DEFEATS THAT THREATEN DESTINY (Part 4)

DEFEATS THAT THREATEN DESTINY   (Part 4)

Joshua listened to the self-reliant men who returned from viewing Ai, but according to the biblical record he did not pray about the report he received. He immediately organized only 3,000 warriors to go up to Ai to battle.

Had Joshua taken time to pray, undoubtedly God would have revealed that there was sin in Israel and would have warned him not to go to battle.  Had Joshua taken time to pray, he would have also discovered that the pattern for attacking Ai was not to be the same as that used at Jericho.   Thus we find prayerlessness is the fourth thing we must avoid to stop the threats to our spiritual destiny.

There are three specific things to remember:

(1) The "Ais" of life, or the battles with the flesh, are not won the same way as the "Jerichos." 

(2) Neither can you live in past victories or the traditions of yesterday. 

(3) God has new strategies for each battle you face. 

The strategy to take Ai was different from that used at Jericho.

In the book of Judges, a man named Gideon was told to reduce his army before going into battle in Judges 7.  For the return to Ai, Joshua was told to take all the warriors to battle.  You cannot limit God to a certain pattern.  He is the God who has declared "I will do a new thing.”  You cannot act solely on the basis of tradition or precedent.

But Joshua did not take time to pray.  Instead, he sent only a few of the troops to Ai.   Sadly, some of the men were killed and the remainder fled before the enemy. How many times in your life have you acted before seeking God? How many times was it successful for you or do you remember the consequences of your own decisions?

Remember that the "Ais" of life are not won the same way as the "Jerichos".  In each new battle you face, you must lay aside your pride and carnal perception, pray to learn God's strategies, and follow His principles. 
 

DEFEATS THAT THREATEN DESTINY (Part 3)

DEFEATS THAT THREATEN DESTINY   (Part 3)

Pride is the second reason for defeats that threaten your destiny.  Achan is not the only one at fault in this story.  When Joshua sent men from Jericho to Ai to view the country, the men returned and told Joshua:

Joshua 7:3 "Let not all the people go up; but let about  two or three thousand men go up and smite Ai; and make not all the people to labor thither; for they are but few."

Ai was a small town in comparison to the city of Jericho which Israel had just conquered.  Pridefully, these men thought, "Ai should be no problem.  We have faced bigger challenges and been victorious.  This is nothing to worry about."  Israel was self-confident instead of being confident in God.  There is no mention of "if it is the Lord's will", an attitude we are advised to have according to James 4:13-17.
 

How many have fallen victim to pride?  

-Lucifer, desiring to be God.  

-Adam and Eve, desiring to be as gods.  

-Those who depend on self-confidence instead of God-confidence.  

In our own battles of life we often believe we can handle the lesser problems ourselves. But there is no encounter with the enemy so small that we do not need all of the resources God has provided to face it.   When you begin to move in self-confidence and proudly think "there is nothing to worry about,” then you are getting into dangerous territory.  There is no spiritual battle for which you do not need all available resources provided by God.

The third thing is Perception, which is how you view things.  The men sent to view Ai looked at things with their natural senses.  They did not have the spiritual perception to look beyond surface appearances and recognize the power of the enemy.

People act based upon their perceptions.  Following natural perception instead of spiritual insight led to inaccurate reporting in the camp of Israel.  Those men that claimed that the warriors of Ai were just a few in Joshua 7:3, found out in reality there were 12,000 of them according to Joshua 8:25.

When you involve self-reliant men in God's work they will make decisions based on their own perceptions. This leads to carnal counsel which, when acted upon, always results in defeat.  Surround yourself with those who are God-confident and who view things with a spiritual mind.

You cannot make decisions based upon your perception alone. You need the guidance and discernment provided by the Holy Spirit.  Take time to pray before you act, and you will avoid many of the perils of defeat.

 

DEFEATS THAT THREATEN DESTINY (Part 2)

DEFEATS THAT THREATEN DESTINY   (Part 2)

When you are defeated in spiritual battle there is always a reason.  In the story of the battle of Ai recorded in the Bible, Israel was soundly defeated.  There were four reasons for their failure which are common in the defeats we experience. The first is:
 

(1) Violating the principles of God results in defeat. 

God told Israel not to take any of the spoils from the battle at Jericho. They were to be dedicated to the Lord as they were the "first-fruits" of battle in Canaan:

Joshua 6:18, 19 "And ye, in any wise keep yourselves from the accursed thing, lest ye make yourselves accursed, when ye take of the accursed thing, and make the camp of Israel a curse, and trouble it.  But all the silver and gold and vessels of brass and iron are consecrated unto the Lord;  they shall come into the treasury of the Lord."

