Deliverance: Where is the God of Miracles?

 

A number of years ago, my father died.  I was living in Southern California and he lived about six hours away in Northern California.  I received a phone call that he was in the hospital and that he had probably reached the end of his life.  So, I left to go see him, one last time.

On the way a tow truck in front of me dropped a chain that hit the freeway and bounced up into the engine compartment of my car, damaging a number of the hoses and belts. 

I had to wait for a tow truck, and then rent a car to continue to get to the hospital, where my father was.  It took about twelve hours.  My father was slipping into death and was lying on the bed.  He had tubes down his throat, his eyes were closed and he was nonresponsive.

I laid hands on him and prayed for him, asking God for more time.  Then my mom and I went to get something to eat. I hadn’t eaten all day.  When we got back, all of my father’s vital signs had revived and he was sitting up and removing the tubes. I got to spend a day with him before he died.  A Miracle.

All of us have times when we’re struggling.  All of us have times of great need; times when we think our circumstances are impossible. All of us have times when we need a miracle!  I believe there are times when all of us read our Bibles, and see the miracles that God has done, and think to ourselves, “Where is the God of miracles, now, when I need Him.”

Judges 6:11-13 (NKJV)
^6:11 Now the Angel of the Lord came and sat under the terebinth tree which was in Ophrah, which belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, while his son Gideon threshed wheat in the winepress, in order to hide it from the Midianites. ¹² And the Angel of the Lord appeared to him, and said to him, "The Lord is with you, you mighty man of valor!" ¹³ Gideon said to Him, "O my lord, if the Lord is with us, why then has all this happened to us? And where are all His miracles which our fathers told us about, saying, 'Did not the Lord bring us up from Egypt?' But now the Lord has forsaken us and delivered us into the hands of the Midianites."

Where is the God of Miracles?

At this time in Israel’s history, they were being harassed by the Midianites. Words often have double meanings.  In the Bible Midian is a place, a nation; but the word Midian in Hebrew means strife.  Another word for strife is struggle.

We’ve all heard about Shammah and the beanfield.  He fought and defeated the Philistines, protecting the harvest.  The Philistines represented the cares of the world.  He kept the cares of the world from stealing the harvest.  The Midianites in our text represent great struggle or hardship.  So, this is a time of great hardship for Israel.  Midian sweeps in and destroys their crops., keeping them poor and in need.  Every time they think they’re getting ahead; Midian comes in and beats them down again – over and over.  At this point Israel is desperate for a leader that can destroy Midian and deliver them from this oppression.  They’re crying out for deliverance.

How many times have you felt like Israel? 

“Every time I think I’m turning a corner in my finances – In my marriage – In my job – In whatever it is, something comes along and kicks my feet out from under me, and I’m right back where I started!”

That’s what Israel had been going through for the past seven years.  They’re tired, they’re beaten down and they need deliverance.

It’s in the middle of all this, that our text takes place. We come across Gideon and he is out at the wine press, threshing wheat.  The wine press is not the place to do that.  He’s doing it in hopes of keeping it from the Midianites. He’s hiding; he’s avoiding them.

That’s when the Angel of the Lord comes along and sits down under the Terebinth tree, and he says to Gideon, “The Lord is with you, you mighty man of valor!”

He hears those words, and he can’t believe it.  God is with us?  Really, God is with us?  The God my fathers talked about?  The One who did miracles?  The One who opened the sea?  The One who delivered the people from Egypt?  We need that God, now and I don’t see Him!

“Where is the God of miracles, now?

I’m willing to bet that Gideon isn’t the only person who’s ever felt that way.  Maybe even you’ve felt that way.  Maybe you read your Bible and you see powerful things:

Blind men who can see!  Lame men who can walk!  Demons cast out – defeated!  Dead men raised!  You say to yourself, “Where is the God who does that? How come I never seem to get miracles when I need them?  Why doesn’t God move like that for me”

God showed up for Gideon.  God came to him.  It was after seven years of troubles. (Seven is the number of completion.)  You can say God came to him when it was time.  Israel’s trial was over – It was time for deliverance.  God had seen that they had suffered enough!

Are you suffering, right now?  Are you struggling, right now?  Are you looking for a God of miracles?  Do you need deliverance?  He’ll come.  He sees, He knows,  He’s a deliverer.  He will deliver you.  Maybe you’ve prayed and nothing happened.  Maybe you’ve given up.  God knows, there have been a lot of people who’ve walked away.  People who’ve left God, saying to themselves, “There is no God of miracles!  I needed Him and He wasn’t there for me!”

Isn’t that what Gideon is saying?  “The God of miracles?  There is no God of miracles, anymore!  If there is, where is He?  Where’s the God miracles?  These Midianites are killing us!”  But the angel of the Lord has shown up, to call on Gideon to deliver his people.

Mighty Man of Valor

Judges 6:14-16 (NKJV)
^6:14 Then the Lord turned to him and said, "Go in this might of yours, and you shall save Israel from the hand of the Midianites. Have I not sent you?" ¹⁵ So he said to Him, "O my Lord, how can I save Israel? Indeed my clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father's house." ¹⁶ And the Lord said to him, "Surely I will be with you, and you shall defeat the Midianites as one man."

He’s sitting under the Terebinth tree – It’s like an Oak Tree.  It symbolizes strength.  It symbolizes power.  He sits under that tree and calls Gideon:

“The Lord is with you, you mighty man of valor!”

At this point he’s hiding from the Midianites.  I’m thinking Gideon isn’t feeling like a mighty man of valor at that moment.  He’s hiding – he’s fearful – He’s not valorous, he’s not courageous.  Gideon has been complaining that God has forsaken them and the Lord says –

“Go in this might of yours, and you shall save Israel from the hand of the Midianites.”

Me? Are you talking to me?  Who am I?  I can’t face all of Midian.  I’m not a powerful or brave man, I’m just a guy.  I’m just a man, I don’t have ANY power!  I’m just me.  Gideon knows who he is – He’s defeated before he even starts to fight!  It’s impossible – I’m weak! I’m useless! I’m the weakest in my father’s house.

