SERMON: HOW TO KNOW, RESIST AND DESTROY EVIL ALTARS
Text: Judges 6:25-26 — "Tear down the altar of Baal that your father has, and build an altar to the LORD."
Text 2: Acts 20:28 — "The church of God, which He obtained with His own blood."
Key: Revelation 14:1-5 — As one of 144,000 sealed with Name of Jesus the Lamb on foreheads, blameless, firstfruits, alive with Lamb on Mt. Zion.

INTRODUCTION:

Church, an altar is a gate of transaction. Genesis 8:20 Noah built altar, God responded. Genesis 12:7 Abraham built altar where he settled, that land became protected.

Evil altar is a demonic gate where Satan transacts against people, community, ministry. 1 Corinthians 10:20 — what they sacrifice they sacrifice to demons.

God protects His people UNTIL they are sealed Rev 7:3. When sealed, they receive MORE divine shield — death is sent to unsealed, but sealed are safe from death Rev 9:4. We are that sealed people — looked after much more by God's love, devil cannot kill us, alive with Lamb on Mt. Zion, where we settle sea, trees, earth not allowed to be harmed until we are sealed.

But many last age believers don't understand evil altars. but the 144000 will understand them, RESIST them, DESTROY them.

PART 1: 6 EXAMPLES OF EVIL ALTARS — SO YOU CAN SEE THEM

1. FAMILY / ANCESTRAL ALTAR
Example: Judges 6:25 — "The altar of Baal that your father has." Gideon's own father had idol altar controlling family.
Example: Numbers 23:1-3 — Balak told Balaam "Build me seven altars" to curse Israel.
Signs: Hearing voices when no one present — "You will not marry, you will die like your father." Dreaming dead relatives calling you Deuteronomy 18:11 God forbids consulting dead. Near-success syndrome, backwardness Judges 6:3-4 Midianites destroyed harvest each time Israel planted. Constant misfortune in family.
Intention: To keep you in cycle of fathers Exodus 20:5 — steal destiny.

2. LAND / TERRITORIAL ALTAR
Example: 1 Kings 18:19 — 450 prophets of Baal on high place controlling rain and territory. Daniel 10:13 — Prince of Persia — territorial spirit over land.
Signs: Where you settle, business fails, ministry fights, same spot accidents, same sea storm like Bukasa. Mark 5:2 — man dwelling among tombs — territorial altar. Dreaming being pursued, dogs chasing.
Intention: To claim ownership of where you settle Rev 7:3 says where sealed settle, earth, sea, trees cannot be harmed — but territorial altar tries to harm.

3. MARINE / WATER ALTAR — SNAKES, PRESSING
Example: 1 Samuel 5:2 — Dagon, god from sea, fell before Ark. Genesis 3:1 — serpent was marine.
Signs: Dreaming snakes, water, swimming, mermaid, sex in dream, being pressed / choked in sleep, hearing voices near water or in night. Acts 8:7 — unclean spirits crying loud.
Intention: To steal purity. Revelation 14:4 says 144,000 are undefiled virgins — not defiled — marine altar attacks purity.

4. WITCHCRAFT / OCCULT ALTAR
Example: Jeremiah 7:31 — Altar of Topheth where they passed children through fire. 2 Kings 23:10.
Signs: Sickness defying medicine, objects moving, money disappearing, constant failure despite prayer. 1 Samuel 16:14 — Evil spirit tormented Saul.
Intention: To kill John 10:10 — premature death, barrenness.

5. DREAM POLLUTION ALTAR
Example: Job 33:14-15 — God speaks in dream — Satan also pollutes dream.
Signs: Eating in dream, sex in dream, seeing dead folks, snakes, dirty water, dogs. Matthew 13:25 — enemy sowed while men slept.
Intention: To destroy through night transactions while you are unaware.

6. MINISTRY OWNERSHIP ALTAR — "THIS CHURCH IS MINE" IMPLANT — ATTACKING MAJORITY PASTORS
This is the altar that has bound many pastors in Kampala.

