The Battle Cry Of Faith

0:00:01.440 --> 0:00:04.360 Hi, this is Joelan Victoria. Thanks so much for listening 0:00:04.360 --> 0:00:07.960 to the podcast and thanks for supporting the ministry. We 0:00:08.039 --> 0:00:11.920 believe you're going to have an awesome twenty twenty four, healthy, productive, 0:00:12.080 --> 0:00:15.880 and favor filled. God bless you today and enjoy the message. 0:00:16.160 --> 0:00:18.840 God bless you. It's great to be with you today, 0:00:18.880 --> 0:00:21.400 and I hope you stay connected with us during the 0:00:21.440 --> 0:00:25.160 week through our daily podcast, our YouTube channel, social media, 0:00:25.640 --> 0:00:28.040 and you can come visit us in person. We'd love 0:00:28.120 --> 0:00:30.200 to have you be a part of one of our services. 0:00:30.800 --> 0:00:33.040 I'd like to start with something funny each week, and 0:00:33.360 --> 0:00:35.960 I heard about this family. They lived way back in 0:00:36.040 --> 0:00:38.800 the woods, and they never left their little town, never 0:00:38.880 --> 0:00:41.919 watched television. One day, they took a vacation to New 0:00:42.000 --> 0:00:45.159 York City and the father was showing his son this 0:00:45.240 --> 0:00:49.519 famous skyscraper. They were so impressed. They were specially intrigued 0:00:49.560 --> 0:00:52.599 by the elevator. They didn't know what it was. This 0:00:52.720 --> 0:00:56.520 elderly woman walked up, pushed a button, the walls opened up. 0:00:56.800 --> 0:00:59.520 She stepped into a little room, the walls closed back up. 0:01:00.200 --> 0:01:03.240 They sat there contemplating what they had just seen. In 0:01:03.280 --> 0:01:06.080 a few seconds, the walls opened back up and this 0:01:06.200 --> 0:01:11.080 beautiful twenty four year old girl stepped out, almost in disbelief. 0:01:11.360 --> 0:01:14.280 The son said, Dad, what just happened? The dad said, 0:01:14.280 --> 0:01:18.360 I don't know, son, but go get your mother. Say 0:01:18.400 --> 0:01:21.320 it like you mean it. This is my Bible. I 0:01:21.360 --> 0:01:23.840 am what it says I am. I have what it 0:01:23.920 --> 0:01:26.440 says I have. I can do what it says I 0:01:26.480 --> 0:01:29.600 can do. Today I will be taught the word of God. 0:01:30.040 --> 0:01:34.400 I boldly confess. My mind is alert, my heart is recepted. 0:01:34.760 --> 0:01:38.560 I will never be the same. In Jesus' name, God 0:01:38.600 --> 0:01:42.120 bless you. I want to talk to you today about 0:01:42.200 --> 0:01:45.760 the battle cry of faith. We all have times when 0:01:45.800 --> 0:01:48.920 things come against us. The medical report is not good, 0:01:49.040 --> 0:01:52.640 or child's in trouble, our business had to set back. 0:01:53.160 --> 0:01:56.160 It's easy to talk about the problem. Why did this happen? 0:01:56.680 --> 0:01:59.800 I'll never get well. This relationship is not going to 0:01:59.800 --> 0:02:04.360 make it. What we're saying in the battle will determine 0:02:04.440 --> 0:02:07.320 whether we come out or whether we get stuck there. 0:02:08.160 --> 0:02:11.360 We all have a battle cry. We're all saying something 0:02:11.480 --> 0:02:15.040 about the challenge. The problem with some people is their 0:02:15.080 --> 0:02:19.160 battle cry is negative. It's creating a sound of defeat. 0:02:19.720 --> 0:02:23.040 I can't do it, a sound of doubt. It's never 0:02:23.080 --> 0:02:26.200 going to happen. A sound of weakness. This is too 0:02:26.320 --> 0:02:31.080 much for me. Their battle cry is what's limiting their life, 0:02:31.120 --> 0:02:34.680 and in difficult times more than ever, you need to 0:02:34.720 --> 0:02:39.640 have a battle cry of faith. Create a sound of victory. Yes, 0:02:39.720 --> 0:02:42.840 this problem is big, but I know my God is bigger. 0:02:43.560 --> 0:02:46.680 A sound of healing. This sickness didn't come to stay, 0:02:47.000 --> 0:02:50.480 it came to pass. I am God's property. It cannot 0:02:50.520 --> 0:02:54.360 live in my body. A sound of praise Lord, thank 0:02:54.400 --> 0:02:58.000 you that you're making ways where I don't see a way. Well, 0:02:58.040 --> 0:03:01.480 you had a financial setback. How about a sound of abundance. 