Your Blood is Enough

American Christianity is far less bloody than it used to be.

Songs like “There’s Power in the Blood,” “Nothing but the Blood,” and “Are You Washed in the Blood?” are still sung in some places, but it is becoming a rarity in American churches. And even more rare, new songs or praise choruses focused on blood of Jesus. The Cross, yes; redemption, yes; but blood, very rarely. Modern preachers are eager to speak of life, but hesitant to speak of the blood.

And this is not only a Protestant phenomenon. Roman Catholics—centered as they are on the Eucharist—often seem to go out of their way to speak of the “real presence” of Jesus in the elements, without going so far as to mention that this presence is believed to be that of his body and blood, as well as soul and divinity. Even Catholic communion hymns, I’m told, prefer terms like “the Cup” to “the Blood.”

In my opinion, this is the result of the lingering sting of liberal Christianity’s hostility toward what they perceive as a “slaughterhouse religion.” Some of it is the result of an age that fears blood but doesn’t know why. Some of it is the result of our ignorance, as we think that “blood” is just another metaphor, one we can easily replace.

This modern, bloodless Christianity leaves a huge void. The lack of emphasis on blood of Jesus in Evangelical Protestant churches at least partially explains why followers of “mainstream” Christianity, who otherwise would have nothing to do with Roman Catholic imagery, found themselves openly weeping in movie theaters as they viewed The Passion of the Christ? Did they, perhaps, need to remember that “he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed” (Is. 53:5)?

Embarrassment over the bloodiness of Christianity often results in blood atonement being presented in discipleship of believers in an attenuated, abstract sort of way. Less and less often do ordinary believers hum to themselves songs about the blood of Jesus. Less and less often do small children memorize Scripture passages about the blood of Christ. And rarely do you hear this younger generation plead the blood of Jesus over their lives and the lives of their family members like the elders of old, and that in my assessment, is sad.

We assume that we first convince unbelievers to follow Jesus—and then we explicate the meaning of his blood, when we think they’re ready for this specialized theological knowledge. But how do we address consciences indicted by the ancient Accuser of Eden—some of them tortured by the knowledge that they have shed innocent blood themselves—without pointing them to the only means of conquering him, “the blood of the Lamb” (Rev. 12:10–11)? A young preacher in our church recently pointed out, “the blood comes before the testimony.”

We assume that we teach young Christians how to live, to abstain from sexual immorality and greed and worldliness, before we move to something as seemingly arcane as blood sacrifice. And yet, Scripture assumes that personal morality is built on the knowledge that we were bought “with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot” (1 Peter 1:19).

We assume that we build “community” in our churches before we address something as raw and potentially alienating as the shedding of blood. And yet, the community we share—bearing with all of one another’s faults and transcending our petty ethnic and cultural prejudices—comes only through the recognition that we share a common condemnation as sinners, but, as we will still confess to our Christ in the heavenly places, “you were slain, and with your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation” (Rev. 5:9). Shared life is based on shared blood!

Even the vampires in the popular fiction novels of today’s culture know that. That’s what makes a bloodless Christianity ignorantly ironic. They believe they’re more in tune with unbelievers around them, but unbelievers all around them are talking constantly about blood, from pharmaceutical advertisements to horror films, from vampire romance novels to AIDS and DNA testing.

The nineteenth- and twentieth-century revivalist tradition gave the Church a valued psalter of “blood medleys.” We should never be embarrassed by our emphasis—in song, in public prayer, in evangelism, in discipleship, and in preaching—on the blood of Jesus. As a song I sing in choir states, “Your blood is a rescue for the sin stained life, your blood is healing for the hopeless and broken – Your blood is enough, Jesus it’s enough” And it is enough. Without the blood, we are all dead in our sins, “And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission.” – Hebrews 9:22

There is power—wonder-working power—in the blood. Our culture already sees that. They’re simply looking in the wrong veins.

This Treasure

I have a message today for some people who have been in a battle, a boxing match if you will, with the circumstances of life that you currently find yourself in. It may be that the fight came upon you suddenly or without warning and your struggling to defend yourself, or it could be that you made the choice to enter the ring thinking that you could handle it. Regardless of how you wound up in this fight, you're weary, you’ve taken some unexpected blows, you're staggered, and you feel as though you’re about to be defeated. You’ve been knocked down and you can hear the countdown and you’re beginning to feel like it’s over. I am telling you this morning, it ain’t over! Look up! Look to the hills from where your help cometh, and the next round belongs to Jesus!  

But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us. We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed; Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body. – 2 Corinthians 4:7-10

This is one of the most powerful statements concerning the power of God in us in the entire Word of God – “that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.”

Anything that we face, the power of God in us, in earthen vessels, can handle. In other words, if we let God deal with it, we’ll be okay. If we turn our circumstances over to the Holy Spirit in us, through prayer, we’ll be okay. We will survive our storms, if Jesus is the captain of our ship.

“Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.” – I John 4:4

“I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.” – Philippians 4:13

All these scriptures tell us an extraordinary truth, if the presence of God is living in me, no enemy, no circumstance, or no storm of life can bring me down. But if we try and go it alone, if our prayer life is non-existent, if we haven’t allowed a place for His Word in our life, if we haven’t been filled with the Holy Ghost, then we’re going to take a beating every time.

“God won’t give you more than you can handle.” (Nice thought, but not in the Word)

When some difficulty arises in someone’s life, this supposed verse gets tossed out there like a scripture bomb. It sounds compelling, and it does remind us of God’s care and concern for each of us. After all, He knows the exact number of hairs on your head:

“Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.” – Luke 12:7

But it’s because God loves us, and knows us, that He gives us more than we can handle. After all, as humans we tend to think that we don’t need help, that we can handle life on our own, and we are wrong. It’s pride that lies to us and makes us believe this, and pride always drags us down:

“Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall.” – Proverbs 16:18

To keep us grounded in the reality of our need for Him, God graciously allows us to see just how much we can’t handle. He put the prophet Elijah’s back against the wall and made him depend upon birds, He gave Moses 600,000 impossible-to-please travelers, He tasked the 11 apostles with spreading the gospel all over the world, and He’ll give you way more than you can handle, too, until you learn to turn it over to Him.

If you have lived very long you know that life is not always fair, bad things happen to everyone, even to good people. Sometimes Christians have financial problems, Christians get sick, Christians fight battles in their marriage, in their minds, even in their flesh, or their appetites.

In our text the Apostle Paul says that he had been troubled on every side, perplexed, persecuted and knocked down. But he also says that he was not distressed, not in despair, not forsaken, and he was not destroyed. How did he manage to face all these terrible circumstances, yet not succumb to them? The Holy Ghost!

“We have this treasure in earthen vessels…”

I want to tell somebody today: It doesn’t matter what the enemy is working against you, or what your struggling with the Word says:

“No weapon that is formed against you shall be able to prosper.” – Isaiah 54:17

God did not say that your enemy would not form weapons against you, or that he would not launch them at you, or even that they would not touch you. But He did say they shall not prosper, they will not accomplish their intended purpose.

I got some good news and some bad news for you today. The bad news is that it doesn’t matter who you are or how spiritual you are, at some point life is going to deal you a blow. Unexpected, undesired situations and problems that catch you off guard, and send your life into a spin. The good news is that even though we all will at some point encounter these unexpected, unanticipated attacks, problems, and circumstances – God is fighting for us!

I want to tell somebody today who has been knocked down, life has thrown you an unexpected curveball: divorce, financial disaster, your child is on drugs, the doctor’s have given you a bad report. It can be a multitude of different things, but the bottom line is you weren’t expecting it, and it hurt and has thrown your life into a tail spin.

The Apostle Paul had a similar experience:

“And there came thither certain Jews from Antioch and Iconium, who persuaded the people, and, having stoned Paul, drew him out of the city, supposing he had been dead.

Howbeit, as the disciples stood round about him, (he rose up), and came into the city: and the next day he departed with Barnabas to Derbe.” – Acts 14:19-20

They thought Paul was dead, but he wasn’t. It just knocked the breath out of him.

This message today is for somebody who has taken a hard hit, and there’s no denying it. You’re hurt, it knocked you down, it knocked the breath out of you, it’s knocked you off your feet, but you’re still here. It didn’t kill you.

It may have knocked you off your feet, but that’s the biggest mistake the devil could have made, because now, you’re closer to your knees. And friend when we are on our knees, we can touch heaven, and when we touch heaven, hell trembles!

Friends, I want to tell somebody today: You may have lost a round but you’re still in the fight, and it may have slipped your mind for the moment, so I want to remind you – This fight is fixed! Before you ever stepped into the ring it was already determined you were going to win.

I cannot tell you today that you will never be knocked down, I cannot claim that you will never be caught off guard, I cannot say that you will never be troubled or perplexed, but I can promise you that if you pray, if you find a place for God’s word in your life, if you repent and are filled with the Holy Ghost, then Jesus has taken residence in you, and you’re going to make it.

This Treasure

I have a message today for some people who have been in a battle, a boxing match if you will, with the circumstances of life that you currently find yourself in. It may be that the fight came upon you suddenly or without warning and your struggling to defend yourself, or it could be that you made the choice to enter the ring thinking that you could handle it. Regardless of how you wound up in this fight, you're weary, you’ve taken some unexpected blows, you're staggered, and you feel as though you’re about to be defeated. You’ve been knocked down and you can hear the countdown and you’re beginning to feel like it’s over. I am telling you this morning, it ain’t over! Look up! Look to the hills from where your help cometh, and the next round belongs to Jesus!  

But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us. We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed; Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body. – 2 Corinthians 4:7-10

This is one of the most powerful statements concerning the power of God in us in the entire Word of God – “that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.”

Anything that we face, the power of God in us, in earthen vessels, can handle. In other words, if we let God deal with it, we’ll be okay. If we turn our circumstances over to the Holy Spirit in us, through prayer, we’ll be okay. We will survive our storms, if Jesus is the captain of our ship.

“Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.” – I John 4:4

“I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.” – Philippians 4:13

All these scriptures tell us an extraordinary truth, if the presence of God is living in me, no enemy, no circumstance, or no storm of life can bring me down. But if we try and go it alone, if our prayer life is non-existent, if we haven’t allowed a place for His Word in our life, if we haven’t been filled with the Holy Ghost, then we’re going to take a beating every time.

“God won’t give you more than you can handle.” (Nice thought, but not in the Word)

When some difficulty arises in someone’s life, this supposed verse gets tossed out there like a scripture bomb. It sounds compelling, and it does remind us of God’s care and concern for each of us. After all, He knows the exact number of hairs on your head:

“Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.” – Luke 12:7

But it’s because God loves us, and knows us, that He gives us more than we can handle. After all, as humans we tend to think that we don’t need help, that we can handle life on our own, and we are wrong. It’s pride that lies to us and makes us believe this, and pride always drags us down:

“Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall.” – Proverbs 16:18

To keep us grounded in the reality of our need for Him, God graciously allows us to see just how much we can’t handle. He put the prophet Elijah’s back against the wall and made him depend upon birds, He gave Moses 600,000 impossible-to-please travelers, He tasked the 11 apostles with spreading the gospel all over the world, and He’ll give you way more than you can handle, too, until you learn to turn it over to Him.

If you have lived very long you know that life is not always fair, bad things happen to everyone, even to good people. Sometimes Christians have financial problems, Christians get sick, Christians fight battles in their marriage, in their minds, even in their flesh, or their appetites.

In our text the Apostle Paul says that he had been troubled on every side, perplexed, persecuted and knocked down. But he also says that he was not distressed, not in despair, not forsaken, and he was not destroyed. How did he manage to face all these terrible circumstances, yet not succumb to them? The Holy Ghost!

“We have this treasure in earthen vessels…”

I want to tell somebody today: It doesn’t matter what the enemy is working against you, or what your struggling with the Word says:

“No weapon that is formed against you shall be able to prosper.” – Isaiah 54:17

God did not say that your enemy would not form weapons against you, or that he would not launch them at you, or even that they would not touch you. But He did say they shall not prosper, they will not accomplish their intended purpose.

I got some good news and some bad news for you today. The bad news is that it doesn’t matter who you are or how spiritual you are, at some point life is going to deal you a blow. Unexpected, undesired situations and problems that catch you off guard, and send your life into a spin. The good news is that even though we all will at some point encounter these unexpected, unanticipated attacks, problems, and circumstances – God is fighting for us!

I want to tell somebody today who has been knocked down, life has thrown you an unexpected curveball: divorce, financial disaster, your child is on drugs, the doctor’s have given you a bad report. It can be a multitude of different things, but the bottom line is you weren’t expecting it, and it hurt and has thrown your life into a tail spin.

The Apostle Paul had a similar experience:

“And there came thither certain Jews from Antioch and Iconium, who persuaded the people, and, having stoned Paul, drew him out of the city, supposing he had been dead.

Howbeit, as the disciples stood round about him, (he rose up), and came into the city: and the next day he departed with Barnabas to Derbe.” – Acts 14:19-20

They thought Paul was dead, but he wasn’t. It just knocked the breath out of him.

This message today is for somebody who has taken a hard hit, and there’s no denying it. You’re hurt, it knocked you down, it knocked the breath out of you, it’s knocked you off your feet, but you’re still here. It didn’t kill you.

It may have knocked you off your feet, but that’s the biggest mistake the devil could have made, because now, you’re closer to your knees. And friend when we are on our knees, we can touch heaven, and when we touch heaven, hell trembles!

Friends, I want to tell somebody today: You may have lost a round but you’re still in the fight, and it may have slipped your mind for the moment, so I want to remind you – This fight is fixed! Before you ever stepped into the ring it was already determined you were going to win.

I cannot tell you today that you will never be knocked down, I cannot claim that you will never be caught off guard, I cannot say that you will never be troubled or perplexed, but I can promise you that if you pray, if you find a place for God’s word in your life, if you repent and are filled with the Holy Ghost, then Jesus has taken residence in you, and you’re going to make it.

Make Room for His Word

2 Kings 4:8-17 - Suggested Reading

In this passage of scripture, the Prophet represents the Word and the power of God to the Shunamite woman. The Word of God came to her and promised a blessing in her life, she heard the Word, but Like so many other people she responded with doubt. She said, “Nay, my lord, thou man of God, do not lie unto thine handmaid.”

Friends let me speak an important truth to you, the day that you hear the Word of God is the most important day of your life. The Word of God is the power of God. Your healing is in the Word, your deliverance is in the Word, your joy is in the Word, all your blessings are in the Word, your anointing is in the Word, and your destiny is in the Word.

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life; and the life was the light of men.” – John 1:1-3

Everything begins with the Word. You can shout, dance, run, jump pews, and speak in tongues, but you haven’t even got started until you get in the Word. I don’t know what you’re dealing with today, I don’t know your struggles, but God gave me a word for you regardless of what your facing, your solution is the Word of God.

