Destined To Lose - Believing Big

No, um Krav Krav Magah.

Woo!

I did it!

Y'all know what Krav Maga is?

See, I think I had that once.

I had an antibiotic it cleared up quickly.

Well Sue's really, Ed's wife is really unusual.

All Jersey girls are.

And there, um, and by the way, um, I only had one New Jersey friend apologize to me for not bringing bagels An apology, John, doesn't cut it.

I want the bagels.

Thanks for you.

I can't eat an apology.

Because the only real bagels in the country come from the New York area.

You know, everywhere else the bagels are like doggy chew toys once you've lived there.

So um But the um the crab Magah, and Sue just told me this, Sue works in the school system as a school nurse, and uh then works as a nurse at WLS.

And she told me that they're all learning this self-defense thing that she says every Israeli learns.

Because they expect trouble.

It's called Krav Maga.

Krav Maga.

And um and one of the principles of it I thought was very interesting.

She said, we all get in there Because they don't know they want to be prepared in case an aggressor comes in the classroom.

Sad but true, it's the kind of day we live in.

And uh so she said that that they're in there and they're punching like crazy and at this what do you have, dummy or something?

What is that?

I don't know what you're punching.

A person, oh, who's wearing this thing.

Oh, a person.

So this is why Ed is such a nice guy.

This is he's married to Sue.

And so and she said, we're just punching like mad, and the instructor comes up and goes, no, no, no, no, no, wait a minute.

Whoa.

Yeah, you're landing punches, but as soon as you land one, the aggressor's gonna land one.

You can't just punch because you gotta expect comeback.

You gotta expect they're gonna hit you back.

So you punch with one hand And you defend yourself, always keep another hand ready to defend yourself.

You don't just keep punching.

That's exactly what we're going to talk about tonight.

Sue says, I think God led me to tell you this.

I said, I think he did.

Because we, I think many of us, I just so sense God walking with us here, and I think we're ready to go back and do some punching.

But you can't just punch because you're gonna have somebody hitting back when you get back.

And we're gonna talk about that because in the book of Ezra Is the most a very enlightening expose of things the devil does not want us to know.

And that is how he tries to stop what God has started.

Sometimes with success.

By the way, texting people, would you uh while I'm kind of talking the next couple minutes, if you want to text us, if you have something to say, I'd I'd like you to maybe just text to us.

And one way the enemy has succeeded in stopping me in the past is.

What in the past, look at it, maybe not in the future I hope, but in the past you say, you know what?

I was getting going for something the Lord wanted me to do.

I was obeying him.

I was trying to change something.

I was trying to attempt something for him.

And you know what stopped me was the hmm.

If you have something, just text it and uh there's the number there at the bottom.

You see the text.

And uh let 's just see um how common our experience here, because we've all experienced Saying uh hearing from God and trying to move ahead and finding something that the enemy used to stop us.

Well, let's learn from each other on this.

And then I I have a second one.

Actually, a second question.

Do we have that one too?

Yeah One thing I've learned about not falling for the enemy's attempts to stop me is this.

In other words, what advice would you give to say, if you want to keep him from stopping you, do this.

How do you do how do you do this while you're punching?

Well how do you defend yourself?

How do you how do you keep the enemy from stopping you?

If you've got anything to contribute on either of those, based on your walk with Christ, we'd love to hear it.

And we'll uh we'll come back to the text in a few minutes.

Um I was in um South Africa a few years ago and I I was speaking at two national youth conferences and in between the two weeks they took me to Kruger National Park.

Cougar National Park is like you're in a people cage, a car, and you can drive for three days across Cougar National Park because the animals live there.

It's not a zoo.

You're the one in the cage and you're watching where they live.

Now sometimes you drive for miles, you don't see anything.

I was there uh after Christmas and at that time it's summer there.

So when I got there, the tall grass is pretty high, and the the president of the organization I'd gone there for said Ron, I want to take you for a couple days in between to Kruger.

So we're there and we're driving looking for things.

He said, by the way, I apologize to you in a way because he said the grass is tall. and he said you'll you won't see the cats.

There are big cats here, but you won't see them in the tall grass.

But he said you'll see the elephants and the rhinos and the and the ostriches and all and sure enough we did.

I mean it's crazy to come around a curve and you got an eye you can't you have to stop for an ostrich. in the road, you know, or several ostriches.

They're big and they're slow.

And then you'll see uh um uh we did we see your hippos we saw rhinos and this one great scene I'm taking pictures you know Of course, and we get to this one place where there's a herd of 30 elephants. 30 elephants of all sizes.

Mama, papa, little baby elephants.

It was really something.

And uh so I said, oh Ted, I gotta get out.

I I just got to get out and take a picture.

So I jumped out of the car, and as I'm getting out of the car, he says, go ahead, Ron, I'll watch your back Now I wondered what that meant.

I never thought my back was that interesting.

Why would he I said, Ed, what do you mean you wash my back?

Oh, he said, well, Ron, he said, there's been like three tourists mauled to death by uh lions here in the last few months, so I I'll I'll I'll watch your back.

It 's really amazing what great pictures you can get from a car.

I mean you don't um I almost decapitated myself getting back in the car.

I couldn't get I couldn't get back in fast enough.

But when a lion, it's possible that a lion is is stalking you, it's probably a good idea to watch your back.

And for sure a line is going to stalk you when you get back.

We know that, you know, God taught us in 1 Peter 5. 8 that our enemy.

Prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour, and then it says, resist him.