Example: Diotrephes in 3 John 1:9 — "Who loves to have preeminence among them." Example: Ezekiel 28:2 — Prince of Tyre said "I am a god, I sit in seat of gods."

But Bible says:
Acts 20:28 — The church of God which He obtained with His own blood.
Matthew 16:18 — I will build MY church — Not your church. MY church — Jesus speaking.
1 Corinthians 6:19-20 — You are not your own, bought with price.
Revelation 5:9 — By Your blood You ransomed people for God.

How this altar works:
A pastor enters church building at night and hears implant voice: "Leave, this church is mine, you will not build here." That is territorial altar that was there before church Acts 19:13-16 — demon said "Jesus I know, Paul I know, but who are you?"

Or a family that gave land says "This church is on my land, so it is mine" — family altar speaking.

Or pastor himself starts saying "MY church, MY members, MY ministry" — pride opens door to ownership altar, then God resists him James 4:6.

Signs in ministry:
Hearing voice in church: "This is my church"
Fights over who owns church, constitution, money
Church cannot grow beyond number — altar set limit
Every new pastor chased away — founder spirit
Members say "We are tired of this pastor, this is our fathers church"

Intention: To steal what blood bought, to make Christ's church become man's property or demon's shrine. To destroy calling and make pastor blamable.

PART 2: HOW WE RESIST THEM — AS 144,000 BLAMELESS FIRSTFRUITS

1. KNOW YOU ARE SEALED BLAMELESS — NO LEGAL GROUND
Revelation 14:4-5 — Not defiled, no lie in mouth, blameless. Psalm 24:3-4 — Clean hands, pure heart ascends.
2 Corinthians 6:17 — Come out from among them. Stop fornication 1 Cor 6:15, stop consulting shrines Deut 18:10.
Evil altar has no power on blameless life John 14:30 — Satan has nothing in Me — Jesus said.

2. KNOW YOU HAVE HIGHER ALTAR — BLOOD OF JESUS THE LAMB
Hebrews 12:24 — Blood of Jesus speaks better than blood of Abel and better than blood on evil altar.
Colossians 2:14-15 — He cancelled record, disarmed rulers. Altar vs Altar — higher swallows lower Exodus 7:12.

3. KNOW CHURCH BELONGS TO JESUS, NOT TO YOU, NOT TO ALTAR
When implant says "This church is mine" — Answer: Matthew 16:18 — It is written — I will build MY church — You are liar! Acts 20:28 — This church is bought by blood of Jesus! I am only bondservant Revelation 7:3, not owner!

PART 3: HOW WE DESTROY THEM — 4 WEAPONS OF SEALED 144,000

All done at MIDNIGHT 12AM - 3AM Acts 16:25, with anointing oil on foreheads Rev 7:3, for 3 & 7 nights with fasting Matthew 17:21, and Holy Communion 1 Corinthians 10:18.

WEAPON 1: BLOOD OF JESUS THE LAMB OF GOD
Revelation 12:11 — Overcame by blood of Lamb and word of testimony.
Exodus 12:13 — When I see blood I will pass over.
Speak blood over church building, land, family, sleep.

WEAPON 2: MIDNIGHT PRAYER WITH ANOINTING OIL ON FOREHEADS
Acts 16:25-26 — At midnight Paul and Silas prayed and prison shook.
Anoint foreheads — seal Revelation 7:3. Anoint doors of church, pulpit, land. Declare: This is sealed property of Jesus!

WEAPON 3: FASTING 3 & 7 NIGHTS
Matthew 17:21 — This kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting.
Esther 4:16 — 3 nights to break death decree. 7 nights for total destruction. Fasting makes you more blameless — lifestyle of 144,000.

WEAPON 4: HOLY COMMUNION — RAISING ALTAR OF GOD
1 Corinthians 10:18 — Those who eat sacrifices participate in altar.
When you eat communion, you raise Altar of God inside you — your body is temple 1 Cor 6:19. Evil altar must bow. 1 Cor 10:21 — You cannot drink cup of Lord and cup of demons.