You know, I get that – I understand that.  Sometimes I feel like I can’t do anything.  Look at me – I even need help to dress.  Have I accomplished anything?  Have I done anything to move the Gospel of Jesus Christ forward – to bring the kingdom of God to earth?

You know one time in Riverside…  Riverside has a lot of churches.  Big churches.  One has 15,000 people; another one has 11,000.  Big churches, lots of people.  So, we were outreaching at a night market.  And I met another pastor.  I had been there two years and so had he.  So we were talking and I asked him, just out of curiosity “How many people in your church?” Eighteen hundred!  Eighteen hundred after just 2 years. And then he says to me, “How about you?”  Thirteen… “Thirteen hundred?”  I didn’t want to answer.  Let him think that.  I couldn’t do it… “No, just thirteen!”

I was embarrassed.  I felt like an idiot.  I was like Gideon, “I’m worthless!  I’m weak!”  I am the least in my Father’s house.  Thirteen people; who was I to think I could deliver anything?

That’s where Gideon was at – That’s where some of you are.  “I’ve failed so many times – Who am I to think I could overcome, now?”  What did the Lord say, though?  What did he say to me?

“Have I not called you?  This isn’t your fight – I called you and I will be with you.  It’s time for deliverance, so pull up your big boy pants and fight!”

God is there in the middle of your suffering – And God will be there in the middle of the battle – And God will be there fighting alongside you.  I called you, and I don’t make mistakes. You can win this battle because God is with you. 

You can win this battle that you’re facing because God is with you.  God said, “Gideon you WILL destroy Midian, because I will be there!”  We need God to be there.

When God was about to deliver Israel from Egypt, Moses said, “If we go You have to come with us, because if You’re not going, I don’t want to go, either!”  God answered and said, “I will be with you.”  God will be with you, too.

A Miracle Happened

Judges 7:7-8 (NKJV)
^7:7 Then the Lord said to Gideon, "By the three hundred men who lapped I will save you, and deliver the Midianites into your hand. Let all the other people go, every man to his place." ⁸ So the people took provisions and their trumpets in their hands. And he sent away all the rest of Israel, every man to his tent, and retained those three hundred men. Now the camp of Midian was below him in the valley.

Judges 7:12 (NKJV)
^7:12 Now the Midianites and Amalekites, all the people of the East, were lying in the valley as numerous as locusts; and their camels were without number, as the sand by the seashore in multitude.

Gideon looks down into that valley and there’s the Midianites.  They can’t even be counted – there’s too many of them.  That’s a whole lot of problems.  That a lot of struggle – it’s never-ending.

That’s life.  That’s how life is, one struggle – one problem after another.  It never ends.  You get through one thing and a hundred more things are right there behind it!

Gideon looks back and he has three hundred men behind him.  How can he do this?  How can he win against these odds?  Because God was with him; and he did win – He defeated Midian!

Judges 7:16-18 (NKJV)
^7:16 Then he divided the three hundred men into three companies, and he put a trumpet into every man's hand, with empty pitchers, and torches inside the pitchers. ¹⁷ And he said to them, "Look at me and do likewise; watch, and when I come to the edge of the camp you shall do as I do: ¹⁸ When I blow the trumpet, I and all who are with me, then you also blow the trumpets on every side of the whole camp, and say, 'The sword of the Lord and of Gideon!' "

That was God’s plan – three hundred men with no weapons – only trumpets, empty pitchers and torches:

Judges 7:22-23 (NKJV)
^7:22 When the three hundred blew the trumpets, the Lord set every man's sword against his companion throughout the whole camp; and the army fled to Beth Acacia, toward Zererah, as far as the border of Abel Meholah, by Tabbath. ²³ And the men of Israel gathered together from Naphtali, Asher, and all Manasseh, and pursued the Midianites.

The Lord set every man against his companion.  The Midianites turned on each other and destroyed themselves.  God delivered them.

Why would He do it like that?  Why did he cut the number of soldiers down from thirty thousand to three hundred men?  Here’s why:

Judges 7:2 (NKJV)
^7:2 And the Lord said to Gideon, "The people who are with you are too many for Me to give the Midianites into their hands, lest Israel claim glory for itself against Me, saying, 'My own hand has saved me.'

He wanted them to know it was Him that delivered them; that it’s God who brings the victory. It's funny how when things go good, we congratulate ourselves, and when they go bad, we blame God.  God wanted them to know who brought the deliverance.

Do you know why the Bible has stories like this?  Do you know why God set this in here? So that we can see that God delivers – That God is with us.  He said, “I will not forsake you.”  He’s there, right in the midst of your struggles.  He will deliver you from the Midianites – the struggles and problems – in your life, so that you will give him the Glory.

Two final things:

1)   That other pastor, he may have had a lot more people, He may have had a lot more money, he may have had a much nicer facility.  I had only thirteen, but that was thirteen souls snatched from the gates of Hell, not from some other church.  On August 5, 2021 that little church celebrated twenty years in that city.

2)      I needed that time with my dad!  I was afraid that he would pass without me being there!  Without me being able to let him know I loved him.  God did a personal miracle for me! 

 He IS the God of Miracles!

Dominion: Planning for Victory - Part 1

Editor's note:  After a long illness and hospital stay, I'm ready to begin to write this blog again.  I have committed to myself to write something everyday!  That doesn't mean that there'll be a new post everyday.  I have a number of projects that I'm working on, so I will work on one of those every day.  I will say that for the most part I'll be posting once a week.  Thanks for your patience and hanging in there as I recovered.  Following is this week's post:  Planning for Victory

There is an old story of two farmers in the middle of a drought.  They begin to pray for rain.  One farmer sits and waits for God to move, the other farmer prepares his fields for rain!

I believe the second farmer understands something about our part in seeing a miracle.  We all want and need God to move in our circumstances.  We all have times in our lives where we need a move of God to change our circumstances.  So, what do we do?  Do we sit and wait on God or do we prepare for those things to take place?