Well, it's amazing to watch enemy strategy unfold in the book of Ezra, so we can learn how to punch and at the same time defend against his punches.

I came across what I thought was a great quote here.

It says, John Eldridge says, things are not the way they seem.

This is a world at war.

The world in which we live is a combat zone.

It's a violent clash of kingdoms.

And it's a bitter struggle.

Unto the death.

You were born into a world at war, and you will live all your days in the midst of a great battle, involving all the forces of heaven and hell, and played out here on earth Until we come to terms with war as the context of our days, we will not understand life.

So welcome to the war.

And welcome to some helpful war strategy.

Ezra chapter 4.

Ezra chapter 4, now we are in the original return of the 50,000 people.

Zerubbabel, Jeshua are in charge, and they have now laid the foundation.

When the enemies of Judah and Benjamin heard that the exiles were building a temple for the Lord, the God of Israel.

They came to Zerubbabel and to the heads of the families and said, let us help you rebuild.

Isn't that nice?

They didn't come out shooting.

They said, let us help you rebuild.

Because like you, we seek your God.

They're saying all the right words, aren't they?

And we've been sacrificing them since Ezra Hadan, king of Assyria, who brought us here.

Now, this is the beginning.

This is the first of several strategies to subvert and stop what God had started.

And we're going to see what happens with it, because we have a lot to learn from it.

I will tell you this.

I do, and I don't want you to think I'm paranoid or have a persecution complex.

I don't think I do.

But I really truly believe That Satan has a special interest in attacking ministries that are taking people away from him.

That's called evangelism Yeah, he doesn't like ministries that help Christians get stronger and help them share Christ with others.

He doesn't like that.

He goes after those too.

But I believe he has a special target.

And those who are involved with reaching the lost and rescuing are literally robbing him of lives.

Now, we hear in Matthew 11, the kingdom of God is forcefully advancing and forceful men take hold of it.

You see that clash of kingdoms?

Boy, I tell you we feel that all the time.

And honestly, I'll tell you this, let me give you a warning.

This war that goes on for those who are involved in rescue affects every kind of person involved.

It affects It affects the front lines warriors, our staff.

It affects prayer warriors for this ministry.

It affects givers to this ministry.

It affects supply lines warriors.

Because the enemy is working on all fronts to try to stop the spread of the message that takes people away from him.

You know, Jesus said in Luke chapter 11 that uh you have to uh he talks about the strong man And uh I don't think I have I don't I don't think I have that verse to did I give you guys that verse?

No.

But Luke chapter 11 says this, because this is very uh interesting.

When a strong man fully armed guards his own house, the strong man's the devil, he guards his house.

His possessions are safe.

What's his possessions?

People.

Living souls.

But when someone stronger attacks, I know his name, don't you?

That's Jesus.

When someone stronger attacks and overpowers him, he takes away the armor in which the man trusted and he divides up the spoils, and the guy, the strong man, loses.

His prisoners loses those who he has possessed That's why I must tell you this.

You have no greater gift you can give this ministry than to pray.

Truly pray.

Not just dear God bless RHM, but I mean to fight for this ministry.

We really need you to pray.

It is the deciding factor in the battles we fight.

And our family, we have so felt this attack in recent months.

A litany of attacks.

We don't get nearly as bad as a lot of people do.

But uh and and maybe you have too, and it may be simply because you've stepped up to be part of this ministry.

You say, well, that's great, why didn't you tell us that before you asked for the gift?

No, no, that's because you're on you're on you're doing the important thing.

Um I thought this was I thought this was great.

This says um let me read this to you.

Prayer is a wartime walkie-talkie.

I love this picture.

Prayer is a wartime walkie-talkie, not a domestic intercom.

It exists for advancing the mission Not for calling the butler to turn up the thermostat.

That's a great quote, man.

I love that.

And Elizabeth Elliott In her biography of Amy Carmichael has this great quote.

She says, the evangelization of the world is a desperate struggle with the Prince of Darkness.

Man, there's no less than that.

And with everything his rage can stir up in the shape of obstacles, vexations, oppositions, and hatred.

Whether by circumstances or by the hand of man, it is a serious task.

Oh, it should mean a life of consecration.

I'm thankful for that quote that I just picked up while I was gone.

Well, you say, okay, so I expect some problems when I get home.

Yeah, you will, but here's I have good news from Oswald Chambers.

He says this.

He wrote to this pastor who was going through a lot of spiritual attack.

He says, praise God for your report that the devil's paying attention to you.

He says, isn't that great?

Thank you for the good news.

Praise God.

Praise God that report that the devil's paying attention to you.

So long as he keeps firing at you.

You may depend on the fact that he thinks you're worth watching.

That's like a compliment from hell.

It's okay.

I don't mind getting compliments from hell.

You know, I mean like that.

I don't enjoy the process, but it means you're doing something.

So let me let's go take a look at these real quick.

You ready?

I call them empowering revelations about the enemy's resistance to God's plans And we are ready for step number four, five, better be tonight.

Step number five to supernatural outcomes is this. resisting the ambushes.

You've got to decide now what you're gonna do if we identify how the ambushes are gonna come, you will be prepared, I hope, to defend against them and not let them stop you this time.

You got in order to get to the supernatural outcomes, you can't be stopped like these guys were stopped in the middle of doing what God told them to do.

So here's the first here's the first revelation.

Divine breakthroughs are going to be met with devilish bombardment.

Divine breakthroughs in your life, and what God is doing in your life, wants you to do with your life, what he's doing through your life, you can count on devilish bombardment.

