bit of information you ever saw or heard, from chemistry formulas to movie quotes?
When I was a kid, I ordered a pair of glasses from the back of Boy's Life. They promised me the ability to see through things. I remember the ad showed a creepy looking guy with spiral eyes and a sinister grin staring at some poor woman who was trying to cover herself up. I really wanted that super power to see through girl's clothes.
I wanted the power to be that creepy guy!
When the glasses arrived, I tore open the box and ran outside (I didn't want my mom to be the first one I saw). I learned my first lesson in false advertising. The glasses didn't work. Some piece of paper inside gave a warning: "These X-Ray glasses may not be able to see through certain materials like stone, metal, wood, clothing and tissue paper." Who would have thought that a bogus product would come from the back of a magazine for Boy Scouts, who have a creed that says they are "Trustworthy, loyal, friendly, helpful, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean and reverent"?
Like most things in this world, I was promised super human ability but it could not deliver. Look at the top selling books today. All of them promising super human strength. Two months later they are off the list and another super human power is number one.
God delivers on his super powers. He wants us to have them so we can show others what God can do with one ordinary life. He wants us to be super human so we can rescue others from oppression, leading them to an abundant life. He wants us to be useful, serving him and glorifying him as others see His power in us.
Spiderman learned his lesson. "With great power comes great responsibility."
As you receive the 10 Super Powers outlined in this book, remember, God wants you to use them for His good. You have a responsibility to change the world for God.
Don't go back to your old ways. Don't get caught in the cycle.
It's time to fly.

Chapter 2: Super Power #1 - The Power of Your Oddity
Judge: Ehud, the left handed

Left handed people are weird.
There, I said.
To this day, if I see someone writing left handed, I think, that's odd. Sometimes I actually believe it's strange, bizarre, even wrong.
The other day I watched a friend of mine that I knew for fourteen years write with his left hand. I never knew he was left-handed. I stood there speechless, wanting to say something like…
"How could you deceive me?"
"What's with you!"
"I thought I knew you."
He's not my friend any more. (Just kidding)
But I'm not alone in my assessment of left handed people. The world is not very accepting of them. Approximately 8-15% of the population is left handed. That's a minority. Some statistics show that left-handers are more likely to be schizophrenic, alcoholic, delinquent, dyslexic, with a variety of mental disabilities. There are special tools for left handers, including guitars, scissors, golf clubs, computer mouse, pens, watch, can openers, steak knives and rulers. One could argue they are handicap.
There has always been a stigma attached with left-handedness.
Religions thought they were satanic. The root word for right in many European languages carries with it the idea of "correct." Right (being correct) and right handed went together. Naturally, the opposite of right (correct) is wrong and the opposite of right (direction) is left, and so left-handers were thought to be "wrong." The English word for left had come to mean "sinister." It originated from the Latin word "sinus" which referred to the left pocket in togas. Left handed people were labeled evil and of the devil.
Ancient civilizations shunned left handed people. The Romans, Chinese, Indonesia and Arab countries cast left-handers out or looked down upon them. In ancient times, greetings were done with the right hand. It was the hand one ate with. The left hand was the one you, well, wiped yourself with after defecation. The left hand was everyone's toilet paper. You never showed your left hand in public. "Hey, look at my used toilet paper!"
So you see why left handers have had such a hard time throughout history.
Now obviously I don't hate left handers. My assistant is left-handed and very handy. My dad was one. So is my father-in-law. Thankfully it's not genetic and none of us or our offspring have succumbed to this frightening physical disease.

Othniel
In Judges 3:5-11, the first Judge that God called was Othniel. The Israelites took women from the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites and made them their wives, serving their gods. In retaliation, God allowed them to be sold into the hands of Cushan-rishathaim king of Mesopotamia for eight years. It got so bad, the Israelites called out for help and God sent them Othniel.
Othniel was the son of Kenaz, Caleb's younger brother. All the Bible says is the Spirit of the Lord came upon Him and he judged Israel, which means he went to war. The Mesopotamian king went down. Othniel won and peace came to the land for forty years, until Othniel died.
Spirit of the Lord…?

Ehud
The cycle began again when the sons of Israel repeated their sins.
This time the villain was Eglon, the king of Moab who formed an alliance with the countries of Ammon and Amalek and defeated the Israelites. This went on for eighteen years.
Then the Israelites had enough and turned to God. God heard them…

Judges 3:15 Again the Israelites cried out to the LORD, and he gave them a deliverer-Ehud, a left-handed man, the son of Gera the Benjamite. The Israelites sent him with tribute to Eglon king of Moab.

Ehud was a leftie. Of all the things a leader could be-rough, tough, strong, cruel, wise, shrewd-Ehud's great ability is being a southpaw.
That's odd.
And that's exactly his super power. Ehud was an oddball.
The X-Men have in their corral the most eclectic collection of weird and wonderful mutants. Each of them has one unique power, from controlling the weather to disappearing to making steak knives come out of their knuckles. The world, in those stories, has a love-hate relationship with X-Men. Yes, they save the world from destruction, but they are so weird, that legislation and opinion wants them separated from the masses. A sort of mutant prejudice that exemplifies all kinds of prejudice.
"If you're not like us, we don't like you."
Think about all the kids you knew that got picked on in school. (I'm hoping it wasn't you) There was always something odd about them. I remember one kid who got picked on because he had peanut butter and jelly every day. It got so bad that if you said, "Peanut butter and jelly" to him he would freak out and trash the place. And he was strong. Only the very stupid ever ventured to utter those four last words.
While the bizarre characteristics of the X-Men are the target of ridicule, their oddity also empowered them. Their oddity was their strength.
Ehud's left handedness separated him, made him stand out, turned him into an oddball, but as we will see, it gave him an ability no one else had.

Judges 3:16 Now Ehud had made a double-edged sword about a foot and a half long, which he strapped to his right thigh under his clothing. 17 He presented the tribute to Eglon king of Moab, who was a very fat man. 18 After Ehud had presented the tribute, he sent on their way the men who had carried it. 19 At the idols near Gilgal he himself turned back and said, "I have a secret message for you, O king."
The king said, "Quiet!" And all his attendants left him.

Ehud put the sword on the inside, inner right thigh, about the length of his calf bone. If he were frisked, they would tend to favor the inside, inner left thigh. Why? A right handed person, intent on assassination, in one quick move would use their right hand to reach under their clothing, grab the sword strapped to their inner left thigh. Go ahead and act it out and you'll see. First with your right, then your left. It's too awkward to grab a sword inside your right thigh with your right hand.
Now that we've got that down…

Judges 3:20 Ehud then approached him while he was sitting alone in the upper room of his summer palace and said, "I have a message from God for you." As the king rose from his seat, 21 Ehud reached with his left hand, drew the sword from his right thigh and plunged it into the king's belly. 22 Even the handle sank in after the blade, which came out his back. Ehud did not pull the sword out, and the fat closed in over it. 23 Then Ehud went out to the porch; he shut the doors of the upper room behind him and locked them.
24 After he had gone, the servants came and found the doors of the upper room locked. They said, "He must be relieving himself in the inner room of the house." 25 They waited to the point of embarrassment, but when he did not open the doors of the room, they took a key and unlocked them. There they saw their Lord fallen to the floor, dead.
26 While they waited, Ehud got away. He passed by the idols and escaped to Seirah. 27 When he arrived there, he blew a trumpet in the hill country of Ephraim, and the Israelites went down with him from the hills, with him leading them.
28 "Follow me," he ordered, "for the LORD has given Moab, your enemy, into your hands." So they followed him down and, taking possession of the fords of the Jordan that led to Moab, they allowed no one to cross over. 29 At that time they struck down about ten thousand Moabites, all vigorous and strong; not a man escaped. 30 That day Moab was made subject to Israel, and the land had peace for eighty years.

Ehud's oddity allowed him to successfully assassinate the ruling king, which led to a stunned and disorganized enemy and ultimately to victory for the nation of Israel.
Let's be honest. We all have oddities. There is something about you that makes you different. An oddity is nothing more than a way of thinking, acting or looking that makes you stand out. We tend to hate our oddities, preferring anonymity. However, we can use our oddity as a super power.

Your oddity doesn't make you different, it makes you dangerous.

This report came out on ABC News:

Researchers in France recently took an interest in the disproportionately high number of left-handed athletes who thrive in sports involving direct one-on-one contact, such as baseball (think Babe Ruth), tennis (think John McEnroe) and boxing (think Oscar de la Hoya or the fictional Rocky Balboa).
Charlotte Faurie and Michel Raymond of the University of Montpellier in France figured the same reason so many left-handed people are successful in such sports could also explain a possible higher success rate among lefties in primitive combat.
This means that, back in the days when fighting was an important part of survival and winning mates, the rare left-hander may have come out on top more often.
To prove their theory, Faurie and Raymond surveyed nine primitive societies in five separate continents. Through a mix of direct observation and existing data, they estimated the number of left-handed people within each population. They also looked at murder rates, thinking that those communities with higher murder rates might favor populations with more left-handed people. The more violence, the more chances lefties would have at issuing their unexpected left hook, or other such weapon, and come out on top.
Among these samples, they found strong support for the idea that, at least in primitive societies with higher levels of violence, lefties thrive.