“Then they cry unto the Lord in their trouble, and he saveth them out of their distresses. He sent his word, and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions.” – Psalm 107:19-20

Faith is the hand that reaches out and takes hold of the blessings of God, but it is the Word of God that quickens the hand of faith. ‘Stretch forth thy hand,’ was Jesus command to the man with the withered hand, and at His Word faith came alive.

Oral Roberts was known to say, “Miracles are coming toward you and passing by you every day.”

I want to tell someone today, there’s a miracle coming your way right now.

“And it came to pass on a certain day, as he was teaching, that there were Pharisees and doctors of the law sitting by, which were come out of every town of Galilee, and Judaea, and Jerusalem: and the power of the Lord was present to heal them.” – Luke 5:17

Jesus delivered the Word, He taught them, and because of the Word the power of God was present to heal them. The Word always ushers in the power of God, in fact scripture is clear – the Word never returns void. “So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.” – Isaiah 55:11

The bible says In Shunem there was a great woman. If Elisha were here now, he would say, in Hattiesburg, MS there is a great woman, in Richton, MS there is a great man, all over this country and round the world there are great men and women of God.

One of the things that made this woman great was, she made a place for the Prophet, in other words she made a place for the Word in her life. It’s not enough for the Word to pass by you every Sunday, you have got to take hold of it, you must pull it into your world, you must make a place for the Word in your life.

“My son, attend to my words; incline thine ear unto my sayings. Let them not depart from thine eyes; keep them in the midst of thine heart. For they are life unto those that find them, and health to all their flesh.” – Proverbs 4:20-22

The only word the Bible promises will bring life to you and health to your flesh is the word that you listen intently to, that you look at continuously and that you keep in the midst of your heart.

In Shunem there was a great woman. This woman had a reputation of being kind, and hospitable, but what made her great was her ability to discern where God was at work. There’s no telling how many houses Elisha had passed by that had failed to identify the anointing and recognize the presence of God in his life. I am certain that Elisha passed by many Houses where there were great needs present, but they received no miracle because they did not discern, or perceive, God’s power in the Prophet.

One of the greatest gifts you have as a child of God is perception, or discernment. I’m sure many people saw Elisha pass by their houses and maybe even said hello to him. But Perception is more than sight, it is the ability to see deeper, to see beyond the surface, to grasp with spiritual understanding. To See with the heart and not with the head. There’s a revelation waiting on you, but you’ll never get it with your head you have got to get it with your heart.

Have you ever felt like you’re on the verge of a revelation? On the verge of something from God that could totally change your life? Something that has the power to shift you to another dimension, another level in your faith, another level in your anointing, or another level in your ministry? And you know it’s right there, you’re on the edge of it?

I have been doing a lot of praying this week, and I know in my spirit that I’m on the verge of a spiritual breakthrough. I can feel through the Holy Ghost that I’m on the edge of a miracle. I am standing on the brink of an experience with the Holy Ghost’s power that is going to revolutionize my life, and I don’t want to miss it.

Friends, I’ve missed it before, the miracle passed by my house and I never even recognized it. The glory came by me, but I was too carnal to see it, the power of God passed right in front of me, but I was too focused on my problems to recognize it.

What do you mean preacher? There was a time in my life when the man of God passed by me, and I missed the revelation! A time when the glory came by and I missed it! There was a moment that the power of God was present, but I missed it! I missed my miracle because when the water moved, I was too focused on my circumstances!

But I’ve made up my mind – the last time, was the last time! I’m never going to miss it again! I’m watching now, I’m listening now, and I’m preparing now. I’m going to do whatever I got to do to get my Word. I’ll fast, I’ll pray, I’ll dance, I’ll run the aisles, I’ll shout till I’m hoarse, and I’ll cry. But by the help and grace of God, the last time was the last time – I’m not going to miss it again.

Brothers and Sisters don’t let your miracle pass you by. Embrace God’s Word and His presence in your life right now and receive your miracle, in Jesus' name.

'After This'

1 Samuel 8

v.1 And after this it came to pass that David smote the Philistines… v.2 And he smote Moab… v.3 David smote also Hadadezer… v.5 David slew of the Syrians two and twenty thousand men. V.6 And the Lord preserved David whithersoever he went.

“After this.” The word tells us that after this King David defeated his enemies and the Lord preserved him. After what? What was the this that David did theses things after? After he had been pursued and persecuted by Saul, after he had ran from his enemy for his life, after he had won the victory over and his life had been preserved, then after David brought the presence of God back to Israel – After he had suffered, been delivered, and experienced the joy of being in the presence of The Almighty God, David’s enemies didn’t stand a chance.

The Lord woke me up this morning for someone, or maybe more than one person, that needs an “After This.” Friends I want to exclaim to you today, Hold on! Don’t lose hope! Don’t throw in the towel! Don’t let go of your faith and give up! Don’t do it! There's something beyond ‘this.’

‘This’ is not the end, it’s a temporary inconvenience, it’s just a hallway between where you were, and where God is taking you. ‘This’ is the in between place. ‘This’ is just the valley between two mountains. Sometimes we refer to this place as the “meantime,” or the “meanwhile.”