How many here would say amen?

Yeah, okay.

I I this is like Ron, we didn't have to come here to figure that out.

Let's look at how it happened.

Number one way he goes about it is infiltration.

Did you see that?

Hey, we'll help you.

Why don't you let us on the inside?

We'll give you some help here.

We'll be your buddies.

You know, we believe like you believe.

Why don't you let us help you?

Ezra chapter 4, verses 2 and 3.

Let me take a look at that again.

I think we may have looked at that.

Let's bring that up again.

Yeah, well that that's what we looked at.

Let us help you rebuild.

That's right.

So now I looked up the word infiltration.

Do you see the definition?

Look at this.

A method of attack in which small bodies of soldiers or individual soldiers penetrate into the enemy's lines.

Well, we're the enemy here.

Into the enemy's lines at a weak or unguarded point to assemble behind the enemy position They're on the inside now to assemble behind the enemy's position and attack it from the rear.

What does that look like?

First of all, it looks like unholy alliances that look like they're gonna help.

You somehow say, you know what, I think working with these folks, I think letting those folks in, I think that might help.

They could bring some value to us Well, look at Isaiah chapter 30.

Woo!

This is sobering scripture right here.

These are not verses I'm liking necessarily.

Woe to the obstinate children, declares the Lord, to those who carry out plans.

That are not mine.

Ooh.

Forming an alliance.

But it wasn't my idea.

Forming an alliance, but not by my spirit.

And in the process, heaping sin upon sin.

Let's go on.

Who go down to Egypt?

without consulting me.

Who look for help to Pharaoh's protection?

To Egypt's shade for refuge.

But Pharaoh's protection will be to your shame.

Egypt's shame will bring you disgrace Everyone will be put to shame because of people useless of a people useless to them who bring neither help nor advantage, but only shame and disgrace.

So obviously God says a lot of my people team up with the wrong people, open the door to the wrong things, thinking it will help them get my work done.

Now the enemy is known to be a masquerader.

We forget this sometimes, but in 2 Corinthians 11, something very really revealing.

The devil doesn't come out with his pitchfork and his tail.

He says, he talks about false apostles, deceitful workmen, masquerading as apostles of Christ.

There's a I mean, the devil knows how to do Jesus talk.

He knows how to quite Bible verses.

He tried that with Jesus when he tempted him.

No wonder.

Satan himself Masquerades as angel of light.

We see that happening when those people tried to get in to the project of rebuilding the temple.

It's not surprising then if his servants masquerade as servants of righteousness.

And their end will be what their actions deserve.

Now, you know what this could be?

It might be a compromising relationship that you allow into your life or into a work you're trying to do for God.

It could be a legitimate need, but you try to meet it a wrong way.

Maybe bringing you close to something you should be fleeing.

You know what the notes say?

Lies from hell wrapped in words of heaven.

Sometimes Satan's soul's lies in your life and in your ministry through heavenly words, masqueraded, wrapped in words of heaven.

But they are from hell.

And I love the courageous response, Beck and here's let me look at how Zeroba will handle this.

Let's go to chapter 4, verse 3, I think.

Take a look at this.

But I love this.

Zarabbabel, Joshua, and the rest of the heads of the families of Israel answered, You have no part with us.

Your heart isn't with us.

We know what you really want.

You have no part with us in building a temple.

Can't you see how tempting it would be?

They have this huge project.

They think these guys are going to want to stop them.

And the enemy comes in and says, no, no, no, we want to help.

Had they let them in, they would have subverted the whole project.

They would have stopped it from the inside.

But he's smart enough to say, we alone will build it for the Lord, the God of Israel, as King Cyrus, the king of Persia, commanded us.

Keep it righteous, keep it pure.

Don't allow the enemy to infiltrate.

You just say, devil, we ain't dealing.

I know who's behind this.

How are we doing on the text, Rick?

You got some?

You got some?

Let's take a look at it.

Let's take a look at some of the ways that uh our enemies tried to stop us when we got moving the right direction.

One way the enemy has stopped me. is by telling me that everyone knows that I don't always follow Jesus.

Wow, isn't that interesting?

They try to discredit you based on how you used to be, so they won't believe me.

When I try to tell them about him.

And all I can say is you've got to be consistent and let them know that this is about the man you follow, not about how well you follow him.

Let's go on.

Robbing me of my self-confidence.

I felt like I could do it and he'll come along and he'll whisper things in your ear.

You can't do it.

You can't change.

Using my family to put me down.

God 's will doesn't have rewards here on earth.

Are you crazy?

What are you giving up to do this, man?

You got no degree.

You got no value.

Making me feel the lack of results was my fault.

These are so insidious, aren't they?

By telling me there's no hurry.

Wow.

Well, we'll come back.

We got some of the strategies to combat that, Rick?

We'll get the oh we're gonna get them now.

Um don't you like uh did you get this first one?

Knowing it's all about Jesus Knowing it's all about Jesus.

It's not about you.

And using his power and knowing it is not about me.

When God called Moses to go help rescue his people from Egypt.

Do you know the conversation took place at the burning bush after the burning bush?

It goes like this.

I'll summarize it for you.

God says, I have heard the cries of your people.

I'm coming down to rescue them.

Moses is going, yes, it's about time.

God's coming down to rescue my people.

He says, I am coming down to rescue them, and I'm sending you.

Moses goes, oh no, no.

The bad new good news has turned to bad.

I'm sending you.

Moses like I can't talk straight.

I can't really I don't think you don't want me.

