Build the Altar on the Strongholds
Gideon received a commission from the Lord in Judges 6 to remove the strongholds in his life that were against the Lord and to construct an altar to the Lord in place where the strongholds once existed. The calling exemplified the need for each of us to examine our life and discover the areas where idols dwell and are being constructed. The Lord calls us to dismantle these idol strongholds and to replace them with the altar of the Lord. Why is this important? The Lord told us that no one can serve two masters and when idols exist our allegiance is divided.
The basic understanding of an idol is any object, person, event, or thing that you worship and place as a priority in your life. These idols occupy the passion of your life, the time you have, and the priorities of your pursuits. One may slowly construct idols and before they recognize it, they find themselves at an altar of something other than the Lord. Thankfully, Gideon models for us obedience to the Lord to deal with such issues.
Gideon was told to go and destroy the altars of Baal and the Asherah pole that belonged to his father’s household and replace them with an altar to the Lord. The calling was to replace the false stronghold with the eternal and true stronghold. The Bible tells us that Gideon went and fulfilled the calling of the Lord and tore down the idols and replaced them.
When one enters into a relationship with Jesus then we are saying that the strongholds of our life will be destroyed and that the altars to the Lord will be established in each and every aspect of our life. This is because the Lord will not share His glory and demands that we surrender completely to Him. Partial surrender is equated to no surrender. Thus, when the Lord says follow me, we must hear the call and act on the call to destroy the idols and give everything to Christ.
Gideon’s example of obedience challenges believer’s today to ask three dominate questions. First, what idols exist in my life that I need to destroy and replace with the Lord? This is the question of honest exploration. This evaluation looks at the heart of the person and identifies what is loved the most and what is distracting one from following Jesus the way one is called to follow. The threat of the idol is the threat of justifying its presence. May we identify the strongholds that need to be torn down and replace them with the altar of the Lord.
Second, the destruction of idols can be a painful task; will I remain committed to the Lord’s calling even through the pain? The removal of idols is painful because it is the removal of something you love and prioritize. Thus, the believer must rest in the Lord for the strength to be obedient all the way to completion of idol removal. Though the task is painful one must always remember that the grace and strength of the Lord is always more than enough for the task to be complete and the pain endured.
Third, will I allow the destruction of the idols in life to illuminate who Christ is and the reality of the One True God? The removal of idols and the replacement of them with the Lord is so foreign to the world that such an act reveals the work and reality of the Lord. When idols are torn down the world sees the Savior and sees how the Lord never fails. Tearing down idols is not only a process of obedience to the Lord, but an act of declaration of God’s goodness.
What strongholds are holding a place in your life today? Will you tear them down and replace them with an altar to the Lord? Here is a simple question to start the process. If someone were to ask you to identify yourself, how would you explain who you are? Your responses will reveal idols and threats that could become idols. Thus, anything other than Jesus that controls you must be torn down and replaced with the Lord.
