Cdc Sept 24 2018 If Only the Lord Delights in Us

[Background music: Onward Christian Soldiers] [Speaker 2] Church in fellowships cannot be more spiritual than the individuals and families that constitute them. God greatly desires a godly home. These are words of restoration and instruction in righteousness from Family Ties Ministry. May ye be blessed as ye listen. [Speaker 1] So today as we plan to pray, I just want to also point our attention to something in Numbers. Something in Numbers, the story of sending out the spies to go and spy the land and the outcome of that visitation to spy the land. Numbers chapter 13. Numbers chapter 13, from verse 1. The Lord said to Moses, "Send some men to explore the land of Canaan, which I am giving to the Israelites. From each ancestral tribe, send one of its leaders." So at the Lord's command, Moses sent them out from the Desert of Paran. All of them were leaders of the Israelites. These are their names. From the tribe of Reuben, the name is there. From Simeon, like that. All the tribes. They gave the twelve names of the different leaders from each of the tribes. Verse 16, just to save time. These are the names of the men Moses sent to explore the land. Moses gave Hoshea son of Nun the name Joshua. When Moses sent them to explore Canaan, he said, "Go through the south and into the hill country. See what the land is like and whether the people who live there are strong or weak, few or many. What kind of land do they live in? Is it good or bad? What kind of towns do they live in? Are they unwalled or fortified? How is the soil? Is it fertile or poor? Are there trees in it or not? Do your best to bring back some of the fruit of the land." It was the season of the first ripe grapes. So they went and explored the land from the Desert of Zin as far as Rehob, towards Lebo Hamath. They went through the south and came to Hebron, where Ahiman, Sheshai, and Talmai, the descendants of Anak, lived. Hebron had been built seven years before Zoan in Egypt. When they reached the Valley of Eshkol, they cut off a branch bearing a single cluster of grapes. Two of them carried it on a pole between them, along with some pomegranates and figs. That place was called the Valley of Eshkol because of the cluster of grapes the Israelites cut off there. At the end of forty days, they returned from exploring the land. They came back to Moses and Aaron and the whole community at Kadesh in the Desert of Paran. There they reported to them and to the whole assembly and showed them the fruit of the land. They gave Moses this account: "We went into the land to which you sent us, and it does flow with milk and honey! Here is its fruit. But the people who live there are powerful, and the cities are fortified and very large. We even saw descendants of Anak there. The Amalekites live in the south; the Hittites, Jebusites, and Amorites live in the hill country; and the Canaanites live near the sea and along the Jordan." Then Caleb silenced the people before Moses and said, "We should go up and take possession of the land, for we can certainly do it." But the men who had gone with him said, "We can't attack those people; they are stronger than we are." And they spread among the Israelites a bad report about the land they had explored. They said, "The land we explored devours those living in it. All the people we saw there are of great size. We saw the Nephilim there (the descendants of Anak come from the Nephilim). We seemed like grasshoppers in our own eyes, and so we looked the same to them." I don't know whether you are following what is going on here. The Bible says in the following chapter, look at the following chapter. It's a continuous story. I want to stop at where Joshua spoke. Numbers 14:1. "That night all the members of the community raised their voices and wept aloud. All the Israelites grumbled against Moses and Aaron, and the whole assembly said to them, 'If only we had died in Egypt! Or in this wilderness! Why is the Lord bringing us to this land only to let us fall by the sword? Our wives and children will be taken as plunder. Wouldn't it be better for us to go back to Egypt?' And they said to each other, 'We should choose a leader and go back to Egypt!'" Then Moses and Aaron fell facedown in front of the whole Israelite assembly gathered there. Joshua son of Nun and Caleb son of Jephunneh, who were among those who had explored the land, tore their clothes and said to the entire Israelite assembly, "The land we passed through and explored is exceedingly good. If the Lord is pleased with us, He will lead us into that land, a land flowing with milk and honey, and will give it to us." Praise the Lord. A long reading, but I just want us to capture one or two things there and then we will start praying the prayer points. Now what I want us to see first is when the land that they went to look at, they went to explore, they said they saw giants. They saw the cities were walled cities. They are not unwalled cities, they are fortified. That’s what it means. And indeed, what they were to face in that land in terms of battle is not going to be a small one. Isn't it? That was what they saw. What they saw was real. What they saw was very real. And because of what they saw, they were afraid. Those people actually spread the rumor. And you know who started the rumor are their leaders. You know when fathers come and say, "Look, we cannot go," and some say don't worry we can go, you will be encouraged. But if me and my wife come and say, "Brethren, this thing, we cannot go," it will be difficult for somebody else. Are you seeing what I'm trying to bring out? It was the leaders