What Can God Do With a Warrior

In Hebrews chap 11, we have what has been called the hall of fame of faith. And the singular thread that carries through each and every life that is listed there is that what they did they did in one way by faith. Everything that you will ever do for God and that God will ever do with you will be done by faith.

It doesn't matter who has something to say against you. If you have faith in God, if he is for you, who can be against you? When we get to verse 32 of the 11th chapter of Hebrews, the author of Hebrews is writing to a predominantly Jewish audience. They understand Jewish history.

They've been taught the stories of the past. And so rather than get into the details of each and every individual and what they accomplished, he just puts them all into a group and says, "What more should I say because time would fail me if I told every story?

This chapter would never end." Is what he's saying. And he writes about individuals like Gideon and Barack and Samson and Japheth and David and Samuel and the prophets. He literally goes from the book of Judges all the way through the end of the Old Testament talking about how these individuals were able to do great things by faith.

But when you take a closer look at the names that he's listed here, what you discover is that they weren't always warriors and winners who lived by faith. When we meet them, some of them were wimps and some of them were whiners. And the good news is God gave them the strength to overcome because of what they did with their faith.

Rather than look at the circumstances, they put their faith in a God who gave them the ability to overcome circumstance. >> What you need to know as a child of God in the world that we live in is that you are not here to live beneath the circumstance.

You are here to live above the circumstance by the power of the living God that is in you. >> Every warrior and every winner comes to the place of their victory through God. The Bible says, "Our faith is the victory that overcomes the world." Whenever the author of Hebrews is talking about Gideon and Barack and Samson, he's talking about a time in which the entire nation of Israel was living in a vicious cycle.

Say it this way. They were continually walking around digging a rut. When we meet Gideon, for example, Gideon is not a warrior and Gideon is not a winner. Gideon is a whiner. He's an absolute whiner. The angel of the Lord comes to him and he's threshing wheat in a wine press.

You do not need a PhD in agriculture to know he's doing the wrong thing with the wrong equipment. But the reason he's threshing wheat in a wine press is because he doesn't want his enemies to see that he has food because they're going to come and steal the food.

And when the angel of the Lord comes to see him in the book of Judges, the first thing that the angel of the Lord says to him is rather humorous because what he says is, "Behold, mighty man of valor." The angel doesn't show up and say, "Hey, wimp, what are you doing in the wine press?"

And rather than consider the encounter that he's having with a celestial being sent from heaven with a message, do you know what Gideon does whenever the presence of God is standing in front of him? He starts whining. The angel says, "Behold, the Lord is with you." And rather than shout, "Hallelujah," he says, "Well, if God is with me, why am I in this circumstance?

And before we pick up the ROCKS AND START THROWING THEM AT GIDEON FOR BEING A WHINER, how many of God's kids come to God's house on the Lord's day and the presence of the Lord fills the sanctuary and the Holy Spirit whispers into your soul? It doesn't matter what you're going through, God is with you.

God knows you. God's here for you. And rather than shout hallelujah, we say, "Well, if he's with me, why am I still struggling?" I'll tell you why. Because struggle is a part of life. >> Adversity is something that is common to everybody who draws a breath. Job said, "As sure as sparks fly up from a fire, so is a man born to trouble."

Stop looking at adversity as something that is against you and start looking as an opportunity that God has given you to give you the strength that you need to be more than the conqueror he created you to be. Only after several conversations does Gideon start to believe that there's something greater in him than what he's currently living through.

And when he puts his faith in a god who cannot fail, Gideon goes from a whiner into a warrior who faces adversity. And today he's listed on the hall of fame because he went from a warrior to a winner. >> Whenever you give God the opportunity to prove himself to you, you need to know God will not fail you.

All he's looking for are those who are courageous enough to be the mindset of a warrior to say, "If there's adversity, I'll face it. If there's a problem, here am I. Send me." Because if God is with you, nothing can stand against you and you cannot be defeated. >> So, how did this generation of Israel get into this rut?

In Judges the 2nd chapter, the 10th verse, we gain some insight because in Judges 2 and 10, it tells us that now that this generation had been gathered to their fathers. What generation is he speaking of? He's talking about the generation of Joshua and Caleb, those who walked out of Egypt and through the wilderness, those who wandered in the wilderness and then came to the Jordan and saw the walls of Jericho fall.

When that generation had passed away, the Bible says there was another generation that came after them that did not know the Lord, nor the work which he had done for Israel. The problem was the next generation that came after Joshua and Caleb, they stopped living as if God existed.

