Topic: Storms of life

Topic: Wednesday Evening Bible Study
Time: This is a recurring meeting Meet anytime

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Strategy – a plan, method or series of maneuvers for obtaining a specific goal or result

The Word of God gives us two things to help us win in life:

1. Warnings
2. Strategies

Matthew 6:25-34 NKJV  “Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?  (26)  Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?  (27)  Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?  (28)  “So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin;  (29)  and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.  (30)  Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?  (31)  “Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’  (32)  For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.  (33)  But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.  (34)  Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble. 

Jesus said to “take no thought…”. What that tells us is that thoughts are going to come but you have a choice as to whether you take them or not. 

Worry is when you accept the thoughts. 

You cannot stop worry from coming but you just don’t accept it. Thoughts of doubt, worry and fear are going to come; you just don’t receive them. 

Mark 11:23 NKJV (23)  For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says. 

The word “doubt” in this verse is not in the causative sense but in the passive voice and therefore means that the person is the recipient of the action and not the cause of the action. In other words, this verse could be better translated: “… and does not receive doubt in his heart…” 

1 Thessalonians 5:23 NKJV (23)  Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 

Hebrews 4:12 NKJV (12)  For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. 

2 Corinthians 5:17 NLT (17)  This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun! 

1 John 4:15 NLT (15)  All who confess that Jesus is the Son of God have God living in them, and they live in God. 

The spirit of man is the eternal part of you. It is the part of us that makes contact with God. 

The spirit of man is where God lives in you and this is where He speaks to you. 

Proverbs 4:23 NKJV  (23) Keep your heart with all diligence, For out of it spring the issues of life.

Proverbs 4:23 NLT (23)  Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.

Proverbs 4:23 CEV  (23) Carefully guard your thoughts because they are the source of true life.

Proverbs 4:23 GNB  Be careful how you think; your life is shaped by your thoughts.

 Issues of life = resources of life; the outflow of life 

Guard your heart – same as building a wall around a well 

The spirit of man is the place from which answers from the Lord come. It is the place where He reveals His solutions to us. 

Your mind is a wonderful tool, but your mind can only give out what you put into it. If you do not put the information into your mind, you cannot ever retrieve that information. 

Your mind does not always do a perfect job of giving you back everything you put into it. It can sometimes give back what you put in it in a way that is a little bit inaccurate. Studied in school but still did not make a 100.

Worry and anxiety is the direct result of a fruitless search for life’s answers out of your human mind. 

If there is an answer that you need, and your mind has never known the answer, then you will never be able to recall or get that answer from your mind. 

There are just some things that your mind does not have. 

Proverbs 16:1 NLT (1)  We can make our own plans, but the LORD gives the right answer. 

If you face a new problem, then the answer is going to have to come from the Lord. 

When you are searching for the answer in your mind by going over and over the problem to look for the solution, you only cause yourself more anxiety and frustration. 

1 Peter 1:13 NLT (13)  So think clearly and exercise self-control. Look forward to the gracious salvation that will come to you when Jesus Christ is revealed to the world. 

You have to control your thoughts and prepare your mind for action. 

Don’t follow every thought that pops into your mind and every “rabbit trail” they can produce. 

Chasing after all these thoughts is where confusion comes from. 

Confusion = lack of clarity or distinction, perplexity or bewilderment. 

1 Corinthians 14:33 NKJV (33)  For God is not the author of confusion but of peace, as in all the churches of the saints. 

In this story we see two principles that will help us to overcome worry and anxiety in our lives and show us where the answer comes from: 

2 Chronicles 20:1-11 NKJV  It happened after this that the people of Moab with the people of Ammon, and others with them besides the Ammonites, came to battle against Jehoshaphat.  (2)  Then some came and told Jehoshaphat, saying, “A great multitude is coming against you from beyond the sea, from Syria; and they are in Hazazon Tamar” (which is En Gedi).  (3)  And Jehoshaphat feared, and set himself to seek the LORD, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah.  (4)  So Judah gathered together to ask help from the LORD; and from all the cities of Judah they came to seek the LORD.  (5)  Then Jehoshaphat stood in the assembly of Judah and Jerusalem, in the house of the LORD, before the new court,  (6)  and said: “O LORD God of our fathers, are You not God in heaven, and do You not rule over all the kingdoms of the nations, and in Your hand is there not power and might, so that no one is able to withstand You?  (7)  Are You not our God, who drove out the inhabitants of this land before Your people Israel, and gave it to the descendants of Abraham Your friend forever?  (8)  And they dwell in it, and have built You a sanctuary in it for Your name, saying,  (9)  ‘If disaster comes upon us—sword, judgment, pestilence, or famine—we will stand before this temple and in Your presence (for Your name is in this temple), and cry out to You in our affliction, and You will hear and save.’  (10)  And now, here are the people of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir—whom You would not let Israel invade when they came out of the land of Egypt, but they turned from them and did not destroy them—  (11)  here they are, rewarding us by coming to throw us out of Your possession which You have given us to inherit.

1. Recall the promises of God’s Word, place your focus on them and pray over them.

2 Chronicles 20:12-13 NKJV (12)  O our God, will You not judge them? For we have no power against this great multitude that is coming against us; nor do we know what to do, but our eyes are upon You.” 

Notice he did not just leave his statement at, “We don’t know what to do.” He ended it with, “…but our eyes are upon you.” 

(13)  Now all Judah, with their little ones, their wives, and their children, stood before the LORD. 

1. You must get peace in your mind so that you can get the answer you are seeking from God.

The peace comes when you begin by saying, “My mind does not have the answer but my God and His promises do have the answer.” If you don’t have peace first, the answer or solution does not come and it comes from your spirit. 