0:03:01.960 --> 0:03:04.919 Now I'll never get ahead. This has done me in 0:03:05.240 --> 0:03:08.240 no Father, thank you that blessings are chasing me down. 0:03:08.639 --> 0:03:12.760 Surely goodness and mercy is following me. It's tempting to 0:03:12.800 --> 0:03:15.600 talk about how big the problem is, but you need 0:03:15.600 --> 0:03:18.239 to turn it around and talk about how big your 0:03:18.240 --> 0:03:22.760 God is. God responds to faith when he hears you 0:03:22.840 --> 0:03:26.680 speaking victory in the midst of the trouble, bragging on 0:03:26.800 --> 0:03:31.680 his greatness, when you're surrounded by enemies, praising him despite 0:03:31.760 --> 0:03:35.720 obstacles that look permanent, That's when he'll step in and 0:03:35.760 --> 0:03:40.200 you'll see supernatural healing the problem suddenly turn around. The 0:03:40.320 --> 0:03:43.640 right people show up. When you have this battle cry 0:03:43.680 --> 0:03:47.000 of faith, God will show himself strong in your life. 0:03:48.000 --> 0:03:51.120 This is what happened with King Abajah and the people 0:03:51.120 --> 0:03:56.120 of Judah. Second Chronicles, Chapter thirteen. King Jeroboam and his 0:03:56.320 --> 0:04:01.760 army had surrounded Judah. Judah was outnumbered, trapped on every side. 0:04:02.160 --> 0:04:05.200 They were quickly closing in. And the people of Judah 0:04:05.280 --> 0:04:09.120 were good people. They had honored God. Others in that 0:04:09.200 --> 0:04:13.480 area had compromised and gone astray. But verse thirteen says 0:04:13.760 --> 0:04:17.480 they had not forsaken God. They had kept him first place. 0:04:18.080 --> 0:04:22.000 But now they're facing this huge army. Just because you 0:04:22.080 --> 0:04:24.800 do the right thing doesn't mean you're not going to 0:04:24.880 --> 0:04:28.839 have some big battles. The reason you face big challenges 0:04:29.400 --> 0:04:33.000 is because you have a big destiny. The enemy doesn't 0:04:33.080 --> 0:04:37.240 bring big adversity to small people. He knows you're a 0:04:37.279 --> 0:04:40.880 difference maker. You're a giant killer. You are destined to 0:04:40.960 --> 0:04:44.520 leave your mark. So don't be surprised if at times 0:04:45.080 --> 0:04:49.680 you find yourself out numbered, surrounded by trouble, surrounded by sickness, 0:04:49.839 --> 0:04:54.560 surrounded by lack. That's a critical time. What you're saying 0:04:54.680 --> 0:04:57.920 in the difficulty. Your battle cry is going to make 0:04:58.000 --> 0:05:02.760 you or break you. King Abajah could have complained, God, 0:05:02.800 --> 0:05:06.120 why did this happen? We don't have a chance, We'll 0:05:06.160 --> 0:05:09.839 never defeat them. He could have created a sound of doubt, 0:05:10.400 --> 0:05:13.640 sound of defeat, a sound of self pity. But the 0:05:13.680 --> 0:05:17.440 word Judah means praise. The reason they were in that 0:05:17.560 --> 0:05:21.160 city is they were all praisers. They were known as 0:05:21.240 --> 0:05:25.279 people that declared the greatness of God, went around thanking 0:05:25.360 --> 0:05:29.040 him for his goodness, talking about his promises, and singing 0:05:29.080 --> 0:05:33.240 about his mercies. The commander of the enemy army gave 0:05:33.320 --> 0:05:36.919 the signal to attack. They all started running toward Judah. 0:05:37.440 --> 0:05:41.440 The scripture says, the priests blew the trumpets and the 0:05:41.480 --> 0:05:45.320 men of Judah began to shout. At the sound of 0:05:45.400 --> 0:05:50.719 their battle cry, God defeated Jeroboam and routed the enemy. 0:05:51.240 --> 0:05:54.240 They didn't have to fight. God fought the battle for them. 0:05:54.960 --> 0:05:58.799 But notice what activated God's power, what brought the favor, 0:05:59.279 --> 0:06:03.320 what caused the supernatural breakthrough. At the sound of their 0:06:03.320 --> 0:06:07.760 battle cry, they had a battle cry of faith God, 0:06:07.839 --> 0:06:11.400 this enemy is no match for you, a battle cry 0:06:11.440 --> 0:06:14.080 of victory. You haven't brought us this far to leave 0:06:14.160 --> 0:06:18.360 us a battle cry of praise. You're the most high God. 0:06:18.800 --> 0:06:22.160 All power and might is in your hand. When you 0:06:22.240 --> 0:06:25.640 have the right battle cry, all of heaven goes to work. 0:06:26.279 --> 0:06:29.839 When you create that sound of victory, the sound of faith, 0:06:30.000 --> 0:06:34.280 the sound of abundance, supernatural things will happen. But if 0:06:34.279 --> 0:06:38.000 the people of Judom had complained and talked about how 0:06:38.000 --> 0:06:41.520 big the army was and how it wasn't fair, we 0:06:41.560 --> 0:06:44.880 wouldn't be reading about them. Would have been a different ending. 0:06:45.920 --> 0:06:49.480 What kind of battle cry do you have? What sound 0:06:49.520 --> 0:06:52.960 are you creating? When you're surrounded by trouble and the 0:06:53.000 --> 0:06:57.320 medical report wasn't good, that coworker took your contract. It's 0:06:57.440 --> 0:07:01.120 tempting to talk about the problem. And I don't understand. 