The Meanwhile: the time before something happens or before a specified period ends (Webster’s Dictionary). No one enjoys the ‘meantime.’ While you’re in it, it’s mean, it’s hard, it’s painful, it’s trying, it’s dark, and it feels uncertain.

Remember after Elijah called down fire from heaven, and after his servant seen the little cloud, the Word of God says: “And it came to pass in the meanwhile that the heaven was black with clouds and wind, and there was a great rain.” – 1 Kings 18:45

The great rain came after the mean while. The great blessing came after the meanwhile. In the meanwhile, there was dark clouds and winds.

I told you, God woke me up today for someone. I don’t know who you are or what you are going through, but you know exactly what I’m talking about, because you are there right now, you’re in the ‘meanwhile.’ The mean winds of adversity are blowing in your life right now, and the dark clouds are obscuring the sunlight. You are in the ‘meanwhile.’ You’re in the place of testing, of waiting, of uncertainty, and of not knowing. You are traveling through that valley of testing and trusting.

But God gave me this word for you – “After This.” I just keep hearing this going over and over in my spirit. “After This,” David smote the Philistines and subdued them. That word “smote” means, Attack, smite, hit, conquer, punish, or destroy. And then he subdued them. That word “subdued” means to bring low, to bring into subjection, or to humiliate.

I need to say something right here that we need to remember: God never told us that if we would serve him that we would never have a problem, never fight a devil, never get sick, never be attacked, or never have problems in our families. He promised us that he would be with us, through it all.

In fact, the Bible says: “Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivereth him out of them all.) – Psalm 34:19

“When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee; when the walkest through the fire, thou shall not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee.” – Isaiah 43:2

This is what the Lord gave me to say: If you do not give up, if you will not give in to fear and doubt, if you keep on walking through the fire, if you will keep on praising God in the ‘meanwhile,’ if you will hold onto His Word in the face of every contrary and evil report, you will make it to ‘After This.’

I don’ know what ‘This’ is to you today, I don’t have to know. All I need to know is that there is an ‘After This.’ God never promised us a rose garden, he never promised us a trouble-free life, and He never promised us a mountain with no valleys. But He did promise me an ‘After This.’

David fought with the philistines and they caused him much grief. They won a few rounds, David took some hits, and David felt the pain. But ‘After This’ …

Friends, I love you too much to lie to you and tell you that being a Christian is a trouble-free life, that you’ll never walk through the valley of the shadow of death, that you’ll never hear a Dr’s bad report, that you’ll never cry over wayward children, that you’ll never be lied on, or there won’t be times when you feel like quitting. I can’t do it, I won’t do it, because it’s not true! But I can tell you on the authority of Gods’ Word; If you will Hold on, you will come to ‘After This.’

Up to now, in the meanwhile, the enemy has hurt you, he’s hit you hard, and your embarrassed, but your getting ready to humiliate your enemy. A humiliating anointing is being released upon you, receive it in Jesus’ name!

You’re getting ready to step into your ‘After This.’ You’re getting ready to humiliate the devil, to embarrass the devil. Listen to what I am telling you! Every time the devil throws something at you that fails, every time a trap he sets for you misses you, every time an offense he throws at you fails to stick, every time he knocks you down and you bounce back stronger, he is humiliated!

This is what I heard the Holy Ghost speaking to me this morning. Your ‘meanwhile’ is getting ready to end, and God wants to release an ‘After This’ anointing on your life today!

Want a Blessing? Fight a Giant!

Numbers 13:25-33

25 And they returned from searching of the land after forty days. 26 And they went and came to Moses, and to Aaron, and to all the congregation of the children of Israel, unto the wilderness of Paran, to Kadesh; and brought back word unto them, and unto all the congregation, and shewed them the fruit of the land. 27 And they told him, and said, We came unto the land whither thou sentest us, and surely it floweth with milk and honey; and this is the fruit of it. 28 Nevertheless the people be strong that dwell in the land, and the cities are walled, and very great: and moreover, we saw the children of Anak there. 29 The Amalekites dwell in the land of the south: and the Hittites, and the Jebusites, and the Amorites, dwell in the mountains: and the Canaanites dwell by the sea, and by the coast of Jordan.

30 And Caleb stilled the people before Moses, and said, let us go up at once, and possess it; for we are well able to overcome it.
31 But the men that went up with him said, we be not able to go up against the people; for they are stronger than we. 32 And they brought up an evil report of the land which they had searched unto the children of Israel, saying, the land, through which we have gone to search it, is a land that eateth up the inhabitants thereof; and all the people that we saw in it are men of a great stature. 33 And there we saw the giants, the sons of Anak, which come of the giants: and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight.

II Corinthians 1:3-4

3 Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort;

4 Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.