How much of this same behavior do you see in the world we live in today? We live in a land that is BLESSED BY GOD. THERE'S EVIDENCE OF IT in every chapter of our history, in every breath that we breathe. And yet, rather than recognize where our blessings come from, we choose to pretend as if God doesn't exist.

We've forgotten that he is the source of every good and perfect gift. Everything great and small, God gave you. Today, the food that you're going to eat at lunch, God created THAT ALL THE WAY BACK IN the Genesis whenever he said, "Let every seedbearing plant give forth its fruit."

GOD WAS THINKING ABOUT you then and he was planting your lunch now. The strength that you have to be in THIS SERVICE TODAY, GOD gave it to you because the Bible tells us in him we live and move and have our being, the roof that's over your head, the roof that you sleep UNDER AT NIGHT.

WHERE DID THAT ROOF come from? It came from the trees. Who created the trees? God. How did that tree get to grow? God saw it. He watched it. It grew. He cut it down. He brought it to your house. And he allowed you to sleep under it. You cannot escape the goodness of God.

All you have to do is look for it. And when you find it, give him the praise and the glory and the honor that he is worthy of. During the time of the judges, there was political chaos. They were walking around digging a rut, serving false gods, not living in the blessings of God.

And as life got worse and worse and worse, the people would cry out to God. God would raise up a leader. And that leader, he didn't solve the problem. You know what that leader did? He brought them closer to God. God is the problem solver. not man. >> And what happened when that leader had brought them closer to God?

God solved the problem. The people went right back into the rut. They started serving false gods. How often have we seen this pattern in our world today? Things get worse and worse and worse. People get frustrated and fed up. They start crying out to God. They call for fasting and prayer and consecration.

God raises up a leader. The people get closer to God. Things start to get good. And where do we go? Right back into the rut. Why? Because we've forgotten the goodness of God in our life. We need to understand that God is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

Our answer does not come from a policy that is written in a government. Our answer does not come from a candidate that is on a ticket for election. Our answer is the same answer that has been from the beginning of time and will be all the way to the end.

He is the alpha and he is the omega. He is the first and he is the last. He is the king above kings and the lord above lords. He sits upon the throne and he is great and greatly to be praised. King Jesus is his name. What was it with this generation that they decided God didn't exist?

The answer, they didn't have the same struggle that their parents and their grandparents did. They had it too good. They didn't have to walk around in circles in the wilderness. They got to sleep in homes in the promised land. And when they had it comfortable, then they got complacent IN HOW THEY GOT TO WHERE THEY ARE.

What do we see happening in this world today? We see a significant generational shift. And we see the better we have it, the softer we get. And the softer we get, the worse things are. We live in a world that is in a rut. We use blame and accusation as the reasons for a lack of success.

What you need to understand is that nothing in your life will be successful until you take responsibility for who you are and what you do. >> The resurrection of Jesus Christ changed everything. In my new book, From the Tomb to Triumph, I take you through this resurrection truth from the suffering of the cross to the empty tomb and into the authority every believer is called to live in today.

This month, for your gift of any amount to support the work of Hegy Ministries, we want to send you Pastor John Haggy's new book, From Tomb to Triumph, Claim the Victory of the Resurrection. And with your love gift of $125 or more, we'll send you our handcrafted Genesis 12:3 olivewood anointing oil set box from Israel.

And with your gift of $500 or more, in addition, you'll also receive the Prophecy Study Bible and His Glory Revealed. >> The Risen King reigns now and his power is at work in you. >> Call the number on your screen. Use the QR code or go to jhm.org/spring.

We live in a world where comparison has become the reason why we're withheld from the opportunities that we should have. Well, they had it better than me. They got the break. They got the opportunity. I did not. That's a lie. Everyone in this world is equally loved and equally valued by a God who created you.

You may not start at the same place that somebody else did, but if God is with you and his resurrection power lives in you, there is nothing that you cannot accomplish in and through his strength. Stop worrying about what somebody else got and start thanking God for what you have and use it and see what God will do with it.

Whenever you turn away from God and lawlessness abounds, you dig a rut of political chaos. You dig a rut of social chaos. You dig a rut of spiritual chaos. The Bible tells us that righteousness exalts a nation. But sin is a reproach to any people. Right now, what we're experiencing in this nation at a volume like we've never heard it before is a literal crossroads very similar to what the judges were living in in the book of in the time of Israel.

Right now, this United States is at a crossroads, a crossroads of righteousness and wickedness. Amen. >> A crossroads of responsibility and lawlessness. A crossroads of truth and a lie, light and darkness. At the crossroads that we face, there's an ancient question that has to be answered in our modern time.