0:07:01.279 --> 0:07:04.279 I'm a good person. The experts say that I'm not 0:07:04.360 --> 0:07:07.240 gonna get well. When am I going to meet someone? 0:07:07.279 --> 0:07:11.160 I've been single so long? Zip that up. That's the 0:07:11.200 --> 0:07:14.400 wrong battle cry. If you want the creator of the 0:07:14.520 --> 0:07:17.080 universe to show up, you need to have a battle 0:07:17.080 --> 0:07:21.000 cry of faith. If you're struggling in your finances, don't 0:07:21.040 --> 0:07:23.840 go around talking like and not enough And I can't 0:07:23.840 --> 0:07:26.880 get ahead, and I'll never live in a nice neighborhood 0:07:27.680 --> 0:07:31.360 that's a defeated battle cry that doesn't get God's attention. 0:07:31.760 --> 0:07:34.520 Try a new approach. I will lend and not borrow. 0:07:35.040 --> 0:07:38.400 What I touch prospers and succeeds. I live under the 0:07:38.480 --> 0:07:42.640 open windows of heaven. No good thing will God withhold 0:07:42.800 --> 0:07:47.760 because I walk up rightly. There's nothing more powerful than 0:07:47.840 --> 0:07:51.840 declaring what God says about you. Find the promises in 0:07:51.920 --> 0:07:55.679 the scripture. Let that be your battle cry, not talking 0:07:55.720 --> 0:07:59.360 about how you feel, how impossible it looks, what the 0:07:59.400 --> 0:08:02.720 experts say. Hey, what's happened in your family in the past. 0:08:03.440 --> 0:08:06.440 This is a new day. Your battle cry needs to 0:08:06.480 --> 0:08:09.760 be a sound of victory, a sound of abundance, a 0:08:09.800 --> 0:08:13.480 sound of healing. When thoughts are telling you that you've 0:08:13.480 --> 0:08:17.120 seen your best days, you've been through so much, it's 0:08:17.160 --> 0:08:21.560 all downhill from here, don't go around repeating that, speaking 0:08:21.600 --> 0:08:24.800 defeat into your future. You may have gone through some 0:08:24.880 --> 0:08:28.640 bad breaks, things that weren't fair. Looks like you're stuck. 0:08:29.160 --> 0:08:32.760 You know what can change it? The right battle cry? God, 0:08:32.800 --> 0:08:36.240 I thank you that you're taking me from glory to glory, 0:08:36.520 --> 0:08:39.280 that I haven't seen, heard, or imagined what you have 0:08:39.400 --> 0:08:42.679 in store. That my latter days will be better than 0:08:42.720 --> 0:08:47.040 my former days. A man told me last week about 0:08:47.040 --> 0:08:50.080 how old he was getting in, how wrinkled he was, 0:08:50.760 --> 0:08:53.560 how he was having trouble sleeping, and he couldn't see 0:08:53.600 --> 0:08:55.960 as well, and his back was hurting, and his hearing 0:08:56.040 --> 0:08:58.760 was going down. The more he told me, the worse 0:08:58.800 --> 0:09:03.720 he looked. He started convincing me what he was saying 0:09:04.040 --> 0:09:07.360 may all be true. But in a battle, if you 0:09:07.520 --> 0:09:11.240 just say what you feel and describe the situation, talk 0:09:11.280 --> 0:09:14.880 about the problem, you're gonna get stuck. If you want 0:09:14.880 --> 0:09:17.800 to activate God's power, you have to have a battle 0:09:17.840 --> 0:09:21.440 cry of faith. Lord, I thank you that you're renewing 0:09:21.480 --> 0:09:24.200 my youth like the eagles, that I will run and 0:09:24.280 --> 0:09:28.640 not be weary. That I'm getting stronger, healthier, better looking, 0:09:28.960 --> 0:09:32.839 that I'm full of energy vitality, that with long life 0:09:32.920 --> 0:09:36.200 you will satisfy me. And I realize we're all gonna 0:09:36.240 --> 0:09:39.439 get old, We're all eventually gonna die. But I've made 0:09:39.520 --> 0:09:42.400 up my mind. I'm gonna die in faith. I'm gonna 0:09:42.440 --> 0:09:48.320 die believing, praising, smiling, expecting, thanking God that I can 0:09:48.360 --> 0:09:52.640 still see and hear and run play sports, minister, have 0:09:52.840 --> 0:09:57.080 plenty of hair, that I'm still tall, good looking, a sound, mind, 0:09:57.280 --> 0:10:01.400 full of purpose and destiny. Moses was one hundred and 0:10:01.440 --> 0:10:04.440 twenty years old. The scripture says his eye was not 0:10:04.679 --> 0:10:08.240 dim and his strength was not abated. He was as 0:10:08.280 --> 0:10:10.920 strong at one hundred and twenty as it was as 0:10:10.960 --> 0:10:14.520 a younger man. But you're not gonna stay energetic and 0:10:14.679 --> 0:10:19.079 sharp if you're speaking defeat over your life. Pay attention 0:10:19.240 --> 0:10:23.280 to the sound that you're creating in difficult times when 0:10:23.280 --> 0:10:27.560 life's not fair, like Judah, when there's an unexpected challenge 0:10:27.559 --> 0:10:30.880 and suddenly you're surrounded, that's when you have to be 0:10:31.000 --> 0:10:34.920 on guard. I'm not gonna speak defeat. I'm not gonna complain. 