Week 4: Altars & Roots
Scripture: Judges 6:1-26
Synopsis: Gideon was made aware of his identity and that God’s love never fails.
Gideon gave excuses as to why the word of God could not be true just like Moses. God promised to be with him and that through God, Gideon would strike down all the Midianites. It is God that works in us both to will and do of His good pleasures (Philippians 2:13). Gideon decided to ask for a sign, but before the sign was shown, he decided to worship God by offering food, that became sacrifice. An encounter with God should always lead us to build an altar of sacrifice to God.
Isaac built an altar to God when he encountered God in Beersheba. Gideon was assured that he would not die because he would later come to realize that his mission seemed like a suicide mission. Moses and Gideon have a lot in common but one thing that stood out was that their mission seemed suicidal. When we walk through the fire, God will be waiting for us; the fire will not harm us. There will be times when God’s visions for our lives might seem like suicide or a waste of time but we must trust Him and His word because God cannot lie and He does not sugarcoat things.
[perfectpullquote align=”left” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]…God needed to first get rid of the sin before the problem.[/perfectpullquote]
When a man decides to break free from slavery, cowardice and popular beliefs, he will be regarded as a misfit or a rebel and such an individual will be opposed by society. The day a man decides to break free from religion, he will be hunted by religious people. Paul is a perfect example. Most people would not want you to be more successful than they are or to be successful at all. Men will often prefer to give you the crumbs from their tables daily than to show you how to make bread.
Gideon decided to build an altar after his encounter, but thank goodness that he did not build the altar in the wine press; he built it under an Oak tree. He did what was good but it was not what God wanted because God needed to first get rid of the sin before the problem. It is wise to always get rid of the root of a weed; else if we keep cutting the weed without the root, it will continue to grow. It was sin that opened the door to enemies, so sin had to be dealt with and the perfect place to start was in Gideon’s heart.
Memory Verse: Guide my steps by your word, so I will not be overcome by evil. Psalm 119:133 NLT
Prayer: Father show me the roots that are in my heart that need to be removed. Please give me the tools, strength and help needed to get rid of them. Father, I thank you for what you want to plant in my heart and I am so excited to see the fruit that will come from it.
Action Plan: Here are some activities that you can try to help implement this week’s message. Stay encouraged!
1. Share a time where God asked you to do something that was difficult or scary for you to do.
2. Select something, preferably from nature, that reminds you of Gods faithfulness. Take the item (a leaf, a rock, etc.) or take a picture of it and keep it close to you so that you have a visual reminder of what God has done and will continue to do through you.
3. Document your thoughts and feelings regarding the first two tasks mentioned.