As humans, most of us, tend to desire the “better things” in life. We see fancy houses, expensive cars, hand crafted furniture, and we want them. We see guys with big muscles, or women with fancy shoes or purses and we want to look like them. There is nothing inherently wrong with the desire to have these things. I don’t believe that God intends for his children to live in impoverished conditions. We are, after all, children of the King, not spiritual hobos. The problem isn’t that we desire these things, it’s that we are not willing to make the sacrifices that are necessary to acquire them. 

A Doctor don’t just wake up one day with medical degree, professional athletes weren’t born hitting a baseball 700 ft. or dunking basketballs behind their backs, and business men aren’t just handed fortune 500 companies as soon as they finish business school.  These people had to go through struggles to get where they are. 

Yes, I do believe in faith, but contrary to what that TV evangelist tells you, the Word of God says that faith without works is dead.  God blesses people all the time, but most of the time those blessings come from hard work, sacrifice, and faithfulness during the tougher times.

Many believers have been deceived into thinking that just because they are saved and are now part of God’s family, He is supposed to give them everything they desire without any effort, without any work, without battling difficulties, or without any discipline on their part.  The truth of the matter is that the blessings and promises of God cost what they cost, and the Lord never slashes prices.  If you’re not faithful in the small things, His word is clear, you’ll not be blessed with an increase of the bigger things.  To receive your inheritance, first you must be a faithful and obedient child.

Yes, God wants to prosper you and bless you, but sometimes you’re going to have to go through something.  Sometimes you must struggle and sometimes you must fight an enemy that’s between you and your inheritance.

Joseph had to face a pit, slavery, and a prison to become a great leader and save his people. David had to face Goliath, Saul, and the consequences of his own failures to become a man after God’s own heart. Elijah had to face the prophets of Baal, Ahab, Jezebel and depression to become a great prophet. Samson had to face his own humanity and the consequences of his prideful living to bring the greatest glory to God. And Jesus had to face a cross and the grave. So why do we, so much of the time, think it unusual that we face difficulties.

There is something in the struggle that is necessary for us to become what God has ordained us to be. God left giants in the promise land on purpose for several reasons, and He allows us to struggle with our own giants for the same reasons.

First, God allows giants in our lives because He knows that we need to learn how to fight.  When I was a boy we lived in a house in north Mississippi and we had no running water, I had to carry water in jugs from a well at my grandmother’s house to ours.  My uncles, who were just a few years older than me, would push me down take my jugs and pour them out and make me start over, just to be mean.  My daddy seen what they were doing, but he wouldn’t intervene and stop them.  He knew I had to learn to stick up for myself. Most of the time I would just cry and refill the jugs, but one day I had finally had enough of being pushed around. I got mad enough to fight back and I knocked my uncle upside the head. On that day he cried, and he never messed with me again.  

The devil is always messing with God’s people. God knows that we need to learn how to stand and fight. The Word tells us that the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but that they are mighty, and that they bring down the strongholds. They destroy our enemies attempts to build strongholds in our lives, but we must strengthen our faith by reading the Word and prayer. Struggles drive us to the Word and our knees. The Lord allows us to struggle, and often tears are shed, but if we don’t learn how to fight, the blessings that wait for us may never come.

Second, giants distinguish the difference between the talkers and the walkers.  It’s one thing to confess the promises of God, to “name it and claim it,” but it’s an entirely different thing to put on your armor, strap on your sword and go toe to toe with an enemy that’s standing in the way of your promises.  Your struggles qualify you for your reward.  

David heard them speak of a reward, but he knew the reward was only for the person who would fight and kill Goliath, so he decided to face the giant. The odds appeared to be stacked against him. Goliath was bigger than David, more experienced than David, and probably stronger than David, but David didn’t care. David realized that he wanted to receive the reward.

I Samuel 17:25 (KJV emphasis added) “And the men of Israel said, Have ye seen this man that is come up? surely to defy Israel is he come up: and it shall be, that the man who killeth him, the king will enrich him with great riches, and will give him his daughter, and make his father's house free in Israel(No more taxes).”

The giant had great strength, great armour, and great size. The giant mocked David. David knew, however, that he came armed for the fight with something that no weapon formed could prevail against, “Then said David to the Philistine, Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield: but I come to thee in the name of the Lord of hosts…”

Through our struggles we should come to understand that the fight, the spiritual warfare, the praying, the waiting patiently and the enduring is as important as the blessing or reward.  While we often are looking only at the reward, God is looking at the development that is taking place through the struggle.  Faith is always forged in the fires of adversity. We learn through the struggle to call upon the name that is above every name – Jesus! He is our provider, He is our deliver, He is the Strong Tower to whom the righteous run unto and are comforted, He is the rock on which we stand, and He is the rewarded of those who diligently seek Him!

Third, the Lord knows that our struggles produce thankfulness.  When we moved back to Mississippi nearly 14 years ago, we had no idea what going to be in store for us 4 months later.  After surviving our first hurricane, Katrina, without a scratch to us or damage to our home when so many had lost everything, I wasn’t asking the Lord why he allowed us to go through that storm, I was thanking Him for protecting us.  

When you know that you had to fight for what you have, you appreciate it more.  You won’t let anyone take it from you.  Struggles test your level of commitment.  The only way to truly gauge your level of gratitude is through the struggle.