And he asks this question.

He says, who am I, Lord?

Any of you ever feel inadequate for what you thought what God was asking to do?

Welcome to the club of the great leaders of the Bible.

He says, who am I, Lord?

And I will summarize what God said.

Wrong question, Moses.

Who am I?

That's what matters.

Who am I?

Isn't my who you are.

Keep focusing past the obstacles.

Oh, I like that to the victory.

Very nice.

This is great.

This is great advice.

One thing I've learned about not falling for the enemy's attempts is to remind him of his future.

By the way, you know where you're ending up, buddy?

Not buddy.

You know where you're ending up?

Oh, that's good stuff.

Oh, no matter how challenging my day or what is happening in my health.

I try to move one thing forward.

I like this day-of-the-time approach.

Even if it's little, I know I'm staying on mission Plus, I also read my goal, pray over it every morning before I get out of bed.

Is that good advice?

That's so practical.

I mean, that's great stuff.

You guys, we could do a seminar just based on what you're supplying.

Well let me let me give you let me give you a second way he attacks.

Intimidation.

Now we go to deflation.

We go to deflation.

Ezra chapter 4.

Here's the next thing.

Here's what we do.

Here's what we try to do.

Okay, the infiltration didn't work.

Then the peoples around them set out to what?

Read the word.

Discourage the people of Judah and make them afraid to go on building.

So now he tries to deflate you.

Take away your courage.

Take away your enthusiasm.

Discourage.

Take away your sense that you could that you could get this thing done.

That you really could change.

The Hebrew word means to weaken the hands.

The enemy says I'm going to weaken your hands by convincing you, getting you thinking not about the great God you serve, but the obstacles Here's the word what the word discouraged means in the dictionary.

To deprive of courage, hope, or confidence.

I saw that in what we saw up here That actually that attack has worked on people.

They just told us that.

To deprive you of your courage, your hope, or your confidence.

Can you guys tell me what are things that can deprive you?

Of your courage, your hope, or your confidence.

Real quick, let's get three or four.

Tell me.

What will deprive somebody of courage, hope, or confidence?

They rise on a problem.

Yeah, okay.

What else?

Fear.

Fear?

Certainly fear.

What else?

Negative comments.

Negative comments, man, you b like a wall.

You can hit a wall with that.

What else?

The word can't.

The word can't.

Yeah.

This okay, you get the idea of how this happens.

I put down you focus on the mites, oh what might happen.

You focus on the coulds, this could happen.

The what ifs, the difficulties.

Can I show you one of the ways that this happens?

This actually, a lot of the same bunch comes back when Nehemiah shows up 15 years later, as they're still around, and they try to shut down the rebuilding of the walls.

Well, listen to what they let's go to Nehemiah chapter 4.

The people in Judah said the strength of the laborers is giving out and there is so much rubble. that we cannot rebuild the walls.

Do you know what sometimes your enemy uses to discourage you?

Oh yeah.

And our enemy said, before they know it or see us, we will be right there among them and will kill them and put an end to the work.

Now, let me just go back and you know where it says that they're talking about the rubble?

You know what the rubble is?

The rubble is the garbage from the past How many of you have seen how your enemy tries to get you looking back at garbage from the past to keep you from making progress in the future?

You know what some of the rubble is?

Ways you got hurt.

Hard feelings.

Hurt feelings.

People you haven't forgiven.

Old wounds.

I wasn't appreciated.

I didn't get a good result when I tried before.

Rubble.

That's one of the enemies of tactics to discourage you is to get you looking down at the rubble instead of up at the wall that you're trying to build.

Look at verse 11 and 12.

This is crazy.

This is still in Nehemiah's day.

So our enemy said, we're going to come in there and we're going to kill you.

So go to the next verse.

Then the Jews who lived near them came and told us ten times over, wherever you turn, they will attack us.

Excuse me, why do you need to hear that ten times?

We're gonna attack us, we're gonna attack us, gonna attack us, gonna attack us.

Shut up.

What is this?

You always got the Eeyores You do.

There's always Eeyores.

Oh I don't know.

I don't know, Pooh You always got the negative people.

You always got the people going, oh bad things are gonna happen.

This isn't gonna work, right?

Right?

You got them?

You know them?

You're thinking of somebody probably.

You're gonna go home and accidentally slip and call them Eeyore.

That's the problem.

Don't do that.

You'll have more problems.

But there's always the Eeyores, all of this thing to discourage you, people who say ten times over the bad things that could happen, like you haven't thought about them.

Here's some of the downers that cause discouragement.

The size of the challenge, your feelings of inadequacy, or disappointing people I only remember one thing Pastor Baxstrom said when I was a junior high kid, because I was a junior high kid in church.

So I'm lucky I remember one.

But it's funny I remember this one thing he said He said Satan's favorite tool to discourage a Christian is another Christian.

How many of you think that was pretty good advice from my pastor?

Ain't it the truth?

We expect it from a lost world, but it's below the belt when it's another believer.

We just got to get past that And not because you know he's going to use those same old lines to try to discourage you.

Is it going to work this time?

Are you going to say, I know who this is, I will resist the devil, and he will flee from me Did you know throughout the Bible, there are nine times the same phrase is used, and every time it comes up, I wish we had time to look at them, there's a daunting challenge.

Like they're about to go into the promised land and take on the Canaanites or they got to start building the original Solomon's temple or whatever.

Nine times, here's what God says, the exact same words.

Do not be afraid.

Do not be what?

discouraged.

Do not be afraid.