2 Chronicles 20:14-25 NKJV  Then the Spirit of the LORD came upon Jahaziel the son of Zechariah, the son of Benaiah, the son of Jeiel, the son of Mattaniah, a Levite of the sons of Asaph, in the midst of the assembly.  (15)  And he said, “Listen, all you of Judah and you inhabitants of Jerusalem, and you, King Jehoshaphat! Thus says the LORD to you: ‘Do not be afraid nor dismayed because of this great multitude, for the battle is not yours, but God’s.  (16)  Tomorrow go down against them. They will surely come up by the Ascent of Ziz, and you will find them at the end of the brook before the Wilderness of Jeruel.  (17)  You will not need to fight in this battle. Position yourselves, stand still and see the salvation of the LORD, who is with you, O Judah and Jerusalem!’ Do not fear or be dismayed; tomorrow go out against them, for the LORD is with you.”  (18)  And Jehoshaphat bowed his head with his face to the ground, and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem bowed before the LORD, worshiping the LORD.  (19)  Then the Levites of the children of the Kohathites and of the children of the Korahites stood up to praise the LORD God of Israel with voices loud and high.  (20)  So they rose early in the morning and went out into the Wilderness of Tekoa; and as they went out, Jehoshaphat stood and said, “Hear me, O Judah and you inhabitants of Jerusalem: Believe in the LORD your God, and you shall be established; believe His prophets, and you shall prosper.”  (21)  And when he had consulted with the people, he appointed those who should sing to the LORD, and who should praise the beauty of holiness, as they went out before the army and were saying: “Praise the LORD, For His mercy endures forever.”  (22)  Now when they began to sing and to praise, the LORD set ambushes against the people of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir, who had come against Judah; and they were defeated.  (23)  For the people of Ammon and Moab stood up against the inhabitants of Mount Seir to utterly kill and destroy them. And when they had made an end of the inhabitants of Seir, they helped to destroy one another.  (24)  So when Judah came to a place overlooking the wilderness, they looked toward the multitude; and there were their dead bodies, fallen on the earth. No one had escaped.  (25)  When Jehoshaphat and his people came to take away their spoil, they found among them an abundance of valuables on the dead bodies, and precious jewelry, which they stripped off for themselves, more than they could carry away; and they were three days gathering the spoil because there was so much. 

There is always a way! There is always a solution! 

God has a thousand answers or solutions to every problem we face. All you and I need is one. 

Philippians 4:6-9 NLT  Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.  (7)  Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.  (8)  And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.  (9)  Keep putting into practice all you learned and received from me—everything you heard from me and saw me doing. Then the God of peace will be with you.

Topic: Wednesday Evening Bible Study
Time: This is a recurring meeting Meet anytime

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Strategy – a plan, method or series of maneuvers for obtaining a specific goal or result

The Word of God gives us two things to help us win in life:

• Warnings

• Strategies

Proverbs 24:16 NKJV (16)  For a righteous man may fall seven times And rise again, But the wicked shall fall by calamity. 

Proverbs 24:16 TPT  For the lovers of God may suffer adversity and stumble seven times, but they will continue to rise over and over again. But the unrighteous are brought down by just one calamity and will never be able to rise again. 

What makes every believer in the Bible a success is that even though they might get knocked down, they get right back up. What made all of those people who appear in Hebrews 11 noteworthy was not the fact that they were perfect but it was because when they got knocked down they got back up. 

That is where our success comes from because of Jesus and what He did for us, we can get back up. 

Ephesians 4:26-27 NKJV  “BE ANGRY, AND DO NOT SIN”: do not let the sun go down on your wrath,  (27)  nor give place to the devil. 

This verse is made up of three phrases: 

1. Be angry and sin not
2. Do not let the sun go down on your wrath
3. Do not give place to the devil 

There is an anger that is a Godly anger that we need to mention and talk about. We need to get angry at the works of the devil. (Example: sickness and poverty in the Body of Christ) These things are illegal on God’s property. 

The object of this verse is not to get rid of the wrath; it is to stop the sun from going down on it. 

We are not to tolerate the works of Satan in our lives and nothing should stop us from winning. 

We fight until we win. We don’t fight until circumstances say we have to stop. We stop the circumstances so we can finish the fight and then let the circumstances take care of themselves. 

When circumstances arise, and they will, we are not to give back any territory to the devil.

Galatians 3:13 NKJV (13) Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, “CURSED IS EVERYONE WHO HANGS ON A TREE”), 

God has removed from His people the Curse of the Law. 

• Curse of sin and spiritual death
• Curse of sickness
• Curse of poverty

Joshua 10:1-15 NKJV  Now it came to pass when Adoni-Zedek king of Jerusalem heard how Joshua had taken Ai and had utterly destroyed it—as he had done to Jericho and its king, so he had done to Ai and its king—and how the inhabitants of Gibeon had made peace with Israel and were among them,  (2)  that they feared greatly, because Gibeon was a great city, like one of the royal cities, and because it was greater than Ai, and all its men were mighty.  (3)  Therefore Adoni-Zedek king of Jerusalem sent to Hoham king of Hebron, Piram king of Jarmuth, Japhia king of Lachish, and Debir king of Eglon, saying,  (4)  “Come up to me and help me, that we may attack Gibeon, for it has made peace with Joshua and with the children of Israel.”  (5)  Therefore the five kings of the Amorites, the king of Jerusalem, the king of Hebron, the king of Jarmuth, the king of Lachish, and the king of Eglon, gathered together and went up, they and all their armies, and camped before Gibeon and made war against it.  (6)  And the men of Gibeon sent to Joshua at the camp at Gilgal, saying, “Do not forsake your servants; come up to us quickly, save us and help us, for all the kings of the Amorites who dwell in the mountains have gathered together against us.”  (7)  So Joshua ascended from Gilgal, he and all the people of war with him, and all the mighty men of valor.  (8)  And the LORD said to Joshua, “Do not fear them, for I have delivered them into your hand; not a man of them shall stand before you.”  (9)  Joshua therefore came upon them suddenly, having marched all night from Gilgal.  (10)  So the LORD routed them before Israel, killed them with a great slaughter at Gibeon, chased them along the road that goes to Beth Horon, and struck them down as far as Azekah and Makkedah.  (11)  And it happened, as they fled before Israel and were on the descent of Beth Horon, that the LORD cast down large hailstones from heaven on them as far as Azekah, and they died. There were more who died from the hailstones than the children of Israel killed with the sword.  (12)  Then Joshua spoke to the LORD in the day when the LORD delivered up the Amorites before the children of Israel, and he said in the sight of Israel: “Sun, stand still over Gibeon; And Moon, in the Valley of Aijalon.”  (13)  So the sun stood still, And the moon stopped, Till the people had revenge Upon their enemies. Is this not written in the Book of Jasher? So the sun stood still in the midst of heaven, and did not hasten to go down for about a whole day.  (14)  And there has been no day like that, before it or after it, that the LORD heeded the voice of a man; for the LORD fought for Israel.  (15)  Then Joshua returned, and all Israel with him, to the camp at Gilgal. 