Gideon threshed wheat … And the Lᴏʀᴅ said to him, “Surely I will be with you, and you shall defeat the Midianites as one man.” Then he said to Him … “Do not depart from here, I pray, until I come to You and bring out my offering and set it before You.” And He said, “I will wait until you come back.” So Gideon went in and prepared a young goat, and unleavened bread from an ephah of flour.

Judges 6:11, 16–19 ɴᴋᴊᴠ

As we consider the story of Gideon we marvel again and again at the patience of God! The Angel of the Lord comes and sits under a tree on the property of Joash the Abiezrite of the tribe of Manasseh. He watches Gideon threshing wheat in the winepress—a difficult task, for this task was ordinarily and most easily done openly on a hilltop. He proceeds to greet Gideon, saying, “The Lᴏʀᴅ is with you, you mighty man of valor!” He takes time to talk with Gideon, answering his objections and questions.

Gideon wants a sign—we see this repeatedly in his history—that this is the Angel of the Lord. He asks his Visitor to wait until he will come back with an offering to set before Him. Amazing! His Visitor agrees to wait. How long? Until Gideon has butchered and stewed a young goat and has made unleavened bread of more than half a bushel (22 liters) of flour! How long does this take? Several hours at least! The Angel of the Lord patiently waits.

When Gideon finally brings out his offering, he brings the meat in a basket and the broth in a pot. This was absolutely contrary to God’s commands. Offerings were not to be boiled. The broth was clear evidence that the meat had been boiled. The Angel of the Lord tells Gideon to put the bread and the meat on a rock and pour out the broth. He then touches the meat and bread with His staff and fire rises out of the rock and consumes them! How patient our God is! He often waits for us for many years!

Eugene P. Vedder, Jr.


https://gbv-online.org/calendar/773/date/2026-08-27

“The Lᴏʀᴅ is with you, you mighty man of valor!” Gideon said to Him, “O my lord, if the Lᴏʀᴅ is with us, why then has all this happened to us? And where are all His miracles which our fathers told us about … But now the Lᴏʀᴅ has forsaken us and delivered us into the hands of the Midianites.”

Judges 6:12–13 ɴᴋᴊᴠ

God chooses His instruments carefully and uses His own standards in doing so. One criterion He uses is whether a servant considers not only himself but the whole company of God’s people among whom God has placed him. Gideon is an outstanding example of this.

Gideon is told, “The Lᴏʀᴅ is with you, you mighty man of valor!” He immediately responds, “If the Lᴏʀᴅ is with us, why then has all this happened to us?” While alone in the winepress, away from his people, Gideon’s heart was occupied with them, not with himself. He had doubtless heard the Lord’s rebuke through the prophet and had been giving serious thought to it. How could the Lord be with him and not with His people? Why was the Lord not doing miracles like He had done when He brought Israel up out of Egypt? Why? Why? Surely the Lord must have forsaken His people!

The Lord appreciates a person who thinks like this. Believers today too are more than mere individuals. As Christians we are members of the body of Christ, of the bride of Christ, of the house of God. Each believer today should realize that he or she is a small part of the Church of the Living God, and is affected by the ruin that has come into it through human unfaithfulness.

Weak as he felt he was, Gideon was told, “Go in this might of yours … Surely I will be with you, and you shall defeat the Midianites” (vv. 14, 16). May the Lord find us of like mind, usable for Him!

Eugene P. Vedder, Jr.


Sing aloud to God our strength;
He is with us where we go;Fear we not the journey’s length,
Fear we not the mighty foe.


T. Kelly


https://gbv-online.org/calendar/773/date/2026-08-17

Refusing Glory That Belongs to God

Scripture

Judges 8:23 (NKJV)
But Gideon said to them I will not rule over you nor shall my son rule over you The Lord shall rule over you

Knowing Who the True King Is

Judges chapter 8 follows Gideon after a great victory over the Midianites. God had delivered Israel in an unmistakable way and Gideon became widely respected. The people responded by asking Gideon to rule over them and to establish a dynasty through his family.