0:10:35.440 --> 0:10:38.360 I'm not gonna talk about how impossible it is. I 0:10:38.440 --> 0:10:41.559 know God is still on the throne. He's a waymaker, 0:10:41.720 --> 0:10:45.280 a promise keeper, a miracle worker. Him being for me 0:10:45.840 --> 0:10:48.839 is greater than what's trying to stop me. At the 0:10:48.880 --> 0:10:52.280 sound of that battle cry, Almighty, God goes to work. 0:10:53.160 --> 0:10:55.800 The scripture says, the spirit of faith is in our 0:10:55.840 --> 0:10:59.959 words makes a difference. What you're saying in the battle. 0:11:00.679 --> 0:11:04.440 When David saw Goliath, he could have complained, man, he's 0:11:04.480 --> 0:11:07.400 too big, I don't have the training. Listen to his 0:11:07.480 --> 0:11:11.920 battle cry Goliath. This day I will defeat you and 0:11:12.040 --> 0:11:14.600 feed your head to the birds of the air. For 0:11:14.720 --> 0:11:17.120 you come against me with a sword and a shield. 0:11:17.480 --> 0:11:20.480 But I come against you in the name of the Lord, 0:11:20.520 --> 0:11:25.640 God of Israel. When God heard that battle cry, favor 0:11:25.760 --> 0:11:29.840 came on David and his slingshot. He brought down the giant. 0:11:30.800 --> 0:11:33.640 I talked to a man that was in town at 0:11:33.679 --> 0:11:37.840 the medical center for treatment. He has incurable cancer, and 0:11:37.880 --> 0:11:40.320 the doctors told them that he had three to five 0:11:40.440 --> 0:11:43.800 years to live, and he'd accepted it and thought that 0:11:43.840 --> 0:11:45.840 he'd make the most of these last years and just 0:11:45.920 --> 0:11:49.560 do his best. But I encouraged him that our God 0:11:49.679 --> 0:11:52.280 is a healer and that he has the final say, 0:11:52.400 --> 0:11:56.080 and when we believe, all things are possible. I challenged 0:11:56.160 --> 0:11:59.559 him to start speaking victory over his life and start 0:11:59.600 --> 0:12:03.760 to clear God's promises. He changed his battle cry from 0:12:03.800 --> 0:12:07.880 being passive and this is okay. I can deal with it. 0:12:07.920 --> 0:12:10.600 To God, I believe that healing is flowing through me, 0:12:11.160 --> 0:12:14.120 that you can do what medicine cannot do. Thank you 0:12:14.200 --> 0:12:18.840 for a supernatural breakthrough. He created a new sound, a 0:12:18.880 --> 0:12:22.000 sound of victory, a sound of faith, a sound of healing. 0:12:23.000 --> 0:12:26.200 He would come every three months to Houston for a checkup. 0:12:26.640 --> 0:12:29.959 About two years later, he stopped by after the service 0:12:30.040 --> 0:12:32.760 and he had a big smile. He said, Joel, I 0:12:32.880 --> 0:12:37.240 just got my report from my doctors. The leading expert said, 0:12:37.559 --> 0:12:40.920 in all his years of practice, he's never seen this, 0:12:41.360 --> 0:12:45.600 but I don't have cancer anymore. They couldn't explain it. 0:12:46.559 --> 0:12:50.560 He showed me his paperwork. The main doctor had written, 0:12:50.880 --> 0:12:57.440 possibly divine intervention. Medically speaking, there was no way. But 0:12:57.520 --> 0:13:00.480 when you have a battle cry of faith, God will. 0:13:00.160 --> 0:13:08.000 Do supernatural things, supernatural healing, supernatural doors, open business takes off, 0:13:08.360 --> 0:13:09.839 supernatural restoration. 0:13:10.320 --> 0:13:14.360 Your child turns around, your family's brought back together. That's 0:13:14.440 --> 0:13:17.960 what happened for Judah. At the sound of their battle cry, 0:13:18.240 --> 0:13:21.679 God defeated the enemy. It's the same way today. At 0:13:21.679 --> 0:13:24.720 the sound of your battle cry, God goes to work. 0:13:25.679 --> 0:13:28.960 You may not see anything happening, but miracles are set 0:13:29.000 --> 0:13:33.440 into motion. Behind the scenes. Things are taking place. Keep 0:13:33.480 --> 0:13:39.080 speaking faith, keep declaring his promises, keep bragging on his greatness. 0:13:39.600 --> 0:13:44.400 King Abajah eventually died and his son Asa took the throne. 