• Jehovah-Shalom: The Lord is Peace

• Judges 6:1

• Judges 6:11

• Fear keeps you from becoming who God created you to be.

• Judges 6:12

• Peace begins when you realize Who is with you.

• Judges 6:13

• One of the biggest lies Satan tells is that mature Christians never struggle.

• Matthew 11:3

• Judges 6:14

• We want information, but God gives us an invitation to know His presence.

• Judges 6:15-16

• Our confidence is in the One who goes with us

• Judges 6:21-22

• When we encounter God’s holiness, we become aware of our sinfulness.

• Judges 6:23

• Our greatest need is peace with God.

• Romans 5:1

• Judges 6:24

• Peace is not the reward at the end of obedience, but peace is what enables obedience.

• Anything that has become necessary for your peace has become a functional god in your life.

• John 14:27

[d]Group Questions

1. Read Judges 6:11-16 and John 14:27. What do these passages teach about the difference between peace that depends on circumstances and peace that comes from God’s presence?

2. Why do you think God repeatedly answered Gideon’s fears with, “I will be with you,” instead of explaining why Israel was suffering

3. Read Judges 6:23-25 together as well as Romans 5:1 and Ephesians 2:14. Why do you think God told Gideon to tear down the altar to Baal before sending him into battle? What does that teach us about the relationship between idolatry and anxiety?

4. Read Psalm 23:1-4 and Philippians 4:4-9. According to these passages, what practices help believers experience God’s peace while walking through difficult circumstances?

5. Is there an area where you need to stop waiting for your circumstances to change before trusting God, and instead choose to walk with Him today?

Prayer Prompt

Spend a few minutes silently asking the Holy Spirit to reveal to you any “functional idol” you may have—that is anything you’ve been looking to for security, identity, or peace instead of Christ.

Then as a group:

• Thank Jesus that through His death and resurrection we have peace with God (Romans 5:1).

• Confess to one another and surrender the burdens, fears, and “winepresses” each person is carrying.

• Ask God to replace fear with confidence in His presence, reminding one another of His promise: “I will be with you.”

• Pray for the courage to obey God this week from a place of His peace rather than waiting for circumstances to improve.