These kings were not afraid of Israel; they were afraid of the God of Israel. Satan is not afraid of you; he is afraid of Jesus Who already defeated him. 

Second only to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, this is probably the greatest miracle in the Bible. 

The parting of the Red Sea was a great miracle but it only impacted that one part of the world. 

When Joshua stood and commanded the sun and the moon to stand still, it affected the entire earth and actually affected it forever. 

(What is humorous about this is that sun was actually standing still. What Joshua really wanted was for the earth to stop rotating and the moon to stop its orbit. God knew he would understand astrology someday so He did it anyway.) 

God stopped the earth from rotating for almost twenty-four hours and yet gravity still worked. 

Think about the people on the other side of the earth and the sun never came up for them. That was a long night. 

Joshua commanded the sun to stand still because he had a battle to finish. 

Background Information: 

These kings were afraid of the children of Israel because they had defeated the city of Jericho. Remember how well-fortified Jericho was as the walls were thick enough that six chariots could race side by side around the wall. They then defeated the city of Ai. 

Five kings’ names represent five ways that Satan comes to distract us in order to defeat us: 

1. Adoni-zedek – King of Jerusalem
2. Hoham – King of Hebron
3. Piram – King of Jarmuth
4. Japhia – King of Lachish
5. Debir – King of Eglon

1. Adoni-zedek – King of Jerusalem – means Lord of righteousness

Satan will always come at you with some form of religion in order to deceive you. Through a minister, or scriptures, etc. to get you to drop your guard. Adoni-zedek was Satan’s counterfeit for Melchizedek, the priest and King of God. 

2. Hoham – King of Hebron – means voice of a multitude

Satan will come to you and tell you that you are the only one that is experiencing this situation and everyone else is normal. 

If you have the Word on a matter, it does not matter what the multitudes are doing, you go with God. 

There will be times when you have to stand on the Word of God when no one stands with you. You will have to know that when you are on the Word, God stands with you and will defend you. 

3. Piram – King of Jarmuth – means wild ass or donkey

This represents confusion and instability. Satan will endeavor to bring confusion and then try and force you to make a decision during that time of confusion. Never make a decision during that time; wait until the confusion is gone. 

When in that time of confusion, pray for clarity and wisdom and then make whatever decision that you need to make. 

Satan will try and get you to act in that time of confusion. 

God will always give you time for confirmation.  

4. Japhia – King of Lachish – means bright or dazzling

Satan will always try and make the world and the world’s way more dazzling and attractive. 

He tries to make Christianity seem boring and un-attractive. 

The world may be dazzling but there is NOTHING behind it. 

5. Debir – King of Eglon – means oracle, Satanic or false doctrine

These things are his attempts to present you with something diametrically opposed to the Word of God.

These kings represent the onslaught of the enemy that comes against us at times. The children of Israel had defeated one army at a time up to this point.

Joshua 10:15-27 NKJV  Then Joshua returned, and all Israel with him, to the camp at Gilgal.  (16)  But these five kings had fled and hidden themselves in a cave at Makkedah.  (17)  And it was told Joshua, saying, “The five kings have been found hidden in the cave at Makkedah.”  (18)  So Joshua said, “Roll large stones against the mouth of the cave, and set men by it to guard them.  (19)  And do not stay there yourselves, but pursue your enemies, and attack their rear guard. Do not allow them to enter their cities, for the LORD your God has delivered them into your hand.”  (20)  Then it happened, while Joshua and the children of Israel made an end of slaying them with a very great slaughter, till they had finished, that those who escaped entered fortified cities.  (21)  And all the people returned to the camp, to Joshua at Makkedah, in peace. No one moved his tongue against any of the children of Israel.  (22)  Then Joshua said, “Open the mouth of the cave, and bring out those five kings to me from the cave.”  (23)  And they did so, and brought out those five kings to him from the cave: the king of Jerusalem, the king of Hebron, the king of Jarmuth, the king of Lachish, and the king of Eglon.  (24)  So it was, when they brought out those kings to Joshua, that Joshua called for all the men of Israel, and said to the captains of the men of war who went with him, “Come near, put your feet on the necks of these kings.” And they drew near and put their feet on their necks.  (25)  Then Joshua said to them, “Do not be afraid, nor be dismayed; be strong and of good courage, for thus the LORD will do to all your enemies against whom you fight.”  (26)  And afterward Joshua struck them and killed them, and hanged them on five trees; and they were hanging on the trees until evening.  (27)  So it was at the time of the going down of the sun that Joshua commanded, and they took them down from the trees, cast them into the cave where they had been hidden, and laid large stones against the cave’s mouth, which remain until this very day. 

The moment the kings were buried, the sun went down. 

How did Joshua know that this was going to happen; what promise was he standing on?

Deuteronomy 21:22-23 NKJV  “If a man has committed a sin deserving of death, and he is put to death, and you hang him on a tree,  (23)  his body shall not remain overnight on the tree, but you shall surely bury him that day, so that you do not defile the land which the LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance; for he who is hanged is accursed of God. 

Someone who is worthy of death was someone guilty of a sin that required death and it was required that they hang on the tree. However, their body had to be removed before the sun went down because if they stayed on the tree after darkness came on the earth, the curse that they were being punished for would come back upon the land. 

The curse of the people was removed because of the death of the one that was being hanged on the tree. 

Joshua hanged the king of Jericho and Ai on a tree. 

Joshua knew that his battle would not be over until those men were hanged and placed in a cave for burial and then the sun could go down. 

The sun was not going to go down because there were promises that were at stake. 

If necessary God will suspend nature for one who dares to believe the Word of God and place it in His mouth. He did it for Moses, Joshua, Elijah, and even Jesus. 

Joshua could not speed up the battle but he could cause the sun to stand still so that the battle could be won. 

God’s Word will be fulfilled if He has to speed up the battle or slow down nature God will see that it comes to pass.