This was the question that Moses asked his generation when they were at a crossroads. They were at Mount Si and 40,000 of them decided that they were going to start worshiping this new golden calf theology. And when Moses saw what was going on in Israel, he asked the question, "Who is on the Lord's side?"

And then he gave them a command, "Come to me." You see, it's not enough to say you're on God's side. You actually have to put actions with your beliefs. And whenever the Lord saw those who chose him and came to Moses, he opened up a hole in the ground and swallowed everybody else in it.

Now, let me give you your options. You come to God or you're dismissed. That's the polite way to say buried alive. Given those two, which one of you say, "I'm on the Lord's side. I can hear the Holy Spirit echoing through the generations. Who is on the Lord's side?

Who is on the Lord's side? Who is on the Lord's side? He doesn't want to hear your amen. He wants to see you put action to your faith and start to behave like you believe. Father, if you're on the Lord's side, when you go home, train up your children in the fear and the admonition of God.

Teach them that what is in this book is not free advice that they might try, but this is the truth that will set them free. Mother, if you're on the Lord's side, give your children a living example of what it means to give God credit and glory and honor for everything that you have.

Young person, if you're on the Lord's side, don't let this world define your morality. Understand that you're not who they say you are. You are who God created you to be. Pastor, if you're on the Lord's side, don't preach what makes them comfortable. Don't say what MAKES THEM HAPPY.

PREACH the word in season and out of season. Preach it without shame. Preach it because it is the only thing that brings THE GLORY OF GOD and his power into the lives of those WHO HEAR IT. IF YOU'RE ON THE LORD'S SIDE, LET GOD ARISE AND HIS ENEMIES be scattered.

The way that you dig yourself out of a rut is you turn to God. >> This is what the psalmist said in Psalm 40 and verse two. It says, "He brought me out of a horrible pit of a miry clay and he set my feet on a rock."

If there was ever a beautiful verse about the testimony of those who put their faith in God, there it is. He brought me out of a miry clay. I don't care who you are and what you've been through. Your life without Christ was a miry clay. You were dead in quick sand whether you knew it or not.

But the second that you called upon him, he reached down to the lowest depths of where you were. And he picked you up and he brought you out. And when he brought you out, he didn't abandon you. He established you. He set you on the rock of ages.

He set you on a truth and a foundation that no matter what storm comes, you will endure because you have built your house on the solid rock who is Jesus Christ. Is there anybody in this sanctuary that says, "Where I was when he found me was a horrible pit, but he reached down and he brought me out and he set me on the rock of his truth.

He set me on the promise of his provision. He brought my marriage out of a horrible pit. And we're here today because God is ON OUR SIDE. HE BROUGHT MY BUSINESS OUT OF A MIRY CLAY. And I'm blessed today because he's my provider. WHEN THE DOCTOR DIAGNOSED ME, he reached down and he caught me.

And he said, "I AM THE GREAT PHYSICIAN BY WHOSE STRIPES YOU ARE HEALED." THERE ISN'T ANYBODY IN THIS room that YOU ARE WHERE YOU ARE TODAY WITHOUT GOD REACHING DOWN AND PULLING YOU OUT AND BRINGING YOU WHERE YOU ARE. SO GIVE GOD ALL OF THE GLORY and all of the praise.

The difference between the warrior, the whiner, the winner, and the wimp is not the adversity. It's not the struggle. It's the choice that the individual makes. >> The whiner complains about the problem. The wimp ignores the problem. The warrior faces the problem and the winner fights in God's strength.

Every one of you have a choice to make and the choice you make defines who you are. >> Choose to be a warrior. Choose to confront the problem. Choose to face the enemy. When you make this choice, you're going to irritate the world, the flesh, and the devil.

But remember this, our battle is not carnal, but it is mighty. And every weapon that he has given you is for the pulling down of strongholds, and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God. When you make the decision to be a warrior, the world is going to critique you.

They're going to write things about you. They're going to say things about you. They're going to give you thumbs down on your social media feed. If their clicks AND THEIR LIKES COULD kill you, you'd have been dead a long time ago. You have to be willing to be a warrior and understand that your warfare is real.

People say, "Well, aren't Christians supposed to be peacemakers?" We're supposed to be peacekeepers. >> Jesus Christ is the prince of peace. And the way that we keep the peace that he has given us is we take a stand in the day of evil. >> That statement to take a stand is not a passive statement.

It is an aggressive statement. It means that you draw a line and you say the enemy cannot come any farther because this is where I stand and where I stand he stops. So once you choose to be a warrior, how do you win? There's three things that every warrior needs to win.