Remember that next time you pick on a leftie.
Most people believe artists are weird. Well, they're right. We see all the time the crazy antics of actors, writers, artists who jump on couches, cut off their ears and drink themselves to death. Some attribute it to chemical imbalances. Others to arrogance and greed. Whatever your theory, creative types are not normal. But their "abnormality" makes them strong.
I watched a fascinating movie called "The Devil and Daniel Johnston" about a songwriter with psychological problems, who weaved in and out of mental hospitals, yet wrote some of the most incredible, intense and raw lyrics you've ever heard. He garnered a cult following and his songs were recorded by Tom Waits, Death Cab for Cutie and Beck. Odd yet brilliant.
Ehud's oddity made him very dangerous. A force to be reckoned with. Many shunned him back home, but it's that oddity that saved those shunners from persecution.
Now Eglon the king had an oddity too, but that oddity was his weakness. While Ehud's physical characteristics were pointed out, so was Eglon's. He was fat.
His fatness caused his death. He could not stop the physical quickness of Ehud. That fatness was his oddity, but not his weakness. His fatness showed his weakness.
One becomes fat due to neglect and over indulgence. As king, Eglon probably lounged around, feasted and enjoyed his success. His greed made him flabby. You can see this in his desire for more power. Ehud baited him with a "secret message." Eglon rubbed his hands. "Yummy, more power!" So he sent his guards away.
Dumb move.
He probably never shared a meal. It was all for him.
Being fat isn't necessarily a weakness. It may make you stand out in the crowd and be labeled as different. Being greedy and self-indulgent is a weakness. Eglon obviously had leadership potential and military prowess, but he let himself go.
We have a choice to use our oddity as our strength or as our downfall. Ehud recognized he was left handed and instead of taking on the victim mentality and giving up, he used it as an advantage.
Our oddity makes us different, but it makes us dangerous too. We must adjust our attitude toward our weirdness and figure out a way to use it for good, instead of giving up and letting ourselves get flabby.

Your oddity doesn't make you an outsider, it makes you outstanding

A farmer walking around his crops is out standing in his field. (Think about that for second)
Many of us don't like to stand out. I stand out. I'm six foot six. I'm not spy material. My height makes me a freak. As a teenager, my pants were too short. I would trip and fall due to lack of coordination. I can't ski due to the old adage, the bigger they are, the harder they fall (it's true, by the way). I hit my head on things.
As a teenager, I developed by weird sense of humor. I watched Monty Python while other kids watched "Good Times." I read Mad Magazine while others read Boy's Life. I made films while others played baseball. Most kids didn't understand the tall, skinny dork who said "Nih" and talked about the "penguin on the telly."
Those things worked to my advantage. Statistics on tall people say they get more respect and better jobs than short people. My sense of humor got me work in television writing parodies and sketches for Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake.
Before you know it, the oddball becomes the boss, the celebrated author or on the cover of Time.
We all want to be outstanding in our field. Good left handed pitchers can write their ticket to the majors. In this world that preaches diversity, your ethnic status can give you elevated minority privileges. Actor Peter Dinklage ("Elf," "The Station Agent") is four foot five and one of the most intense actors around. At first you're surprised by his dwarfism, then you're amazed by his acting ability. Danny Devito towers over him by seven inches and has played a leading man many times.
There was something about Ehud that got him the job of assassin. His left handedness played a factor, but his competence and cunning made him stand out
Don't disappear into the background because of your oddity. Use it to get the attention of others.

Your oddity doesn't make you common, it gives you character.

Left-Handed U.S. Presidents
James A. Garfield (1831-1881) 20th
Herbert Hoover (1874-1964) 31st
Harry S. Truman (1884-1972) 33rd
Gerald Ford (1913- ) 38th
Ronald Reagan (1911 - ) 40th
George H.W. Bush (1924- ) 41st
Bill Clinton (1946- ) 42nd
Left-Handed U.S. Politicos
Benjamin Franklin, statesman/publisher/scientist
Miscellaneous Left-Handers
Joan of Arc (?), French heroine
Alexander the Great
Charlemagne, Holy Roman emperor
Julius Caesar, Roman general
Napoléon Bonaparte (?), French emperor
Fidel Castro, Cuban leader
Helen Keller, advocate for the blind
David Letterman (?), host
Jay Leno, host
Joel Hodgson, host of Mystery Science Theater 3000
Boston Strangler (Albert Henry DeSalvo), serial killer
Bart Simpson, cartoon character
Left-Handed Authors
Lewis Carroll
Mark Twain, novelist
H.G. Wells
Left-Handed Musicians
Kurt Cobain (Nirvana)
Billy Corgan (Smashing Pumpkins)
Glenn Frey (the Eagles)
Jimi Hendrix
Paul McCartney (the Beatles; Wings)
Robert Plant (Led Zepplin)
Ringo Starr (?) (the Beatles)
Left-Handed Artists
Michelangelo
Raphael
Leonardo da Vinci
Left-Handed Actors
Tim Allen
Tom Cruise
Robert DeNiro
Angelina Jolie
Nicole Kidman
Lisa Kudrow
Keanu Reeves
Julia Roberts
Jerry Seinfeld, comedian
Bruce Willis

One of the oddest characters I can think of is Jesus Christ. What was his oddity?
o Walked on water and healed people.
o Talked about heaven and His Father.
o He got picked on.
o Never sinned. 33 year old virgin.
o Died for people who didn't care him.
o His love made him odd. Also made him dangerous, outstanding and uncommon.
" What is your oddity? What makes you stand out? Sense of humor? Love of cats? Civil War historian?

RESPONSE: What is your oddity? Think about it. Thank God for it.

Chapter 3: Super Power #2 - The Power of Your Resources
Judge: Shamgar

The television series MacGyver ran from September 29, 1985 to May 21, 1992 on ABC. It followed the story of an ex-special agent who freelanced for hire, taking him to places all over the world as long as those places looked suspiciously like Vancouver, Canada (where it was shot). MacGyver had an unusual knack to make use of whatever materials were at his disposal. His enemies never seemed to learn and always locked him in storage closets filled with items that seem ordinary to us, but in MacGyver's hands turned into deadly weapons.
His scientific know-how made use of a pocket knife, duct tape and household chemicals. He could make a bomb out of cold tablet, develop film with orange juice and defuse a missile with a toothpick.
The rest of us would cry and scream, pounding our fists on the door of the storage closet. MacGyver made the best out of whatever was handed to him and found a way to freedom.
Kyle Maynard was born as a congenital paraplegic. His parents were shocked to hear at his birth that his arms stopped at his elbows and his legs stopped at the knees. But Kyle's parents never allowed him make any excuses. From an early age they made him feed himself, dress himself, type and write without any hands. He went on to be a defensive lineman for his high school football team and a top ranked wrestler.
The rest of us would sulk in our wheelchair, flailing our stumps in the air, gritting our teeth and cursing the day we were born. Kyle looked at what life had given him and made the best of it.
Professor Xavier from the X-Men series was a HOW DID HE GET IN A WHEELCHAIR. However limiting his physical capacity was, Xavier continued to expand mentally. Yes, he couldn't run and jump, but he could think.
The rest of us…well, you get the idea. Xavier assessed his limitations and refused to allow them to limit him.
Many times in our lives we look at the hand we've been dealt and we fold or complain to the dealer. But life truly isn't fair. Not everyone gets an equal share. We can whine and moan, but the cards remain the same. Our complaining won't change anything.
We have to live like Tom Hanks in Castaway. We find ourselves trapped, with no way out, apparently. We look around and find nothing but a bunch of coconuts and bamboo. However, with a little ingenuity, thought and faith, those coconuts become food and the bamboo, shelter and a weapon. Even a volleyball became his best friend.
The key to those situations is getting to work and doing something with what we have and making the best of it.
In the book of Judges, the Israelites found themselves in another crises moment. Now it was the Philistines turn to torment the Jews. Another cycle of rebellion and repentance had begun.
The Philistines were a formidable enemy. They were not the crass Barbarians who ate without utensils, burped and farted. Philistines were actually quite sophisticated and modern. Not necessarily classy with pinkies held high while they dined on fine wines, but advanced with their technology and their worship.
The main point of contention between Philistines and Jews was the area of religion. Philistines worshiped Dagon, a god of grain, thought to be a fish god. They had fertility temples to the god Ashtoreth where prostitution occurred and even child sacrifices. They even worshipped Dagon's son, Beelzebub, which the Jews hated so much, they renamed him Beelzebul or Lord of the Flies. Flies hang out near…crap. So basically he was the god of crap. A worthless god.
The Philistines advanced in the area of iron works. Iron figured prominently in their weapons, making them stronger, sharper, pointier. Excavations in Jewish settlements show no such instruments. The most famous Philistine, Goliath, walked around with a spear the size of ship's mast, made more threatening by the steel tip on the end. No wonder no one wanted to fight him and the only one small boy, David, was brave enough because of his skill at launching air strikes from a safe distance.
So here we have the Philistines with their sharp pointy weapons and the poor Jews are being oppressed by them.
The Jews cried out: "God! Send us a super hero!"
God did just that. In one of the shortest introductions and examinations of a Judge we find out about our second superhero.