Fourth, the Giants flush out the grasshoppers in the crowd, because when the giants show up, grasshoppers begin to speak up.  Grasshoppers usually blend into their environment, but giants uncover them.  Grasshoppers don’t eat grapes and you will never have faith with the spiritual mind and appetite of a grasshopper.  This generation of the children of Israel forfeited their inheritance because they would not fight

How many of Gods people today are willing to forfeit their destiny and their promise because they refuse to stand up against the enemy and fight for it.  When the heat of the fires of life approach and the enemy is breathing down their necks, they bail out, back down, lay down their swords and surrender.  If everything is going smooth, they’re right there with the rest of the army, but when the real fight comes, they cave in to discouragement, fear and doubt.

If you are willing to admit it today, what you are today in God has been forged in the fires of adversity, your growth has most likely been due to overcoming the enemy’s attempts to bring you down. You are what you are in Christ because of what you had to fight for, what you have had to fight against, and the struggles you have overcome.

A caterpillar must go through the process of metamorphosis to change from an earthbound creature into a beautiful butterfly, but this process involves struggle and to cut the struggle short would rob it of its destiny.

A baby chick in the egg must go through growth inside of the egg until it begins to outgrow the egg, then it must peck its way out.  It is the struggle that give the chick strength and prepares it for life outside the egg.  To cut the struggle short would weaken it, if not kill the chick entirely.  It is only through the struggle that it gains the strength it needs to survive and thrive in the brutal world of its new environment.

Last, the best reason for God to allow us our struggles is that it qualifies us to help others who have similar struggles. When you have had to struggle through something, you can help somebody else.  When you have stood your ground, when you have fought the good fight and conquered your giants, you are qualified to help someone else conquer theirs.

The devil wants to make it all about you, he wants to give you tunnel vision so that you’ll focus all your attention on the struggle, but God wants you to see that the devil may have sent it to take you out, but God is going to use it to take you up, and when you get up you’ll be qualified to help someone else get up.  Through your struggles, if you stand and fight, God will bring you to a place of greater influence and make you a blessing to your brothers and sisters in the Lord.

Tell yourself right now: I may be going through a fight, but God’s growing me through this fight.  I may be facing giants, but God us bigger than my fears.  I’m developing more compassion, more patience, more endurance, and some long suffering.  I’m getting a spiritual workout, but I’m gaining spiritual power.  I am acquiring the ability to put myself in someone else’s shoes, to see where others are and to feel what they feel, so I can speak a word in season to them.  

Yes, I’m struggling right now, but don’t pity me, because there’s something in this fight that I need to become what God has ordained for me.  I would have no testimony with this test and no victory without a fight.

Just Stand!

Exodus 14:13-14 (KJV)

And Moses said unto the people, Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord, which he will shew to you to day: for the Egyptians whom ye have seen to day, ye shall see them again no more for ever.

¹⁴ The Lord shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace.

After the Israelites had been in bondage for over 400 hundred years the Lord sent them a deliverer named Moses.  Now we find them on their way out of the Egyptian kingdom and at the edge of the Red Sea.  God has visited nine plagues upon the Egyptians and so the Pharaoh told the children of Israel to get out, he agreed to set them free.  And with them they took much of the wealth of Egypt in the form of gold, silver, and precious jewels.

But now, after having had some time to reconsider, the Pharaoh begins to have second thoughts.  He decides that letting them go was a mistake and he pursues after them with six hundred of his chosen chariots.

After 400 years in bondage the children of Israel came out of Egypt thinking:

• That their bondage was over

• That they would never again feel the sting of the whip up on their backs.

• That they would never again suffer the oppression of slavery

But Pharaoh didn't want it to end, he wanted them back under his control.

My pastor revealed a truth to me from the word of God regarding the story of the Israelites deliverance from Egypt.  He showed me that Egypt represents sin, the Israelites going through the Red Sea represents baptism, and the presence of God in the cloud and the pillar of fire represent the Holy Spirit’s presence to guide and lead us until we receive the promises of God that we have hoped for.  

What an insight and encouragement this has been to me from God’s Word.  God has a plan for my life! My friends I want you to understand today, God has a plan for your life as well.  He wants to free you from the bondage of your sin, to wash you in the waters of baptism, and to give you power for living and reaching the end by blessing you with His presence through the baptism of the Holy Ghost!

I have experienced enough in life to understand another spiritual truth: the devil doesn't let go of his former subjects so easily?  The devil doesn't like giving up his territory.  Once you are freed from the chains of sin he will continue you to pursue you. The enemy wants to put you back into your chains, by any means necessary.

I am not writing today to tickle your ears, my purpose is to speak into the lives of those who are being pursued by Satan, to declare to you today that God is going to put an end to Satan’s work in your lives. God gave me this word, to create and establish, that today is the end. I am telling you that the Lord has told me, many of you are going to reach the end.

I don't know what it is in your life that has been trying to destroy you, but you know, and God is completely aware of your situation.  I don't know if it’s physical, spiritual, emotional, or financial, but here's what God says about it.