Jeremiah 29:10-11 (NKJV)
^29:10 For thus says the Lord: After seventy years are completed at Babylon, I will visit you and perform My good word toward you, and cause you to return to this place. ¹¹ For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.

Here’s how the Message translation puts it:

Jeremiah 29:10-11 (MSG)
^29:10 This is God's Word on the subject: "As soon as Babylon's seventy years are up and not a day before, I'll show up and take care of you as I promised and bring you back home. ¹¹ I know what I'm doing. I have it all planned out—plans to take care of you, not abandon you, plans to give you the future you hope for.

The Power of Faith

The first thing we need to understand is what faith looks like!  All of us that are Christians say, “I have faith in Jesus!”  Faith in Jesus is the definition of Christian!  We’re not Christians if we don’t have faith in Jesus.  The question is do you really live out your faith?  

Faith is expectation.  The farmer who goes out and prepares for the rain is the farmer who has faith.  He expects God to move in response to his prayers so he acts as if the prayer has already been answered.  Faith isn’t about believing; faith is about acting!  

Faith is making plans for the future.  You have faith that today won’t be the last day of your life.  How do I know that?  Because we all make plans for the future. 

"When I graduate, I’m going to… " 

"When the baby is born, we’ll name him/her… " 

"On my vacation, I’m going to…"

I’m pretty sure that most people aren’t saying, “I don’t have plans, because I may die tonight!”  No one is saying, “We’ll just see if tomorrow comes and do whatever!”  Before any of my leadership ever decided that I would be coming to Taiwan, I had already begun to visualize what would be necessary to get here, and what I wanted to do once I got here!  I was pushing myself into my purpose.

As you begin to push yourself into your purpose, the power of God will come upon you and enable you to do what God has called you to do.

I want to look at Noah for a moment:

Hebrews 11:7 (NKJV)
^11:7 By faith Noah, being divinely warned of things not yet seen, moved with godly fear, prepared an ark for the saving of his household, by which he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness which is according to faith.

We all know the story of Noah and the flood.  The world had devolved into wickedness.  People were doing all sorts of evil things.  God got fed up with people and decided to judge the world with a flood.

How many of you reading this have heard from God?  Did you hear a big, loud voice calling you, or did it seem as if a thought came to you?  When you heard that still, small voice did you say, “Oh, God is calling to me.” 

So, God spoke to Moses in that same way that he speaks to us.  He has called Moses through that still, small voice to build an ark.  Let me tell you something, when this happened it had never rained before.  No one had had any experience with floods, but Moses began, by faith to build an ark and saved his family.  Moses took action on God’s plan and God helped him to build an ark.  He’d never built a boat before, but it worked out, because God enabled him to do that!

I’ve witnessed the power of God to heal people, as soon as they took steps toward their purposes and began to do what God had called them to do.  Don’t leave this step of faith out.  Make plans.  Set Goals for your future.  Let God enable you.  Let God equip you for victory!

Think about what you would do if those circumstances were miraculously changed.  What would you do if your finances got better?  What would you do if you were healed from some debilitating disease?  What plans would you make if you thought you had a chance?  Think about it, take a paper and write it down.  Hang it on the refrigerator and begin to make plans as if God had already done it.

Faith is living like you know that God will move.  God moves in the unseen.  Even though you don’t see any evidence of God moving doesn’t mean He isn’t.  Are you planning for your future as if God is already answering your prayers?  Are you living as if you know God will move?

Make God’s Will Your Will

When I was a young man, I had a very different plan for my life.  I was depressed at age 25, because I wasn’t already a millionaire.  I didn’t have the success that I thought I deserved.  My career wasn’t working out as quickly as I had envisioned it would. I hated myself at age 30, because I wasn’t married.  All of that misery and depression was destroying my life.  Look at this scripture:

Proverbs 16:9 (NKJV)
^16:9 A man's heart plans his way, But the Lord directs his steps.

You can’t do one without the other.  I tried making plans for my life but I left out the will of God.  I didn’t even go to God and ask, “What’s your plan?”  Of course, I wasn’t saved at the that time.  I didn’t know to do that, but I know now, that God’s will is essential to seeing my plans come to fruition.

When I finally laid down my dream, my plans and took up God’s will and plan for my life, I was transformed!  That’s when my life changed.  That was the key to the loss of misery and suffering.  I wasn’t trying to force my plan on God.  I began cooperating with His plan and then I found out that God’s plan – God’s dream – was more satisfying that anything I could have imagined.

1 Corinthians 2:9 (NKJV)
^2:9 But as it is written: "Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, Nor have entered into the heart of man The things which God has prepared for those who love Him."

Are you open to God’s plan for your life?  Are you willing to surrender your dream – to dream God’s dream for you?  Do you know the easiest way for your plans to happen?  Listen to God, hear His plan and make his plan your plan!  Let God direct your steps to breakthrough and victory!

In the Old Testament, there is the story of Jacob as he is about to meet Esau, the one he ripped off and who had threatened to kill him.  He’s afraid.  He knows Esau’s plan and Esau is coming with 400 men.  Jacob’s plan was to take his family home to his father’s house, but it looks to him like that’s all over now!

Then a man comes to him and wrestles with him throughout the night – That man is the Angel of the Lord, which is an Old Testament name for Jesus.  All night long they wrestle until finally God throws Jacob’s hip out of joint.

Finally, Jacob surrenders and God is able to move.  Jacob’s name is changed to Israel, and he begins to live God’s plan for his life.  The promise of the Promised Land is completed through Jacob.  Look at Ephesians 2:10:

Ephesians 2:10 (NKJV)
^2:10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

That scripture tells us that God had a plan for your life, before you were even born!  God has prepared something for you.  Something good that’s beyond your imagination.  Maybe, it’s time to cooperate with God’s plan and move to victory!