and they began to spread it and spread it and spread it. Now the issue is that was there indeed a challenge about the land? There was. Giants are there. But if you look at the word of Joshua, Joshua said something that is the basis of what we just want to encourage ourselves about as we pray this evening. Joshua said taking over the land, the real problem is not the giant. The real problem is not that the cities are walled. The real problem is not that they themselves, they are [unclear: ekimos], they are small in stature. Do you get the point I'm making? The people they went to see, they were looking at them up. You know when you want to fight somebody, you have to be raising yourself up to look at the person. The way Goliath is, and the whole Israel fled from him. Joshua said something that catches my attention or caught my attention this morning. He said, "See, the issue is if the Lord delight in us." The basis of the victory is if the Lord delight in us. The basis for taking over is if the Lord delight in us. He said, "Look, the matter on ground is whether the Lord is pleased with us or He is not pleased with us." And that is what I'm bringing out this evening from this whole long story that we read. Overcoming the battles of life, overcoming obvious challenges. These were obvious challenges. And that was why they were all weeping. A friend of mine trying to dramatize the weeping back when we were in the university. He said just imagine that because the Bible says they cried through the night. He said you just guess that all of them cannot be crying at the same time. One will say "ha, ha, ha," another one would pick it again and then it was just going. You can imagine a people of over one million crying. The footmen were six hundred thousand. They had six hundred thousand footmen, apart from wives and children. Apart from when they were numbering the Levites, they numbered at thirty. When they were numbering the soldiers, they numbered at twenty. Hope you are taking note of that ten years difference. So there were people that were nineteen downward, then twenty-nine downward that were not numbered. Apart from the wives of that six hundred thousand people, and the woman can have four or five children. So multiply the number. You can imagine all of these people crying. The challenge was it was real. I don't know whether there have been times you look into your life and you know that you can see indeed a real challenge. Not the one that you are faking. You can see this is a challenge, this is wahala, this is, hey, this is... and that was how it was for them. And they were so overwhelmed. But what I'm drawing our attention to is that when we are faced with things that are staring at us, the secret of victory is if the Lord is pleased with you. If the Lord is pleased with you, there is no mountain that you cannot climb. The secret of overcoming, the secret of overcoming the issues of life, the challenges of life, that this person is an overcomer. I'm not talking of having bad success. You know there are different ways to overcome. Myself and Tobi were discussing a practical one on Saturday. Somebody else would have just gone around and use dishonesty to make progress. By the time he wants to give the testimony, say "Brethren, the Lord has done it," he won't give us the details. "I started it at a point, there was a little challenge, but the Lord gave me one idea." I use the idea and then... but he won't tell us how the idea came. He won't tell us the basis of the idea. The testimony will skip. You know how you give testimony. You discuss chapter one to detail, you discuss chapter two, you skip chapter three and four, you move to chapter five of the testimony, like that because the chapter three and four must not be heard. If they hear, they will question the testimony that you are giving. Do you get the point? But what I'm saying is that and we saw how God brought victory to a problem that was staring at us. What I'm saying is this, there will be times in our lives when it is the Lord that is leading and yet the challenges are scary. It doesn't mean that Satan is leading you. It is God that is leading. Yet the challenges are scary. Fortified city, giant, ah, and it's scary. Somehow there is fear. Somehow you get scared inside. How will it be? But I'm just showing you something at those times. I want us to remember the way forward is if the Lord is pleased with us. The way forward, the way forward, is if the Lord is pleased with us. He says only... what many people do at such instance, do you know what they do? It is what is in the verse 9. He says, "Only do not rebel against the Lord." Most of us are faced with issues. What do we do? We rebel against the Lord. We go into unrighteousness. We look for sharp corners to cut the corners. We go into sharp practices. We rebel against the Lord. We turn ourselves against Him. "Ah, the only way to do this thing, wo, ah, let me just..." and we have seen that in several people. We have seen people who are faced with some very challenging... they became so scared. And instead of saying, "No, if the Lord delight in us," what do they do? They rebel. What was their rebellion? They said, "Look, our wives will die, that one will die, this will die. I think the best we need to do, what should we do? Let's choose a captain. Let's choose a captain. Let the captain lead us back." I'm talking of rebellion. Our own may not be to choose a captain, but our choosing a captain will be figurative. What we say, "Ah, to keep this job, let me forge certificate. To keep this job, let me change my birth certificate." Are you understanding me? In some