Judges 3:31 After Ehud came Shamgar son of Anath, who struck down six hundred Philistines with an oxgoad. He too saved Israel.

That's it. Shamgar, son of Anath. Who's Anath? No idea. Makes no difference unless you're Anath.
What's of interest to us is what Shamgar did. He killed six hundred Philistines, who were armed with that day's most advanced weaponry, by only using an oxgoad.
So what's an oxgoad. Another name for a rocket launcher? Or a Ninja star that slices the heads off enemies? Or a roadside bomb attached to an ox?
No. It's a long stick. Used to poke ox and make them…go. Ox-go!
Certainly not numchucks or dual light sabers or a battle ax. It's just a stick. But Shamgar used it and it made him a super hero.
Other Judges used similar household or unusual items and became great warriors. Jael, in our next chapter, used a tent peg and Samson used a donkey jaw bone. It's all they had, but it saved the day.
So why did Shamgar use an oxgoad? Of all the items in the world, why a pointy ox-poker?
Maybe Shamgar's obedience was instantaneous. He received the call from God while he was at work in the fields and like Superman without the phone booth, flies off to right the wrong and defend the defenseless. When he arrives, Shamgar realizes what's in his hand: an oxgoad.
One time while living in Los Angeles, I received a knock on the door from my neighbor. "I think there's someone breaking into your car!" I ran outside and confronted two gentlemen, both in their 20s, shifty eyes with their hands in their pockets. We stood five feet from each other. I looked at my car window. Busted in. I looked at them.
"Do you know who did this?" A dumb question, but what was I going to do. Accuse them? I was outnumbered.
"We don't know nothing about it." They walked away.
I wanted to do something. I wanted to detain them. There I stood shirtless, wearing only shorts, no shoes. I looked in my hand. I was holding a remote control for the television, the last thing I was doing before my neighbor sounded the alarm.
Now what do I do with a TV remote? Hit PAUSE? Hit REWIND and watch them commit the crime? Or FAST FORWARD and get the heck out of there?
Without thinking, Shamgar may have ran from the farm, his heart sensing the urgency, desiring to go immediately where God wanted him to go and only later looked down and found a simple oxgoad in his hands.
Or maybe it was the only weapon he possessed.
I know that if a crazed killer entered my house, I would grab a huge knife in the kitchen. I also have a wooden "sword" under the bed that's about four feet long, very solid with a handle. There's also a dangerous pair of shoes my wife owns with a 10-inch heel.
Not exactly an arsenal. Now if someone breaks into my friend's Tom house, they would be greeted by any number of high-caliber weapons including an Uzi.
We don't have guns in the house and maybe Shamgar didn't have weapons in his. An oxgoad was the most destructive item he owned.
Maybe the oxgoad was the one item he knew best. If he worked with it all day, he understood its length, weight, feel. He could balance it, hold it, wield it. Even David rejected the soldier's uniform and choice of weaponry for the one item he knew best as a shepherd…the slingshot. The oxgoad felt comfortable in Shamgar's hands and he did not need to "learn" a new weapon while six hundred, blood thirsty Philistines came screaming at him all at once.
"Now which one of these is the trigger?"
Shamgar's use of an oxgoad reveals the super human power of Resourcefulness. Resourcefulness uses what resources are at one's disposal. Resourcefulness doesn't go out and buy more resources or cry for more resources or simply inventory one's resources. Resourcefulness says "What have I got and what can I do with what I got."
We need that super human power when it seems we don't have much to work with.
When it comes to life, we focus more on what we don't have then what we have. MacGyver doesn't long for a rocket launcher. He checks his pockets, finds a hair comb and makes the best use of it. Kyle Maynard didn't wish for arms. He looked at his stubs and found a way to tackle people with them.
Our lack of satisfaction in life comes from peeking. We peek over the fence into our neighbor's life and we think, "They have a better lawn mower, SUV, a faster computer, a prettier girl friend or a higher paying job, now I hate my lawn mower, car, computer, girl friend, job." The problem isn't what we have. It's what we don't have and what we think we're missing.
IF…THEN thinking causes systems to go haywire. "If I had that, then I would be happier, better, more equipped." IF…THEN is a hypothetical statement. We think IF we had something that THEN things would be better. But we don't know that. Larger lawn mowers have more moving parts that break down. Just like SUVs and computers. Girl friends come in all shapes in sizes. Many times stunning good looks come with high maintenance requirements too.
So what do you really wish you had? Now ask yourself…do you really need it? Really? What sort of extra problems come with your need?
Super humans use what they have.
It's not about what you don't have. It's about what you do with what you have.
If only I had a million dollars…
Ever play that game? We speculate on a happier life where all our monetary needs are met. Bills paid. Vacations planned. Cars bought.
It's fun to play the game with what we don't have. It's hard to play it with what we do have.
I have $456 in savings. What can I do with that?
It doesn't take a super human to spend a million dollars. It takes a super human to get by on life with only $456.
So ask yourself, realistically, what do you have?
I am the executive of my aunt's estate. There is some money (about a year's salary) coming my way once her house sells (a manufactured home located conveniently off the coast of Florida where four hurricanes have come on shore-tough sell, huh?). The game I play is IF that house sells, THEN I could take care of some bills, plan a vacation with my family, save some money for college. Truth is the house hasn't sold, so what am I going to do about it in the meantime?
Super humans don't speculate. They think realistically.
Shamgar looked down into his hands and found a pointy stick. No speculation. No wishful thinking. Just a make-do attitude.
If you use what God has given you, it'll be more effective than you think.
I would like to think that Shamgar stood over the bodies of the 600 dead Philistines, took deep panting breaths, then glanced at the oxgoad in his hand. There had to be a moment where he thought, "Huh. This oxgoad rocks!"
I doubt oxgoad sales went up. Or Oxgoad Inc. surged on Wall Street. Or infomercials popped up with testimonials from satisfied oxgoad users.
What happened is neither Shamgar or the oxgoad got the glory. Because when a guy kills 600 people with a pointy stick, it has to be God. If Bill Gates starts a food drive with 50 million dollars, we don't see super human strength. But when a little kid from Des Moines Iowa encourages his neighbors, then his church, then his city to give canned food and collects over one million cans to feed thousands of homeless (with can openers I hope) then we see super human power at work.
This displays an IF GOD mindset. If God is involved in this project, in this dream, in my life…THEN anything is possible.
What do you have? At your disposal you have a number of resources in your possessions.
" Time
" Talent
" Money
" Man power
What are you going to do with what you have? You may not have as much as others, but you have something to work with. It may add up to nothing more than a pointy ol' stick. But God can do a lot with very little. In fact, the soldiers of God's army are armed with tent pegs, donkey jaw bones and pointy sticks.
And they are more dangerous than you think.

Chapter 4: Super Power #3 - The Power of Confidence
Judge: Deborah

Don't you love those guys on reality shows?
I'm talking about the ones that say, at the beginning of the competition, "I'm going to win this thing. I'm going all the way. No one can stop me. I have what it takes to be the next (American Idol, Survivor, Apprentice, take your pick)."
Then, two episodes in, they're voted off.
Or the sports stars who guarantee a win for their city. How many of them were humbled by getting bounced in the first round?
Cockiness and confidence walk a thin line. If you lose, you're cocky. If you win, you're confident.
Confidence is necessary, especially for leaders. How would you feel about a superhero who swoops down as your car is being dragged down the river and turns to you and says, "Hopefully you'll get out of this alive." WHAT!
For that matter, how about a quarterback who says, "I don't know, we might win." Or a pitcher who says, "I guess anything's possible." Or a race car driver who shrugs and mutters, "Maybe." How about a travel guide who tells you before you leave, "We might make it back"? Or a financial investor who instills security into you by saying, "You might win or you might lose your shirt." Or a doctor before surgery who whispers before you fall asleep, "Pray for me."
We want everyone around us to have confidence. We know that powerful people have confidence or they wouldn't get to where they are today, right?

"My theory is that if you look confident you can pull off anything - even if you have no clue what you're doing." Jessica Alba.

Smart words from an actress. If you aren't confident, at least look confident. That works until you fail.
There are so many losers in this world. Admit it, you're one of them. I am! Everyone has lost at something. No one wins at everything. Losers rule, well, in terms of numbers, not necessarily in terms of power. Thousands turn out to audition for American Idol. Only one receives the crown (well, second place does pretty well too).
The world needs losers. If it weren't for losers, there wouldn't be winners. Face it, every competition can't end in a tie. Life isn't soccer.
Is it safe to say that the team that wins had confidence and the team that loses did not have confidence? Absolutely not. Both had confidence at the starting buzzer, but one was right. The other was… tired, bad game, poor coaching, terrible officiating, some excuse.
There is a difference between confidence and self-confidence. A big difference!
Self-confidence receives its information from a limited perspective-their own.

