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by Nathan Buck

Have you ever had to do something that you knew would be unpopular? You knew it was the RIGHT thing to do, but you also knew it would FEEL terrible when people reacted to what you had done. It's not a fun place to be, especially if your fear of people's opinions of you outweighs your determination and satisfaction in doing the right thing.

I have been in that situation several times in my life, and it takes guts to stand against people from your own family or tribe as they react to your decision. In some countries a decision like that can even lead to death, especially if the decision was to abandon a human religion to follow God.

Read Judges 6:19-27. Gideon finds himself in that same position – faced with doing something he knows his family and neighbors are going to hate, and they will want to kill him.

When he brings the "meal" to the messenger, Gideon is amazed to realize that this messenger is really the Angel of the Lord! The angel burns up the meal as a sacrificial offering to God and then gives Gideon instructions to tear down the alters of Baal and Asherah. These were false gods of sex and fertility.

Gideon has a choice. Obey God, or give into his fear of everyone's reaction to tearing down these religious altars to false gods. Gideon gathers ten of his servants and destroys the alters to the false gods, after he builds a new alter to Almighty God – whom he called the God of Peace.

We'll look at what happens to Gideon in our next blog posts on Judges. For now, just pause and consider – do YOU have the courage to do what is right, even when everyone else may disagree with you? Will you listen and take action for God's purposes in your life, for our nation, for your neighbors, and for the disenfranchised – even if your family, friends, or other believers in Christ may come against you?

Pray and ask God for His direction and courage for your daily choices, and the choices that impact our neighbors and our culture.

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