“And the angel of the Lord appeared unto him, and said to him, The Lord is with you, you mighty man of valour.” — Judges 6:12 In the days when Midian oppressed Israel, Gideon was found threshing wheat in secret, “to hide it from the Midianites” (Judges 6:11). His name, Gideon, means “hewer” — one who cuts down. Yet at this stage, it was only a hidden potential. Outwardly, he was timid, cautious, and overshadowed by fear. The turning point came with a divine instruction: “Throw down the altar of Baal that thy father hath, and cut down the grove that is by it” (Judges 6:25). This command was not about physical idols; in Neville Goddard’s reading, Baal symbolises the false gods of the mind — external conditions, limiting beliefs, and states that appear to rule you . By night, Gideon obeyed. The altar was torn down. The grove was cut. A new altar was built, and “the second bullock” was offered to the Lord (Judges 6:26). When the townsmen awoke and saw Baal’s altar destroyed, th...