Fast forward to Galatians 3:13 and Jesus hanging on the cross: 

When someone was crucified it was normal for that person to live a day or two on the cross because none of their crucial organs were wounded. Once they passed out, the Roman soldiers would come and break their legs so they would suffocate and die. 

Jesus was placed on the cross at 9:00 am and that means He had to die in the next nine hours and be buried before the sun went down. He did not take just one person’s curse as a normal criminal would, He had the curse of sin for all mankind on Him and if He was not buried by sundown, the curse would have come back on the land and the people. 

Jesus did not die because of the nails, the cross, the thorns or anything else. He died when He was ready to die. 

Joshua brought the leaders of the tribes and had them put their feet on the necks of the kings. Joshua himself did not do this; He had the leaders do this. 

Ephesians 1:19-23 NKJV  and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power  (20)  which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places,  (21)  far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come.  (22)  And He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church,  (23)  which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all. 

Ephesians 2:4-7 NKJV  But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us,  (5)  even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved),  (6)  and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,  (7)  that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 

Jesus is the Head of the Church and the Church is the head of the enemy.

Topic: Wednesday Evening Bible Study
Time: This is a recurring meeting Meet anytime

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Meeting ID: 870 5418 4764
Passcode: 157479
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Meeting ID: 870 5418 4764
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Strategy – a plan, method or series of maneuvers for obtaining a specific goal or result

The Word of God gives us two things to help us win in life:

• Warnings
• Strategies

Ephesians 4:26-27 NKJV (26)  “BE ANGRY, AND DO NOT SIN”: do not let the sun go down on your wrath, (27)  nor give place to the devil. 

Place – (Greek: topos) a marked off barrier as in a state or city border. 

This verse is made up of three phrases: 

1. Be angry and sin not
2. Do not let the sun go down on your wrath
3. Do not give place to the devil 

There is an anger that is a Godly anger that we need to mention and talk about. We need to get angry at the works of the devil. (Example: sickness and poverty in the Body of Christ) These things are illegal on God’s property. 

The object of this verse is not to get rid of the wrath; it is to stop the sun from going down on it. 

We are not to tolerate the works of Satan in our lives and nothing should stop us from winning. 

We fight until we win. We don’t fight until circumstances say we have to stop. We stop the circumstances so we can finish the fight and then let the circumstances take care of themselves. 

When circumstances arise, and they will, we are not to give back any territory to the devil. 

Joshua 10:1-15 NKJV  Now it came to pass when Adoni-Zedek king of Jerusalem heard how Joshua had taken Ai and had utterly destroyed it—as he had done to Jericho and its king, so he had done to Ai and its king—and how the inhabitants of Gibeon had made peace with Israel and were among them,  (2)  that they feared greatly, because Gibeon was a great city, like one of the royal cities, and because it was greater than Ai, and all its men were mighty.  (3)  Therefore Adoni-Zedek king of Jerusalem sent to Hoham king of Hebron, Piram king of Jarmuth, Japhia king of Lachish, and Debir king of Eglon, saying,  (4)  “Come up to me and help me, that we may attack Gibeon, for it has made peace with Joshua and with the children of Israel.”  (5)  Therefore the five kings of the Amorites, the king of Jerusalem, the king of Hebron, the king of Jarmuth, the king of Lachish, and the king of Eglon, gathered together and went up, they and all their armies, and camped before Gibeon and made war against it.  (6)  And the men of Gibeon sent to Joshua at the camp at Gilgal, saying, “Do not forsake your servants; come up to us quickly, save us and help us, for all the kings of the Amorites who dwell in the mountains have gathered together against us.”  (7)  So Joshua ascended from Gilgal, he and all the people of war with him, and all the mighty men of valor.  (8)  And the LORD said to Joshua, “Do not fear them, for I have delivered them into your hand; not a man of them shall stand before you.”  (9)  Joshua therefore came upon them suddenly, having marched all night from Gilgal.  (10)  So the LORD routed them before Israel, killed them with a great slaughter at Gibeon, chased them along the road that goes to Beth Horon, and struck them down as far as Azekah and Makkedah.  (11)  And it happened, as they fled before Israel and were on the descent of Beth Horon, that the LORD cast down large hailstones from heaven on them as far as Azekah, and they died. There were more who died from the hailstones than the children of Israel killed with the sword.  (12)  Then Joshua spoke to the LORD in the day when the LORD delivered up the Amorites before the children of Israel, and he said in the sight of Israel: “Sun, stand still over Gibeon; And Moon, in the Valley of Aijalon.”  (13)  So the sun stood still, And the moon stopped, Till the people had revenge Upon their enemies. Is this not written in the Book of Jasher? So the sun stood still in the midst of heaven, and did not hasten to go down for about a whole day.  (14)  And there has been no day like that, before it or after it, that the LORD heeded the voice of a man; for the LORD fought for Israel.  (15)  Then Joshua returned, and all Israel with him, to the camp at Gilgal.

Second only to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, this is probably the greatest miracle in the Bible. 

The parting of the Red Sea was a great miracle but it only impacted that one part of the world. 

When Joshua stood and commanded the sun and the moon to stand still, it affected the entire earth and actually affected it forever. 

(What is humorous about this is that sun was actually standing still. What Joshua really wanted was for the earth to stop rotating and the moon to stop its orbit. God knew he would understand astrology someday so He did it anyway.) 

God stopped the earth from rotating for almost twenty-four hours and yet gravity still worked. 

Think about the people on the other side of the earth and the sun never came up for them. That was a long night. 

Joshua commanded the sun to stand still because he had a battle to finish. 

Background Information: 

These kings were afraid of the children of Israel because they had defeated the city of Jericho. Remember how well-fortified Jericho was as the walls were thick enough that six chariots could race side by side around the wall. They then defeated the city of Ai. 

Five kings’ names represent five ways that Satan comes to distract us in order to defeat us: 

1. Adoni-zedek – King of Jerusalem
2. Hoham – King of Hebron
3. Piram – King of Jarmuth
4. Japhia – King of Lachish
5. Debir – King of Eglon

1. Adoni-zedek – King of Jerusalem – means Lord of righteousness

Satan will always come at you with some form of religion in order to deceive you. Through a minister, or scriptures, etc. to get you to drop your guard. Adoni-zedek was Satan’s counterfeit for Melchizedek, the priest and King of God. 