Gideon’s response in verse 23 is spiritually correct and deeply important. He refuses the offer of kingship and declares that the Lord alone should rule over Israel. This statement acknowledges a core truth of Israel’s identity. God was their King. Human leaders were meant to serve under His authority not replace Him.

This moment shows that success brings its own spiritual test. Victory can tempt people to seek power recognition and control. Gideon understood that accepting glory meant for God would lead Israel away from dependence on Him.

At the same time the chapter also shows that right words must be matched with continued faithfulness. Later actions in Gideon’s life reveal how easy it is to drift after victory. Judges 8 reminds us that finishing well requires humility not only in battle but after success.

For believers today this chapter challenges us to examine how we respond to success influence or recognition. God alone deserves the throne of our hearts. When we remember who truly rules we remain grounded obedient and faithful.

Reflection Questions

1. How do I respond when God brings success or victory

2. Do I guard my heart against pride after accomplishments

3. Is God clearly ruling over my decisions and direction

Prayer

Lord God thank You for every victory You bring into my life. Help me to remember that You alone are King. Guard my heart from pride and keep me humble dependent and faithful after success as well as during struggle. In Jesus name Amen.

Victory Belongs to the Lord

Scripture

Judges 7:2 (NKJV)
And the Lord said to Gideon The people who are with you are too many for Me to give the Midianites into their hands lest Israel claim glory for itself against Me saying My own hand has saved me

God Works Best When We Rely on Him

Judges chapter 7 continues Gideon’s story at a surprising moment. Gideon has gathered an army to face the Midianites but God says the army is too large. This seems backwards. Yet God’s concern is not military strength but spiritual clarity. If Israel wins with overwhelming numbers they may believe the victory came from themselves.

God reduces the army in stages until only three hundred men remain. The purpose is clear. The victory must point unmistakably to God. When success cannot be explained by human strength God alone receives the glory.

This chapter teaches that God sometimes removes what we rely on so that we learn to rely fully on Him. Weakness in our hands becomes strength in God’s hands. What feels insufficient is often exactly what God uses to display His power.

For believers today Judges 7 reminds us that God is not impressed by numbers resources or human ability. He desires hearts that trust Him completely. When we depend on God rather than ourselves He works in ways that leave no doubt that He alone brought the victory.

Reflection Questions

1. Am I relying more on my ability or on God’s power

2. Has God ever reduced something in my life to strengthen my faith

3. How can I give God full glory for the victories I experience

Prayer

Lord God help me to trust You fully and not rely on my own strength. When You remove what I lean on teach me to lean on You instead. May my life point to Your power and may You receive all the glory for every victory. In Jesus name Amen.

God Calls You What He Is Making You

Scripture

Judges 6:12 (NKJV)
And the Angel of the Lord appeared to him and said to him The Lord is with you you mighty man of valor

Seen by God Beyond Fear

Judges chapter 6 introduces Gideon during one of Israel’s darkest seasons. The Midianites are oppressing the people and Israel is living in fear. Gideon is found hiding in a winepress threshing wheat in secret to avoid the enemy. Nothing about the scene looks brave or heroic.

Yet God speaks to Gideon based not on where he is but on who God is calling him to become. The Lord calls him a mighty man of valor while he is still afraid. God’s words reveal a powerful truth. God does not define us by our current weakness but by His future purpose.

Gideon struggles with doubt insecurity and questions. He feels small insignificant and unqualified. But God patiently reassures him that His presence is what makes the difference. The calling is not based on Gideon’s strength but on God’s faithfulness.
For believers today Judges 6 reminds us that God often meets us in places of fear and calls us forward anyway. He sees what His grace will produce. When God says He is with you courage becomes possible even before confidence appears.