Do not be discouraged.

Why, God, there's a lot to be afraid of and there's a lot to discourage me.

For the Lord your God is with you.

Tell me what's so big to be afraid of.

Tell me what's so big to discourage you that it's bigger than the Lord your God is with you.

You got me.

You looking at the thing that's bigger than you are, why don't you look at the God who's bigger than it is?

That's the antidote to discouragement And don't forget the amazing things God did to get you to this point.

Hey folks there in Jerusalem.

Hey folks, they're trying to discourage you But do you know, do you remember that God moved the heart of the king?

God did a miracle.

God got you back here.

God supplied the funds that you needed to come here.

God gave you the people.

God gave you the leaders.

Look at the big picture.

Don't look at the little dot.

Yes, they're telling you reasons to be discouraged, but look at the big plan.

Embrace the plan.

See the big thing?

Don't forget the big thing God's doing.

Because of these little stuffs.

Here's a third tactic, frustration.

Ezra 4-5.

They hired counselors to work against them and frustrate their plans.

Look how long they did it.

During the entire reign of Cyrus, king of Persia.

I mean your enemy sometimes is relentless.

He doesn't just come up one time, knock on the door, and go, well, gee, that didn't work.

He hammers you.

He's like, I am going to stop you, and he hammers you with frustration.

Isn't that interesting?

I figured out.

I've been doing this trying to do God's thing long enough.

I know what some of the things He does to frustrate us.

There are setbacks.

He tries to listen to this one, see if this sounds familiar to you.

Anybody who's been in Christian leadership for long knows this one.

I get so tired of this one.

He takes you off having to fight fires.

Instead of make progress.

In other words, there's this dis there's this conflict, there's this people problem.

There's this thing that is a fire and instead of carrying out your mission and spending your time on the mission that you've been given to do, you got to go over here and put out a fire.

How many have you ever had that happen to you?

I hate that because see here's what the problem is.

You want to keep building a house.

A fire's broken out over here in this back room.

You say if I I gotta stop what I 'm starting I stopped building a house to fight the stupid fire, but if you don't fight the stupid fire, the house might burn down.

So you gotta fight the fire.

It's so frustrating And if you let it consume you, it takes you right out of what God puts you there to do.

There's um I I'm I'm I'm thinking about financial setbacks, medical setbacks.

Um It's interesting.

I told you about Bo the rancher this morning in Cherry Creek, South Dakota, on the Sioux Reservation.

I mean, one night he's coming back from doing one of his outreaches.

God bless him.

And uh as he as he starts driving down his long 18-mile road to get back to his ranch, his cattle are everywhere.

His cattle have never gotten out before, but they get out when he's doing an outreach, of course.

That's frustrating.

His 13-year-old son nailed it.

He said, Dad Spiritual warfare.

Good boy.

He knows where it's coming from.

You can tell by the timing It is simply to try to frustrate.

I'm not going for that.

I'm not going to let these frustrations take me out of the fruit of the Spirit, take me out of the work God has given to me.

I will stay on mission.

And when that happens, the antidote is Psalm 118 24, and you know what the verses, you might not know the reference.

You stand there and say, not this is the day my Stray cattle have made, or this is the day that the the setbacks have made, or this is the day the firefighting has made, or what the doctor said has made.

This is the day the Lord has made.

The plan is on Nothing can thwart God's plan.

I've told you this before, but one uh Sarah has raised little Carissa, our not little anymore, our granddaughter, uh, and uh Sarah has raised her every pretty many few. you know, said would say something like this.

This is the day the Lord has made to do this together.

And we will rejoice and be glad in it.

Yay!

That's a good thing.

I like the yay part.

That's not in the Hebrew, but it's a great thing.

Well, they were staying at our house.

They were still on the Hopi Reservation, and I walked into the great room and Carissa was like almost lifeless on her mother's lap.

And she had had the flu, and I think she'd thrown up 11 times, they told me.

I mean, she was a sick little girl.

She was feeling miserable.

Sarah didn't stop.

She said, Carissa, let's say our verse.

This is the day the Lord has made.

We will rejoice and be glad in it.

Yeah.

It was pitiful, but it was beautiful.

There are some days you just gotta go, it's still day or is May.

Yay.

Maybe just give one hand.

Yay.

But you fight the frustration. was saying the plan is on again you stick with the big picture you decide because Satan's strategy is to get you to focus on the dot you got to keep looking at the big canvas Now, I will quote a Pope.

I don't quote popes real often, but I thought this was really good.

Pope John Paul II said, do not abandon yourselves to despair.

For we are the Easter people.

And hallelujah is our song.

Yeah, don't abandon yourself to despair.

Make hallelujah your song.

Then another, here we go.

Here's another attack.

Get ready.

Here's one that it uses as we go to Ezra chapter 4 and verse 6.

Accusation.

Let's take a look at the verse.

At the beginning of the reign of Xerxes, now we got a new king.

So they go, aha.

They lodged an accusation against the people of Judah and Jerusalem.

And uh I'm gonna uh I'm gonna just uh oh yeah no I don't think we have any more verses up there, but I have um I'll tell you just some of what they wrote.

This is really interesting.

Listen to the words They said, the king should know that the Jews are building the rebellious and wicked city.

They are restoring the walls, which they weren't even doing at that point, and repairing the foundations.

Here's the way it's There'll be no more taxes, the royal revenues will suffer, a rebellious city, troublesome to kings, a place of rebellion, you will be left with nothing in this province.

That worked.

He tells his local governors, issue an order to these men to stop work.