Melchizedek was long gone and the iniquity of the Amorites had crept into the city of Jerusalem and the people no longer served God. The people were wicked and the King simply took on a Godly title but did not represent what the title meant. 

This is what Satan did in the garden and also what he did when tempting Jesus in the wilderness. 

2. Hoham – King of Hebron – means voice of a multitude

Satan will come to you and tell you that you are the only one that is experiencing this situation and everyone else is normal. 

If you have the Word on a matter, it does not matter what the multitudes are doing, you go with God. 

When you are standing on the Word of God, there will be those that will not understand or agree with you. Your friends and family may not agree. 

There will be times when you have to stand on the Word of God when no one stands with you. You will have to know that when you are on the Word, God stands with you and will defend you. 

3. Piram – King of Jarmuth – means wild ass or donkey

This represents confusion and instability. Satan will endeavor to bring confusion and then try and force you to make a decision during that time of confusion. Never make a decision during that time; wait until the confusion is gone. 

When in that time of confusion, pray for clarity and wisdom and then make whatever decision that you need to make. 

Satan will try and get you to act in that time of confusion. 

God will always give you time for confirmation.  

4. Japhia – King of Lachish – means bright or dazzling

Satan will always try and make the world and the world’s way more dazzling and attractive. 

He tries to make Christianity seem boring and un-attractive. 

The world may be dazzling but there is NOTHING behind it. 

5. Debir – King of Eglon – means oracle, Satanic or false doctrine

These things are his attempts to present you with something diametrically opposed to the Word of God. 

Acts 16:16-18 NKJV (16)  Now it happened, as we went to prayer, that a certain slave girl possessed with a spirit of divination met us, who brought her masters much profit by fortune-telling. (17)  This girl followed Paul and us, and cried out, saying, “These men are the servants of the Most High God, who proclaim to us the way of salvation.” (18)  And this she did for many days. But Paul, greatly annoyed, turned and said to the spirit, “I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her.” And he came out that very hour. 

What the little girl was saying sounded right but in Paul’s spirit, he knew it was wrong and cast the devil out of the girl. 

These kings represent the onslaught of the enemy that comes against us at times. The children of Israel had defeated one army at a time up to this point. 

Always remember, 

1 John 4:4 NKJV (4)  You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. 

Remember the promise that the Lord gave to Joshua: 

Joshua 10:8 NKJV (8)  And the LORD said to Joshua, “Do not fear them, for I have delivered them into your hand; not a man of them shall stand before you.” 

1. The Lord said for them to “Fear not.” Fear comes when you see the size of the army that has come out against them.

The enemy in the natural outnumbered the children of Israel.

The enemy had superior weaponry. 

2. The Lord said, “I have already delivered them into your hands.”

This promise has always been that the land was theirs and now the Lord told them that this enemy would be defeated as well. 

2 Peter 1:3 NKJV (3)  as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, 

Colossians 2:13-15 NKJV (13)  And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses, (14)  having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. (15)  Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it. 

3. Not a man of them shall stand before you.

The Lord told them what the outcome was going to be before they ever went to the battle. 

Romans 8:37 NKJV (37)  Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. 

2 Corinthians 2:14 NKJV (14)  Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place. 

Joshua 10:10-11 NKJV (10)  So the LORD routed them before Israel, killed them with a great slaughter at Gibeon, chased them along the road that goes to Beth Horon, and struck them down as far as Azekah and Makkedah. (11)  And it happened, as they fled before Israel and were on the descent of Beth Horon, that the LORD cast down large hailstones from heaven on them as far as Azekah, and they died. There were more who died from the hailstones than the children of Israel killed with the sword. 

4. You do your part and the Lord will do His part. He will do the bigger part if you do your part.

Joshua 10:12-14 NKJV (12)  Then Joshua spoke to the LORD in the day when the LORD delivered up the Amorites before the children of Israel, and he said in the sight of Israel: “Sun, stand still over Gibeon; And Moon, in the Valley of Aijalon.” (13)  So the sun stood still, And the moon stopped, Till the people had revenge Upon their enemies. Is this not written in the Book of Jasher? So the sun stood still in the midst of heaven, and did not hasten to go down for about a whole day. (14)  And there has been no day like that, before it or after it, that the LORD heeded the voice of a man; for the LORD fought for Israel. 

We do not fight until the sun goes down, we fight until we win! 

What is standing in your way that is telling you that God’s promise cannot come to pass? 

1. You need to be angry at the devil and quit tolerating his works in your life.
2. Don’t let circumstances around you stop the fight.
3. Don’t let Satan have any area of your life. 
4. The Refuse to give up any ground!

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Strategy – a plan, method or series of maneuvers for obtaining a specific goal or result

The Word of God gives us two things to help us win in life:

1. Warnings
2. Strategies

Warnings from the Bible are usually pretty obvious:

These are promises from God’s Word that we often don’t like to claim but they will happen anyway.

1 Peter 5:8-9 NKJV  Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.  (9)  Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world.

Mark 4:14-17 NKJV  The sower sows the word.  (15)  And these are the ones by the wayside where the word is sown. When they hear, Satan comes immediately and takes away the word that was sown in their hearts.  (16)  These likewise are the ones sown on stony ground who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with gladness;  (17)  and they have no root in themselves, and so endure only for a time. Afterward, WHEN tribulation or persecution arises for the word’s sake, immediately they stumble.

Matthew 5:11 NKJV  “Blessed are you WHEN they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake.

James 1:2 NKJV  My brethren, count it all joy WHEN you fall into various trials,

James 1:13 NKJV  Let no one say WHEN he is tempted, “I am tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone.

Ephesians 6:10-11 NKJV  Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.  (11)  Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.  

So, knowing these things will happen in our lives, we are not left to our devices to figure out how to navigate through them.

I believe the Bible gives us strategies, plans, methods, and series of maneuvers to help us win in life.

One of the most powerful tools we have to use as a strategy is the power of remembering.