Nahum 1:7-9

7 The Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; And He knows those who trust in Him. 8 But with an overflowing flood He will make an utter end of its place, and darkness will pursue His enemies. 9 What do you conspire against the Lord?  He will make an utter end of it.  Affliction will not rise up a second time.

How many times have you faced situations and circumstances and problems in your life and wished you could just put an end to it and move on?  How many times have you wished you could just say the end, and it would be over with?  How many times have you looked at the mountains and the giants you’ve faced and heard the enemy whisper, “You’ll never be free, I’m going to keep coming at you.”

The devil is a liar and he wants you to buy into his lies:

• He wants you to just accept it as normal

• He wants you to think it'll be easier on you if you just learn to live with it.

There's something about us that when our normal is interrupted there is an immediate resistance and we fight against it. But when the situation or problem is persistent, we tend to lose our fight and accept our condition, our situation, our problem as the new normal.

Today I want to stir up the fighter in you. I want to wake up the anointing in you. I want this word to stir up a rebellion in you against everything that is contrary to the Word of God in your life. I don't care how long your addiction or struggle has plagued you, or how long you have suffered in your heart, body, or mind, if it is contrary to the Word of God, it’s not normal!

You may have learned how to coexist with it. You may have your nitroglycerin tablets, your insulin, your Lortabs, your Xanax, and your Nicotine gum.  All these things may help you cope with your lions and your giants, but it’s not normal.

Cancer, diabetes, and heart trouble are not normal! Drug addiction and alcoholism are not normal! Divorce is not normal! I’m going to get myself in trouble with this one, but I don’t’ care – Homosexuality is not normal! Strife and division in your church are not normal! Struggling to pay your bills and living under a burden of debt is not normal!

There may be a history of cancer or diabetes in your family, and the doctors may tell you it's in your DNA, but it’s not normal because you have a new bloodline and a new DNA…

II Corinthians 5:17  “If any man be in Christ he is a new creature old things are passed away behold all things are become new”

You may look at your family tree and see alcoholics, drug addicts and wife beaters, but it’s not normal you have a new family tree. Jesus is the vine and we are the branches!  There may be homosexuals or lesbians in your family, but it’s not normal! I’m not concerned with being politically correct this morning, I'm trying to save someone from Hell, I’m trying to start an uprising against the lies of the enemy, and I’m coming against anything and everything that is less than God's will for our lives.

Listen to me friends, I love you and I need you to hear my heart in what I am saying today – you will never experience a change until you recognize abnormality, until you identify those things which are out-of-order in your life and you fight against it.  And you will never fight against what is abnormal and out-of-order until you are convinced of God’s normal and God's divine order for your life.

Sickness cannot be normal when Jesus was beaten to heal us from it! Poverty and lack cannot be normal for children of the King of kings! Fighting and arguing can't be normal in marriage, if our marriages are supposed to be mirror images of our relationship to Jesus! Living under a yoke of fear and worry can't be normal because the Bible says, “God has not given us a spirit of fear but of power and of love and of a sound mind!”

I don't know who I'm talking to, but somebody is making up your mind right now, that the devil has pushed you around long enough, and now you're the one who's going to do the pushing. I hear the spirit saying, “Behold I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions and over all the power of the enemy and nothing shall by any means hurt you.”

I began writing today with this word in my spirit, God told me to prophesy and tell His people, “It’s not over, it’s not ending, it’s not finished, it’s only the beginning – when God is in it, all things are new!” The Lord spoke to my spirit today and told me to speak that He is getting ready to put a period at the end of a long hard battle.  He said to tell you to quit looking for those old familiar enemies, because you're not going to see them anymore.  

Jesus is going to drown your enemies today! Sickness and disease are going down! Addictions and bondages are going down! Depression is going down! Marriage problems are going down! Worry and stress are going down!

You might be asking yourself, “What do I have to do?”

Here's what God says for you to do…

“Stand still and see the salvation of the Lord that He will show you today, for the Egyptians which you have seen today you shall see them again no more forever.”

In other words, God is saying, just stand over there and watch. Watch the Lord work, and while you're praising Him, He will take care of business.

There are some things God expects and requires us to do. He requires us to read His Word and understand His will. He requires us to believe His Word and confess His Word as truth.  But when you have done everything you can do, when you’ve prayed, you’ve fasted, you’ve confessed the Word, you’ve rebuked the devil, you’ve pled the blood of Jesus, and you’ve called on the name of Jesus, then you stand!

That’s when Jesus says, ‘I'll take it from here! You stretch out the rod, I'll divide the Red Sea. You walk around the walls and shout, I'll knock them down. You stand on my words, I'll rebuke the cancer. You prophesy to the wind, I'll make the dry bones live again. You surrender to my will, I’ll break the yoke of addiction. You sow your seed, I'll bring the harvest. You stand still and praise me, I'll loose your chains and open the prison doors.’

Ephesians 6:13 “Therefore, take unto you the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day and, having done all, to stand. Stand therefore...”

Today is your day to look from the shore and see your enemy removed from your life forever!