Reflection Questions

1. Where am I allowing fear to limit what God may be calling me to do

2. Do I believe God sees more in me than I see in myself

3. How does knowing the Lord is with me change how I face challenges

Prayer

Lord God thank You that You see me through Your purpose and not my fear. Help me to trust Your calling and believe Your word over my life. When I feel weak remind me that Your presence is my strength. Lead me forward in faith and obedience. In Jesus name Amen.

𝐓𝐎𝐏𝐈𝐂: 𝐒𝐀𝐂𝐑𝐈𝐅𝐈𝐂𝐄 𝐓𝐇𝐀𝐓 𝐈𝐍𝐕𝐎𝐊𝐄𝐒 𝐃𝐈𝐕𝐈𝐍𝐄 𝐕𝐄𝐍𝐆𝐄𝐀𝐍𝐂𝐄

BIBLICAL TEXT: Judges 6:25-26, 28-31 (KJV)

There are battles that continue because evil altars have been given a voice over families, communities, and destinies. Throughout the Scriptures, God demonstrated that before He establishes His covenant, every competing altar must be confronted. A godly sacrifice offered in obedience to God can silence evil voices and provoke divine intervention.

When Gideon obeyed God's instruction to destroy his father's altar of Baal and built an altar unto the Lord, he declared that the God of Israel alone deserved worship. His obedience marked the beginning of Israel's deliverance from the Midianites.

God still honours sacrificial obedience. When your sacrifice is offered with a sincere heart and according to His will, He arises to defend His purpose for your life.

a) Tearing Down Evil Altars Through Covenant Sacrifice

God commanded Gideon:

"And build an altar unto the Lord thy God upon the top of this rock... and offer a burnt sacrifice." (Judges 6:26 KJV)

Before God used Gideon to deliver Israel, He instructed him to destroy the altar of Baal. This teaches us that every believer must reject every form of idolatry, compromise, and ungodly foundation. We do not fight evil altars by human strength but through obedience, prayer, faith in Christ, and wholehearted devotion to God.

If there is anything competing with God in your life, it must come down so that His altar can be established.

b) How Gideon's Sacrifice Provoked Confrontation with Idolatry

When the people discovered that the altar of Baal had been destroyed, they became angry and demanded Gideon's death.

"And when the men of the city arose early in the morning, behold, the altar of Baal was cast down." (Judges 6:28 KJV)

Every genuine stand for God will face opposition. Darkness does not surrender without resistance. Many believers become discouraged when challenges increase after they decide to follow God wholeheartedly. Yet, opposition is often evidence that the kingdom of darkness has been challenged.

Remain steadfast. God never abandons those who obey Him.

c) When God Becomes Your Defender Against Household Enemies

Instead of handing Gideon over to the angry crowd, his father defended him, saying:

"If he be a god, let him plead for himself." (Judges 6:31 KJV)

The God who called Gideon became his Defender. What should have ended in his destruction became the beginning of his promotion.

There are times when household opposition, family traditions, or inherited patterns seem determined to resist your progress. Do not fear. When you stand with God, He stands with you.

"The Lord shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace." (Exodus 14:14 KJV)

LIFE APPLICATION

Many people have remained in spiritual bondage because they are afraid to let go of sinful habits, ungodly relationships, or practices that compete with their devotion to God. True freedom begins when you choose complete obedience.

The greatest sacrifice God desires today is not merely an animal offering but a surrendered life.

"I beseech you therefore, brethren... that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God." (Romans 12:1 KJV)

When your life becomes God's altar, He becomes your Defender, your Deliverer, and your Avenger.

PRAYER POINTS

1. O Lord, expose and destroy every evil altar speaking against my life and family, in the name of Jesus Christ.

2. Father, give me the courage to reject every ungodly foundation and establish Your covenant in my life, in the name of Jesus Christ.

3. Every household power resisting my destiny, be scattered by the fire of God, in the name of Jesus Christ.

4. O Lord, let my obedience and sacrifice provoke divine intervention in every area of my life, in the name of Jesus Christ.