"Believe in yourself! Have faith in your abilities! Without a humble but reasonable confidence in your own powers you cannot be successful or happy." Norman Vincent Peale

We need a certain level of confidence, but does it come from self? Self-confidence exists on a wide scale, from dangerous and cocky to assured and positive. Sometimes it raises oneself to a level they may or may not be to live up to. Its motivation is self-glorification. It sees winning as a means to selfish end.
On the other hand, self-confidence knows that you have what it takes and you work hard to see it through. You believe in yourself. Nothing wrong with that. Self-confident players can lose and still bounce back.
Confidence is different. Way different. Confidence sees things from other perspectives.
Confidence knows without a doubt. It's being absolutely, positively sure. The actor who knows they will win the Oscar and does. The baseball player who knows they will win the World Series and they do. The politician who knows he will win the election and he does. Many of those people who exhibit that much confidence would be investigated afterwards for fraud or insider trading. Just ask Martha Stewart. How can anyone know without a doubt the future.
Is it just luck? Can we be confident with luck?
Is there anything on this Earth that we can be that confident about?
Not much. We can be sure the sun will rise, taxes will be paid and we will die.
I'm pretty confident of other things, mainly two. The love of my wife and the love of my dog. Barbie for twenty years has shown devotion to me and love. I'm confident she won't sleep with the handy man or run away with my accountant.
My dog is a Golden Retriever and you can beat those dogs mercilessly and they'll still wag themselves to death when you come home. They love unconditionally.
Confidence requires not just a trust in your own ability, but a security in the future, a knowledge of the outcome of all future events, all future human interactions and reactions, the outcome of all battles and wars. Can anyone have that?
Just imagine if you could have that kind of confidence.
Deborah was a prophetess. After Ehud died, God called on her to step in as the new judge for Israel. Deborah had confidence, but was surrounded by unconfident people.

Joshua 4:1 After Ehud died, the Israelites once again did evil in the eyes of the LORD. 2 So the LORD sold them into the hands of Jabin, a king of Canaan, who reigned in Hazor. The commander of his army was Sisera, who lived in Harosheth Haggoyim. 3 Because he had nine hundred iron chariots and had cruelly oppressed the Israelites for twenty years, they cried to the LORD for help.

We see once again the cycle of rebellion, response, realization, repentance, request, restoration and relationship. The Israelites are back doing evil, probably idol worship, so God, in his desire to bring that back around to repentance and restoration, allows an enemy to take over the land. Jabin is the king. Sisera is the commander of the army. This lasts for twenty years.

4 Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of Lappidoth, was leading Israel at that time. 5 She held court under the Palm of Deborah between Ramah and Bethel in the hill country of Ephraim, and the Israelites came to her to have their disputes decided. 6 She sent for Barak son of Abinoam from Kedesh in Naphtali and said to him, "The LORD, the God of Israel, commands you: 'Go, take with you ten thousand men of Naphtali and Zebulun and lead the way to Mount Tabor. 7 I will lure Sisera, the commander of Jabin's army, with his chariots and his troops to the Kishon River and give him into your hands.' "

Sadly it appears there was no man willing to lead. In Jewish culture, women weren't leaders or treated with much respect. Out of the entire Jewish culture, not one single man had the confidence to lead Israel.
This is not chauvinism. Men follow men. Men have a hard time being led by women. But if there is no man willing to lead, God has no problem going to a woman. Even Lappidoth, Deborah's husband, sits idly by while her husband rules Israel. Poor guy. I wouldn't want to be a prophetess's husband. Always reading your mind.
"I know you didn't take out the trash."
"I know where you were last night."
"Don't you be looking at that neighbor."
"I know you're going to forget our anniversary."
That's another story…
Deborah had confidence, leading undaunted by the cultural barriers of her day. Assisting her was an extra dose of spirituality. Not only was Deborah faithful, but she heard God and God spoke to her.
The business of prophesying required a high degree of confidence. You had to tell others what God said of the future. You could not stir support by saying, "I think God told us to fight, but I'm not sure."

8 Barak said to her, "If you go with me, I will go; but if you don't go with me, I won't go."
9 "Very well," Deborah said, "I will go with you. But because of the way you are going about this, the honor will not be yours, for the LORD will hand Sisera over to a woman." So Deborah went with Barak to Kedesh, 10 where he summoned Zebulun and Naphtali. Ten thousand men followed him, and Deborah also went with him.

We don't know Barak's background, but we know this…Barak did not have confidence. Deborah, a prophetess, told Barak to go, take an army and God will help him defeat the enemy.
Barak says, "I'm not so sure. Can you come with me?" This is the equivalent of saying, "I want my mommy." Barak was the original girlie man.
It appears God's word was not enough.
Deborah puts him in his place. "Fine, if you're going to be that way, then you don't get the victory. God will let a girl defeat the king."
Ouch. Verbal castration. Barak had the opportunity to be the hero. There would be songs sung about him and statues erected in his name. Today people would dedicate web sites to Barak. Alas, he was not confident and he lost before he began.

11 Now Heber the Kenite had left the other Kenites, the descendants of Hobab, Moses' brother-in-law, and pitched his tent by the great tree in Zaanannim near Kedesh.
12 When they told Sisera that Barak son of Abinoam had gone up to Mount Tabor, 13 Sisera gathered together his nine hundred iron chariots and all the men with him, from Harosheth Haggoyim to the Kishon River.

Heber will figure into this story in a moment, but let's look at Sisera.
By world standards, Sisera had confidence. Twenty years of rule. More wins than loses. Nine hundred iron chariots, not the cheap paper mache ones. A huge army spread out across the land.
The confidence, though, was a false confidence. He felt like he was on top, but he didn't know that for sure.
At least, not yet.

14 Then Deborah said to Barak, "Go! This is the day the LORD has given Sisera into your hands. Has not the LORD gone ahead of you?" So Barak went down Mount Tabor, followed by ten thousand men. 15 At Barak's advance, the LORD routed Sisera and all his chariots and army by the sword, and Sisera abandoned his chariot and fled on foot. 16 But Barak pursued the chariots and army as far as Harosheth Haggoyim. All the troops of Sisera fell by the sword; not a man was left.

So with 10,000 men, Barak won the war. The underdog came out on top. Sisera had 900 chariots which had at least one (usually two) on each. Not everyone got a chariot so there had to be at least 1 in 10 chariots to men ratio. We'll assume (though the numbers were probably in Sisera's favor) the man power was even, but the weaponry was not. Sisera exceeded in metals and technology.
However, Barak had God on his side.
Sisera was outnumbered.

17 Sisera, however, fled on foot to the tent of Jael, the wife of Heber the Kenite, because there were friendly relations between Jabin king of Hazor and the clan of Heber the Kenite.
18 Jael went out to meet Sisera and said to him, "Come, my Lord , come right in. Don't be afraid." So he entered her tent, and she put a covering over him.
19 "I'm thirsty," he said. "Please give me some water." She opened a skin of milk, gave him a drink, and covered him up.
20 "Stand in the doorway of the tent," he told her. "If someone comes by and asks you, 'Is anyone here?' say 'No.' "
21 But Jael, Heber's wife, picked up a tent peg and a hammer and went quietly to him while he lay fast asleep, exhausted. She drove the peg through his temple into the ground, and he died.
22 Barak came by in pursuit of Sisera, and Jael went out to meet him. "Come," she said, "I will show you the man you're looking for." So he went in with her, and there lay Sisera with the tent peg through his temple-dead.
23 On that day God subdued Jabin, the Canaanite king, before the Israelites. 24 And the hand of the Israelites grew stronger and stronger against Jabin, the Canaanite king, until they destroyed him.

Now Heber figures into the story, actually his wife. A simple tent-wife, we find Jael polishing the tent pegs and sweeping the dirt floor when opportunity walks into the door. An estranged general, weary and tired, drops his guard and asks for a little nourishment.
He receives a welcome reserved for the likes of Dracula. WHAM!
The great warrior got hammered.
In this story we find Deborah who has confidence, Barak who has no confidence and Sisera who had self-confidence. Deborah is declared the winner of this story, Barak squeaks by with a draw and Sisera definitely loses.
The confidence exhibited by Deborah is the kind we want in our daily lives. We want to be able to walk around knowing, not hoping, maybe, possibly. We want to be absolutely sure of the right thing, not the might thing.
How do we get the superhuman power of confidence?
It requires us to put our trust in God and not ourselves. It demands that we know what He knows and what we think we know. It's a confidence that comes not from our limited perspective, but from God's perspective. The story of Deborah shows four things we can have confidence in, creating a force field around us that can penetrate doubt and skepticism.
Have Confidence: God wants to use you if you will allow Him. Deborah gives some strong words of action to Barak: "The Lord commands you!" God specifically tells Barak to go and do something. He had a plan for Barak to make him useful. Never do we find God encouraging laziness and unfulfillment (except maybe a little rest before the next battle begins).
We must know that God wants to use us and our radar must always be seeking out signals of purpose. When we find that purpose, we must proceed in confidence. It should come as no surprise or be surrounded by any doubt when the call for action comes in.
Have Confidence: God is already at work. We like leaders who have a plan, a back-up plan and a back-up/back-up plan. We like leaders who are ten steps ahead of the situation.
God does that one better: He knows the future and is orchestrating events to make it happen. The Lord is way ahead of us! This is a confidence builder, taking the pressure off us to figure it all out. God's ultimate strength is His omniscience (having infinite knowledge, not limited to time). No other being in this world has that superpower. Even Satan is bound to the present.
Have Confidence: God is using someone to accomplish His will. If God can't use you, He'll find someone to get the job done. God's first priority is to get the job done. If you want to be a part of that, God welcomes you into His plan. However, if you refuse, God doesn't throw up His hands and wonder who'll take up the cause. He's got the back-up/back-up plan.
Usually He finds someone who will humble you, like in the case of Jael.
Have Confidence: God doesn't pile all the work on you. The biggest deterrent to involvement is work load. We fear all the responsibility dropped on our shoulders. God has no problem involving others in the task. He invites and welcomes others into the process, allowing as many as he can into the redeeming process. It doesn't all rest on you.