0:13:43.880 --> 0:13:46.920 And Asa and the people of Judah had many years 0:13:46.920 --> 0:13:49.559 of peace and favor. He had an army of five 0:13:49.640 --> 0:13:54.120 hundred thousand men. Everything was going great. Then this army 0:13:54.120 --> 0:13:58.080 from another country came to attack. They had one million men. 0:13:58.840 --> 0:14:01.920 Asa was outnumbered two to one. He could have been 0:14:01.960 --> 0:14:06.480 depressed and complained, but Asa learned from his father what 0:14:06.640 --> 0:14:11.800 to do in difficult times. Verse eleven says Asa crowd 0:14:11.840 --> 0:14:16.160 out to the Lord his God. Here comes his battle cry. O, Lord, 0:14:16.800 --> 0:14:21.080 no one but you can save the powerless from the Mighty. 0:14:21.160 --> 0:14:24.680 You are our God. Our trust is in you alone. 0:14:25.160 --> 0:14:27.880 It is in your name that we have come against 0:14:27.880 --> 0:14:33.200 this vast people. Instead of complaining we're outnumbered, we don't 0:14:33.240 --> 0:14:36.720 know what to do, he's declaring the greatness of our God. 0:14:37.520 --> 0:14:40.920 No one can stand against you. Our trust is not 0:14:41.040 --> 0:14:44.920 in our weapons, not in our strategy. God, you alone 0:14:45.080 --> 0:14:49.080 can bring down the Mighty. Verse twelve says so the 0:14:49.120 --> 0:14:53.600 Lord defeated the enemy in the presence of Judah, same 0:14:53.680 --> 0:14:56.680 thing that happened for his father. They not only one, 0:14:56.920 --> 0:15:00.000 but it says Asa and the people of Judah carry 0:15:00.200 --> 0:15:04.360 off vast amounts of spoils. God will make the enemy 0:15:04.440 --> 0:15:07.640 pay for bringing the trouble. You won't come out the same, 0:15:08.080 --> 0:15:11.240 You'll come out better. You may be in a battle 0:15:11.280 --> 0:15:14.120 now and things are coming against you and your health, 0:15:14.360 --> 0:15:17.840 your finances, or a relationship. You feel out numbered, and 0:15:18.480 --> 0:15:22.880 it's tempting to start complaining, living discourage, talking about how 0:15:22.920 --> 0:15:26.680 nothing is changing. Don't fall into that trap. Now more 0:15:26.680 --> 0:15:29.720 than ever, you need to have a battle cry of faith. 0:15:30.560 --> 0:15:36.000 Don't magnify the problems. Magnify your God. Talk about his greatness. 0:15:36.440 --> 0:15:39.800 That's what Asa did. He could have talked about the enemy, 0:15:40.320 --> 0:15:44.320 how big they were, how impossible it looked, but he said, God, 0:15:44.600 --> 0:15:48.280 there's no one like you now. Of great battle cry 0:15:48.440 --> 0:15:53.560 in times of trouble is to remind yourself who God is. Lord. 0:15:53.600 --> 0:15:56.240 I want to thank you that you're the all powerful 0:15:56.600 --> 0:16:00.040 creator of the universe. You're the God who stopped the 0:16:00.080 --> 0:16:03.240 Son for Joshua, the God who parted the Red Sea 0:16:03.320 --> 0:16:07.280 for Moses, the God who defeated a giant with a slingshot, 0:16:07.760 --> 0:16:11.200 The God who protected teenagers in a fiery furnace, The 0:16:11.280 --> 0:16:14.920 God who made Elishah invisible to the enemy, The God 0:16:14.960 --> 0:16:18.160 who rescued Jonah with a well, The God who raised 0:16:18.200 --> 0:16:21.880 Lazarus from the dead, the God who calmed the storm 0:16:21.920 --> 0:16:25.480 with your words, the God who healed my mother of cancer, 0:16:25.880 --> 0:16:29.200 The God who gave us the compact center. You are 0:16:29.240 --> 0:16:30.720 the great I am. 0:16:31.080 --> 0:16:34.120 Our trust is in you alone. 0:16:34.360 --> 0:16:37.960 Who can stand against our God? No one can stop 0:16:38.000 --> 0:16:41.000 what he is purpose for your life, no bad brain, 0:16:41.200 --> 0:16:46.120 no sickness, no addiction, no environment. You may be outnumbered 0:16:46.120 --> 0:16:49.480 today in the natural the odds are against you. But 0:16:49.560 --> 0:16:52.960 when you have this battle cry of faith, the supernatural 0:16:53.000 --> 0:16:56.080 God goes to work one touch of his favor and 0:16:56.360 --> 0:17:02.240 enemies are defeated. Healing comes, Addictions are trouble turns around 0:17:02.320 --> 0:17:05.600 the right people track you down. God will do things 0:17:05.680 --> 0:17:08.800 that you can't explain. And yes, we're all going to 0:17:08.880 --> 0:17:12.840 have challengism. Things come against us. It's easy to get discouraged. 0:17:13.359 --> 0:17:17.480 But God is looking for people like Asa, people like Judah, 0:17:17.760 --> 0:17:21.000 people that don't fall apart when they're outnumbered, that don't 0:17:21.040 --> 0:17:24.000 get sour and give up on their dreams. But people 0:17:24.040 --> 0:17:27.520 that have a battle cry of victory, people that speak 0:17:27.600 --> 0:17:30.880 faith in the midst of doubt, people that praise when 0:17:30.920 --> 0:17:34.760 they could be complaining, people that declare favor in a famine. 