They get accused.

Do you know what the word devil means?

Do you know what it means?

It means accuser.

This is what the devil does.

This is who the devil is.

This is what he this is his his MO He accuses.

Revelation says he stands before the throne of God, accusing the children of God night and day.

He's going, hey, look at your, that's your boy Ron.

You like him now?

That's the one you died for?

Look at him.

Look at him now.

He's miserable.

What an embarrassment to you.

We know he did that with Job, remember?

Tried to find something with Job.

So you have to live in such a way that your enemy will have to invent something to accuse you of.

That's where the Bible says be above reproach.

Ezra 4.

15.

Let's take a look at that.

It says that he says, This is what they're saying to the king now, the enemy, that a search may be made in the archives of your predecessors.

In the archives, you'll find this city is a rebellious city.

Troublesome.

Rebellion.

That's why this city was destroyed.

You probably should get this city destroyed again.

So here's what the devil's game is to throw your past back at you.

To throw your past back at you, your past failures, your past sins.

Your past feelings about your inadequacy and your lack of worth.

And I love what somebody else said up here, that when the devil throws your past at you, you remind him of his future.

You know what the you know you know the smart thing these guys did?

Chapter 5 verse 11.

I don't think we have it, but chapter 5, verse 11 says this then we do have it.

This is the answer they gave us.

We are the servants of the God of heaven and earth.

You know what?

You can call me whatever you want to call me, enemy I know who I am.

I am not going to fall for you can call me every name you want.

You can say you are what you were.

I am not what I was.

I know who I am.

I am a servant of the God of heaven and earth.

In all your accusations, you cannot change who I am.

Let's go over to Zechariah, the young preacher of that day, and look at what he said in chapter 3, verses 1 to 4.

This is a vision that God gave to Zechariah.

The guiding angel showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the Lord.

And Satan, standing at Joshua's right hand, this is the main spiritual leader, the high priest, to be his adversary and what?

Accuse him.

The Lord said to Satan, The Lord rebuke you, Satan.

The Lord who has chosen Jerusalem, rebuke you.

Is not this man a burning stick, that's every one of us, snatched from the fire?

I've saved this man, I've rescued this man, I've redeemed this man, leave him alone.

Your accusations are a lie.

Now Joshua was clothed by this angel with filthy garments, was standing before the angel of the Lord, excuse me, and then it says.

He spoke to those who stood before him, saying, Take away the filthy garments from him.

And he said to Joshua, Behold, I have caused your iniquity to pass from you.

Let Satan accuse you all he wants.

I've got, I've dressed you up in new apparel.

You are wrapped in the righteousness of Christ, we would say today.

That's what God sees when he looks at you.

You want to know the antidote when Satan brings up your past?

1 Corinthians 6, verses 9 to 11.

Here we go.

Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God?

Starts out with terrible news.

Do not be deceived, neither the sexually immoral or idolaters or adulterers or male prostitutes or homosexual offenders.

Nor thieves, nor greedy, nor drunkards, nor slanderers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.

But you can hear everybody going, oh my goodness.

Oh boy.

Look at this next part.

Read this next sentence with me.

And that is what some of you stop.

Now I want you to shout this word.

Were.

That is what some of you were.

But you were washed.

You got a shower from God.

You were sanctified, set apart, made special.

You were justified, made right with God in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.

One day my daughter in her senior year was in her French class.

The girls were, because the teacher was late, were pulling out their photos.

They just gotten their senior photos.

In there was Lisa's seventh grade photo.

How many of you would love to show the world your seventh grade photo?

We were all like metamorphing in seventh grade More Morphinger than Meta, I think, or whatever.

And and I mean, unless you really, that's why they don't have junior high reunions.

Did you ever notice that?

Let's think back on our wonderful junior high memories.

Um but uh I but th and and most of us were still, you know, we were sort of half caterpillar, half butterfly, we're like a butterpillar or a caterfly in in seventh grade.

And so so and Lisa, who's a very pretty girl, but she it was she had the the the seventh grade obligatory, you know, uh metal in the mouth. and she had her hair all pulled back like this and had kind of big thick glasses big glasses on and um and and so her Her friends were having a hoot at this thing.

They're like, Lisa, look at you.

Now her senior picture Oh my goodness.

The Orthodonist succeeded.

Beautiful.

Smile, big blue eyes, no glasses.

Long, beautiful hair.

I thought one of the most beautiful girls in the senior class with the memorable smile that teachers still talk about to this day.

Well, they're putting these pictures next to each other.

And Lisa's laughing with them.

The French teacher suddenly comes in and says, what are you girls doing?

We're looking at these pictures.

Come here, come here, Lisa.

Lisa looks, or the teacher looks and she looks at seventh grade Lisa, then she looks at senior Lisa and she she goes, I'm not sure my French is right, but she said, Lisa La miracla.

The miracle.

What happened here?

Do you know why Lisa could laugh at her seventh-grade picture?

Go ahead and laugh all you want.

Because she could say that was me.

But that's not me anymore.

Because of Jesus, you say to your enemy when he brings back your past, that was me, yeah But that's not me anymore.

That's under the blood of Jesus.

That's gone.

I am a new creation in Christ.

The old is gone.

A new life has begun.

So shut up, Satan.

Pardon me.

But I think you can be that rude with him.

In fact, I'd encourage it Here's the last one and then and then I got some great news for you.

The last part of this is just like awesome.

The last attack is intimidation.

Dick, you mentioned fear.

Look at chapter 5, verses 3 and 4.

