Not problem free --> but victory over the problems
When Israelites tried to win over the promised lands, they are faced with many challenges and hindrances --> Christians are not problem free! but we have victory over problems. and the problems will not harm us :)
Are you facing enemies right now?
How to face our enemies?
Satan is not gonna give you a break, he is a non-repentant spirit. He will continuously attack you even though you have victory once or twice. Just like "When Jabin king of Hazor heard of this, he sent word to Jobab king of Madon, to the kings of Shimron and Akshaph, (Joshua 11:1 NIV)"
- No matter how long you have been a Christian, if your heart is hardened vs god, no matter how much biblical knowledge, that moment you are the most foolish person
Before you plead for help God took initiative to appear before you
- The Lord said to Joshua, “Do not be afraid of them, because by this time tomorrow I will hand all of them, slain, over to Israel. You are to hamstring their horses and burn their chariots.” (Joshua 11:6 NIV)
- God sees everything, god knows. But if he permits certain problem in ur life, he has reason to it. He is not missing, if you pay attention to him, you will be conscious that he is nearby
- Joshua will have overwhelming victory over the enemy
- When you hamstring horses, horses can no longer be used for future attempts - it is the end of the horses, you shall have no other reliance
- Your centre of trust, as you gain more, have your centre of trust deviate away from god --> eg friendship, money
So Joshua and his whole army came against them suddenly at the Waters of Merom and attacked them, For it was the Lord himself who hardened their hearts to wage war against Israel, so that he might destroy them totally, exterminating them without mercy, as the Lord had commanded Moses. (Joshua 11:7, 20 NIV)
- God is the one who allows the hardening of hearts of the enemy, He is wiser than our problems
- Northern king and pharaoh - they also hardened their hearts. For a long time, they had already showed wilfulness against god. Even tho they heard the mighty works of god, they already resist God.
- God allows everyone to hear and know that he is true and living god yet they still harden themselves but Rahab and gibeonites soften themselves and turned to god
- When a person heart is hardened, he becomes the most foolish person
- Our hearts grown cold very fast even tho we tasted God's grace before
- God gave them 40 years - for Israelites and Canaanites
- God exterminated all the northern king people --> so that it didn't pollute his people, so that they remained pure, God is wiser than our logics
- Not problem free, but no problem is too big for us
- Our problems are not what we see -> diagnosis is most important . Don't go for a wild goose chase. Channeled all your energy the wrong ways. Israelites problems is not the huge troops attacking them, their real battle is in the spirit --> do you feel strong in your spirit?
- Where do we get our boast? Our hearts are easily melted when our eyes are wrongly focused on the outward things.
- Do you still think that something else/ method is more successful or blissful that you being the child of god?
- Why we are always intimidated by things? Because subconsciously, in our minds, sth else in the world, someone, some methods are more successful that our identity as COG
- Jn 16:33 “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33 NIV)
- To win over your enemy - only One way Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it. (Proverbs 4:23 NIV)
- If your heart has no place for God, everything else fails
- Serious problem is that of hardened heart
- Not that you don't know, but you already heard and seen, but you refuse to obey
- “But if a wicked person turns away from all the sins they have committed and keeps all my decrees and does what is just and right, that person will surely live; they will not die. None of the offenses they have committed will be remembered against them. Because of the righteous things they have done, they will live. Do I take any pleasure in the death of the wicked? declares the Sovereign Lord. Rather, am I not pleased when they turn from their ways and live? “But if a righteous person turns from their righteousness and commits sin and does the same detestable things the wicked person does, will they live? None of the righteous things that person has done will be remembered. Because of the unfaithfulness they are guilty of and because of the sins they have committed, they will die. But if a wicked person turns away from the wickedness they have committed and does what is just and right, they will save their life. (Ezekiel 18:21-24, 27 NIV)
- Think about God's love and soften your heart toward him (don't think it is no choice)
- No one can be more stubborn than god
- If god truly loves you, he will stubborn to the end (over your feelings, your hatred etc, your misunderstanding)
- You think you are unlucky - think: if that can make your more humble and near to god, and set apart, He will surely stubborn to the end.
- Pray: I want to be soft toward you. Because I know you love me more than I love you. Do not continue in that foolish hardened state
- God again set a certain day, calling it “Today.” This he did when a long time later he spoke through David, as in the passage already quoted: “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts.” (Hebrews 4:7 NIV)
- Today, if you hear the voice, do not harden your heart. It is not too late.
- When we are soft towards God, His heart will melt.
- Problems stopped when you obey
- How do you know you truly trust a person? That is when a person can obey
- Example: cliff and man.
- Satan is not afraid of your works but your obedience ( he has no hold over you anymore)
- Difficult to obey yes, but HS will empower us if you pay attention to the spirit
- The greater the problem, the greater the victory
- Counter intuitive perception
- Don't go by feelings --> lose strength in your heart
- Let our spirit be over our emotions
- Behind every problem, there is blessing - that He can use to uplift you and him, touch others
- Do not leave any foothold (why Joshua needed to kill everyone)
- Foothold = troubles : 3G (glories, girls, goals) --> that is why God is not merciless in killing the Canaanites (they already rejected god)
- Get rid of 'it is okay' thinking - satan is not stupid, he will keep coming to you. A little yeast works through the whole dough. satan is discreet, he won't ask you to do great sins, but he accumulates the sinning inclination in you
- Footholds in your life? Habits, mixing with others etc. you will know when you overdo it. Stubbornness? Complacency?
- God never forget His promises
- Do not feel discouraged when you don't see what you want, thinking God has forgotten
- God promised Abraham since gen12.15,17 --> you and your descendants will inherit the promised land
- God also told Moses the same promise - I will give you the land
- God told Joshua
- Already but not yet concept
- Promises fulfilled in his time and by His way
- You don't see the evidences doesn't mean He is not workin
- Seek a higher rest (not be complacent)
- So Joshua took the entire land, just as the Lord had directed Moses, and he gave it as an inheritance to Israel according to their tribal divisions. Then the land had rest from war. (Joshua 11:23 NIV)
- For if Joshua had given them rest, God would not have spoken later about another day. There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; (Hebrews 4:8, 9 NIV)
- God's rest
- Not merely want rest from problems. Not pursuing resolution of problems . If the only reason you come to seek god is for problems to be resolved, you will realise problems come after problems. If we don't learn the lesson in our spirit, we will always think our problems is the outward problems. If we don't get the higher rest, we are forever in the same problems. God loves you too much, he will not stop allowing challenges until you realize that you need Him.
- Seek God - if you delight in lord alone, you realize you will be contented for god doesn't change
- seek God Today. The moment you wait, you lose the strength in your heart, lose conviction in your heart, the devil comes and steals it away