And it came to pass, when all the people had completely
crossed over the Jordan, that the Lord spoke to Joshua, saying: 2 “Take for yourselves twelve men from the
people, one man from every tribe, 3 and command them, saying, ‘Take for
yourselves twelve stones from here, out of the midst of the Jordan, from the
place where the priests’ feet stood firm. You shall carry them over with you
and leave them in the lodging place where you lodge tonight.’”
4 Then Joshua called the twelve men whom he had appointed
from the children of Israel, one man from every tribe; 5 and Joshua said to them: “Cross over before
the ark of the Lord your God into the midst of the Jordan, and each one of you
take up a stone on his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of the
children of Israel, 6 that this may be a
sign among you when your children ask in time to come, saying, ‘What do these
stones mean to you?’ 7 Then you shall
answer them that the waters of the Jordan were cut off before the ark of the
covenant of the Lord; when it crossed over the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan
were cut off. And these stones shall be for a memorial to the children of
Israel forever.”
8 And the children of Israel did so, just as Joshua
commanded, and took up twelve stones from the midst of the Jordan, as the Lord
had spoken to Joshua, according to the number of the tribes of the children of
Israel, and carried them over with them to the place where they lodged, and
laid them down there. 9 Then Joshua set
up twelve stones in the midst of the Jordan, in the place where the feet of the
priests who bore the Ark of the Covenant stood; and they are there to this day.
20 And those twelve stones which they took out of the
Jordan, Joshua set up in Gilgal. 21 Then
he spoke to the children of Israel, saying: “When your children ask their
fathers in time to come, saying, ‘What are these stones?’ 22 then you shall let your children know,
saying, ‘Israel crossed over this Jordan on dry land’; 23 for the Lord your God dried up the waters
of the Jordan before you until you had crossed over, as the Lord your God did
to the Red Sea, which He dried up before us until we had crossed over, 24 that all the peoples of the earth may know
the hand of the Lord, that it is mighty, that you may fear the Lord your God
forever.”
In the text it says that Joshua chose twelve men, one from each
of the twleve tribes of Israel and commanded them to take every man a stone. These stones were to become a memorial to the
miraculous power of God that divided the Jordan and delivered the children of
Israel. These stones were to be a reminder for all the ages of the power of God
to deliver His children from circumstances when it appears to everyone that all
hope is lost. The stones were their
testimony to the world.
Don’t ever think that your testimony isn’t important,
according to the Word of God you are made an overcomer by the blood of Jesus
and by the word of your testimony. (Revelation 12:11)
Romans 8:37
“Nay in all these things we are more than conquerors through
him that loved us.”
I am more than a conqueror: More because I didn’t just get
delivered, I didn’t just get healed, I didn’t just make it through the Jordan
waters, I didn’t just make it through the fire and through the flood, but God
gave me a testimony. It’s the blood of
the lamb coupled with my testimony that makes me more than a conqueror, it has
made me an overcomer!
It is our testimony that makes us valuable to the Kingdom of
God. Our testimony is what makes us
dangerous, because our testimony makes us a threat to hell. You see it’s not just what you came through,
and what you made it through that makes you a threat to hell, it is the fact
that God brought you through it all. Your
personal victory benefits no one except yourself until you open your mouth and
declare the faithfulness and the mercy of God that delivered you, restored you,
and set you free. Then your testimony becomes
a weapon, it becomes a sword in your hand, it becomes an instrument of power to
set the captive free, and it becomes a lifeline to someone who is sinking.
So many of Gods people have been shamed into hiding their
testimony, some are afraid to give their testimony because the devil makes them
believe that if they talk about it, it might open the door for it to come back,
or they might fall back into the pit they were delivered from. This is nothing but the spirit of fear manipulating
and intimidating you because the devil knows the power of your testimony.
Proverbs 18:21 “Death
and life are in the power of the tongue.”
Satan wants you to keep your mouth shut because he knows
your testimony has the power to bring life, to bring hope, to bring joy and
peace, and to bring restoration and deliverance.
It is my story now, it was my heartbreak, and it was my
confusion and fear, and my loss. It was my fall, it was real, it was hot, and
it hurt. There were times I felt like I
wasn’t going to make it, times I felt like I was going to lose my mind, and times
I felt like I was going to die. But I am
here today and I made it. My mistakes
didn’t kill me, I was bitten but I didn’t die, the alcohol and drugs didn’t
kill me, the sickness didn’t kill me, the motorcycle wreck didn’t kill me, my marriage
survived, and I found my way back to God.
My ministry was destroyed, my reputation was destroyed, but
it didn’t kill me. I walked through the valley of the shadow of death, but I’m
still alive. I walked through the fiery
furnace but I didn’t burn up. I waded
through deep waters but I didn’t drown.
I heard Satan whisper time and time again, “I’m going to kill you.”
But I’m still here, healed, delivered, set free, and
preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ once again! I’ve got a testimony!
For years I fought hell every day and there
were times when I felt like giving up, there were times when I felt like I
wouldn’t make it, there were people who said I wouldn’t make it, and there were
people who had written me off. But Jesus
gave me a testimony, He raised me up, He healed me and He delivered me from the
mouth of the lion!
I should be dead…
·
But God has healed me.
·
But God has delivered me.
·
But God has promoted me.
·
But God has protected me.
·
But God has anointed me.
Has anybody got a testimony?