On any other occasion Israel was allowed to keep the spoils of war, but in this first battle at Jericho the spoils were to be dedicated to the Lord.  Sometimes, what was okay previously or may be accepted as tradition is wrong.  There is no need to seek counseling or prayer for guidance about something that God explicitly has forbidden. If God says it is wrong, it is wrong. 

Joshua 7:1 shares  how, despite the warning by God,  a man named Achan took the "accursed thing.” Achan's temptation followed the same pattern as that of Eve in Genesis chapter 3.  He "saw, desired, and took” what had been forbidden.   When he finally admitted his sin he said:

Joshua 7:21 "When I saw among the spoils a goodly Babylonish garment, and two hundred shekels of silver and a wedge of gold of fifty shekels weight, then I coveted them, and took them; and, behold they are hid in the earth in the midst of my tent and the silver under it."

Sin always begins in the mind.  The attitude of sin precedes the act.  Achan thought, "Who will see?  Who will know?"  He saw only the immediate pleasure these things would bring and not the terrible long-term effects of his actions. If Achan had looked with eyes of faith instead of eyes of lust, he would have seen these items as accursed.  Instead, he viewed them with only his natural senses.

Your spiritual enemies are the world, the flesh, and the devil.  These work together to tempt you by the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life.  If you look on temptation with eyes of faith instead of eyes of lust, you will see  that which is forbidden as an accursed thing.  Ask yourself-is there any accursed thing hidden in the tent of my life?
 

DEFEATS THAT THREATEN DESTINY (part 1)

DEFEATS THAT THREATEN DESTINY (Part 1)

Occasional defeats in spiritual battles are not failures.  They are temporary setbacks.  Consider the record of Bible characters such as:

 

-Sampson, who was a womanizer.  

-David who had an illicit affair and orchestrated a murder.  

-Elijah, who at one point seemed suicidal.  

-Jonah, who ran from God.  

-Peter, who denied Christ.  

-The disciples who deserted Christ at the time of His greatest need.

Yet each of these individuals were restored to their faith and mightily used by God.

Along the journey to your spiritual destiny, you will experience defeats.  You will also suffer major setbacks that are perceived to be failures.  In reality, you never truly fail until you stop trying,  because every setback can be turned into a comeback, and there is no defeat so great that you cannot return to God.  

Look at a major defeat experienced by Israel during their conquest of the Promised Land.  The story of this failure is recorded in Joshua chapter 7.   The problem occurred because of the sin of a man named Achan, who disobeyed by taking the spoils of the battle of Jericho, an act which God had forbidden.  

When Achan’s sin was finally exposed and had been dealt with, Israel returned to battle at Ai once again. This time, they were victorious:  

Joshua 8:26 "For Joshua drew not his hand back, wherewith he stretched out the spear, until he had utterly destroyed all the inhabitants of Ai." 

It is from the story of Ai, you can learn how to overcome defeat, rise up again, and return to the spiritual battlefield as a victorious Christian warrior.

You don't have to experience failure over and over again if you learn how to deal with potential defeats before they occur.   Whether you are facing or have experienced failure, you can learn vital principals from this series that will prove your life and ministry in the face of defeat. Don't let a setback destroy you destiny.

Unity (Part 2)

Unity (Part 2)
 

Acts 17:26-27 "And hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation; That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us."  

God has made believers of all nations to become one in Him. Paul understood this concept of unity among God’s people. He admonished in Ephesians 4:1-6:

"I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called, With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love; Endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; One Lord, one faith, one baptism, One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all."

Part of walking worthy of our calling is keeping the bond of unity, which is our oneness in God.  This does not mean that we must agree on all of our opinions or convictions. Rather, we are to be one in spirit, as we are all members of one spiritual body:

1 Corinthians 12:13, 14 "For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit. For the body is not one member, but many."

Spiritual unity results in the manifested presence of God. In the upper room prayer meeting when the disciples were all in one accord, the Holy Spirit came upon them in Acts 2:1-4). In the Old Testament, at the dedication of the temple the clud of God’s glory descended upon His people when they were united in worship:
 

2 Chronicles 5:13-14 "It came even to pass, as the trumpeters and singers were as one, to make one sound to be heard in praising and thanking the Lord; and when they lifted up their voice with the trumpets and cymbals and instruments of music and praised the Lord, saying, For he is good; for his mercy endureth for ever: that then the house was filled with a cloud, even the house of the Lord; So that the priests could not stand to minister by reason of the cloud: for the glory of the Lord had filled the house of God."

Some people are always seeking blessings from God. Do you want to know how to live in the continual outpouring of His blessings? Then grasp the true meaning of this concept of spiritual unity:

Psalm 133 says:

"Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity! It is like the precious ointment upon the head, that ran down upon the beard, even Aaron's beard: that went down to the skirts of his garments; As the dew of Hermon, and as the dew that descended upon the mountains of Zion: for there the Lord commanded the blessing, even life for evermore." 