And the first is to remember what you're fighting for. Remember what you're fighting for. Don't take it personally. Believe it or not, not everything in this life revolves around you. with one exception. The world is full of other people. Just think about it. But whenever you decide that you remember what you're fighting for, you'll find the courage to face the adversity.

Consider this. In the life of David, he goes to the battlefield where Goliath is challenging the army of Israel. Goliath's offer is very simple. If I defeat your champion, you will be our slaves. And if he defeats me, we will be your slaves. When David hears that this is an all orno fight, and he recognizes that he's not only fighting to protect what God has done in the past, but he is fighting to defend what God has planned in the future.

He says, "How do we not face this giant?" Everybody else is saying,"Well, if I go down there and he kills me, what good is my future?" And David is saying, "If we don't kill him, he's going to control us." So, we've got something worth fighting for. >> One of the reasons that people are afraid to face the challenges that they have in this life is because they've been intimidated by a roaring lion.

Whether they know it or not, >> the Bible says our enemy is A ROARING LION. THAT means he makes a lot of noise, hoping that the noise that he makes WILL DISCOURAGE YOU FROM TALKING BACK TO HIM. He wants you scared, full of fear, wondering and worrying what he's going to do next.

And the reason he wants you wondering and worrying what he's going to do next, he knows that if you put your faith and your confidence in God that he has to go because the Bible says, "Submit to God, resist the devil, and he will flee from you." GOD MADE A PROMISE TO THE NEW Testament church.

He said, "God will soon crush Satan underneath your feet." Child of God, THAT MEANS THAT ALL you have to do is TAKE A STAND BASED ON GOD'S WORD and announce to the enemy, you're not coming any farther. THE GENERATIONAL CURSE DIDN'T START WITH ME, BUT IT STOPS with me.

The problem is going to be solved today. The mountain is going to move IN JESUS' NAME. THE GIANT THAT I'M FACING will not be here anymore because he comes to ME WITH SPEAR AND A SWORD, BUT I COME TO HIM IN THE NAME OF THE LORD. Remember what you're fighting for.

You're fighting for your children and your grandchildren. >> Remember what you're fighting for. You're fighting for everything that those who came before you struggled to give you. Remember what you're fighting for. the fact that God's word is alive and powerful. Therefore, be bold and be strong for the Lord God is with you.

The second thing that every warrior needs is a battle plan. You can't go in blind. You've got to make a plan. God gives David a plan. Take five smooth stones. Why did David take five smooth stones? Goliath had four brothers. He wasn't taking extra ammunition. He already had confidence that he wasn't going to miss. >> You put your faith in God's plan, God's plan will work. >> I know people who have a battle plan for their business.

They sit with strategists and discuss it. I know people who have a battle plan for their physical health. They have a battle plan for every area of their life. They've got all kinds of battle plans for everything, but they don't have a battle plan for the spiritual success that they want.

You need a plan. And the third thing that every warrior needs is to remember whose strength you're fighting in. The Bible says that the battle belongs to the Lord. It's not by might nor by power, but by your spirit. >> The difference between a warrior and a winner is that a warrior will fight in his strength and lose.

But those who go to war with the spirit of God in them cannot be defeated. >> The world that we live in is a place of struggle and conflict. It can't be avoided. You can wimp out. You can whine about it. Get on Facebook. Just share your feelings.

Your feelings won't fix the problem. Or you can choose today to face it as a warrior filled with God's spirit and see what God can do as he turns you into more than a conqueror through Christ. >> Would you give the Lord a hand clap of praise? I want to thank you for joining us for today's program.

I also want to remind you that if you would like to watch this message in its entirety, you can do so by going to jhm.org. Remember this, greater is he who is in you than he who is in the world. God created you to be a warrior. And by his grace, in his power, and in his might, you can and will win.

God bless you, and thank you for being a part of today's program. >> Israel is under attack. Missiles from Iran rain down. Sirens sound through the night and innocent families rush into bomb cellers praying they will see another sunrise. This is not a geopolitical conflict. This is a prophetic moment.

The Bible tells us that in the last days, Jerusalem would become a cup of trembling to the nations. What we are witnessing today is history moving exactly as scripture predicted. And in moments like this, the question is not what is happening. The question is where do we stand right now?

Your support delivers life-saving care, emergency medical facilities, and supplies and protection to families living under fire. When you stand with Israel, you stand on the side of God's covenant promises. This is a prophetic hour. Stand with Israel. Give now. You've been watching Haggy Ministries. If you need prayer, call our prayer line or visit our website.

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