God Honors Faith

Here’s the promise:

Philippians 1:6 (NKJV)
^1:6 being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ;

This verse tells us that what God has started in us He will finish, but you need to know this one thing:  God doesn’t just have a plan for your life – You are the plan!  Noah was God’s plan for continuing the human race.  Moses was God’s plan for delivering Israel from bondage in Egypt.  Esther was God’s plan for rescuing the Jews from Haman.  Jesus was the pan for our deliverance from sin, and you are God’s plan for his purpose through you.  By cooperating with God you will see victory!

Finally, God promises that if we seek first the Kingdom of God, then the things we need will be added to us.

Matthew 6:33 (NKJV)
^6:33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.

God wants to change your circumstances!  God wants to do a work in your life! Most of all God wants you!

So, how do we live out our faith?  We get ready for God to move in our lives.   We pray and call upon God to move in our lives but we forget to prepare for a move of God.  That’s really what faith is, living our lives like we know that God is already moving!  Prepare your field – THE RAIN IS COMING!

Dominion

In our Bible Study we have been studying 10 “Points of Victory,” including, “The Spear of Dominion.”  That word dominion is the root word of dominate.  The word translated as dominion in the Old Testament literally means, “to step down on.”  It means to take authority over.  Dominion flows from authority – God gives us dominion.  It is our ability to use God’s power.  Today I want to post on Dominion.

2 Kings 6:14-18 (NKJV)
^6:14 Therefore he sent horses and chariots and a great army there, and they came by night and surrounded the city. ¹⁵ And when the servant of the man of God arose early and went out, there was an army, surrounding the city with horses and chariots. And his servant said to him, "Alas, my master! What shall we do?" ¹⁶ So he answered, "Do not fear, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them." ¹⁷ And Elisha prayed, and said, "Lord, I pray, open his eyes that he may see." Then the Lord opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw. And behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha. ¹⁸ So when the Syrians came down to him, Elisha prayed to the Lord, and said, "Strike this people, I pray, with blindness." And He struck them with blindness according to the word of Elisha.

We Need Dominion

Here’s the back story for the scene in our text.  The king of Syria is making war on Israel.  He calls his “war council” together and they discuss plans and come upon a method for the battle.  When they make their attack on Israel the King of Israel is prepared.  It’s because God is speaking to Elisha and giving him the king of Syria’s plan and Elisha warns the king of Israel, who is able to thwart the plan.  Eventually, the Syrian king figures it out and so he sends his army to find and kill Elisha.  They find him in Dothan and they arrive in the middle of the night.

When Gehazi, who is Elisha’s disciple, wakes up the next morning, he finds that they’ve been surrounded.  He becomes frightened and calls out for Elisha.

This is taking place in the natural world.  Very often we are involved in what seems like a battle in the natural, there is really a battle taking place in the spiritual realm and it’s playing out in our lives.  Things happen – problems come up.  We lose our jobs.  We become sick. Family members die and it seems as if we are surrounded by enemy forces.

We look at these events and we see the work of the enemy, but we don’t see what God has already put in place for us.  We don’t see that God has moved in these circumstances.  When all we see is the circumstance; all we see is the suffering we are seeing the battle with Gehazi’s eyes.

There’s something going on that’s hidden from him.  Something is playing out in the realm of dominion.  God is moving.  God is involved, but His involvement isn’t seen, at least Gehazi can’t see it.  The problem is that Gehazi is looking for a solution in the natural world, and the answer may not be found in the natural. 

This is something that people do.  We look for answers in our experiences, We’ere looking for answers we can see.  Gehazi has never seen an army defeated by two men and so there’s fear.  He can’t see a way through this.  He cries put to Elisha in despair.  Despair is the opposite of dominion.  The reason you’re discouraged; the reason you’re fearful; the reason you’re overwhelmed is that there’s no dominion in your life.  Because of the circumstances you’re blinded to your ability to use God’s power!

Luke 10:19 (NKJV)
^10:19 Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you.

“I give you authority to trample on serpents.”  Remember, what I told you about what dominion is.  It is “stepping down on with your foot.”  Trampling is dominion and it flows out of Jesus’ authority.  He gives us the authority to do that.

In our text, Elisha and Gehazi would face certain defeat.  There’s no way that they could escape the Syrians – They’re surrounded.  There’s no way they could fight them – They’re outnumbered.  If they rely only on what’s found in the natural they will be destroyed.  That’s where dominion comes in.  How did Elisha solve this?  He called on God’s supernatural power – He struck them blind.  In other words he used God’s power.  That’s dominion. 

We face a supernatural enemy.  We can’t fight against him with natural weapons.  You don’t bring a knife to a gun fight. It isn’t adequate to the battle.  You can’t fight a supernatural battle with a gun or a knife.  You need a supernatural weapon.

2 Corinthians 10:4-6 (NKJV)
^10:4 For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, ⁵ casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, ⁶ and being ready to punish all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled.

This scripture is about taking dominion over your life.  Our weapons are not carnal or natural.  They’re mighty in God.  They’re supernatural, but in order to defeat the enemy, we need to take dominion over habits and attitudes:  Bringing every thought into captivity.

Punishing all disobedience.  We need to “step down with our feet,” on those thoughts and habits that separate us from God.  We need His power and dominion.

Where Does Dominion Come From?

In or text we see these two men Elisha and Gehazi.  They’re facing an enemy that can easily destroy them.  Have you ver felt like that?  Felt like there’s no way out of your situation?  Felt like there’s only defeat in your future?

In our text, we can see that God has already put His solution in place.  We don’t see Elisha praying for God to help them. They wake up, go out on the balcony for a cup of coffee and God’s troops are already in place.  Elisha doesn’t pray for God to deliver them, he only prays that God will open Gehazi’s eyes, so he can see what God has already done.  God has already brought deliverance.

I want to look at something else for a moment.  I’ll come back to this because I’m not finished with it, yet.  Do you think that it’s interesting that Elisha could see and Gehazi could not?  I think there are two reasons:

1.        Elisha is “prayed up.”  He has a habit of prayer.  You don’t hear from God of you’re not praying.  God speaks to us in prayer.  Elisha studies the word of God.  He knows the scriptures.  God speaks to us through His word.

