Listening to the Father

Now the gates of Jericho were tightly shut because the people were afraid of the Israelites. No one was allowed to go out or in. But the LORD said to Joshua, “I have given you Jericho, its king, and all its strong warriors. You and your fighting men should march around the town once a day for six days. Seven priests will walk ahead of the Ark, each carrying a ram’s horn. On the seventh day, you are to march around the town seven times, with the priests blowing the horns. When you hear the priests give one long blast on the rams’ horns, have all the people shout as loud as they can. Then the walls of the town will collapse, and the people can charge straight into the town.” Joshua 6:1-5 (NLT)

Before arriving at the text above, we can use three characteristics to define the Israelites. One, they were known to be in absolute bondage and slavery. Two, once they were free from bondage and slavery, they became known for wandering. (They wandered in the desert without clear direction due to their inability to obey God's commandments.) And three, they were displaced from their homeland and not yet in the place God had designed for them.

You may not be able to relate to the type of physical bondage that the Israelites experienced, but perhaps you are indeed experiencing a level of bondage spiritually. Maybe it’s an addiction to drugs, an unhealthy relationship, or the result of bad financial decisions. There are many different types of spiritual enslavement that we can experience. Do you need deliverance in an area of your life?

Maybe you are wandering in a spiritual desert, as you experience a season in your life where you feel lost, purposeless, or spiritually dry. Are you currently a wanderer spiritually?

Or, maybe you relate more to feeling displaced from God’s promises. Are you unsure of what your next steps should be?

Our anchor text gives us a view of the Israelites that allows us to see them in a brand new light. They are free from bondage. They have a clear direction. And their feet are positioned on the soil of God’s promised land! They have experienced breakthroughs and progress! To commemorate the event, they have constructed a memorial of stones to signify and serve as a memory, reminding them of their victory.

Whether you're in bondage, wandering, displaced -- or you’re just not sure of your current spiritual status -- I believe this message, When He Says, can help you. In it, I share some insight into the following realities: You have already won the battle! You fight against a defeated enemy! And you will have the opportunity to build your OWN memorials of victory!

No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us. And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:37-39 (NLT)

Overwhelming victory is ours through Christ and only Christ. Our achievements of eternal significance are not based on our abilities, wisdom, or power. True success is based on obedience to God. Meaning, if we desire a position in the winner’s circle and experience overwhelming victory, we must only be obedient to God’s commands.

---

God is more interested in who you are becoming than what you are doing.

---

The Israelites may have started as one thing, but little by little, they became something new. The same experience can be your testimony. All you have to do is keep putting one foot in front of the other in obedience to God to see victory and success in your life. Obedience is enough because God says it’s enough! In fact, He loves your obedience more than any sacrifice you can ever give. And, in that vein, as you will learn in the message, When He Says, your disobedience doesn't mean God stops loving you, but your obedience to Him keeps you perpetually in His blessings and joy.

As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love. If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love. I have told you these things so that you will be filled with my joy. Yes, your joy will overflow! John 15:9-10 (NKJV)

Get under the spout where the glory is coming out! Allow obedience to God’s commandments to position you under the heavens already open with his overflowing blessings!

WATCH IT | DISCUSSION GUIDE |MESSAGE NOTES

3 Questions to Ask During Times of Adversity

1) Have you considered that recovery might occur through the process of time? Now it happened in the process of time that the king of Egypt died. Then the children of Israel groaned because of the bondage, and they cried out, and their cry came up to God because of the bondage. So God heard their groaning, and God remembered His covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob. (‭Exodus‬ ‭2‬:‭23-24‬ NKJV) God uses time. It is no more than a harlot to His will. Existing in eternity, God makes time work for His good pleasure, maneuvering in and out of it to fulfill His plan and teach us what He desires us to learn. In Exodus 2, Israel, though away from their homeland, had become complacent. They lost interest in returning to their God-appointed zip codes. As a result, God allowed adversity to come throughout the process of time and then used that adversity to help them remember His covenant -- which had been there all along!

2) Have you considered that God’s provision may come in a way that is different than you anticipated? So he came again to Cana in Galilee, where he had made the water wine. And at Capernaum there was an official whose son was ill. When this man heard that Jesus had come from Judea to Galilee, he went to him and asked him to come down and heal his son, for he was at the point of death. So Jesus said to him, “Unless you see signs and wonders you will not believe.” The official said to him, “Sir, come down before my child dies.” Jesus said to him, “Go; your son will live.” The man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him and went on his way. As he was going down, his servants met him and told him that his son was recovering. (John‬ ‭4‬:‭46-54‬ ESV) Applaud this father! He did not allow his preconceived notions to imprison his family in an adverse circumstance any longer. By faith, he submitted to God’s plan rather than his personal plot. In this account, the leader of the household had a clear picture in mind of how God could help his family: he anticipated that Jesus would come to his home and heal his son. Instead, Jesus simply sent his word and accomplished the miracle through Heaven in a way that Earth didn’t expect. When experiencing adversity, we must not box God in with our preconceived notions.

3) Are you believing God for anything for which -- if He answered your request -- it would affect your entire household? So he asked them the hour when he began to get better, and they said to him, “Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him.” The father knew that was the hour when Jesus had said to him, “Your son will live.” And he himself believed, and all his household. This was now the second sign that Jesus did when he had come from Judea to Galilee. (John‬ ‭4‬:‭46-54‬ ESV) This man’s son was suffering. Adversity had arrived at their house. However, what the enemy meant for evil, God turned to their advantage. This family’s entire household experienced salvation. If you are experiencing adversity, consider the possibility that the Holy Spirit may be using it as a setup for the amazing things he wants to do in your life.

Don't Quit

When reading Scripture, one quickly sees God is overtly attracted to people who will not quit when faced with adversity. He is drawn to a person with a persevering spirit. In this type of individual, he finds a resilient clay he can mold into a long-lasting vessel for the miraculous. From Genesis to Revelation, we get to see this principle repeated in the lives of men like Moses, Daniel, and Paul.

Consider, there would be little to tell about a man like Moses in Scripture without his choice to keep appearing before Pharaoh; Hebrew deliverance required more than ten visits to Egypt's governing throne. But, Moses' refusal to quit led to God’s people experiencing freedom.

As well, there would be no story of Daniel without PERSEVERANCE in the face of PERSECUTION. He kept praying, even when it meant he might lose his life to religious persecution! Praying got him into trouble and praying got him out of trouble. God rewarded his faithfulness.

Paul was beaten, thrown in prison, shipwrecked, lied about -- and on top of all of that -- he also carried the pressure accompanied with leading multiple churches with thousands of believers. But he never quit. He kept persevering.

Hear Paul in Romans 5:4, “...but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope.” In summary, he is teaching us, we can’t have CHARACTER without PERSEVERANCE. Our character will never be developed fully without persevering through the difficult things that actually develop it.

Have you considered where God might be inviting you to persevere? It's important to consider because without perseverance, miracles can be diverted, and losses are sure to accumulate.

“Stand firm, (persevere) and you will win in life!” (Luke 21:19 NIV)

Check out this message from Pastor Eric to learn how to persevere and win in life.

---

WATCH IT | DISCUSSION GUIDE | MESSAGE NOTES | TRANSCRIPT