Revolt!

Most of you were really inspired by the Week of Revolt we just finished, so you've heard quite a bit about the subject.  But strangely enough, this attitude that can take us by storm, can fizzle out in a short period of time if we aren't serious about the changes we need to make.  Anybody can get pumped up about a cause and go whole-hog at first, but when resistance comes along and discouragement appears, the initial enthusiasm wears off.  But an underlying foundation has to be in place, a hatred for evil and a determination to fight till the end to rid your life of it, that revolt will remain alive.  

Enjoy our 5th session of last fall's 40 Day Project:

What do you think when you hear the word, “Revolution?”  Does violence, rebellion and hatred come to mind?  Our lives today are shaped by the fact that a revolution was staged on American soil hundreds of years ago, and most of us consider that to be a story of heroism and a fight for freedom.  The idea of a revolt implies an all out war, a do-or-die mentality, even when fighting against impossible odds.  Most revolutions take place under extreme circumstances, where those in revolt can no longer tolerate their oppression. A person in revolt is a far cry from one who merely complains and wants pity.

Revolting against someone or something can be either positive or negative, depending on the motives, means and goals.  A teenager lashing out at his parents because he wants the freedom to drink and drive is obviously rebelling out of selfishness.  A political dissident demanding rights for his people places his life at risk to revolt for the good of his country.  Whether for right or wrong, a single person, a group, or a nation in revolt are all a frightening force to reckon with.

The 40-Day Project is in fact a personal revolt for each of us who are serious about change.  All the characteristics are present: extreme circumstances, intolerable oppression, impossible odds.  The only unknown factor is whether you are prepared for an all-out war.

How do you stage a revolt against unseen forces?  God’s Word teaches us how.  Gideon is one of God’s examples for us on how to be an effective revolutionary.

• He was ANGRY, and didn’t act like the rest of Israel (threshing in the winepress)
• He had the AUDACITY to question God (If God is with us…)
• He had the HUMILITY to know that he had no power or merit of his own (But I am the weakest… true humility is a weapon against evil)
• He was READY TO GIVE (the goat and then the 2nd bull)
• He was ready to destroy the ENEMIES WITHIN (fear, the false gods of his family, his own unfaithfulness)
• He was ready to face the ENEMIES THAT SURROUNDED him (the Midianites, the angry Israelites)
• He FACED HIS FEARS and obeyed even the most “ridiculous” requests of God (watched his army shrink)
• He used and believed in HIS OWN CREATIVITY (the trumpets, torches and jars of clay)
• He TRUSTED that God would back him up (simply obeyed)

Every session has been pushing you forward in your desire to make changes, but only you can decide to switch gears from a person who hopes for change, and one who is in an all out war against evil, both within and without, to make that change happen.  Decide now to become a force to reckon with.