Psalms 136:23 NKJV (23)  Who remembered us in our lowly state, For His mercy endures forever; 

Psalms 136:23 BBE (23)  Who kept us in mind when we were in trouble: for his mercy is unchanging for ever. 

Psalms 136:23 MSG (23)  God remembered us when we were down, His love never quits. 

The ability to remember is a powerful thing and the scripture says that even when we are down, God still remembers us because His mercy endures forever. 

(What we should do is remember. We need to confess over our lives that our memory will remain strong because our youth is renewed like the eagles.) 

The problem is, we as believers have what we are to remember backwards. We forget the wrong thing and remember the wrong thing.

Isaiah 43:18-19 NIV  “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past.  (19)  See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.

What are we supposed to forget?

Philippians 3:3-7 NKJV  For we are the circumcision, who worship God in the Spirit, rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh,  (4)  though I also might have confidence in the flesh. If anyone else thinks he may have confidence in the flesh, I more so:  (5)  circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of the Hebrews; concerning the law, a Pharisee;  (6)  concerning zeal, persecuting the church; concerning the righteousness which is in the law, blameless.  (7)  But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ.

Philippians 3:12-14 NKJV  Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me.  (13)  Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead,  (14)  I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 3:12-14 TPT  I admit that I haven’t yet acquired the absolute fullness that I’m pursuing, but I run with passion into his abundance so that I may reach the purpose that Jesus Christ has called me to fulfill and wants me to discover.  (13)  I don’t depend on my own strength to accomplish this; however I do have one compelling focus: I forget all of the past as I fasten my heart to the future instead.  (14)  I run straight for the divine invitation of reaching the heavenly goal and gaining the victory-prize through the anointing of Jesus.

Paul said that we are to forget those things which are behind us that we are ashamed of yet have been forgiven.

What then are we to remember?

One of the aspects of the power of faith in the Lord is the power of remembering the good things that He has done for us in the past. 

Psalms 20:7 NKJV (7)  Some trust in chariots, and some in horses; But we will remember the name of the LORD our God. 

Psalms 42:6 NKJV (6)  O my God, my soul is cast down within me; Therefore I will remember You from the land of the Jordan, And from the heights of Hermon, From the Hill Mizar. 

Matthew 16:8-10 NKJV (8)  But Jesus, being aware of it, said to them, “O you of little faith, why do you reason among yourselves because you have brought no bread? (9)  Do you not yet understand, or remember the five loaves of the five thousand and how many baskets you took up? (10)  Nor the seven loaves of the four thousand and how many large baskets you took up?  

If God has ALWAYS come through for us, then He ALWAYS WILL come through for us. 

Remember David and how he told Saul (and reminded himself) of the great things God had done for him while he was tending sheep.

1 Samuel 17:34-37 NKJV  But David said to Saul, “Your servant used to keep his father’s sheep, and when a lion or a bear came and took a lamb out of the flock,  (35)  I went out after it and struck it, and delivered the lamb from its mouth; and when it arose against me, I caught it by its beard, and struck and killed it.  (36)  Your servant has killed both lion and bear; and this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, seeing he has defied the armies of the living God.”  (37)  Moreover David said, “The LORD, who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, He will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.” And Saul said to David, “Go, and the LORD be with you!”

God has established covenants in the earth not for His own benefit but as a point of remembrance for us. 

Psalms 106:45 NKJV (45)  And for their sake He remembered His covenant, And relented according to the multitude of His mercies.  

Genesis 8:1 NKJV (1)  Then God remembered Noah, and every living thing, and all the animals that were with him in the ark. And God made a wind to pass over the earth, and the waters subsided. 

Genesis 9:15-16 NKJV (15)  and I will remember My covenant which is between Me and you and every living creature of all flesh; the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh. (16)  The rainbow shall be in the cloud, and I will look on it to remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth.” 

Genesis 19:29 NKJV (29)  And it came to pass, when God destroyed the cities of the plain, that God remembered Abraham, and sent Lot out of the midst of the overthrow, when He overthrew the cities in which Lot had dwelt.

It is impossible for God to forget so when He says, “…I will remember,” He is actually inferring that He wants us to remember.

God said He remembered Noah, He remembered the covenant that He made with Noah that the earth would not be flooded again, and He remembered His covenant with Abraham and delivered Lot and his family from Sodom and Gomorrah. 

The next time that the word “remember” is used in the Bible refers to man failing to remember something and that is because the butler was focused only on himself and he forgot Joseph.

Genesis 40:14 NKJV (14)  But remember me when it is well with you, and please show kindness to me; make mention of me to Pharaoh, and get me out of this house. 

Genesis 40:23 NKJV (23)  Yet the chief butler did not remember Joseph, but forgot him. 

What is a priority in your life, you do not forget! 

Things that can help us to remember: 

Psalms 103:1-2 NKJV (1)  A Psalm Of David. Bless the LORD, O my soul; And all that is within me, bless His holy name! (2)  Bless the LORD, O my soul, And forget not all His benefits: 

Psalms 103:2 BBE (2)  Give praise to the Lord, O my soul; let not all his blessings go from your memory. 

Psalms 103:2 NLT (2)  Let all that I am praise the LORD; may I never forget the good things He does for me. 

1. Take time every day to remember the good things that God has done for you.

Remember how He saved you, remember how He filled you with the Holy Spirit, how He has healed you, blessed your family, met your needs, etc. 

Psalms 77:11-12 NKJV (11)  I will remember the works of the LORD; Surely I will remember Your wonders of old. (12)  I will also meditate on all Your work, And talk of Your deeds. 

Psalms 105:1-5 NKJV (1)  Oh, give thanks to the LORD! Call upon His name; Make known His deeds among the peoples! (2)  Sing to Him, sing psalms to Him; Talk of all His wondrous works! (3)  Glory in His holy name; Let the hearts of those rejoice who seek the LORD! (4)  Seek the LORD and His strength; Seek His face evermore! (5)  Remember His marvelous works which He has done, His wonders, and the judgments of His mouth, 

Psalms 59:16 NKJV (16)  But I will sing of Your power; Yes, I will sing aloud of Your mercy in the morning; For You have been my defense And refuge in the day of my trouble. 