2.        Elisha is a man of God, and he is the authority in Gehazi’s life.  All dominion flows from authority, but you have to be under authority in order to claim authority.

Matthew 8:9 (NKJV)
^8:9 For I also am a man under authority, having soldiers under me. And I say to this one, 'Go,' and he goes; and to another, 'Come,' and he comes; and to my servant, 'Do this,' and he does it."

This man is a man of authority – He has command over troops, but he is also a man under authority – There is a leader over his life.  The authority he has flows to him from the commander that’s above him.  Elisha was also a man under authority.  He had a leader.  That leader was Elijah the prophet, Elisha played the same role with Elijah, that Gehazi plays with Elisha.  He was a disciple; he was under authority, and the dominion in his life came out of his relationship with Elijah

2 Kings 2:11-14 (NKJV)
^2:11 Then it happened, as they continued on and talked, that suddenly a chariot of fire appeared with horses of fire, and separated the two of them; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven. ¹² And Elisha saw it, and he cried out, "My father, my father, the chariot of Israel and its horsemen!" So he saw him no more. And he took hold of his own clothes and tore them into two pieces. ¹³ He also took up the mantle of Elijah that had fallen from him, and went back and stood by the bank of the Jordan. ¹⁴ Then he took the mantle of Elijah that had fallen from him, and struck the water, and said, "Where is the Lord God of Elijah?" And when he also had struck the water, it was divided this way and that; and Elisha crossed over.

Elijah is taken up into Heaven – God raptures him, his mantle falls down and Elisha picks it up, and uses it to part the water.  The mantle is the symbol of Elijah’s calling.  It’s the dress of the prophet and that calling is now Elisha’s.  It’s now the symbol that Elisha is the prophet, and with that calling comes Elijah’s authority and dominion. That dominion has now passed down from Elijah to Elisha.  Dominion is passed from the man of God to the disciple.

Are you a disciple?  Are you looking for dominion?  Do you want your eyes opened, so that you can see things clearly?  There’s only two ways to get dominion:

1.        You have to have a right relationship with God, and

2.        You have to have a right relationship with your pastor.

Dominion is Victory

Here they are in our text, they’re surrounded.  The enemy is all around them and yet God gives them a great victory.  They don’t have to face the enemy with weapons.  They don’t have to fight them as soldiers.  They only pray and God does a miracle. 

2 Kings 6:18 (NKJV)
^6:18 So when the Syrians came down to him, Elisha prayed to the Lord, and said, "Strike this people, I pray, with blindness." And He struck them with blindness according to the word of Elisha.

The picture of dominion here is sight.  Elisha had sight – He could see into the supernatural.  He passed that sight to Gehazi – His eyes were opened.  They could see the soldiers of God in place.  With this vision came an end to Gehazi’s fear.  That was dominion.  At first the soldiers who surrounded them had dominion.  They found Elisha and Gehazi, but when Elisha called on God, God struck the Syrian’s blind.  Then Elisha was able to lead them right into capture.

2 Kings 6:19-20 (NKJV)
^6:19 Now Elisha said to them, "This is not the way, nor is this the city. Follow me, and I will bring you to the man whom you seek." But he led them to Samaria. ²⁰ So it was, when they had come to Samaria, that Elisha said, "Lord, open the eyes of these men, that they may see." And the Lord opened their eyes, and they saw; and there they were, inside Samaria!

He’s taken them to the capitol of Israel.  He’s taken dominion – Vision is dominion.

Do you want to see God do powerful things with your life?  You need vision.  You need a plan.  You need direction.  You need to link yourself to a man of God.

Gileadites

Is it only me, or does it seem like living for Jesus is like fighting a battle?  We’re constantly waging a war with Satan, in order to find our destiny in Jesus Christ.  Each of us has a destiny that’s worth fighting for.  It’s sad to see people start out and then quit when things get difficult.  As the fight continues some people lose their resolve to continue on. 

Today I want to look at people who quit just before they entered the Promised Land:   People who were content to receive as their inheritance, that portion of land that was just short of the promise that was meant for them.  They stepped out of the will of God because they didn’t see all that God had for them.  We need to be careful to press in, and not give up, so that we can enjoy all of the promise of God.  Today, I want to post a message on quitting too soon.

Numbers 32:1-8 (NKJV)
^32:1 Now the children of Reuben and the children of Gad had a very great multitude of livestock; and when they saw the land of Jazer and the land of Gilead, that indeed the region was a place for livestock, ² the children of Gad and the children of Reuben came and spoke to Moses, to Eleazar the priest, and to the leaders of the congregation, saying, ³ "Ataroth, Dibon, Jazer, Nimrah, Heshbon, Elealeh, Shebam, Nebo, and Beon, ⁴ the country which the Lord defeated before the congregation of Israel, is a land for livestock, and your servants have livestock." ⁵ Therefore they said, "If we have found favor in your sight, let this land be given to your servants as a possession. Do not take us over the Jordan." ⁶ And Moses said to the children of Gad and to the children of Reuben: "Shall your brethren go to war while you sit here? ⁷ Now why will you discourage the heart of the children of Israel from going over into the land which the Lord has given them? ⁸ Thus your fathers did when I sent them away from Kadesh Barnea to see the land.

Unwilling to Continue

Here we see the days just before the Israelites crossed over the Jordan and into the Promised Land.  They are poised on the very edge of the promise of God.  They’re set up to step inside their inheritance.  This is the land that God promised to Abraham so many years before. 

This is the land of Destiny for Israel.  This is what God had in mind for them when He delivered them from the bondage of Egypt.  This is the place He planned for them.  They had spent forty years wandering in the desert to finally enter into this land – The Land Flowing with Milk and Honey.

Moses had sent spies into the Promised Land and they came back with a report that was filled with unbelief, saying there are giants in the land and we are like grasshoppers in their sight and in our own.  The people cried all night, forgetting that God had promised it.  So God refused to allow them to enter in until that entire generation had passed away.

