But God doesn't look at the circumstances. God saw what He had in mind for this man and God calls him the way He sees he will be. So when God looks at us He looks at us completely differently to the way we look at ourselves or others look at us. When others look at you they will look at you according to your past and your present. When God looks at you He sees your purpose and your potential, and in these dealings with people often He will either shut them up or ignore them when they try to protest. So listen what [He is in 00.21.10] Gideon. Gideon immediately comes up; oh, how come no miracles, you know? We heard all these great things in the Bible and you know, there's supposed to be miracles and stuff and I haven't seen any miracles. All I see is problems and a mess. You know what? God just ignores the question. There's some questions God's going to ignore. You're wasting your time asking, He's not going to answer it - just part of the mysteries.
Relationships have got a bit of mystery in them. He doesn't answer everything for us - wish He did but He doesn't. How come? We prayed and they didn't get healed, they died? Never hear a word. It's like He just says listen, I want you to operate by faith, so God ignores him, just keeps talking to him, says you know, you mighty man of valour, I'm going to send you and you'll save the nation. Now it begins - notice this - he's a man of valour. His name Gideon means mighty man of valour. His name meant mighty man of valour, notice so sometimes when God encounters a person He'll actually change their name because He wants them to think differently about who they are, give them a total name change. Did you know you got a name change when you got born again, see? You see, you're called one of Christ's ones, a Christian.
You see the way we use the word Christian now, we describe all kinds of people as being Christians when they're not at all. The Bible defines a Christian as being a whole-hearted follower of Jesus Christ, one who's given their life to serve Him, to walk with Him, see? So let me give you a few examples of people that God spoke to and the way He spoke to them is amazing. Now remember when God speaks to people He speaks according to what He sees in them, so you need God to speak to you how He sees you. What are you? Who are you now you've become a Christian? Who are you now? Well you'll probably define yourself according to what you used to be like, and God says there's a whole new set of things. I'll share with you some of the things God says about you. Here look, another example is found in Genesis 32:28, and Jacob is in a spot of bother.
His father-in-law's been after him, now his brother's after him and he thinks he's going to die. He looks like he's going to lose everything and so in a spot of desperation he presses in to the presence of God. Now I want you to have a look what God says to him. He has this encounter, an angelic encounter begins to wrestle with God and then God asks him a question - great when God asks questions. Here it is [laughs]. In Verse 26 it says Jacob wrestled and the angel said Let Me go for the day breaks, and he said I will not let You go until You bless me! And He said to him what's your name? And so he says my name is Jacob. Now what he's stating is this; I'm the crooked one. I'm the one who twists and lies and cheats and manipulates. I've got ambition and I'm determined to get somewhere, and I'll step over anyone to get there. You remember when Jacob was born his brother came out first and Jacob grabbed his heel. He was trying to pull him back in. He wanted to be the first one out and get the blessing of the first born.
He's an ambitious man and God says who are you? I'm Jacob, and He says you won't be called Jacob any more. You'll be called Israel, a prince. So from today wherever you go don't think of yourself when people ask who you are, don't say I'm the crooked one, the twisted one, the one who does this, the one who cheats, deceives, ambitious, walks over people to get where he wants to get; I'm a prince of God! A prince of God! Kings will come out of me. He had to change the way he talked about himself, the way he spoke about himself, the way he acknowledged himself. He required everyone around to acknowledge him differently, so he went and introduced himself, he's now a different person, a prince with God. Here's another one. In Jeremiah 1:5-10, God speaks to Jeremiah. God speaks to him, he says before you were born, before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and I ordained you a prophet to the nations.