Where does God command His blessings? Where His people are dwelling together in unity. You don’t have to seek His blessings. You don’t have to pray them down. Begin to function in unity with other believers and His blessings will be commanded upon you.

 

Unity (Part 1)

Unity (Part 1)

John 1:1-5 "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. And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not."

Jesus Christ is unified with God the Father and the Holy Spirit. The light represents unity and the fact that the Lord is one God. The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are one. As light, they are indivisible.  Denoting the unity of the one true God is expressed in the opening lines of one of the first professions of faith found in scripture: 

Deuteronomy 6:4 "Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord."  

Jesus declared that He and His Father were one in John 10:30: 

"I and my Father are one."  

Jesus desired this same indivisible unity for His followers. He prayed that believers would become one with Him and with God, their Heavenly Father:

John 17:20-23 "Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word; That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me. And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one , even as we are one: I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me."

It was by one man that all men were affected by sin and its devastating penalties:

Romans 5:12 "Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned."

It was through one man, Jesus Christ, that all men can be made righteous:

Romans 5:19 "For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous."

There is only one name by which you can be saved, which is the name of Jesus according to Acts 4:10-12.  Only through Jesus can you be saved and declared righteous before God.
 

Jesus admonished that you should have:

-One focus-Mark 10:21-22.  

-A singleness of spiritual vision-Matthew 6:22.   

Paul's focus was the Kingdom of God and getting to know God more intimately in Philippians 1:10, 14.  What is your focus?

Jesus declared in John 10:16 that He was the Good Shepherd and that:

"... other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd."

There is one shepherd and one fold composed of all true believers.  Are you part of the fold? Are you in unity with God and your fellows believers?

Finisher (Part 3)

Finisher (Part 3)

Peter admonishes us to "cast all your care upon Him, for He cares for you" in 1 Peter 5:7.  People who have the spirit of a finisher do not sit down in the rubble of negative circumstances and cease advancing in the Lord.  Instead, they cast all of their concerns upon God and continue on in their spiritual battles and their Christian walk.

The Amplified Version reads, "Casting the whole of your care-all your anxieties, all your worries, all your concerns, (and your shame) once and for all-on Him" (1 Peter 5:7).  Then Paul says in Philippians 4:6, 7:

"Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus."

"Be anxious for nothing" means "don't worry about anything."  Instead of worrying, pray about your problems and let your requests be made known to God with thanksgiving.  Worry is a negative force, but praise has positive potency and is the language of faith. 
When you face challenging circumstances or devastating problems, instead of crying "What will I do now?" raise your hands and declare: 

"Father, You said you would finish what You began in me. You said everything is working for good in my life to conform me to Your image.  Now, here's my problem..." 

Then lay it out before Him, praise Him for an answer, and leave it there.  When you do this, it releases the peace of God to guard your heart and mind from worry.  

In 2 Chronicles 20 we find a story that illustrates this principle.  King Jehoshaphat was in quite a dilemma, for he was completely surrounded by the enemy nations of Ammon and Moab.  In the midst of these fearful circumstances, Jehoshaphat set himself to seek the Lord. He didn't worry or fret, but made up his mind to seek God about his problem.  

King Jehoshaphat went to God in prayer and acknowledged that he did not know what to do, but he declared, "Our eyes are upon you."  He also called God's people together to wait on the Lord for an answer.

God's response came through a man named Jahaziel who declared in 2 Chronicles 20:15-17:
"Listen, all you of Judah and you inhabitants of Jerusalem, and you, King Jehoshaphat!  Thus says the Lord to you:  `Do not be afraid nor dismayed because of this great multitude, for the battle is not yours, but God's.  Tomorrow go down against them...You will not need to fight in this battle.  Position yourselves, stand still and see the salvation of the Lord, who is with you...Do not fear or be dismayed; tomorrow go out against them, for the Lord is with you.’” 


The next day the people advanced on the enemy, not with man-made weapons of warfare, but with the supernatural spiritual weapon of praise.  God caused a cloud of confusion to descend upon the enemy, causing them to turn on each other and battle their own comrades to the death. 

Men and women who have the spirit of a finisher are like Jehoshaphat.  They have their eyes on God instead of the problem.  They do not worry over past, present, or future circumstances, but pray over each situation in faith believing that God will resolve it.  They do not remain captive to their guilt.  They acknowledge it, act against it, address it, abandon their guilt-producing behavior, and ask for an intimate relationship with God.  Then they rise up from the mire of their sinful past to fulfill God's purpose for their lives.