These in our text are not the generation who believed the bad report.  They weren’t the ones who had no faith, but there was something in their makeup that said to them, “This is good enough.”  They settled for the land that they were sitting on not even knowing whether or not there was better land in the land of promise.  They settled, they weren’t willing to fight for all that God had for them.  There was some flaw in their character that kept them from pressing in to see all of it.

Look at the life of Elijah for a moment.  Look at who he is:

1 Kings 17:1 (NKJV)
^17:1 And Elijah the Tishbite, of the inhabitants of Gilead, said to Ahab, "As the Lord God of Israel lives, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, except at my word."

So Elijah is a descendant of the men of Gilead.  He grew up in the customs and society of that people.  His ancestors were the ones who said, “We will settle for this land.” 

Look at one moment in Elijah’s life.  He’s defeated the prophets of Baal.  He’s turned the people to God once more.  He’s just prayed and God brought rain after three and a half years of drought, and Jezebel, King Ahab’s wife has threatened to kill him.  Look at his reaction:

1 Kings 19:1-4 (NKJV)
^19:1 And Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done, also how he had executed all the prophets with the sword. ² Then Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah, saying, "So let the gods do to me, and more also, if I do not make your life as the life of one of them by tomorrow about this time." ³ And when he saw that, he arose and ran for his life, and went to Beersheba, which belongs to Judah, and left his servant there. ⁴ But he himself went a day's journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a broom tree. And he prayed that he might die, and said, "It is enough! Now, Lord, take my life, for I am no better than my fathers!"

He’s just won a great victory for God but one threat from Jezebel and he wants to die, saying, “I’m no better than my fathers.”  He gave up…just like those who stopped at the Jordan River.  He wasn’t willing to fight any longer.  He wanted to die saying that he’s no better than his fathers.  He’s saying, “I will be like them.”  They wanted to quit rather than continue the struggle.    They fell short of the Promised Land, being unwilling to fight the battle that would give them the inheritance God had planned for them. 

We are also in danger of quitting too soon.  Life can be a real struggle for us, too, because there’s a real devil who opposes what God wants to do in us.  He wants to keep us from the victory of our inheritance and he will bring the battle to us.

Standing Strong in the Battle

There will be a battle for the promise of God to come to fruition in your life.  Look at Paul’s testimony for a moment:

2 Corinthians 12:7-10 (NKJV)
^12:7 And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure. ⁸ Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me. ⁹ And He said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness." Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. ¹⁰ Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ's sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

Paul is talking about revelation that comes from God.  God is revealing things to Paul that have, up until then, been kept secret.  They’ve never been revealed before, and what does he face?  A messenger from Satan.  Some commentators believe that this is the stress of the opposition that he faced in Corinth.  Satan had brought the battle to him and he cried out for deliverance three times.  God spoke to him and said, “My grace is sufficient for you.”

So, Paul sees victory in his suffering and struggle.  Jesus will be in him when he suffers.  That’s why he says, “When I’m weak then I’m strong.”  When he’s at his place of greatest weakness then the power of Jesus is strongest in him.  It’s not in his own power that he fights the battle; it’s in the power that Jesus gives him.  He can find victory in Jesus.

How can we continue on when Satan attacks us with persecution and distress?  Not in our own power but in Jesus’ power.  That word that’s translated as buffet means to rap with the fist.  This is a special attack that is set aside just for you.  It’s a personal attack from Satan.

What’s interesting is that Paul doesn’t quit because of these attacks, even when he’s an old man in prison.  He endured to the end.  He fought the good fight.  He has the victory and if we persevere we will also have the victory.  I want you to think about this, though.  Every victory must have a battle associated with it.  There can be no victory if there’s no adversary.  There’s no victory if there’s no struggle.  We have victory when we overcome!

The Gileadites didn’t have victory.  They didn’t have what Paul had; they didn’t see the full promise of God for their lives, because they quit too soon.  They settled for too little.  I’ve known so many people who wanted to see God’s promise.  They came, they believed God…but then the battle begins – You know if you’re just coming to church once in a while, if you’re not involved in what God’s doing in the church’s activities, or you’re not giving and supporting the church – If you’re not trusting God for His help – If you’re not doing those things, there’s no battle with the devil, because you’re no threat to him.  As far a he’s concerned your life has no power.  In that case, you’re a Gileadite, because you’re settling for what you already have rather than fighting for everything that God wants for you.

People like this look at others in the church and see them with the victory, in spite of the battles that they go through, and you think to yourself I wish I had that in my life.  Well, they’ve fought for that victory.  They’ve contended for what God wants to do in their lives.  They grabbed hold of the promise of God, like the Israelites who crossed over the Jordan.  The Gileadites settled, “This land is good enough, why press on.  If you settle you’ll never know the victory that comes fro a hard fought battle.  If you’re not willing to contend for the destiny that He has for you, you’ll never set foot in that land of Promise.  You’ll always be on the outside and wondering, “Why don’t I fit in?”  People settle for what’s easy to achieve and never know what God can do with their lives, because they never give him the opportunity.  They quit too soon.

Finding Destiny

The Gileadites finally agreed to join in the battle for the Promised Land. 

Numbers 32:20-22 (NKJV)
^32:20 Then Moses said to them: "If you do this thing, if you arm yourselves before the Lord for the war, ²¹ and all your armed men cross over the Jordan before the Lord until He has driven out His enemies from before Him, ²² and the land is subdued before the Lord, then afterward you may return and be blameless before the Lord and before Israel; and this land shall be your possession before the Lord.

So, the men of Gilead went to war alongside the Israelites and the land that they had chosen was given to them.  When Moses died God took him up on the mountain to show him the Promised Land.

Deuteronomy 34:1 (NKJV)
^34:1 Then Moses went up from the plains of Moab to Mount Nebo, to the top of Pisgah, which is across from Jericho. And the Lord showed him all the land of Gilead as far as Dan,

Because they stepped into the battle God gave them their inheritance, and Gilead is named as a part of the Promised Land.  The ended up with their destiny, and if you will rise up and fight the battle then you will also know your destiny.