situations, "Ah, let me throw away my wife. Let me quickly marry another one, or else I may die childless." Are you seeing the point I'm making? The way forward when the battle gets tough is not to rebel against the Lord. What look plausible, what looks like the best way forward, as long as it is a rebellion against the Lord, we turn our forty days to forty years. Mark my word. What will look like, ah, this is the best way forward. Go and mark it. If it's a rebellion against the Lord, we turn your forty days journey to forty years journey. Joshua said, "Only don't rebel against the Lord." It is not a way forward. It looks like that is the best thing. Why should we die here? And you know many times we bring in plausible reason. "Why should I remain sincere? If I'm sincere, if I tell the truth, I may not get this thing again. If I tell it, I may not do that. If I do this, I may not." And many times we tend to compromise. We tend to cut corners. We tend to do one or two things. We tend to look for way out. And that has become a common thing today among believers. And you see the Lord asking the question, "But when the Son of Man shall come, will He still find faith? Will He still find faith? Will He still find faith?" He may find believers, He may find Christians, but He may not find faith. Because what they did was outside faith. What Joshua was saying was by faith. Is that not true? It was by faith. If the Lord delight in us. Look, their defense is gone away from them. They have become bread to us. We will take over the land. He also saw the giant. He also saw the challenges. He knew that they were walled cities. They saw places like Jericho that the city wall was so wide that houses were built on it. They saw all of those things. I just imagine some time when you want to give report, we tend to exaggerate. "If you see one of the wall, from here maybe it's about sixty feet wide or twenty meter wide. Ah, if you see the wall, two hundred meter! Nobody can!" You know the way we exaggerate. I don't know, but the point I'm making was that Joshua too saw all of those things. Caleb too saw all of those things. But they understood that if God delight in us there is a way forward. My appeal today as we pray this evening is ah, brethren, whatsoever is written down, they are written... who can read that scripture for us? 1 Corinthians chapter 10 verse 10. 1 Corinthians 10:10. 1 Corinthians 10:10. [Speaker 3] "Neither murmur ye, as some of them also murmured, and were destroyed of the destroyer." [Speaker 1] Is that 10:10? Oh, I want where it says "whatsoever things were written down". 11. [Speaker 3] "Now all these things happened unto them for examples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come." [Speaker 1] Do you get it? Do you know why it said "upon whom the end of the world has come"? Why is that clause coming in? Who can tell me why? Why is that clause coming in? Because one major sign of the end is that men will depart from the faith. So men upon whom the end is coming should know that one thing about the end is that more people will leave the faith. And they will turn to seducing spirits and doctrines by devils. They will turn, they will in the name that they are following one spirit, they will turn against the truth. They will turn against the word of God. Men will be speaking, "Look, I have this leading. I feel led." By the time you look at what they are led to do, as God changed from being God? You begin to see all kind of things in the name of different things. So those of us upon whom the end of the world has come, let us mark this. Anything that looks like a way forward when the challenges are confronting and they are staring at us, please bear in mind it will only turn our forty days journey to forty years. Let's understand that the victory lies in what? If the Lord is pleased with us. All we need to do is to remain where the Lord is pleased with us. If we remain there, it shall be well. If we remain there, it will be well with us. It's good to note these things as believers, particularly because upon us the end of the world has come. Praise the Lord. So that as we go into the prayer session now. [Speaker 1 leading the prayer session] Lord, these boys, how can a man be looking at fire? A man is looking at fire. They said, "Go and heat it seven times." I want you to look at the reality. Go and heat it seven times and the boys were not afraid. A man is looking at lion, lion! They will throw him into lions' den. How was God able... what did God do in their heart? What did God do? Lord, do upon my heart. Lord, do upon my heart. Lord, do upon my heart what You did for these fathers. Do upon my heart. Lord, that I will not rebel against the Lord. I will not rebel against the Lord under pressure. Journey of forty days will not become journey of forty years for me. Journey of forty days will not become journey of forty years for me. Our fathers, they compromised. When they saw pressure, they saw giants, they saw walled cities. They said, "Ah, God has brought us to kill us. We cannot follow God again. Let us rebel against God." And they appointed a captain. They made up their minds to appoint a captain. I want you to pray. God, that will not be my portion. That will not be my portion. I will live for Jesus. I will live for Jesus day after day. I will live for Jesus let come what may. I will live for Jesus. Lord, do upon my heart. Lord, work upon my heart. Oh, Lord, touch my heart. Lord, touch my heart. Give me, oh, God. Bible says the righteous is as bold as a lion. The righteous, they are bold like lions. Lord, the boldness of a lion that turns not away from any. The