Men and their Father: Gideon 2
- Major Bible theme – fathers & sons, God the Father & God the Son
- Bible is a patriarchal book
- Husband/Father – head & decisions made affect everyone in family (ur leader)
Physical – provision (their life) & protection (who/who you let in & security measures)
Spiritual – provision (Bible, prayer, worship, church) protection (doctrine & spirits)
= Blessing or Cursing flow down from Head
Generational Bondage
We are not personally guilty for the sins of our fathers and families.
Ezekiel 18:1-18 The word of the LORD…“What do you mean by repeating this proverb…‘The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children’s teeth are set on edge’?…this proverb shall no more be used by you…Behold, all souls are mine; the soul of the father as well as the soul of the son is mine: the soul who sins shall die. “If a man is righteous and does what is just and right…he shall surely live…“If he fathers a son who is violent, a shedder of blood, who does any of these things (though he himself did none of these things)…He shall not live. He has done all these abominations; he shall surely die; his blood shall be upon himself. “Now suppose this man fathers a son who sees all the sins that his father has done; he sees, and does not do likewise… he shall not die for his father’s iniquity; he shall surely live. As for his father, because he practiced extortion, robbed his brother, and did what is not good among his people, behold, he shall die for his iniquity.
In the OT, people repented of the sins of their fathers and families to break bondage.
Nehemiah 1:6–7…hear the prayer of your servant that I now pray before you day and night…confessing the sins of the people…we have sinned against you. Even I and my father’s house have sinned.We have acted very corruptly against you and have not kept the commandments, the statutes, and the rules that you commanded your servant Moses.
Jesus saves us from sinful fathers and families, into the Father’s Family
Peter 1:14–18 As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.” And if you call on him as Father…you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers…”
We do pick up genetic traits, habits, and consequences from our fathers and families.
=Children commonly think adults know what they are saying/doing & family “normal”
Generational Strongholds
Judges 6:25-28 That night the Lord said to him [Gideon], “Take your father’s bull, and the second bull seven years old, and pull down the altar of Baal that your father has, and cut down the Asherah that is beside it and build an altar to the Lordyour God on the top of the stronghold here, with stones laid in due order. Then take the second bull and offer it as a burnt offering with the wood of the Asherah that you shall cut down.” So Gideon took ten men of his servants and did as the Lord had told him. But because he was too afraid of his family and the men of the town to do it by day, he did it by night.
1.Stronghold – military term for fortified/secure positions for planning & attacking from
2.In War BOTH sides have strongholds. God & Satan want stronghold in ur home/family
- REMOVE & REPLACE (7 demons)
- Baal – money, wealth, possessions, status, power
- Asherah/Venus – pleasure, seduction, sex
=Gideon’s father & family, like all others = worshipped $/power/sex & fought for it
Removing Evil Generational Strongholds
2 Corinthians 10:3–5 …we are not waging war according to the flesh. for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ…
If you tolerate evil, it will dominate you & your family.
- Demonic – secret societies, masons,
- Cults – Mormonism, JW, pseudo XN cults
- Occult – witchcraft, dark spirituality, secret societies (Masons, Shriners)
- Non-Christian Religion – Muslim, Hindu
- Demonic Soul Tie Groups – gangs, cartels, organized crime
- Addiction – drugs, alcohol
- Perversion – sexual sin including porn
- Abuse – trauma patterns
?Are there parts of your home that are off limits & function as a stronghold?
?Are there issues in your family that are sinful but taboo & off limits to bring up?
Replacing Evil Generational Strongholds with God As Our Stronghold
Psalm 9:9 The Lord is a stronghold for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble.
Psalm 18:2 The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.
Psalm 37:39 The salvation of the righteous is from the Lord; he is their stronghold in the time of trouble.
Psalm 94:22 But the Lord has become my stronghold…
Psalm 144:2 he is my steadfast love and my fortress, my stronghold and my deliverer, my shield and he in whom I take refuge…
Closing Prayer Standing
?What is the sin, or what are the sins that have created bondage & strongholds?
Father, I renounce my sins, and the sins of my family. To those unclean spirits who have had a stronghold in our family, I say as head of my household, “The Lord rebuke you, in Jesus name! I and my household belong to the Lord and will serve the Lord alone! In Jesus name, you are commanded to leave our family and never return. Holy Spirit, I welcome you to fill me, fill our family, and fill our home as our stronghold. As head of household, I commit to submit to your leadership as I lead my family. I pray all of this in Jesus name! AMEN!
=Who or what needs to leave your home/life/family?
Group Discussion Questions:
- What in the talk did the Holy Spirit highlight for you?
- What is God asking you to do differently starting today?
- How can we pray for you?