Psalms 92:1-2 NKJV (1)  A Psalm. A Song for the Sabbath Day. It is good to give thanks to the LORD, And to sing praises to Your name, O Most High; (2)  To declare Your lovingkindness in the morning, And Your faithfulness every night, 

Psalms 63:6-7 NKJV (6)  When I remember You on my bed, I meditate on You in the night watches. (7)  Because You have been my help, Therefore in the shadow of Your wings I will rejoice. 

2. Let the memories of God’s goodness come out of your mouth. 

Psalms 145:6-7 NKJV (6)  Men shall speak of the might of Your awesome acts, And I will declare Your greatness. (7)  They shall utter the memory of Your great goodness, And shall sing of Your righteousness. 

Let these things not just be in your mind but in your mouth. 

An easy way that you can do this is but learning songs that keep these things before you. 

Music and songs can stir up memories. 

There are things we can do in the natural to help us remember. 

1 Thessalonians 1:2-3 NKJV (2)  We give thanks to God always for you all, making mention of you in our prayers, (3)  remembering without ceasing your work of faith, labor of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ in the sight of our God and Father, 

3. Prayer helps your memory because it enables you to draw on the supernatural power and help of the Holy Spirit to remember the things that God has done for you. 

John 14:26 NKJV (26)  But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you. 

John 14:26 AMP (26)  But the Comforter (Counselor, Helper, Intercessor, Advocate, Strengthener, Standby), the Holy Spirit, Whom the Father will send in My name [in My place, to represent Me and act on My behalf], He will teach you all things. And He will cause you to recall (will remind you of, bring to your remembrance) everything I have told you. 

John 2:22 NKJV (22)  Therefore, when He had risen from the dead, His disciples remembered that He had said this to them; and they believed the Scripture and the word which Jesus had said. 

John 12:16 NKJV (16)  His disciples did not understand these things at first; but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things were written about Him and that they had done these things to Him. 

Acts 11:15-16 NKJV (15)  And as I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell upon them, as upon us at the beginning. (16)  Then I remembered the word of the Lord, how He said, ‘John indeed baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’

The days that you have gotten despondent, are the days that you have forgotten the goodness of God.

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The Christian life is a life of victory but all victories come through battles. 

God has a purpose in battles and Satan has a purpose in battles. 

God is not the author of battles and God is not the author of adversity. 

But God will not necessarily yank you out of every battle either and relieve the pressure, but rather so He can bring us out of the battle victorious and stronger than ever before. 

The life of faith which we teach and adhere to has never been designed or purposed to exempt you from adversity, but rather to teach you how to go through adversity and come out on the other side victorious. 

As long as we are in this curse-filled world, we will have battles and times of adversity. 

Not every Christian comes out of adversity victorious because not every Christian knows what to do in adversity and not every Christian knows what the Word of God has to say and unfortunately they don’t come out victorious. 

The same weapons that have been given to Jesus to overcome adversity while here on the earth have been given to us. We have the same Holy Spirit and the Word just like He had; actually we have more Word available to us than even Jesus did to use to overcome temptation and adversity. 

2 Timothy 3:16-17 NKJV  All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness,  (17)  that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.

2 Timothy 3:16-17 AMPC  Every Scripture is God-breathed (given by His inspiration) and profitable for instruction, for reproof and conviction of sin, for correction of error and discipline in obedience, [and] for training in righteousness (in holy living, in conformity to God’s will in thought, purpose, and action),  (17)  So that the man of God may be complete and proficient, well fitted and thoroughly equipped for every good work. 

As the Word of God becomes a part of you, it instructs you, it reproves and corrects you, and gives you instruction in righteousness, and equips you. 

Instead of asking yourself, “What am I going to face today, ask yourself, how am I going to grow today.” 

We grow by feeding on the Word of God and we grow by application of the Word of God in prayer and doing good works.

We grow BY the Word of God. We grow THROUGH circumstances not BY circumstances. 

Circumstances are simply the stage that is set before us to give us opportunities to grow through them. 

Example: You cannot say you grow stronger because of weights. You grow stronger as you resist and exert energy against those weights. I can walk in the gym and have weights all around me but it is not until I exert resistance against those weights that I will grow stronger. 

Owning a Bible does not make you spiritually mature. You have to get the Word off of the page and into your heart and then begin applying it to your life and resisting the circumstances. 

Circumstances don’t make you stronger; it is using the Word against those circumstances that make you stronger. 

You hear some people say, “Trials make you stronger.” No, if this was the case then every Christian would be Supermen in Jesus because they are so strong. Some Christians are devastated through circumstances and others grow through them.

SIDE NOTE:

There are those that say things like, “God will never put on you more than you can handle…” This is NOT what the Bible says. 

1 Corinthians 10:13 AMPC  For no temptation (no trial regarded as enticing to sin), [no matter how it comes or where it leads] has overtaken you and laid hold on you that is not common to man [that is, no temptation or trial has come to you that is beyond human resistance and that is not adjusted and adapted and belonging to human experience, and such as man can bear]. But God is faithful [to His Word and to His compassionate nature], and He [can be trusted] not to let you be tempted and tried and assayed beyond your ability and strength of resistance and power to endure, but with the temptation He will [always] also provide the way out (the means of escape to a landing place), that you may be capable and strong and powerful to bear up under it patiently.

Circumstances are simply an opportunity to use the Word of God and the weapons that God has given us to overcome. 

We should grow through circumstances, we should grow through blessings and we should grow through conflict. 

In other words we can grow through every circumstance whether they are good or bad. When the devil brings bad circumstances into your life, let God turn them around for your good and not only enable you to overcome them but grow in the process. 

Did you know that every blessing in life that we receive has a test attached to it to see if you are going to continue to follow the Lord when things are good. Were we only following the Lord because we had a big need in our lives or are we following Him because we love Him? 

Deuteronomy 8:3 NKJV So He humbled you, allowed you to hunger, and fed you with manna which you did not know nor did your fathers know, that He might make you know that man shall not live by bread alone; but man lives by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the LORD. 

Notice that God allowed them to hunger and He fed them but He wanted them to get the truth that food is not the answer, He is. 

Whether I have money or I don’t have money, I must come to the realization that money is not the answer. The Word of God is the answer and can meet every circumstance. 