0:17:35.400 --> 0:17:38.639 That's how you're going to reach your full potential. You 0:17:38.680 --> 0:17:41.919 have to go through the battles to become who you 0:17:41.960 --> 0:17:45.280 were created to be. God is not going to eliminate 0:17:45.359 --> 0:17:49.320 every challenge. He'll keep you from certain things, but there 0:17:49.359 --> 0:17:53.280 are battles that are necessary for your destiny. You have 0:17:53.359 --> 0:17:57.920 to go through the betrayal, through the difficulty, through being outnumbered, 0:17:58.119 --> 0:18:00.680 to see the new levels that God has for you. 0:18:01.800 --> 0:18:05.040 This is what happened to the Israelites. God had brought 0:18:05.040 --> 0:18:08.159 them out of slavery, and they wandered in the desert 0:18:08.200 --> 0:18:12.040 for many years, and the parents had died. But now 0:18:12.080 --> 0:18:15.160 their grown children had finally made it to the place 0:18:15.240 --> 0:18:18.639 God promised them, the land flowing with milk and honey, 0:18:18.960 --> 0:18:21.880 where they'd have houses that they didn't build and eat 0:18:21.920 --> 0:18:26.080 from vengeards that they didn't plant. The problem was the 0:18:26.080 --> 0:18:30.040 city of Jericho stood between them and the promised land. 0:18:30.800 --> 0:18:34.040 They couldn't go around it. They couldn't take a back way. 0:18:34.480 --> 0:18:37.879 They had to pass through it to get to their destiny. 0:18:38.440 --> 0:18:41.520 There will always be a Jericho before you get to 0:18:41.560 --> 0:18:45.000 your promised land. You may have an obstacle in your 0:18:45.040 --> 0:18:48.640 path today, a sickness and trouble at work, a challenge 0:18:48.640 --> 0:18:51.439 in your family. Thoughts will tell you it's never going 0:18:51.520 --> 0:18:54.240 to change. You've been dealing with this a long time. 0:18:54.920 --> 0:18:58.400 What you can't see is you're at Jericho. You are 0:18:58.480 --> 0:19:01.520 closer than you think. This is not the time to 0:19:01.560 --> 0:19:05.159 get discouraged and give up on the promises. This is 0:19:05.200 --> 0:19:08.560 the time to stir your fame. God didn't bring you 0:19:08.640 --> 0:19:11.720 all the way to Jericho to let that last obstacle 0:19:11.720 --> 0:19:14.800 defeat you. He didn't take you through all that you've 0:19:14.840 --> 0:19:18.359 been through to have this trouble or this sickness caused 0:19:18.400 --> 0:19:21.679 you to get stuck and settle there. But Jericho was 0:19:21.720 --> 0:19:25.639 no ordinary city. It had a huge wall around it. 0:19:25.640 --> 0:19:29.040 It was fortified, not a little fence that they threw 0:19:29.119 --> 0:19:31.919 up in a few days. This wall was made out 0:19:31.960 --> 0:19:36.000 of stone and mortar, was fifteen feet thick at the top, 0:19:36.640 --> 0:19:40.680 so wide that soldiers on horses rode around watching over 0:19:40.720 --> 0:19:45.440 the city on the lookout for invaders. Significant that the 0:19:45.520 --> 0:19:49.000 Israelites had to conquer other cities and get past to 0:19:49.080 --> 0:19:52.320 other areas to get to where they were, But nothing 0:19:52.400 --> 0:19:57.080 they faced was as strong and fortified as Jericho. When 0:19:57.119 --> 0:20:00.159 you come to your biggest challenge, that's a sign and 0:20:00.280 --> 0:20:03.960 you're close to what you've been believing for. Don't get 0:20:04.000 --> 0:20:08.240 discouraged by Jericho. You're just one victory away from seeing 0:20:08.320 --> 0:20:12.840 blessing in favor. Like you've never seen. God told Joshua 0:20:12.920 --> 0:20:15.840 to have the people march around the walls for six days, 0:20:16.040 --> 0:20:19.240 once a day. On the seventh day, they're to march 0:20:19.280 --> 0:20:23.399 around seven times. They were instructed to not say a word. 0:20:23.720 --> 0:20:28.159 No talking, no whispering, no complaining. God knew if he 0:20:28.200 --> 0:20:30.680 didn't tell them not to speak, they would have talked 0:20:30.680 --> 0:20:33.600 themselves out of it. What are we doing out here 0:20:33.800 --> 0:20:37.320 walking around the wall? We look like fools. This isn't 0:20:37.320 --> 0:20:41.600 doing any good. I'm hot, I'm thirsty, it's dusty. Let's 0:20:41.600 --> 0:20:45.200 go back home. Sometimes God asks you to do things 0:20:45.200 --> 0:20:48.520 that don't make sense. To forgive the person that did 0:20:48.560 --> 0:20:51.960 you wrong, to volunteer in the kids area. God, I 0:20:52.040 --> 0:20:54.840 want to be on the platform to teach that class. 