Ephesians 6:16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.

Satan flings arrows at you. Flaming arrows. It's interesting that the weaponry is a shield of faith. That means the arrows are poisoned with doubt.
Confidence extinguishes doubt.
To have confidence you have to know God and how he works. Deborah was in touch with God. She knew God's track record and how He worked and what He desired. Without that intimacy, you won't know His voice.
To have confidence you must know what you can do. Barak not only lost confidence in God, but in himself. We are limited and we must know that. However, God is unlimited and we must know that too. We can do what God asks us to do.
To have confidence you must be willing and able when the situation arises. There is usually no time to wonder and speculate. When the opportunity knocks at your door, you must be ready beforehand. That requires a relinquishing of yourself to service. Jael had that. She was ready before her enemy stopped by for tea.
Notice the confidence of Christ. No matter how many opposed him, from the overly educated Pharisees to the mass crowds shouting for his crucifixion, Jesus knew what He knew. Some say He doubted His fate in the garden. No way. He knew His fate and it looked horrible.
Grab the shield and know nothing can penetrate it.
So what do you know and what are you doing with what you know?

Chapter 5: Super Power #4 - The Power of Faith
Judge: Gideon

I went skydiving once.
I arrived with about fifteen others, various shapes and sizes, from men to women, young and old, experienced to novice. I fell into the novice old man category. We all acted brave, afraid that we were the only one who was actually scared.
We had all talked about skydiving. "Yeah, some day" I remember the conversation always ended. One person actually took that wish seriously and booked us one day.
After weighing us in and taking our money, we signed waiver after waiver explaining that we couldn't blame the skydiving facility if we sky-dove to our death. If we did die, we would all call it an "accident."
When we walked into the hangar, I remember wondering when the instructions would begin. The owner walked over to us and said, "Okay, here's your harness. Put it on like this. Follow your tandem jumper's lead. Here are some hand signals. Put your feet out when you land. Good luck."
That's it? A harness and hand signals. Shouldn't I be receiving a twelve hour course on what to do if your femur is pushed into your brain? Nope, that was it.
Next thing I knew I was in a plane with my friend Mike Anderson, his tandem jumper, a video photographer he hired, some guy, myself, my tandem jumper and the pilot. The plane takes off and suddenly I realize we are really going to do this!
Below us I see the beautiful Florida coast and just off to the south…Cape Canaveral and the shuttle sitting on the launch pad.
But we weren't here to sight see. It's time to sky dive.
The guy jumps out first. Followed by the videographer and my friend Mike with his tandem jumper. He just…was gone. I watched them hurl toward the ground.
Then it came my turn. Stepping out of the door and I remember thinking, "This is wrong. People don't just jump out of airplanes. It's wrong. People who jump out of airplanes fall to the ground."
I looked to my tandem jumper. "So, do I just go?" He's nodding. "Yes, yes, go, go!"
I stepped out…
Quickly the sound of the noisy propeller plane was replaced by the whooshing sound of air blowing by us. The guy on my back disappeared and all I saw were clouds. The air grew cold fast. Then the landscape appeared. I felt I could see all of Florida from this vantage point. The ocean. The shuttle. Highways. Cities. Homes.
For a moment I forgot I was falling.
All of a sudden, THWUNK! The chute comes out and the harness squeezes my legs and body like a tube of toothpaste. Pain rushed through my body, but I didn't care. The view was spectacular. Once it appeared the chute was open and we were floating, I forgot about the pain-I'll worry about it later-and I enjoyed the view.
After a few minutes, I realized the ground was creeping up on us. I didn't care. I could die now and be happy.
We landed fifty feet from where we took off. A perfect landing. I loved it.
At times like these when you are falling from 15,000 feet with a stranger strapped to your back, you understand something about faith.
I realized when I went skydiving, how much faith I had.
I trusted…

" My friends - they found the place and some of them had dove before
" The skydiving facility
" The tandem jumper on my back
" The parachute manufacturer that they made a good product
" The parachute packer, some guy in the hanger who stuffed the parachute into the backpack
" The pilot/mechanic
" The plane manufacturer

The last person I trusted was myself. I had no idea what to do, but I followed instructions very well. I literally put my life in their hands.
Gideon did not jump from an airplane, but he did put his life into God's hands.
A farmer turned warrior.

Judges 6:1 Again the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the LORD, and for seven years he gave them into the hands of the Midianites. 2 Because the power of Midian was so oppressive, the Israelites prepared shelters for themselves in mountain clefts, caves and strongholds. 3 Whenever the Israelites planted their crops, the Midianites, Amalekites and other eastern peoples invaded the country. 4 They camped on the land and ruined the crops all the way to Gaza and did not spare a living thing for Israel, neither sheep nor cattle nor donkeys. 5 They came up with their livestock and their tents like swarms of locusts. It was impossible to count the men and their camels; they invaded the land to ravage it. 6 Midian so impoverished the Israelites that they cried out to the LORD for help.

The cycle begins again. The Israelites had been rescued from the Canaanites thanks to Deborah. However, once the threat of oppression was gone, they became relaxed and forget everything that got them into that predicament. The Midianites and Amalekites enter the picture, pillage the land and things got so bad, the Israelites hid in mountain shelters and caves.
God sends them a judge once again. He tells them (7-10) He saved them before and he'll do it again. He reminds them that the reason they are in this predicament is because they have listened to God.

11 The angel of the LORD came and sat down under the oak in Ophrah that belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, where his son Gideon was threshing wheat in a winepress to keep it from the Midianites. 12 When the angel of the LORD appeared to Gideon, he said, "The LORD is with you, mighty warrior."

We find Gideon, the mighty warrior…threshing wheat. Hey, mighty warriors need to eat, right?
This mighty farmer threshed wheat in a winepress. Wheat was usually threshed out in the field, but because they were afraid of being seen, they threshed in something closer to the house, on a hard winepress surface that didn't make so much noise.
Cautious and scared, Gideon receives an invitation to serve from an angel. Gideon may not think he's much a mighty warrior right now, but God sees something in him.
Just like us.

13 "But sir," Gideon replied, "if the LORD is with us, why has all this happened to us? Where are all his wonders that our fathers told us about when they said, 'Did not the LORD bring us up out of Egypt?' But now the LORD has abandoned us and put us into the hand of Midian."

Whoa Gideon! Did he just blame God, pointing a finger at him? "It's your fault, God, we're in this predicament."
Disrespectful or did Gideon just want to make sure God was with them. By all appearances, God had abandoned them…right?

14 The LORD turned to him and said, "Go in the strength you have and save Israel out of Midian's hand. Am I not sending you?"

God's messenger is not offended. In fact, he doesn't even answer the accusation. He doesn't have to.
"Go. God is with you now. Isn't He telling you to go?"
We wish God sent angels today to clarify the message of service. Alas, we must rely on other methods…like the Bible and the Holy Spirit, two things Gideon did not have access to. God has not gotten worse at communicating with His people. He's gotten better. Angels were like receiving a call from the White House. Not everyone ever gets one. Only a few, privileged do.
Today God communicates like spam mail. We get them all the time! His methods have gotten broader and more streamlined. We have no excuse for not receiving His messages.

15 "But Lord , " Gideon asked, "how can I save Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family."

Gideon was not making a great case for his warrior status here. His clan is the weakest group in the smallest of the Israeli tribe and he's the youngest in his family. Can you get any less important?
The runt of an animal litter is always the smallest and weakest of all the siblings, the one whose growth was stunted because of its birth position. In mice, the mother kills the runt, because it takes up space, eats the siblings' food and probably won't grow up to be healthy.
Gideon was the runt of his family and while he wasn't killed at birth by his mother, he was looked upon with the same content.
"He won't grow up to be much." Gideon listened to their opinion of him and believed it to be true.
God had another opinion of Gideon, looking beyond his "runtness" and to his real potential.

16 The LORD answered, "I will be with you, and you will strike down all the Midianites together."

If you heard from God and God said, "I'm with you," would that be enough? Is the presence of God all we need to bravely face our future?
When we face the future we see the enemy. We know ourselves. We feel the pressure. But we don't see God. We, sort of, think God is there, but He's not as real as all these other factors.
God says He's going to be there. It's up to us to believe it or not.

17 Gideon replied, "If now I have found favor in your eyes, give me a sign that it is really you talking to me. 18 Please do not go away until I come back and bring my offering and set it before you."
And the LORD said, "I will wait until you return."

Gideon wanted a sign from God. It was more like a faith confirmation and it was done with respect. He went to get an offering of goat stew and bread. God patiently accepted the offering and waited for Gideon to come back.

