I need to tell you something that might sting a little, but it’s not something you don’t already know: You’re exhausted because you’re trying to walk out what God called you to in your own strength. That includes your marriage, raising your children, your job, and ministry work.
I know, I know. You're praying. You're reading your Bible, and you're showing up. You're doing all the "right" things. But somewhere along the way, your faith became another thing to manage instead of the source of your strength.
And now you're threshing wheat in a winepress.
Let me break it down.
In Judges 6, we meet Gideon hiding in a winepress, threshing wheat. A winepress is a pit designed for crushing grapes; it's low, enclosed, and completely inefficient for threshing wheat. But Gideon is there because he's terrified of the Midianites, who've been terrorizing Israel for seven years.
He's doing what needs to be done, but he's doing it from a place of fear, isolation, and survival mode. Ouch!!!
Sound familiar?
Maybe your winepress looks like:
Going through the motions of your morning quiet time while your mind races through your to-do list
Serving in ministry while running on fumes
Saying yes to everyone because you're afraid of disappointing people
Praying for strength to keep going instead of asking God if He wants you to stop
Reading your Bible like it's another self-improvement book instead of an invitation to rest in His presence
You're doing the work. But you're doing it hidden, afraid, and completely exhausted.
WHEN GOD SHOWS UP IN THE HIDING PLACE
Here's what gets me every time I read this story: God doesn't wait for Gideon to get his act together. He doesn't wait for Gideon to be brave or strong or ready.
God shows up in the winepress. Right there with Gideon, in the insufficient place…
And He says the most outrageous thing: "The Lord is with you, mighty warrior."
Mighty warrior? Gideon is literally hiding. He's doing the bare minimum to survive. He's operating out of fear, not faith.
And yet God calls him "Mighty".
Not because of what Gideon is doing in that moment, but because of who God created him to be, and what God is about to do through him.
Sit with that for a couple of minutes.
HERE’S THE DISCONNECT
There's a massive disconnect between how you see yourself and how God sees you.
You see:
Your exhaustion
Your fear
Your inadequacy
Your failures
Your weakness
God sees:
Your faithfulness
Your endurance
Your courage
The mighty woman He created you to be
The warrior He's calling you to become
The problem isn't that you're not strong enough. The problem is that you're trying to be strong in your own power.
YOUR INVITATION THIS WEEK
I want you to do something that might feel uncomfortable: I want you to identify your winepress.
Where are you hiding? What are you doing out of fear instead of faith? Where have you confused "being faithful" with "doing it all in your own strength"?
Write it down. Name it. Bring it into the light.
Because here's what I know: God doesn't call you out of the winepress by shaming you for being there. He calls you mighty while you're still hiding, and then He invites you to step into who He's always known you to be.
You're not too weak for God's calling, friend.
You've just been operating in your strength. Which is limited..
WHAT'S NEXT
Over the next few weeks, we're going to walk through Gideon's story together and we're going to discover what it actually looks like to move in God's strength instead of our own.
Next week, we'll talk about "The Stripping Process," why God removes what we think we need. (Spoiler: It's not to punish you. It's to position you.)
But for now? Just sit with this truth: God sees you in the winepress, and He's calling you mighty.
Not because of what you're doing. But because of who He is.
If this newsletter hit home, I'd love to hear from you. Reply and tell me: Where's your winepress? What are you doing in fear that God wants you to do in faith? I read every response, and I'm praying for you.
Tiesha A. Andrews,
With love and anticipation for all God has in store for you
P.S. Want to go deeper? I will be starting a video series called “Diving Deeper” this month. Be sure to stay connected. Our first “Diving Deeper” video will be on Gideon. I can’t wait to share his story with you!!