0:20:54.840 --> 0:20:58.040 When you don't feel qualified, don't talk yourself out of it. 0:20:58.320 --> 0:21:01.920 Pass the test. Do what you know you're supposed to do. 0:21:02.400 --> 0:21:05.960 That's leading you to something greater. On the seventh day, 0:21:06.200 --> 0:21:09.400 the seventh time around, God told them that they were 0:21:09.400 --> 0:21:12.320 to let out a great shout. I can see them 0:21:12.320 --> 0:21:16.840 going around once and twice, five times, six times. On 0:21:16.960 --> 0:21:21.240 that seventh time. Verse sixteenth says Joshua will command of 0:21:21.320 --> 0:21:25.680 the people shout, for the Lord has given you the city. 0:21:26.000 --> 0:21:29.720 This wasn't just people being loud and emotional. This was 0:21:29.760 --> 0:21:33.120 a battle of cry of victory. God, we believe these 0:21:33.160 --> 0:21:36.320 walls are coming down. What you promised us is on 0:21:36.359 --> 0:21:40.639 the way. Nothing can stand against you. They were declaring 0:21:40.720 --> 0:21:45.159 the greatness of our God. Verse twenty says suddenly the 0:21:45.200 --> 0:21:50.080 walls collapsed and the Israelites went in and captured the city. 0:21:50.560 --> 0:21:53.400 Those six days they walked around the walls. They were 0:21:53.440 --> 0:21:58.080 being obedient, showing God that they trusted him. But without 0:21:58.119 --> 0:22:02.200 the shout, the walls and have come down. That battle 0:22:02.240 --> 0:22:06.600 cry of faith is what activated God's power. There may 0:22:06.640 --> 0:22:09.400 be some walls up in your life and things you're 0:22:09.440 --> 0:22:13.080 believing to change, and it's important to pray, to believe, 0:22:13.359 --> 0:22:17.120 to trust. But what brings the walls down is that 0:22:17.200 --> 0:22:20.840 shout of praise, that shout of faith when you declare 0:22:20.920 --> 0:22:24.359 the greatness of our God all through the day, down 0:22:24.359 --> 0:22:27.320 in your spirit. Father, thank you that you are bigger 0:22:27.359 --> 0:22:30.360 than this cancer. That I will live and not die. 0:22:30.560 --> 0:22:32.720 Thank you that as for me and my house, we 0:22:32.840 --> 0:22:35.600 will serve the Lord. Thank You that the enemies I 0:22:35.640 --> 0:22:39.679 see today I will see no more. That's the sound 0:22:39.800 --> 0:22:43.840 that causes angels to go to work, doors to open problems, 0:22:43.880 --> 0:22:48.359 to turn around. It says, when they shouted, suddenly the 0:22:48.440 --> 0:22:52.679 walls came down. When you have this battle cry of faith, 0:22:53.000 --> 0:22:57.600 you'll have some suddenlyaes Suddenly your health improves, and suddenly 0:22:57.640 --> 0:23:00.840 you meet the right person. Suddenly your businessiness takes off. 0:23:02.000 --> 0:23:05.000 I don't know, Joe, you should see my medical report, 0:23:05.119 --> 0:23:08.760 or my business is slow, or all my family we 0:23:08.800 --> 0:23:12.480 struggle with this same addiction. The enemy would love to 0:23:12.560 --> 0:23:16.600 deceive us into talking about the problem and declaring defeat 0:23:16.760 --> 0:23:20.639 and mediocrity, lack. You have to change your battle crime. 0:23:21.320 --> 0:23:24.159 How about a sound of victory, father, thank you that 0:23:24.240 --> 0:23:27.080 this is a new day, that freedom is coming to 0:23:27.119 --> 0:23:30.359 my house. A sound of faith. Lord, I think you 0:23:30.440 --> 0:23:33.960 that this trouble is only temporary, that things are changing 0:23:34.000 --> 0:23:37.760 in my favor. Years ago, Victoria and I were in 0:23:37.800 --> 0:23:41.480 a situation where someone had done us wrong and said 0:23:41.480 --> 0:23:43.919 some things that weren't true, and now it was a 0:23:43.920 --> 0:23:46.720 big legal ordeal and we were having to meet with 0:23:46.800 --> 0:23:49.879 attorneys and go through all the process, and it was 0:23:49.920 --> 0:23:52.480 a waste of time and energy. It had gone on 0:23:52.560 --> 0:23:55.480 for months and months, and we did our best to 0:23:55.560 --> 0:23:58.400 stay on the high road, knowing that God was still 0:23:58.440 --> 0:24:01.680 in control, but there were times we were tempted to 0:24:01.720 --> 0:24:04.960 talk about the problem and this is not right and 0:24:05.000 --> 0:24:07.680 why did it happen and what if it doesn't work out? 0:24:08.680 --> 0:24:10.640 We had to do what I'm asking you to do. 0:24:11.000 --> 0:24:14.480 We zipped that up and switched over into faith. Father. 