At that time, Tatanai, who who is the kind of the local governor governing on behalf of the king, and his guy, whose name I don't want to say, and their associates went to them and asked, uh, who um You have your permit?

You have your permit to build?

Where's your your uh building permit here?

Who offered you to build this temple and restore this structure?

Listen to this.

Oh, by the way.

What are the names of the men constructing the building?

We're taking names.

We're not just reporting what you're building.

We're taking names.

And we're sending the names to the king.

You're going to be in big trouble with the big man.

Is that intimidating or what?

Well, um intimidation is to get you to operate out of fear Satan would love to have you parenting out of fear.

You see, man, our kids are in such a horrible world.

Our grandkids, boy, look at the world of growing up in.

God has not given us a spirit of fear, but a power and love and a sound mind.

You parent out of fear and the thing you fear you'll make it happen because you'll over-parent to try to keep it from happening.

He wants you to parent out of fear He wants you to give out of fear and go, well, you never know what's going to happen next in the economy, so I better be a little careful, better hang on to some things.

He wants you to plan out of fear.

He wants you to represent Christ out of fear and let fear make you choke on the name of Jesus so you never get the life-saving information to that person out because it is fear of what they'll think or fear of whatever.

He wants you to pray with fear.

Be afraid to pray boldly because God might not come through.

See, fear is focused on the passing moment.

Faith is focused on the panoramic plan.

Fear is about the dot.

Faith is about the big plan.

God's doing something bigger than what I can see.

Did you know fear can make people do bad things?

I have to tell you something.

I think some of the biggest mistakes I've ever made in leadership have been because of fear I knew what I should do and didn't.

But I'm not alone.

Look at Galatians.

I mean, one of the great guys in the Bible is Barnabas.

Don't you love Barnabas?

But look at what Barnabas did.

Look at this.

When Cephas Peter came to Antioch, Paul says, I protested and opposed, this is Simon Peter, opposed him to his face concerning his conduct there, for he was blamable and stood condemned.

Let's keep going.

For up to that time certain persons came from James and he ate his meals.

This is Peter, not Barnabas.

He ate his meals with the Gentile converts.

Peter is sort of, because the guys are coming from Jews will go, you got to keep doing the Jewish stuff, got to be circumcised, got to do all this.

Remember, Jesus isn't enough.

And Peter is, Peter's caving.

The rock.

Simon Peter's Caban.

When the men from Jerusalem arrived, he withdrew and held himself aloof from the Gentiles.

He's playing the game of the guys who are the false teachers and ate separately for fear of those of the circumcision party.

Do you know what?

The other Jews joined him in his hypocrisy.

So that by their hypocrisy, even the encourager, Barnabas, was led astray.

Why?

Because a good guy like Peter did the wrong thing because he was afraid.

Fear makes good people do bad things.

And as we know from the book of Numbers, which we won't look at tonight, fear can cost you the promised land.

Because you're looking at how big the giants are instead of how much bigger God is than the giants.

But I do like the the these words that it says this in uh in chapter four with a lot of stuff hammering them and let me let me find it here.

Um Yeah, with all these threats, and I can't find the phrase right now, it says, despite their fear.

I think it's back where they started a late.

Yeah, it's in chapter 3 and verse 3.

It says, despite their fear, they built the altar.

I love this definition of courage.

It came from D Day as a war correspondent saw the GIs getting out of their landing craft knowing they were going on to a beach full of landmines with Nazi snipers up on the cliff firing down at them in that awful day.

And he made this observation.

He said, courage is not the absence of fear.

It is the disregard of it.

Every firefighter who goes into a burning building, every rescuer who went into the collapsed towers on 9-11, you bet they're afraid.

They just don't decide based on their fear.

It is the disregard of fear.

And Satan will try to use intimidation, but obedience trumps fear.

Obedience beats.

God has told me what to do.

Dogon it, we're going to build this thing.

Last early July at Warrior Leadership Summit, the theme of Warrior Leadership Summit in a culture that is dominated by fear was fearless.

And during the week, the Warriors at Warrior Leadership Summit, you've seen a little of it already, were able to spray paint on a wall that we had constructed outside the auditorium.

Their fears.

At the end of the week, having told them about a Christ who is bigger than anything they fear The week ended in a way that I almost wish we could do tonight.

But we can at least experience it through them.

Let's watch.

That awesome.

There is no fear in love.

For perfect love casts out fear.

So now I have great news for you at the end of this story.

I love this.

The enemy's victories. are always temporary.

The enemy's victories, he does win some, are always temporary.

In Ex Ezra chapter 4, verse 23, I will tell you this.

These attacks worked It says, look at the bottom.

They were compelled by force to stop building.

That's the two years they worked on it.

They were stopped by force.

Thus the work on the house of God in Jerusalem came to a standstill.

Oh, until, oh, I see, the second year of the reign of Darius, king of Persia.

Oh, uh Satan, uh the enemy, he goes, gotcha.

Worked, didn't it?

I stopped you.

I stopped it.

Uh, not so fast, Buffalo Breath.

That's not the whole story yet.

Ezra chapter 6.

Look what happens.

When they finally wake up with Haggai and Zechariah talking to them, King Darius issued an order because they wrote. 17 years later, finally, and they said, why don't you look and see about what King Cyrus said in the go to the library?

They searched in the archives stored in the treasury of Babylon In the first year of King Cyrus, the king issued a decree concerning the temple of God.

Let the temple re be built as a place to present sacrifices.

Let its foundations be laid.