boldness of a lion that turns not away from any. The righteous is as bold as a lion. Lord, I receive what You have made me to be. The righteous are bold like lions. Lord, I receive the grace of who I am. I receive the strength of who I am. The boldness! Breathe upon me, breath of God. Breathe upon me, Spirit of God. Breathe upon me afresh. Thank You, Father. In the name of Jesus Christ we pray. [Background: Amen] Apply this now. Let's apply it practically to our lives and generally. Now specifically for those things that we learned. Through the month, you know we have been looking at, look, God make provision for men according to His purpose. We also learned that men manifest in their seasons. We also learned that that which God said is like Moses allowed you to put away your wife because of the hardness of your heart. From the beginning it was not so. He who made them at the beginning made them male and female and said... these are the things we have learned in the course of the month and we want to turn them to prayer. First, we want to pray. We want to say, "Lord, God Almighty, Lord, more and more and more, rather than begin to compare my life with others, Lord, let me to have deeper understanding of Your purpose for my life. Help me to daily have a deeper understanding." So I don't begin to compare my life. You know we saw the Merarites, the Gershonites, and the Kohathites. God said, "Don't give this group, give the other two groups." What God freely give to some, He freely withhold from others according to His purpose for their lives. Say, pray and say, "God, help me instead of to begin to compare my life with this and that, Lord, help me to have a deeper revelation of Your purpose for my life so that I can begin to walk in that path and find fulfillment. Lord, daily, deeper and deeper revelation of Your purpose for my life. Let Your purpose for my life become clearer and clearer and clearer. Your intention for my life, let it become clearer and clearer and clearer." And Lord God Almighty, we also still pray, "Lord, Lord, in my season I will not miss my season. In my season I will manifest." He brings forth his fruit in his season. Lord, I will not miss my season. In my season I will flourish in my season. According to the season of my life I flourish. Nothing shall stop me. Nothing shall hold me back. Nothing shall cut me short. Nothing shall cut me down. In the name of Jesus Christ. Men are in seasons. Lord, God, I walk in the fullness of my seasons. Still in the point of prayer. Lord God Almighty, You said concerning the new covenant that You will make with Israel. You said You will take from them a heart of stone, You will give them a heart of flesh. Which means the heart of the believer should be teachable. The heart of a believer should not be stubborn. I want you to pray. "Lord God Almighty, Lord, in my spirit, Lord God Almighty, Lord, I receive, Lord, I work within the context of a teachable spirit. Lord, my heart will not be tough towards truth. My heart will not be stubborn. Stubbornness towards truth cannot be a manifestation in my life. Rather, Lord, I tremble at truth. I submit to God." And in that place again, He said He made them male and female and said, "For this purpose, a man shall leave father and mother and be joined to his wife." I want you to pray. Those of us who have not taken our wife, I want you to pray. "Lord, as I walk with You, I will not be joined wrongly. A man shall leave father and mother and be joined to a wife." It’s a possessive pronoun there, "his wife". I want you to pray. "Lord, as I walk with You, in my season I will discern my wife. I will not be joined wrongly fundamentally in my life. Once it is not joined to his female, there will be problem." I want you to pray. Those of us who are not yet joined, that God Almighty, as I walk with You, at the season of my joining, Lord, it will be to my wife. It will be the issue of my husband, my wife, in the name of Jesus. And those of us that are already joined. He said he shall be joined to his wife, so they are no longer two but they are one. I want you to pray. "Lord, everything that makes me to feel that we are still two... He made them male and female. Once it’s a pair, one of the pair is not good again, the other pair is no more useful. He made them male and female. It is a pair. That’s how God paired them. If you say the left leg is not important, you must throw away the right leg. You cannot wear the right leg of a blue shoe with the left leg of a green shoe. It’s not correct, that is divorce. I want you to pray. God, help me to see that we are no longer two. Help me to have this understanding that actually we are no longer two. Help me to see our oneness. Teach me to see our oneness." Thank You, everlasting Father. In the name of Jesus Christ we pray. [Background: Amen] Those were the matters we had in the course of the month and lastly we want to pray. What God spoke concerning the year is that He is going to visit His people. He was speaking specifically then in January along the areas of things that we have been waiting for God to do. Long-awaited things. I want us again this evening, this last Monday of September, lift up your voice. What is that long-awaited expectation? What is that thing? Approach God by faith. The just shall live by faith. Don't doubt in your heart. Look at that thing and say, "God, this 2018 is still not gone. 2018 is still here. Lord, visit me. Lord, visit me. Lord, visit me. Abba Father, visit me." [Speaker 1 continues praying in tongues and intense English prayer as group joins in.] Visit me! Lord! In the name of Jesus! precious Father! Praise the Lord.