0:24:14.680 --> 0:24:18.160 Thank you that no weapon formed against us will prosper. Lord, 0:24:18.240 --> 0:24:20.840 you said, the trap the enemy set for us, they 0:24:20.840 --> 0:24:24.480 will fall in themselves. After a couple of years of 0:24:24.520 --> 0:24:27.960 this long drawn out process, it was coming down to 0:24:28.000 --> 0:24:31.360 the final day where a decision would be made, and 0:24:31.480 --> 0:24:33.639 we had to be downtown at eight in the morning, 0:24:33.680 --> 0:24:36.760 and we decided to meet our team beforehand at seven, 0:24:36.800 --> 0:24:39.960 and we drove there quietly and we pulled into the 0:24:40.000 --> 0:24:44.280 parking lot and we'd already prayed that morning, but Victoria said, Joel, 0:24:44.320 --> 0:24:46.960 we need to do something before we go in. We 0:24:47.000 --> 0:24:50.480 should put on some praise music and thank God for 0:24:50.520 --> 0:24:54.280 the victory. That sounded good, and we had the Lakewood 0:24:54.320 --> 0:24:57.159 CD and there was a song back then called we 0:24:57.240 --> 0:25:01.640 Have Overcome Real upbeat from a live recording, and at 0:25:01.640 --> 0:25:04.840 the end the worship leader came on and he said, 0:25:04.840 --> 0:25:09.280 come on, shout the victory like you've already won. I 0:25:09.320 --> 0:25:13.040 was just listening, enjoying the music, when Victoria let out 0:25:13.040 --> 0:25:15.800 a shout like she's at a ball game. I literally 0:25:15.840 --> 0:25:18.440 jumped out of my seat. She looked at me and said, 0:25:18.440 --> 0:25:21.480 come on, Joe, you have to shout for it. It's 0:25:21.520 --> 0:25:23.639 like six thirty in the morning. I was barely awake. 0:25:23.920 --> 0:25:27.200 She was over there shouting, Hallelujah, Lord, I thank you 0:25:27.280 --> 0:25:31.280 that it's already done. It's good to pray, it's good 0:25:31.280 --> 0:25:35.160 to believe, but the shout is what brings walls down. 0:25:36.119 --> 0:25:39.000 We went in that day and before the proceedings started, 0:25:39.320 --> 0:25:42.520 their side came out and said, we've dropped everything. It's 0:25:42.560 --> 0:25:44.600 all clear. The case is closed. 0:25:45.640 --> 0:25:48.720 When you have a battle cry of faith, the creator 0:25:48.760 --> 0:25:50.440 of the universe goes to work. 0:25:52.040 --> 0:25:57.240 Nothing concend against our gods. What kind of sound are 0:25:57.280 --> 0:26:01.160 you creating? Sound of defeat, sound of lack, a sound 0:26:01.160 --> 0:26:04.840 of it's never gonna happen. That's gonna limit your life. 0:26:05.040 --> 0:26:09.240 What you're up against may look bigger, you're outnumbered, surrounded. 0:26:09.600 --> 0:26:12.399 What you can't see is the most tied God is 0:26:12.480 --> 0:26:16.800 right there with you. He's surrounding everything that's surrounding you. 0:26:17.240 --> 0:26:20.080 It looks like a setback, but really it's a set 0:26:20.160 --> 0:26:23.200 up for him to show out in your life. Now 0:26:23.240 --> 0:26:26.520 do your part. No more talking about the problem, how 0:26:26.560 --> 0:26:30.640 impossible it is. Have a battle cry of faith, declaring 0:26:30.680 --> 0:26:33.720 the greatness of our God. If you'll do this, I 0:26:33.840 --> 0:26:37.840 believe and declare, like Joshua, You're about to see some 0:26:37.920 --> 0:26:41.040 walls come down. You'll come in into your seventh Day 0:26:41.520 --> 0:26:46.800 where impossible situations suddenly turn in your favor, like Asa, 0:26:47.160 --> 0:26:50.280 when you're out numbered, God's gonna step in and bring 0:26:50.400 --> 0:26:57.359 supernatural healings, supernatural breakthroughs, supernatural abundance in Jesus's name, And 0:26:57.440 --> 0:27:01.439 if you receive it, can you say amen? I'd like 0:27:01.480 --> 0:27:04.320 to give you an opportunity to make Jesus the Lord 0:27:04.359 --> 0:27:07.600 of your life. Would you pray with me? Just say, 0:27:07.840 --> 0:27:12.520 Lord Jesus, I'll repent of my sins, Come into my heart. 0:27:13.200 --> 0:27:16.560 I make you my Lord and Savior. If you prayed 0:27:16.560 --> 0:27:19.880 that simple prayer, we believe you got born again. We'd 0:27:19.880 --> 0:27:22.120 love to send you some free information on your new 0:27:22.160 --> 0:27:24.479 walk with the Lord. You can text the number on 0:27:24.520 --> 0:27:27.320 the screen or go to the website. But I hope 0:27:27.320 --> 0:27:30.320 you'll get into a good Bible based church and keep 0:27:30.400 --> 0:27:31.719 God first place.