So you are embarking on a new journey, a new phase of life. At first you are apprehensive but all your checks tell you that the road ahead is clear. Your victory is guaranteed. The deal will be signed and sealed. There’s reason to begin a Celebratory Dance.

Judges 6:36 Gideon said to God, “If you will save Israel by my hand as you have promised – 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. And that is what happened.

And then you do the human thing. You pick your Dream Team – men and women that somehow you know will help you bring the Victory home.

Only, the cards start falling… your team of cronies begins to disappoint… they don’t have what it takes for the long haul. You slowly realize they were meant for only a certain season of your life. Don’t get it wrong, this is exactly how God wrote the script. You see, He is not in the business of sharing His glory with any man.

Judges 7:2 The Lord said to Gideon, “You have too many men for me to deliver Midian into their hands. In order that Israel may not boast against me that her own strength has saved her, announce now to the people, ‘Anyone who trembles with fear may turn back and leave Mount Gilead.’”

That’s the difficult part to take. The disappointment that comes with understanding that the people you surrounded yourself with are not necessarily meant to go to the next phase of the journey with you.

Sometimes Separation will be occasioned by the inability of the people to understand the changing phases and demands of your new season, by the fact that they may not be fully sold out to your Call, or that they are simply not cut out for the challenges that lie ahead in the journey.

Either way, God will, by His hand shortlist your team.

Judges 7:7 The Lord said to Gideon, “With the three hundred men that lapped I will save you and five the Midianites into your hands. Let all the other men go, each to his own place.”

What we must do in our season of Separation is respectfully break away – with the understanding that each ‘pacemaker’ is only assigned to run with us a part of our journey.

Only thing is, their exit in our life journey is not exactly choreographed. It takes us by surprise, we get hurt and disappointed, but really, it’s time for them to go.

Judges 7:8 So Gideon sent the rest of the Israelites to their tents but kept the three hundred, who took over the provisions and trumpets of the others.

As we inevitably find that part of the team does not cut the mark for the rest of the journey, we must be ready to not only let go of old connections, but also be willing to spin the wheel of relationships, allowing a new set of pacemakers to continue the race of life with us.

Our test then becomes to learn to trust the new connections, allow them to fill the vacant places in our lives – and give them room to perform their God-assigned purpose in our journey.

Judges 7:9-10 During that night the Lord said to Gideon, “Get up, go down against the camp, because I am going to give it into your hands. If you are afraid to attack, go down to the camp with your servant Purah and listen to what they are saying. Afterward, you will be encouraged to attack the camp.”

It’s interesting to note that God had Gideon’s race engineered for his success. Yet He understood that human nature would stand in his way. He allayed his fears by not only assigning someone to help him (Purah) and then providing a way for him to know what’s going on in the enemy’s camp.

Even when a task seems impossible, God will usually send us help in the form of a person who is willing to help us to accomplish our mission; and then make a way for us to access information that will guarantee our success.

Judges 7:15 When Gideon heard the dream and its interpretation, he worshipped God. He returned to the camp of Israel and called out, “Get up! The Lord has given the Midianite camp into your hands.”

In the wake of a God-given assignment, the best thing to do is ACT before fear, doubt and anxiety check in. Gideon, upon hearing the interpretation of the dream, had full confidence in God. And yet, he did not just act, he WORSHIPPED God. Divine strategies, ideas and direction can only be accessed in the Presence of God. God gives us the Call; we obey in answer, but then we must seek His Presence in order to for us to operate in the fullness of His assignment for us.

Judges 7:16 Dividing the three hundred men into three companies, he placed trumpets and empty jars in the hands of all of them, with torches inside.

And then Gideon, understanding that he alone had heard God about this mission, was not afraid to take the lead.

Judges 7:17 “Watch me,” he told them. “Follow my lead. When I get to the edge of the camp, do exactly as I do. When I and all who are with me blow our trumpets, then from all around the camp blow yours and shout, ‘For the Lord and for Gideon’”

Gideon took personal responsibility. He was willing to stake his name on this mission.

Judges 7:20 The three companies blew the trumpets and smashed the jars. Grasping the torches in their left hands and holding in their right hands the trumpets they were to blow, the shouted, “A sword for the Lord and for Gideon!”

Gideon’s army executed according to plan. The greatest thing about being on a God-given assignment is not only the assurance of Victory, but the journey is made so much easier by team mates who are willing to play ball for the sake of the success of the mission. There was no doubt that this was Gideon’s call, but yet his army was willing to pay a price for it.

And so it is in our journey of faith, we start out with a Promise, and are strengthened by the presence of a great army of believers. As the journey goes on, our company becomes thinner, and we are forced to realign our associations to make room for new connections.

In the final analysis, we must understand that the Call is individual. That we must call the shots. That the final lap is really ours to run.

I celebrate Eliud Kipchoge for bringing these lessons to life in that historic moment this past Saturday.

I pray that we, too, will victoriously run the race of our lives.

Bon Voyage.