20 The angel of God said to him, "Take the meat and the unleavened bread, place them on this rock, and pour out the broth." And Gideon did so. 21 With the tip of the staff that was in his hand, the angel of the LORD touched the meat and the unleavened bread. Fire flared from the rock, consuming the meat and the bread. And the angel of the LORD disappeared. 22 When Gideon realized that it was the angel of the LORD, he exclaimed, "Ah, Sovereign LORD! I have seen the angel of the LORD face to face!" 23 But the LORD said to him, "Peace! Do not be afraid. You are not going to die."

God caused instant flamethrower to happen and burned up the offering.
At that moment, Gideon realized it WAS God.
God responded to Gideon and said, "Peace." Obviously God does not mean "non-conflict," because He's about to send Gideon out to stir things up. He was telling Gideon to relax. Calm down. Take a breath. Trust God.
Gideon hears that message and builds an altar (24), calling it The Lord is Peace.
God wants us to be at peace and not worrying about the future. Being at peace with the future requires faith in the one who controls the future.
Gideon accepted his first assignment to tear down his father's altar to Baal and Asherah pole and build an altar to God, complete with its first sacrifice.
Shouldn't be a problem, right? God was with Gideon. Gideon should be at peace.
However…

27 So Gideon took ten of his servants and did as the LORD told him. But because he was afraid of his family and the men of the town, he did it at night rather than in the daytime.

Chicken.
The command said "YOU will strike the Midianites." Gideon took others with him because he was afraid.
We hate to be alone and we seek the company of others to ease the nervousness. Gideon forgot that he was not alone. God promised to be with him.
The town woke up (28-32) and they were not happy. After an investigation, Gideon's was implicated in the religious crime. The angry mob stormed Gideon's house and spoke to his dad, Joash. Joash said to them, "If Baal is so tough, let him defend himself."
Joash appeared to have more faith in Ball than Gideon had in God.
This made everyone very angry.

33 Now all the Midianites, Amalekites and other eastern peoples joined forces and crossed over the Jordan and camped in the Valley of Jezreel. 34 Then the Spirit of the LORD came upon Gideon, and he blew a trumpet, summoning the Abiezrites to follow him. 35 He sent messengers throughout Manasseh, calling them to arms, and also into Asher, Zebulun and Naphtali, so that they too went up to meet them.

Now Gideon received the Spirit of the Lord. This is a big deal. Gideon sensed the call to leadership.
The trumpet became a symbol of that call, as he summoned the armies to gather.
Apparently, everyone wanted to fight the Midianites but they didn't have a leader. Once someone stepped up and said "Charge" everyone quickly followed.
We find today that ministries are waiting for leaders to make them happen. Once someone takes charge, the ministers fall into place.
Gideon accepted that role and things started to happen.
However, Gideon wanted another faith confirmation.

36 Gideon said to God, "If you will save Israel by my hand as you have promised- 37 look, I will place a wool fleece on the threshing floor. If there is dew only on the fleece and all the ground is dry, then I will know that you will save Israel by my hand, as you said." 38 And that is what happened. Gideon rose early the next day; he squeezed the fleece and wrung out the dew-a bowlful of water.

The fleece test.
Gideon told God he was ready and willing, but he wanted confirmation through the process of hydration. Gideon throws the fleece on the ground and asks for a wet fleece, but dry ground in the morning. He told God to control the morning dew, concentrating it on the super absorbent sheep's wool but not on the ground where it usually was.
God did it.
That's all the confirmation Gideon needed…right?

39 Then Gideon said to God, "Do not be angry with me. Let me make just one more request. Allow me one more test with the fleece. This time make the fleece dry and the ground covered with dew." 40 That night God did so. Only the fleece was dry; all the ground was covered with dew.

What? Again? Now Gideon asked for the opposite request. Dry fleece/wet ground.
Why would Gideon ask for another faith confirmation?
Scientists never do an experiment once. There are factors to be considered. Gideon thought like a scientist.
Maybe it was coincidence or an accident that the fleece was soaked and the ground dry.
Maybe water evaporates faster from the ground than from a fleece.
Maybe the position of the fleece caused it to evaporate quicker (in the shade).
Gideon just wanted to make sure.
Is it okay what Gideon did, making God jump through hoops to prove his call?
Yes.
Understand what Gideon offered to sacrifice. His life. He was going to war.
Now could the faith confirmation process go on too long? Already it extended to two days. What if Gideon asked for both the fleece and the ground to be dry the next morning, then both the fleece and the ground to be wet, then only half the fleece dry, half wet, then asked for milk to be in the grass and wine in the fleece….
See the point. It could go on too long. That would be offensive to God.
Gideon wanted to be absolutely, positively sure before moving forward.
God had no problem with that.

There are areas that we don't need a faith confirmation.
" God has already spoken on those things.
" Do you love me God?
" Do you want me to witness to others?
" Do you want me to start a small group?
" Do you want me to serve?
There are areas that we do need a faith confirmation.
" These are specific and only deal with you.
" Should I marry this person? (Asking Barbie to marry me…)
" Should I pursue this career?
" Should I go to war?
" Should I attend this church?
There are areas that do not make any difference to God.
" What should I wear today?
" Should I go to the beach?
" Should I go to school at…

Is it okay for me to ask God for a confirmation? YES…as long as you…
" Don't delay in doing what God asks you to do.
" Do what God asks you to do.

Is this putting God to the test?
Matthew 4:5Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. 6"If you are the Son of God," he said, "throw yourself down. For it is written:
" 'He will command his angels concerning you,
and they will lift you up in their hands,
so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.'[b]" 7Jesus answered him, "It is also written: 'Do not put the Lord your God to the test.'[c]"

Satan wants Jesus to confirm who He is. This is a question of identity. However, Satan has no desire to obey.

Gideon knew God was God. This is a question of duty. Gideon did desire to obey.

We can ask for faith confirmations as long as we follow it with obedience. NO DELAYS!
" The sin is not in asking God for confirmation. The sin is hearing the confirmation and not responding.

Hebrews 11:1 - Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.

Blind faith? No.
Assured faith. That assurance must come from some where. Bible? Prayer?
Once you have it, you're unstoppable. God wants us to be sure.

He knows how dangerous you will be with you have faith.

RESPONSE: In what area do you need more faith? Should you throw out a fleece?

Chapter 6: Super Power #5 - The Power of Pruning
Judge: Gideon

Gideon's faith is strong. He is ready to take on the Midianites in head to head combat. However there is one problem...Gideon is too good at what he does. He has 32,000 men. God asks him to prune back. First every one who is afraid is asked to go. 22,000 leave. Then, everyone who drinks water by lapping it right out of the river is asked to go. That leaves 300. With only 300, Gideon invades the Midianite camp using only torches, jars and trumpets. The Midianites destroy each other.
God asked Gideon to cut back and Gideon was able to do more. What do we need to prune from our lives and what things do we need to add?
PRUNE: Those things that weaken us. If it causes Fear, throw it out. A relationship? Job?
PRUNE: Those things that make us reckless. Water lappers are too hasty, too in a hurry. What things are we doing out of haste? Relationships? Partying?
PRUNE: Those things that we always relied on before. Gideon's army knew about weapons, but God told them to use every day house hold items. What things give us more security than our faith in God?
ADD: Torches. Torches represent light. God's light to the world. We must add opportunities that help us understand that light so we can express it more brightly.
ADD: Jars. Jars are vessels that carry the light. We must carry that light into the world and expose it. Add to our lives those things that will help us to carry the word into the world.
ADD: Trumpets. Trumpets proclaim to the world. Worship. Evangelism. Leadership.
RESPONSE: In what area do you need to prune? What do you need to add?

Chapter 7: Super Power #6 - The Power of Risk
Judge: Jephthah
"Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure, than to take rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy much nor suffer much, because they live in the gray twilight that knows not victory nor defeat." - Theodore Roosevelt
No amount of reward ever came about unless something was risked. The Power of Risk shows super strength - Time, Relationship, Financial, Image
Jepthah risked it all when he took the job of judge for the tribe that had previously kicked him out. The Ammonites were upset over past incidents when the Israelites treaded on their territory. He defeated the Ammonites and made a bold statement to God, "I will sacrifice the first thing that comes out the door to greet me!" Obviously he was hoping for a goat, but his only daughter walked on. True to his word, and agreed to by his daughther, Jepthah carried out the promise. The tribe of Ephraim later cried out, "Hey why didn't you ask us to defeat the Ammonites," then attacked Jepthah. Jepthah defeated them too. Four sets of people here that show us Good Risk and Bad Risk.
GOOD RISK: Jephthah - Take a risk even if your past tells you "no". He risked and won the battle.
BAD RISK: Ammonites - Don't take a risk based on past hurts. They risked and lost the battle.
BAD RISK: Jephthah - Don't risk more than you're willing to sacrifice. He risked and lost his daughter.
GOOD RISK: Jephthah's daughter - Take a risk if you are following a promise to God. She risked and kept true to her word.
BAD RISK: Ephraim - Don't take a risk by following your emotions. They risked and lost the battle.
RESPONSE: Where do you need to take some good risks?