5. Every voice speaking against my progress, be silenced by the power of God, in the name of Jesus Christ.

6. Father, arise and defend me against every visible and invisible enemy assigned against my destiny, in the name of Jesus Christ.

7. I declare that from today, the Lord shall fight for me, and I shall hold my peace, in the mighty name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

If this message has blessed you, kindly like, comment, share, and follow for more life transforming messages on prayer, deliverance, and Christian living.

#Deliverance #PrayerAltar #SpiritualWarfare #ChristianLiving

SHALOM

The hand of Midian prevailed against Israel … Whenever Israel had sown, Midianites would … encamp against them and destroy the produce of the earth as far as Gaza, and leave no sustenance for Israel … they would enter the land to destroy it. So Israel was greatly impoverished because of the Midianites.

Judges 6:2–6 ɴᴋᴊᴠ

Israel had done evil in the sight of the Lord, and He had delivered them into the hand of enemy peoples. While Midian is the main enemy here, we note that they are joined by Amalekites and the people of the East. Satan has many arrows in his quiver, as it were, and seldom uses only one of them against believers.

Notice too how thorough their attack was. They came from east of the Jordan River, even east of the land given to the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and half of Manasseh. They passed through the entire land to Gaza, a Philistine city on the Mediterranean Sea still well-known today as the main city in the Gaza Strip.

What did these enemies do? They destroyed the produce of the earth leaving no sustenance for Israel. They entered the land to destroy it, greatly impoverishing Israel. God does not present these enemies as enjoying or even using Israel’s food supply for themselves, but rather as deliberately destroying it.

This is still the enemy’s tactic today: “The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy” (Jn. 10:10). He robs the Christian of the God-given food for his soul—Christ! He does not appreciate, enjoy, or want for himself what God gives the Christian for his daily food. How can he appreciate Christ? How can he appreciate the Bible which speaks of Christ in His loveliness and worth? Impossible! The forces of Satan will ever seek to deprive Christians of that which will strengthen them.

Eugene P. Vedder, Jr.


https://gbv-online.org/calendar/773/date/2026-08-06

God’s power at work amid human frailty is showcased in Gideon’s life. Though he doubted that God could use him (Judges 6:11-18), He had assignments for Gideon as well as the divine and human resources needed to fulfill them. When Gideon highlighted the frailty of his family (v. 15), God answered, “I will be with you, and you will strike down all the Midianites, leaving none alive” (v. 16). He also made sure He Himself would get the credit for victory by reducing an army of more than thirty thousand to just three hundred. When Gideon took the men “down to the water” to drink, He instructed him to “separate those who lap . . . with their tongues . . . from those who kneel down to drink” (7:5). He defeated the Midianites “with the three hundred men that lapped” (v. 7). Today, God still watches over us and is at work in our lives in ways we often can’t explain.

EMPOWERED TO ACT

Judges 6:34

"The Spirit of the Lord clothed Gideon, and he blew the trumpet, and Abiezer was summoned to follow him."

Israel was living under the oppression of the Midianites because of their unfaithfulness. God chose Gideon, a timid and unassuming man, to deliver His people. Before sending him into battle, the Spirit of the Lord clothed him and empowered him to fulfill his mission.

As soon as Gideon was clothed, he acted: he blew the trumpet, gathered the people, and led the mission.

The power of the Holy Spirit is not meant to give us a spectacular experience, but to make us effective in God's work.

Divine anointing does not produce passivity; it inspires courage, especially obedience and influence. When God clothes a person with His Spirit, He empowers them to do what they could never accomplish on their own.

Don't just desire God's anointing; be ready to answer His call. The Holy Spirit strengthens you so that you can serve, witness, and lead others to God's will.

Father, clothe me with Your Holy Spirit and give me the courage to act in faith, so that I may faithfully fulfill the mission You have entrusted to me in Jesus' name, Amen.

#Empowerment🏼
#SpiritandLife