The Rabshakeh

How many realize that we live in a world that’s both spiritual and physical.  There are things that happen in an unseen world – a spiritual realm, that can be seen occasionally in the physical world.  We battle against principalities, against powers, against rulers of darkness and spiritual wickedness in high places.  We often think this is abstract; we understand intellectually that there is a devil but we don’t see him so he becomes abstract to us. 

I want you to know that the devil is real, and that he has a strategy to turn you and your family away from the God of the Bible whom he hates.  He has a method of attack that will cast doubt on God and your church. In this post, I want to expose that strategy for you.  I want to bring out what the devil’s strategy is because a devil exposed is a devil defeated.

Isaiah 36:1-3 (NKJV)
^36:1 Now it came to pass in the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah that Sennacherib king of Assyria came up against all the fortified cities of Judah and took them. ² Then the king of Assyria sent the Rabshakeh with a great army from Lachish to King Hezekiah at Jerusalem. And he stood by the aqueduct from the upper pool, on the highway to the Fuller's Field. ³ And Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, who was over the household, Shebna the scribe, and Joah the son of Asaph, the recorder, came out to him.

Messenger of Deception

For our purposes today we’ll say that the King of Assyria is representative of the devil.  In fact, his name, Sennacherib means the “Bramble of Destruction.”  He’s a destroyer.  The devil is a destroyer.  The Rabshakeh is like a prime minister of a governor.  He has authority over a region; an area.  He’s a representative of the king.  He’s doing the work of the King of Assyria. 

In the book of Daniel chapter ten, Daniel is speaking with an angel who has been sent to him.  The angel explains that was delayed by the “Prince of Persia.”  The Prince of Persia is not a person, he’s a spiritual being; a demonic force.  He rules over an area; a principality.  Another example is when Jesus casts the demon out of the Gadarene Demoniac they ask him not to send them out of the country.  Demons have rule over areas and regions. 

So in our text here, Sennacherib has come against Judah.  The warfare has begun, but it hasn’t begun with physical weapons…It has begun with words.  Words can be spiritual weapons.

Words can deceive.

Words can discourage

Words can demoralize.

This is why nations wage wars with propaganda.  The idea is that if the enemy is defeated in their own minds they will be easier to defeat on the battlefield.  This is the King of Assyria’s strategy, so he has sent the Rabshakeh:

Isaiah 36:4-6 (NKJV)
^36:4 Then the Rabshakeh said to them, "Say now to Hezekiah, 'Thus says the great king, the king of Assyria: "What confidence is this in which you trust? ⁵ I say you speak of having plans and power for war; but they are mere words. Now in whom do you trust, that you rebel against me? ⁶ Look! You are trusting in the staff of this broken reed, Egypt, on which if a man leans, it will go into his hand and pierce it. So is Pharaoh king of Egypt to all who trust in him.

The Rabshakeh begins by casting doubt.  “How can you have confidence to defeat the King of Assyria?  Who could you possible trust that could bring defeat?  You Allies?  They won’t support you; they’re looking to betray you.”  He’s casting suspicion and doubt on Judah’s ally, Pharaoh of Egypt. 

When suspicion is cast, you begin to doubt that ally.  You begin to wonder if the words might be true. 

That’s a strategy of the enemy that we face, as well.  The devil wants you to doubt your brothers and sisters in the church.  He likes it when you are suspicious of each other’s motives.  A house divided is a house defeated.  If he can turn us against each other, he can destroy the threat we pose for him.  It’s difficult to stand against an army as an individual.  We need each other.  We strengthen each other. 

Proverbs 27:17 (NKJV)
^27:17 As iron sharpens iron, So a man sharpens the countenance of his friend.

We help each other to live for Jesus and avoid sin.  The devil doesn’t want you to trust others in the church. 

The other thing he does is make it seem as if what he’s doing is from God.

Isaiah 36:10 (NKJV)
^36:10 Have I now come up without the Lord against this land to destroy it? The Lord said to me, 'Go up against this land, and destroy it.' "

This is a deception.  It is something that he’s done before.  In the earliest days of human history, he came to Eve and misrepresented God.  First, he portrayed God as a liar; “You shall not surely die!”  He told her that God had only His own best interest in mind; “God knows you’ll be like Him!”  The Rabshakeh says, “God sent us here to destroy you.” 

This is a type of warfare against the church.  The Rabshakeh isn‘t speaking on his own, the words are the words of the King of Assyria.  People don’t set out to destroy their own church.  They don’t want to see the church die, but they’ve been propagandized.  When they slander the church it’s because they’ve bought into the words of the Rabshakeh.  They’ve believed the propaganda. 

There is a demon over this area.  There is a “Prince of Taiwan.”  The King of Assyria is marching against us.  We’re under siege.  There is an attack on our church.  The devil wants to take you out individually and destroy the church.  We’re a threat to him as long as we trust in God and each other.  We’re a threat as long as we are obedient to God’s calling.  If we trust and obey God, the devil will try to lay a siege against us.  He’ll try to convince us that we’re going against God that we’re not in his will.

When Pastor Mitchell first tried to send out Harold Warner, to Kearney Arizona, Pastor Warner had an accident of the road as he returned to Prescott.  The accident left him with a broken back.  The Prescott church was divided; some people felt that it was a sign that Prescott shouldn’t be planting churches.  It was the voice of the Rabshakeh, “This isn’t God.  We’re not in the will of God.”  So this attack was one of deception.  People were propagandized to believe that the Prescott church was not in the will of God.  That’s his strategy.  It’s an attempt to cause distrust and division among us.  It’s an attempt to weaken us so that we can’t fight effectively. 