Chapter 8: Super Power #7 - The Power of Family
Judge: Ibzan/Jair
Two Judges receive only a paragraph of information.
JAIR
Jdg 10:3 He was followed by Jair of Gilead, who led Israel twenty-two years.
Jdg 10:4 He had thirty sons, who rode thirty donkeys. They controlled thirty towns in Gilead, which to this day are called Havvoth Jair.
Jdg 10:5 When Jair died, he was buried in Kamon.
IBZAN
Jdg 12:8 After him, Ibzan of Bethlehem led Israel.
Jdg 12:9 He had thirty sons and thirty daughters. He gave his daughters away in marriage to those outside his clan, and for his sons he brought in thirty young women as wives from outside his clan. Ibzan led Israel seven years.
Jdg 12:10 Then Ibzan died, and was buried in Bethlehem.
What is the secret to their success? Family. Having a family gives you super powers. Having a healthy family who loves one another is strengthening. What do they give you?
The Power of Responsibility - a family gives you structure, a reason to wake up in the morning.
The Power of Influence - through marriages and relationships they were able to reach out to others
The Power of Legacy - through their faith and influence they could reach future generations
Having a poor family, stricken with selfishness, addictions and unfaithfulness can destroy a person. Be wise in who you marry if you want the superpowers to survive.

Chapter 9: Super Power #8 - The Power of Your Destiny
Judge: Samson

So many products these days promise they can change your destiny. You don't have to be fat. You can be thin. You don't have to be a loser. You can be successful. You don't have to be ugly. You can be beautiful. You don't have to be unhealthy. You can be healthy.
Advertisers strategize to give us the choice while they give us the tool. We must decide. What does our future hold?
Can we manipulate our destiny so easily? Darth Vader wouldn't agree.

EMPIRE STRIKES BACK
VADER: There is no escape. Don't make me destroy you. You do not yet
realize your importance. You have only begun to discover your power.
Join me and I will complete your training. With our combined strength,
we can end this destructive conflict and bring order to the galaxy.

LUKE: I'll never join you!

VADER: If you only knew the power of the dark side. Obi-Wan never told
you what happened to your father.

LUKE: He told me enough! He told me you killed him.

VADER: No. I am your father.

Shocked, Luke looks at Vader in utter disbelief.

LUKE: No. No. That's not true! That's impossible!

VADER: Search your feelings. You know it to be true.

LUKE: No! No! No!

VADER: Luke. You can destroy the Emperor. He has foreseen this. It is
your destiny. Join me, and we can rule the galaxy as father and son.
Come with me. It's the only way.

RETURN JEDI

BEN
When I first knew him, your father was
already a great pilot. But I was amazed how
strongly the Force was with him. I took it
upon myself to train him as a Jedi. I
thought that I could instruct him just as
well as Yoda. I was wrong. My pride has
had terrible consequences for the galaxy.

Luke is entranced.

LUKE
There's still good in him.

BEN
I also thought he could be turned back to the
good side. It couldn't be done. He is more
machine now than man. Twisted and evil.

LUKE
I can't do it, Ben.

BEN
You cannot escape your destiny.

RETURN JEDI

VADER
You don't know the power of the dark side. I
must obey my master.

LUKE
I will not turn...and you'll be forced to
kill me.

VADER
If that is your destiny.

LUKE
Search your feelings, father. You can't do
this. I feel the conflict within you. Let go
of your hate.

VADER
It is too late for me, son. The Emperor will
show you the true nature of the Force. He is
your master now.

Vader signals to some distant stormtroopers. He and Luke stand
staring at one another for a long moment.

LUKE
Then my father is truly dead.

I find the discussion on destiny interesting in the Star Wars saga. Vader seems to know about destiny, saying Luke will destroy the Emperor. In the final film, it's Vader who destroys the Emperor. Luke helps, but Vader picks him and tosses him in the air shaft. Darth had the wrong destiny.
Obi-Wan feels you can't escape your destiny. It's set. It's determined. Just live it out.
Luke thinks he can change his destiny. He believes he can turn his father, Darth Vader, to the good side, away from the dark.
The dictionary definition of destiny is this:
1. The inevitable or necessary fate to which a particular person or thing is destined; one's lot in life.
2. A predetermined course of events considered as something beyond human power or control
3. The power or agency thought to predetermine events: Destiny brought them together.
So, can we know our destiny? Can we escape it? Can we change it? Is it what's handed to us and that's that, no complaints please? Who controls it?
Our destiny is a powerful path that motivates us and moves us forward. If we can understand it, we can have the superpower of stamina and purpose.
Samson got quite a birth announcement. For most people these days, their birth is declared by a doctor or on a little stick that turns blue or red. Samson's parents got a visit from an angel.

Judges 13:1 Again the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the LORD, so the LORD delivered them into the hands of the Philistines for forty years.

Uh-oh, look what's happened again. The cycle returns. God gives them forty years of persecution by the Philistines. But God is working on the situation years before that forty years comes to an end. If Samson is the deliverer, he's not even born yet. Let's say he's twenty years old when he carries out his purpose, ending the forty years of oppression. That means twenty years into that, God put His plan into place. We may think God isn't working, but He is.

2 A certain man of Zorah, named Manoah, from the clan of the Danites, had a wife who was sterile and remained childless. 3 The angel of the LORD appeared to her and said, "You are sterile and childless, but you are going to conceive and have a son. 4 Now see to it that you drink no wine or other fermented drink and that you do not eat anything unclean, 5 because you will conceive and give birth to a son. No razor may be used on his head, because the boy is to be a Nazirite, set apart to God from birth, and he will begin the deliverance of Israel from the hands of the Philistines."

The vow of a Nazirite comes from the Old Testament.

Numbers 6:1 The LORD said to Moses, 2 "Speak to the Israelites and say to them: 'If a man or woman wants to make a special vow, a vow of separation to the LORD as a Nazirite, 3 he must abstain from wine and other fermented drink and must not drink vinegar made from wine or from other fermented drink. He must not drink grape juice or eat grapes or raisins. 4 As long as he is a Nazirite, he must not eat anything that comes from the grapevine, not even the seeds or skins.
5 " 'During the entire period of his vow of separation no razor may be used on his head. He must be holy until the period of his separation to the LORD is over; he must let the hair of his head grow long. 6 Throughout the period of his separation to the LORD he must not go near a dead body. 7 Even if his own father or mother or brother or sister dies, he must not make himself ceremonially unclean on account of them, because the symbol of his separation to God is on his head. 8 Throughout the period of his separation he is consecrated to the LORD.
Verses 9-20 contain a bunch of ceremonial things the Nazirite must do if he does come in contact with a dead person/animal. I won't bore you unless you are a Nazirite.
21 " 'This is the law of the Nazirite who vows his offering to the LORD in accordance with his separation, in addition to whatever else he can afford. He must fulfill the vow he has made, according to the law of the Nazirite.' "
Okay, let's say this. Being a Nazirite is not an easy thing. This is no casual vow. One has to pay attention to his surroundings. The main promises include:

1. No wine, beer, vinegar.
2. No food with grapes or raisins.
3. No hair cuts.
4. No contact with dead things.

Judges 13:6 Then the woman went to her husband and told him, "A man of God came to me. He looked like an angel of God, very awesome. I didn't ask him where he came from, and he didn't tell me his name. 7 But he said to me, 'You will conceive and give birth to a son. Now then, drink no wine or other fermented drink and do not eat anything unclean, because the boy will be a Nazirite of God from birth until the day of his death.' "

Lesson to learn here, if someone comes to you with prophecy, get his name. I always do that when I'm calling to complain or rectify something on the phone. "And you are…" You want to be able to point blame when it doesn't work out.

8 Then Manoah prayed to the LORD : "O LORD, I beg you, let the man of God you sent to us come again to teach us how to bring up the boy who is to be born."

At first it seems Manoah and his wife have trust issues. It's not that he doesn't believe her. The complication is that they didn't know it was an angel that visited them. They believe God sent the man so he wanted to reconfirm this unbelievable prophecy about their unborn son.

9 God heard Manoah, and the angel of God came again to the woman while she was out in the field; but her husband Manoah was not with her. 10 The woman hurried to tell her husband, "He's here! The man who appeared to me the other day!"
11 Manoah got up and followed his wife. When he came to the man, he said, "Are you the one who talked to my wife?"
"I am," he said.
12 So Manoah asked him, "When your words are fulfilled, what is to be the rule for the boy's life and work?"
13 The angel of the LORD answered, "Your wife must do all that I have told her. 14 She must not eat anything that comes from the grapevine, nor drink any wine or other fermented drink nor eat anything unclean. She must do everything I have commanded her."

The guy's response: "I've gone over this with your wife. Didn't you listen to her?" Manoah still doesn't know that he stands before an angel.

15 Manoah said to the angel of the LORD, "We would like you to stay until we prepare a young goat for you."
16 The angel of the LORD replied, "Even though you detain me, I will not eat any of your food. But if you prepare a burnt offering, offer it to the LORD." (Manoah did not realize that it was the angel of the LORD.)
17 Then Manoah inquired of the angel of the LORD, "What is your name, so that we may honor you when your word comes true?"
18 He replied, "Why do you ask my name? It is beyond understanding. " 19 Then Manoah took a young goat, together with the grain offering, and sacrificed it on a rock to the LORD. And the LORD did an amazing thing while Manoah and his wife watched: 20 As the flame blazed up from the altar toward heaven, the angel of the LORD ascended in the flame. Seeing this, Manoah and his wife fell with their faces to the ground. 21 When the angel of the LORD did not show himself again to Manoah and his wife, Manoah realized that it was the angel of the LORD.
22 "We are doomed to die!" he said to his wife. "We have seen God!"
23 But his wife answered, "If the LORD had meant to kill us, he would not have accepted a burnt offering and grain offering from our hands, nor shown us all these things or now told us this."
24 The woman gave birth to a boy and named him Samson. He grew and the LORD blessed him, 25 and the Spirit of the LORD began to stir him while he was in Mahaneh Dan, between Zorah and Eshtaol.

