FAITH CAPSULE: Are you fighting a battle outside the direction of God?

Judges 7

Jerubbaal (Gideon) with his people camped for war against the Midianites when God spoke to him, “The people who are with you are too many for Me to give the Midianites into their hands, lest Israel claims glory for itself against Me, saying, ‘My own hand has saved me.’ Now, therefore, proclaim in the hearing of the people, saying, ‘Whoever is fearful and afraid, let him turn and depart at once from Mount Gilead.’” And twenty-two thousand of the people returned, and ten thousand remained.” (Judges 7:1-3)
In every battle, there is a need for high numbers of soldiers to emerge victoriously. 
God instructed Jerubbaal to reduce the number of soldiers. 
Without hesitation, the Word of God prevailed as instructed. 
Jerubbaal reduced the number of soldiers from twenty-two thousand to ten thousand. 
The God of battle that does not share His glory with no one called on Jerubbaal after he had cut down the numbers saying, “The people are still too many; bring them down to the water, and I will test them for you there…” (Judges 7:4)
If you are Jerubbaal communicating with friends about the instruction that God called to reduce your soldiers, how would you react? 
The obedience of Jerubabel to reduce the number, without doubt, His friends would have considered Jerubbaal as foolish, spiritually insane, overzealous, and unrealistic. 
Jerubbaal led the people to the water as directed by God to have the number reduced the second time. 
At the water, God spoke again, “Everyone who laps from the water with his tongue, as a dog laps, you shall set apart by himself; likewise everyone who gets down on his knees to drink.” And the number of those who lapped, putting their hand to their mouth, was three hundred men; but all the rest of the people got down on their knees to drink water.” (Judges 7: 5-6). 
In going against the Midianites, one that considers assigning men that lapped from water over ones that got on their knees to drink water would have been considered foolish. 
Always engage the instruction of God regardless of how foolish it sounds. 
The cut of number went to battle against the Midianites.
Going to battle from twenty-two thousand to three hundred sounds foolishness by human reasoning. 
For any man, it is suicidal to go to war after ending up with such a small number. 
Twenty-two thousand seems to be the right way and not the foolish way. Remember that Proverbs 14:12 states, “There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death.” 
Jerubbaal did not take the path of the assumption that seems right but obeyed the instruction of God without complaint nor doubt and went with three hundred men to fight a battle that initially called for twenty-two thousand men. 
Are you fighting a battle outside the direction of God?
No one should replace the instruction of God.

Prayer for today: Ask that the instruction of God shall rule your life.