It's to be 90.

Okay, it goes on with the dimensions.

Let's keep going.

And it again more and the costs, what is this, are to be paid by the Royal Treasury.

Hello?

Also the gold and silver articles of the house of God, which have been gone for all these years, carried away by a pagan king.

I want them to be returned to their places in the temple in Jerusalem.

They are to be deposited in the house of God.

Now then Tatni the governor, the guy who wrote, said, check out their pi their history, and the fellow officials said, uh and he said to them, you You stay away from there.

Hugh, leave those guys alone.

Stop bothering them.

We have more, yeah.

Moreover, I hereby decree what you are to do for these elders.

Think this think this is what he's saying to the guys who did everything to stop it Here's what we want you to do.

The expenses of these men are to be fully paid out of the royal treasury.

You know the money I gave you guys?

You're gonna pay for that.

I want you to pay for the building of the temple.

I love this.

From the revenues of Trans Euphrates, so the work will not stop.

I'm ready to do a chant standing ovation here.

So the elders of the Jews continued to build and prosper under the preaching of Haggai and the prophet and Zechariah, they finished building the temple, finally, according to the command of the God of Israel and the decrees of Cyrus, Darius, and Artaxerxes, kings of Persia.

And what is so cruel about this, yes, the devil won, the enemy won a temporary victory But when the victory is won by God, it's better than ever.

They're being paid for by the Royal Treasury.

Their enemies are ordered not to bother them again.

The enemies are ordered to cough up the money to pay for it.

Is this crazy?

This is how it works.

Yes, the enemy will win, but he can't win permanently.

He can only win temporarily.

When In world history, when the big Battle of Waterloo took place between England and France, the Duke of Wellington and Napoleon's army.

They they they were waiting everybody in England's like are we gonna win or lose this thing?

And the word comes back by semaphore and and flags and lights and everything, comes back to London, it says Wellington defeated and all of England went into a funk.

They're like, oh no. we have lost the Napoleon.

And then a fog settled in over the tower bridge where that where the the word had been posted, Wellington defeated.

Well, the fog cleared in the morning.

They saw the rest of the message.

Wellington defeated the enemy.

Oh, we only got half the message.

So we see half the message.

Yeah, we lost this one.

But his victories are only temporary.

What is the prime example of that?

Satan on Good Friday goes, I won!

And on Easter says, it's over.

Colossians 2. 15 says that Jesus made a public spectacle.

They thought they were making a spectacle of him.

He disarmed the powers and authorities.

He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing.

Looks like he lost.

And when he looked like he lost, it's how he won, triumphing over them by the cross.

A temporary victory for the enemy, a total victory for Jesus.

And One day this planet will have Satan having doing everything he ever wanted to do to this planet.

He will run rampant and one-third of the human race will be destroyed.

Who wants to read those chapters in the book of Revelation?

It's ugly.

It's horrible.

Nobody's seen that.

Anything like that on this planet.

Well, guess what?

Zechariah told the rest of the story.

Yep.

And he gave the Jews a glimpse of it.

He says, here's the picture.

All the armies of the Lord gathered on the plain of Megiddo to stop Jesus from returning The entire military might of the world.

They say there's no way he's gonna get past us.

Every armament, every weapon, every soldier, we will stop him.

And then the Lord will go out and fight against those nations as he fights in the day of battle.

On that day his feet will stand on the Mount of Olives.

Let me tell you a thrill is to stand on the Temple Mount and look east at the Mount of Olives, a view that Jesus saw many times, and you say, I see the Mount of Olives, but one day it will split in two.

Part to the north, part to the south, when Jesus' feet touch it.

And the Mount of Olives will be split in two from east to west. forming a great valley with half the mountain moving north, half moving south.

The Lord my God will come and all the holy ones with him, the Lord will be king over the whole earth.

And on that day there will be one Lord, and his name will be the only name.

Do I hear a hallelujah?

Give me a witness.

Whoa!

The Lord will reign over the whole earth and there will be one name.

And it will be Jesus, just when it looked like the enemy had won.

He can only win temporarily.

Don't you forget that.

And we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.

So remember the big picture and join with me in the words of Martin Luther, who certainly knew about standing up to the enemy.

Who said, and though this world with devils filled should threaten to undo us, we will not fear, for God has willed his truth to triumph through us.

The Prince of Darkness grim.

We tremble not for him.

One little word shall fell him.

And shall we say that name, that one word together right now?

Jesus.

Jesus.

One word will fell the Prince of Darkness.

Our God reigns.

So we will resist the ambushes.

We are not going back.

Not now.

Let's pray.

Lord, we thank you for your promise that you always lead us in triumphal procession in Christ.

That nothing is done for the Lord will ever be wasted.

That we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.

That Satan is a snake with a crushed head.

And so Lord, we pray that whatever may have stopped us in the past will never stop us again.

For we have heard your voice.

You've shown us the big plan to embrace it to begin with Jesus.

Get rid of that junk.

Confront that cancer.

Cut it out completely.

Lord, you've told us to stay on mission and we shall not be distracted.

We shall not be distracted.

And we shall resist these ambushes in Jesus' name.

And say as the rebbable of old said, you have no right.

You have no right.

I'm God's kid.

So we go forth this time with confidence, not self-confidence.

But confidence in the God of heaven and earth.

As we pray, in the name at which all beings in heaven and earth shall bow, in which all authority in heaven and earth resides, we pray.

In the name that moves heaven, changes earth, and paralyzes hell, we pray in Jesus' name.

Amen.