The big reveal-it's an angel! Manoah and his wife are in awe. God sent them a messenger to communicate their son's fate. The insight comes directly from the Creator of the universe.
This is a big deal. Samson sits with some pretty impressive company, receiving divine birth announcements. Isaac, John the Baptist, Jesus…Samson.
How would you feel if God told you what you are going to do? Would you accept it graciously and say "Your wish is my command," or would you cross your arms and reply, "Don't tell me what to do!"
Once again, do we have control over our destiny? Let's break down the story and see.
First of all Manoah and his wife are told:
" They are sterile
" They will have a child
" The child will be great
" Make sure he grows up to be a Nazirite

So far, these are facts and speculations. They obviously wanted a child (all sterile couples in the Bible want children). They were told the child would be great, which is no big deal. Many people make statements like that about your children. "He's so strong. He'll be good at sports." Or "She's a beauty. The boys will love her."
Nobody knows that but we always say nice things to make the parents feel good.
Then the angel requests that the boy grows up taking the vow. Wishful thinking, once again.
So what did Manoah and his wife have control over?
Being chosen - It appears they made choices during their life that made them worthy for such a divine task as this. They didn't ask to be chosen, but their choices made them primary candidates.
Accepting the proposition - They could have said no thanks to the angel's request. They aren't asked if they want to take on this impossible mission. That doesn't mean they were forced. God knew they were yes people and that's why He came to them.
Their physical needs - They had control over the types of foods and beverages that would be given to their son. My wife works in day care at our church and it seems peanut allergies are at epidemic proportions these days. Parents have to make sure no peanut oil exists in anything their children eat. They can give their children peanuts, but they will be faced with a puffed-up, Macy's Thanksgiving Day balloon for a son. God did not force them to serve raisin-free food.
Let's look on the other hand. What did Manoah and his wife not have control over?
Their sterility - We don't choose physical disabilities, though some may be the result of bad choices. This situation was probably God-inspired, so He could work mightily in their life.
The characteristics of their child - Most kids look like their parents, but which one and how much is out of their hands. We come from a tall family (average height 6'2") so guess what-our kids are tall. I didn't choose it. It just comes out that way. They have my hair color too, but my wife's eyes (that's what people who can do this kind of thing say). Samson will become the strongest man of the Bible. We don't know anything about the gene pool of Manoah, but it appears Samson exceeded the chromosomes passed on to him.
The choices the child would make - We certainly influence our children, but ultimately it comes down to what the child wants or doesn't want. Good families sometimes produce bad children. Bad families sometimes produce good children. Manoah and his wife can raise Samson right, however they are not there every step of his adult life telling him to smite that Philistine or fulfill this prophecy.
We see from this story that life is a balance of being controlled and self-control. God makes choices and we make choices. Neither can operate without the other or alone.
Let's take a real life situation. Let's say we get into a car accident. It's not our fault. Another person crossed the median and hit us.
In that situation we have control over:
" Our state of mind while driving. Are we tired, distracted?
" Our ability to drive well. Did we learn defensive driving?
" How we react to the situation. Are we quick or slow?
We don't have control over:
" The other person's state of mind. What they are doing or not doing.
" The other person's ability. Are they
" How they react
Everything in life is a balance of control and no control. We have to make sure we do our part well (what we control) and it could influence those things we don't have control over.
But that's in terms of other people. What about God…does He have control over our lives?
Solomon writes this:

Ecclesiastes 6:1-2 I looked long and hard at what goes on around here, and let me tell you, things are bad. And people feel it. There are people, for instance, on whom God showers everything-money, property, reputation-all they ever wanted or dreamed of. And then God doesn't let them enjoy it. Some stranger comes along and has all the fun. It's more of what I'm calling smoke. A bad business.
3-5 Say a couple have scores of children and live a long, long life but never enjoy themselves-even though they end up with a big funeral! I'd say that a stillborn baby gets the better deal. It gets its start in a mist and ends up in the dark-unnamed. It sees nothing and knows nothing, but is better off by far than anyone living.
6 Even if someone lived a thousand years-make it two thousand!-but didn't enjoy anything, what's the point? Doesn't everyone end up in the same place?
7 We work to feed our appetites;
Meanwhile our souls go hungry.
8-9 So what advantage has a sage over a fool, or over some poor wretch who barely gets by? Just grab whatever you can while you can; don't assume something better might turn up by and by. All it amounts to anyway is smoke. And spitting into the wind.
10 Whatever happens, happens. Its destiny is fixed.
You can't argue with fate.
11-12 The more words that are spoken, the more smoke there is in the air. And who is any better off? And who knows what's best for us as we live out our meager smoke-and-shadow lives? And who can tell any of us the next chapter of our lives?

Solomon wanted to make his case: Life is out of control. Is Solomon right? "Whatever happens, happens. Its destiny is fixed."
What do we control in life?
" Our response. People choose to be bitter or blessed in reaction to the events of their lives. They enjoy themselves or they don't.
" Our focus. Are we going to work hard for nothing? Are we going to consume worldly things or spiritual things?
" Our selfishness. Are we grabbing what we can or giving what we have?
What does God control?
" God blesses. Money, property, reputation.
" God unblesses. He takes it away.
Let's understand Solomon's situation. He's in an emotional state. What he's spouting in a fit of rage is this: what's the use! Is there anything we can do. Let's answer Solomon's proclamations one by one:

Even if someone lived a thousand years-make it two thousand!-but didn't enjoy anything, what's the point?
Enjoyment is not the point to life. Salvation is life. We can choose to accept salvation or not. We can choose to love life or hate it.

Doesn't everyone end up in the same place?
Yes, we all end up in the grave, but that grave is divided into two sections. Those going to heaven and those going to hell. They go there by choice.

So what advantage has a sage over a fool, or over some poor wretch who barely gets by?
The advantage is wisdom. We can choose to be wise and follow the Bible or be a fool and follow the world.

The more words that are spoken, the more smoke there is in the air. And who is any better off?
Arguments and pontification won't save us. We can choose to listen or we can choose to argue.

And who knows what's best for us as we live out our meager smoke-and-shadow lives?
No one here on earth. But someone who has a better perspective of our life knows what's best for us.

And who can tell any of us the next chapter of our lives?
God.

God sees the end of our life and He knows our destiny. That doesn't mean He controls it. It just means He knows it. That destiny is determined by a combination of factors: Us and God. So it's not out of control.
God will not override a choice already inherent in the life of a person. He sees the nature and heart that we do not see. He has a plan for all, but living out that plan is up to us.
God knew whether we would give up or get stronger. He knew Manoah and his wife's heart. He knew Samson's heart. He knows ours.
God had a plan for Samson. Samson would deliver Israel from the Philistines. However, and we're peeking ahead here, he lived poorly throughout, making horrible, selfish choices that shamed God. But God knew that. He still set up Samson's choice-situations to bring about the end God needed.
As for you and me, God has a plan for us and He wants us to make good choices along the way. We are responsible for what have control over and we must allow God to work out those areas He has control over.
It won't be easy, but know this.

Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

John 10:11 I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.

God's plans are good plans. Choose wisely and live abundantly.

Chapter 10: Super Power #9 - The Power of Purity
Judge: Samson
If you had an opportunity to do something stupid, lose your wealth and expose to the world your inner weakness, would you do it? Many of take that chance by having sex outside of marriage and living promiscuously. Samson, in three stories, could have accumulated wealth, acted carelessly and revealed his inner secrets all because of trysts with the wrong women. Read Proverbs 5 and see all that you gain by not seeking a sexual lifestyle: wealth, power, discretion, your best years, your time, blessing. Look at the celebrities (political, religious and entertainment) who sleep around and lose respect, money, careers and their families all because of a one-night stand. BE SMART! STAY PURE!

Chapter 11: Super Power #10 - The Power of Your Death
Judge: Samson
Abraham Lincoln and John Wilkes Booth - two famous men, both at the top of their careers. One died a hero. The other hated. Along they way, these two made choices that effected the final outcome of their lives. Samson messed up his whole life, but at his final moment of humility he decided to go out serving God. The story shows Samson, blind and bound by his enemies, deciding to bust out the pillars and kill all the Philistines gathered. What can we learn from this moment?
Don't get captured by your enemies - sin, Satan.
Don't go blind - don't lose sight of what is important
Don't realize at the last minute you want to make a difference.
Don't let God use you because of your weakness - let him use you for your strength.
Go out strong!
When you write a script, you must know the ending. You have to know where your character is going and you document how that character changes to get there. See your ending, now adjust your character to get there!
RESPONSE: How are you preparing for the last chapter of your life?

Chapter 12: Conclusion

© Troy Schmidt, 2006