The three Hebrew children had a great miracle when God delivered them
from the fiery furnace. But the most valuable thing that they received that day
was not the miracle, it was the testimony.
Because the miracle was theirs alone and only benefited them, it was
just for that day and for that problem, but their testimony is still bringing
hope to the hopeless, it’s still bringing strength to the weak, healing to the
sick, and deliverance to the captive. We
overcome today by the blood of the lamb, and by the word of our testimony.
I believe now that somebody is going to be delivered because
of my testimony, to be healed because of my testimony, and somebody is going to
receive boldness and strength to try again because of my testimony. Somebody who was going to quit the ministry
is going to stay, somebody who was on the verge of a nervous breakdown is going
to find peace, and somebody who was ready to quit on life is going to keep on
living because of my testimony.
No wonder the devil is trying so hard to kill us, no wonder
we’ve been going through the fiery furnace. He wants to shut us up; he wants to
kill our testimony.
Psalm 9:13-14
David tells how God lifted him up from the gates of death,
so that he could testify to the people of his deliverance, and tell how what
the enemy sent to destroy him, backfired in the enemies face and destroyed
them.
God is going to make the devils plan backfire in his face, if
you will hold on God will deliver you and he will put the enemy's sword in your
hand and you will cut off your enemy's head with his own sword and God will give
you a testimony.
You need to know that there is…
·
No miracle without a problem
·
No victory without a battle
·
No crown without a cross
·
No resurrection without a death
·
And no testimony without a test
Somebody reading this today is going through the fire right
now. You’re in the fight of your life,
for your life. You’re walking through the valley of the shadow of death. You’re being attacked physically,
spiritually, and financially. Your
family is under attack, your marriage is being attacked, your ministry is being
attacked, it seems like all hell has been unleashed against you. But the Lord told me to tell you, “You’re going to
make it! You’re not going under, you’re
going over! You’re not going to burn up
in the fire, but you’re coming out with victory and you’re coming out with a
testimony that will shake hell, and will break down walls and set captives
free.”
When the children of Israel crossed the Jordan River, they
set up two pillars. One was in the
middle of Jordan and one was on the other side of Jordan. The first one in the middle of Jordan was a
midway praise, “I’m going through it praise.”
I’m going through sickness, but I’m going to praise him
anyway. I’m going through a divorce, but
I’m going to praise him anyway. I’m
going through financial problems, they’re threatening to foreclose on my house,
but I’m going to praise him anyway. I’m
going through it with my children, they’re on drugs, they’re rebellious and
hateful, but I’m going to praise him anyway.
You may be in the darkest times of your life, but give God praise.
Paul and Silas were beaten, and humiliated publicly, and
they were bound and cast into the inner prison.
They could have murmured and complained, they could have been angry and
bitter, or they could have slipped over into self-pity, but they didn’t. The Word of God says that at midnight, Paul
and Silas began to pray and sing praises unto God, and God shook that prison
off of its foundation, shook the doors off their hinges, and broke the shackles
off of every prisoner.
I just want to tell somebody, God works the night shift, in
fact He does his best work in the dark. You
may not see it, but He’s working, you may not feel it, but He’s working. He doth work, He’s working on the left hand
and He’s working on the right hand and when He gets through with what He’s
doing, He’s going to flip the light on and you’re going to see what’s He’s been
working on in the dark.
When the children of Israel got to the other side of the
Jordan: Joshua said, now take those stones that you carried out of the Jordan River
and build a pillar here. This is your Thank God I made it Praise. This is your thank God I made it testimony.
Is there anybody who has a thank God I made it Praise? A
thank God I made it testimony? Is there
anybody who knows it’s a miracle you’re still here?
Psalm 119:92 Unless
thy law had been my delights, I should then have perished in mine affliction.
Psalm 40:2, 3 He
brought me up also out of a horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet
upon a rock, and established my goings. And
he hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God: many shall see
it, and fear, and shall trust in the LORD.
David said: I was stuck in a horrible pit, I was sinking
into the miry clay, all joy and all peace was fading from view, it looked like
I was going to die, it looked like I would never be happy again, It looked like
the devil had won, but God reached down into that horrible pit and he pulled me
out of that miry clay, and he set my feet upon the rock, and he gave me back my
joy, and he gave me back my peace and he gave me back my song,
What David was saying is that God has given me a testimony
and when people hear my testimony they will honor God and put their trust in
him for their own deliverance, and their own miracle.
Do you have a testimony?
Do you have a midnight praise?
Do you have a thank God I made it praise?
Does anybody know how to give God Praise?
Then open your mouth and give God praise, and tell the devil
he’s a liar, and tell the devil he’s a loser.
Tell the devil your God is greater than divorce, your God is greater
than cancer and heart trouble, Your God is greater than sugar diabetes and high
blood pressure. Your God is greater than arthritis, and deafness and
cataracts. SCREAM IT IN THE DEVIL’S
FACE!
My God is greater than drug addiction, He’s greater than
homosexuality, He’s greater than perversion.
Now testify…
·
I was sick but God healed me.
·
I was lost but Jesus found me
·
I was bound by drugs and alcohol but God
delivered me
·
I was oppressed by a spirit of fear but God set
me free
·
I was about to lose my marriage but God brought
restoration
·
I was about to lose my mind but God stepped in
and spoke peace
There’s power in your testimony!
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