Messenger of Discouragement

Isaiah 37:1-3 (NKJV)
^37:1 And so it was, when King Hezekiah heard it, that he tore his clothes, covered himself with sackcloth, and went into the house of the Lord. ² Then he sent Eliakim, who was over the household, Shebna the scribe, and the elders of the priests, covered with sackcloth, to Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz. ³ And they said to him, "Thus says Hezekiah: 'This day is a day of trouble and rebuke and blasphemy; for the children have come to birth, but there is no strength to bring them forth.

This attack has gone on for a while.  Hezekiah had seen the enemy set against him.  He’s heard the words of the Rabshakeh.  He’s seen the reactions of the people, and he’s become discouraged. 

I’ve been in this place so many times, since I’ve been in Taiwan.  I know the depth of the opposition.  The devil has caused people to abandon the church.  I’ve seen them leave and their destinies destroyed.  There have been the physical assaults – Pain and sickness that keep us from outreaching effectively.  There have been the mind battles that have been fought, that have influenced people away from laboring for the Gospel.

I’ve seen the fear that keeps people from relationships:  The fear that makes them unable to witness to family and friends:  That same fear that keeps them from trusting God for their children and their finances.  All of these attacks keep us from moving forward.  These attacks keep people from immersing themselves in God’s will, pressing in and receiving all of the blessing that God has for them.

It discourages – It demoralizes – It brings even more fear.  The battle can’t be won in discouragement. It can’t be faced in strength, when fear is in command.  I’ve learned something recently, and it has come out of a battle that I’ve personally fought with discouragement. 

I sit here in my wheelchair and I look out over a congregation that seems small.  We have about thirty-two people who are a regular part of our church, but the average attendance is between fourteen and twenty.  On any given Sunday there are eight to ten people who choose not to be in attendance.  I started to question myself, “What am I doing wrong?”  I get letters from people all over the world telling me what an inspiration I am, but my own congregation isn’t inspired.  It’s discouraging, but once again it’s the voice of the Rabshakeh.  It’s an assault from the pit of hell.  That’s the strategy; that I will be discouraged.  Discouragement makes it hard to be positive.  It makes it difficult to reach out to other people because we think it won’t work out.  It makes one cynical – “God doesn’t have the power.”  The thing is I can’t look out and see who’s missing; I have to look out and see who’s here and be thankful for them.  Don’t think it’s not important to me, whether or not they’re at church or not.  It is important; they need to be at church for their own sakes.

This is the way he works on some people.  You don’t attach any value to church attendance or spiritual things.  You don’t see how sermons can be valuable to you.  You don’t read your bible, you don’t pray, you don’t tithe.  You’re losing the battle.   You’re being kept from blessing.  It’s difficult for me to watch people allow themselves to be robbed, when I know that God has so much more for them.  But they’ve accepted the lie of the Rabshakeh.  In their minds, God has no power to meet needs.  That’s what leads to fear and discouragement; they’re letting he King of Assyria call the shots in their lives and he has no desire for them to prosper.  He’s coming to destroy.

He’s a thief, a murderer and a destroyer.  He’s come to TAKE – He wants us in hell.  Are you willing to let him have his way with your life – with your children’s lives? 

If we are divided in thought and deed – If we’re not of one accord, then we’re defeated.  The battle against the Rabshakeh was a fight for all of Judah, but it took place in individual hearts.

Beating the Rabshakeh and the King of Assyria

Isaiah 37:3-4 (NKJV)
^37:3 And they said to him, "Thus says Hezekiah: 'This day is a day of trouble and rebuke and blasphemy; for the children have come to birth, but there is no strength to bring them forth. ⁴ It may be that the Lord your God will hear the words of the Rabshakeh, whom his master the king of Assyria has sent to reproach the living God, and will rebuke the words which the Lord your God has heard. Therefore lift up your prayer for the remnant that is left.' "

“Therefore lift up your prayer for the remnant.”  How many know that prayer is an individual thing?  Each of us has to pray on our own.  It’s one thing to say amen to a prayer that’s prayed.  That’s a kind of agreement – So be it! – Let it be done!  That’s what amen means, but when you build a prayer in your own heart that’s when you become a fighter. 

Your prayer is your own onslaught against the enemy.  You’re saying, “I’m calling on God because I trust Him.  I’m calling out in strength – In power.  I’m standing against discouragement, because I know that God answers prayer.”

       

Pray for your church – That God will build it and strengthen it.

Pray for outreaches and new converts.

Pray for your pastor – That he will have the mind of God – That he will be able to continue the fight.

Pray for yourself that you will be able to withstand the taunts and lies and remain in your strength.

Pray for each other – Do you do that?  There’s too much at stake to just let people slip away.  We need to have relationships with each other.  There’s strength in numbers.  Make some time for fellowship.  Some of you just run off right after church.  You have no relationships in the church.  You spend all your time with non-believers and you wonder why you can’t seem to see any effect from your salvation.

I’m posting this as a warning.  The devil is real, he hates you and he hates God.  He wants you deceived, discouraged and defeatable.  Don’t play right into his hands.  Don’t let him destroy your salvation.  There’s a saying in Christian circles, “Get on your knees and fight like a man.” 

Finally, do you know what happened in this story?  Look at the end of it:

Isaiah 37:36-38 (NKJV)
^37:36 Then the angel of the Lord went out, and killed in the camp of the Assyrians one hundred and eighty-five thousand; and when people arose early in the morning, there were the corpses--all dead. ³⁷ So Sennacherib king of Assyria departed and went away, returned home, and remained at Nineveh. ³⁸ Now it came to pass, as he was worshiping in the house of Nisroch his god, that his sons Adrammelech and Sharezer struck him down with the sword; and they escaped into the land of Ararat. Then Esarhaddon his son reigned in his place.

God destroyed the armies of the King of Assyria.  Judah never left the city.  They never fought beyond prayer and God went out and destroyed Judah’s enemy.  God will be victorious in the battle we face, too.  There will come a day when the demons will no longer have any power.  They’ll be defeated.  Look what happens to Sennacherib, the King of Assyria.  At then end he was struck down and killed by his own sons. And guess what, the devil’s day awaits him, too.  I’ve read the end of the Bible – We win!