In other words, during those times of adversity we come to the point where the Word of God becomes more precious to us than simply having the need met at that moment. Money comes and money goes but the Word lasts forever. 

Money can never bring me the Word of God but the Word of God can always bring me money. 

Money can never bring me closer to God but getting closer to God can bring money into my life. 

Coming through adversity should give you and me a greater appreciation for the Word of God during those times. 

When you come through adversity and you have stood on the Word of God, you come out on the other side more mature than when you went into the adversity. 

We need to remind ourselves that we have a tendency to be focused on the answer only but God is interested in the process that gets you to the answer because that is where character and maturity come from. 

Three things that can happen to you in adversity: 

1. You get hardened by adversity.
2. You can be overwhelmed and crushed by adversity.
3. You can stand on God’s Word and grow through the adversity.

1 Peter 1:3-7 NKJV  Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,  (4)  to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you,  (5)  who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.  (6)  In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials,  (7)  that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ, 

Gold is a precious metal because it is a rare commodity.

1 Corinthians 10:13 NKJV   No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.

Paul says that temptations are common but Peter says faith is precious and rare. 

Everyone is or has experienced trouble, temptations, tests and trials. We would find that many people have experienced or are experiencing the same things. 

Just like you have to dig for gold, you have to dig for faith because faith is rare. 

Fires don’t create gold. If that was the case we could just set fires and get gold but it does not work that way. 

Trials do not create great faith. 

If trials produce great faith then fires ought to produce gold and we know that just does not happen. Gold comes from deep in the earth and from rock. 

Fire does not destroy gold. It will only liquefy it. Fire can work to purify gold but it will never destroy gold. 

Trials will not destroy your faith. Your faith gets destroyed when you do not use it. 

Faith in God’s Word will always contain the power through God to overcome any trial. 

The temptations or trials will never overcome your faith unless you don’t use it. 

Weightlifting does not build muscle. If it did, the more reps you do would become easier. Weightlifting actually triggers a response in your body that causes your body to respond and rebuild itself. 

Trials do not build your faith; they just give you an opportunity to exercise your faith and as you exercise your faith, your faith gets stronger. 

Daniel 3:1-7 NKJV  Nebuchadnezzar the king made an image of gold, whose height was sixty cubits and its width six cubits. He set it up in the plain of Dura, in the province of Babylon.  (2)  And King Nebuchadnezzar sent word to gather together the satraps, the administrators, the governors, the counselors, the treasurers, the judges, the magistrates, and all the officials of the provinces, to come to the dedication of the image which King Nebuchadnezzar had set up.  (3)  So the satraps, the administrators, the governors, the counselors, the treasurers, the judges, the magistrates, and all the officials of the provinces gathered together for the dedication of the image that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up; and they stood before the image that Nebuchadnezzar had set up.  (4)  Then a herald cried aloud: “To you it is commanded, O peoples, nations, and languages,  (5)  that at the time you hear the sound of the horn, flute, harp, lyre, and psaltery, in symphony with all kinds of music, you shall fall down and worship the gold image that King Nebuchadnezzar has set up;  (6)  and whoever does not fall down and worship shall be cast immediately into the midst of a burning fiery furnace.”  (7)  So at that time, when all the people heard the sound of the horn, flute, harp, and lyre, in symphony with all kinds of music, all the people, nations, and languages fell down and worshiped the gold image which King Nebuchadnezzar had set up. 

The King was very familiar with these men and knew of their intelligence, wisdom, etc. They were no strangers to him and 10 times wiser. (Daniel 1:18-20) 

Why were these three men being picked on? It is because they represent God. 

How often do we ask, “Why me God?” 

It is because we represent Jesus. It is because we look like God and are His children. 

Do you think that God sits back and says, “That is not my fight, I really am not going to get involved?” Of course not. 

God wants to help His children. He loves and cares about us. God wants to help us in our time of trial. 

God’s power can only help us when we use our faith because faith is what releases that help into our situation. 

Daniel 3:14-18 NKJV  Nebuchadnezzar spoke, saying to them, “Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, that you do not serve my gods or worship the gold image which I have set up?  (15)  Now if you are ready at the time you hear the sound of the horn, flute, harp, lyre, and psaltery, in symphony with all kinds of music, and you fall down and worship the image which I have made, good! But if you do not worship, you shall be cast immediately into the midst of a burning fiery furnace. And who is the god who will deliver you from my hands?”  (16)  Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego answered and said to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter.  (17)  If that is the case, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us from your hand, O king.  (18)  But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image which you have set up.”

Verse 17 is not saying, “If it be God’s will…” It is saying, “If this is true that you are going to do this…” The King had threatened to do something similar to this before. 

They are saying, “If your threats are not true, we still will not worship you.”

Traditionalists have said that God delivered Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego because they were willing to die for their faith. I believe that they knew that they were not going to die in this contest because the Name of God was being challenged. 

Notice that they said God is ABLE and He WILL. How did they know this? 

Isaiah 43:1-2 NKJV  But now, thus says the LORD, who created you, O Jacob, And He who formed you, O Israel: “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; You are Mine.  (2)  When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, Nor shall the flame scorch you. 

Hebrews 11:32-34 NKJV  And what more shall I say? For the time would fail me to tell of Gideon and Barak and Samson and Jephthah, also of David and Samuel and the prophets:  (33)  who through faith subdued kingdoms, worked righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions,  (34)  quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, became valiant in battle, turned to flight the armies of the aliens. 

These three men are commended in this verse for their faith and their faith was about quenching the violence of fire. Their faith came from Isaiah 43. 

The power of God is present to help and protect you but it happens by faith. Your faith is what activates the power of God. 

We greatly rejoice in these times of adversity. 

God’s purpose and design is that if we lift up praise and rejoicing during times of adversity, it causes those times to become precious because they are purifying your faith and causing it to become more and more pure. 

The trial did not make you stronger, it is the faith you use that causes you to become stronger. 

We can come out of the trial or adversity more pure than when we went into the trial. 

How are we to handle adversity? 

1. Stand on the Word of God
2. Praise and worship the Lord
3. See yourself coming out better than when you went in
4. See yourself becoming more pure.

Don’t give up and quit! The storm will pass… they all do!