Jentezen Franklin - The Strategy For Victory - Part 1 (11/28/2024)
In Joshua 11:6-8, God commands Joshua not to fear the mighty coalition led by the clever King Jabin, promising total victory by the next day. The Lord delivers the enemies into Israel's hands, proving that no matter how intelligent or powerful the opposition, God turns the situation around for His people when they trust Him fearlessly.
God's Repeated Call to Fear Not
Joshua was a brilliant strategist. He was a man who was very gifted and very able. And yet, he felt so insecure that when God called him to stand in the footsteps of a legend named Moses, God said, "As I was with Moses, so I will be with you".
This is all in Joshua chapter 1. God said to him four times in that chapter, "But in order for you to fulfill the assignment that I have on your life, it is imperative that you not allow fear to dominate you". Fear will cause you to not perform the task that I have called you to.
Anytime God repeats something over and over to the same person—"Fear not. Fear not. Fear not"—it is because God is acknowledging that even though He has a plan and a purpose, if you allow fear to overwhelm you, then you will not do what He really wanted you to do. Fear can paralyze you.
Fear Not, Be of Good Courage
"Fear not, be of good courage. I will give you the land to possess it". They get on the brink of taking and dispossessing the enemies, and they encounter a man by the name of Jabin.
If you look up the name Jabin, it means "Intelligent one". In other words, he had great ability to outsmart, to outwit. Joshua had faced a natural barrier, he had faced a manmade obstacle, but now he is facing a super intelligent, smart people.
When the Enemy Seems Too Smart
You know you're getting close to your promised land when you start dealing with super smart people who are conniving, who are evil in their intent, who have ways and means and connections and all kinds of stuff that they are doing, planning, strategizing, while you're just walking by faith.
Let me tell you about this man. He's an intelligent man. He uses big words. Jabin was an organizer. He spearheaded the attack. He confederated five different armies. He got the best weapons made from the Egyptians of steel and wood. He took Syrian methods of warfare and incorporated them that the Israelites had never seen.
The Israelites, poor little farmers, had never seen this kind of sophisticated warfare. Some of you are fighting super intelligent, sophisticated warfare.
The Setup That God Loves
He was a professional in the machinery of warfare. The kings of these armies gave him control, and he was such a strategizer that he had this ability. He had chariots of iron—900 chariots of iron. He had 300,000 men armed to the teeth. He had 100,000 foot soldiers and 150,000 trained in reserve.
He plotted and strategized how he would defeat Joshua. He had it all planned. "Now, I know Joshua that you crossed Jordan, and you made it through the natural obstacle, and you tore down the walls of Jericho, the manmade obstacles, but you will not go any further".
Here comes Jabin, here comes hundreds of thousands of chariots and things and so intelligent, every detail was organized and synchronized that we'll shoot this and do that… Have you ever felt that way? I wonder, you businesspeople, you know what I'm talking about. Every once in a while, you make it through everything, and then there's those super smart, and I wanna throw in evil, people. Not that all smart people are evil, but I'm just saying, there are some smart, evil people. How many of you know what I'm talking about? It's just… and all you've got, they've got this, they've got that, they've got their meeting with this, they've got connections, they've got money, they've got power, and all of it strategizing against you. And all you've got is the name of Jesus.
God Turns the Tables
Oh, God loves these kinds of setups. He loves it when super smart people versus the name of Jesus because He makes the men look foolish. He uses people who He chooses, and He says, "I'll humble you a little bit with this. Bless his heart. He's simple. But I didn't just make him a conqueror".
He conquered the natural obstacle, he conquered the manmade obstacle. And that was conquering, but I called you to be more than a conqueror. Romans 8 says, "In all these situations, we are more than conquerors".
I'm not just gonna win today, I'm gonna win tomorrow. I'm not just gonna win against natural things, I'm gonna win against manmade problems. And when I win after that, I'm gonna win next week, and the next week, and the next week. And even if it looks like I'm losing, if I'll stand in fearless faith and courage, God says, "I'll come right along, and I'll use the flood to take you to the harvest".
Tomorrow About This Time
I want somebody to praise Him for just a minute. And the Lord said, just when Jabin thought, "My trap is set. I've got him right where I want him. I'm going to wipe up the floor with those Israelites and that leader, Joshua". All of a sudden, the Lord sends a prophet and says these words, "Tomorrow about this time, tomorrow about this time, I will turn the whole thing around".
See, I like the way that God didn't put the specific time. He always has—even when He tells you, in other words, it's very close. I do know this: He will tell you when the season is there. This is the season. This is the moment.
I feel like something's fixing to happen that is glorious in our nation and in our world, and it has to do with the harvest and revival and a move of God like we've never seen before.
"And tomorrow about this time, I'm not gonna tell you the exact moment. It may be sooner, it may be later. I just want you to get expectant that morning is coming. Tomorrow, the sun is gonna shine. Your tomorrow will be better than your today".
Fearless Faith in the Flood
"Tomorrow about this time, I don't want you to get caught up in the details, I just need you to get your faith up and be fearless, and be courageous because I'm still the God of the flood. I'm still the God who saves and delivers".
I know the enemy has wanted it to get better, and instead, Jordan began to swell and flood. Don't let it talk you out of what I've promised you. I'm still able to do it tomorrow about this time.
Everybody say, "In the name of Jesus sunshine morning is coming back to my life". Raise your hands up and praise Him. Praise Him. Take a moment and thank Him. Thank Him.
Manmade obstacles can't stop you, natural obstacles, floods of discouragement can't stop you because He is your God. And super smart people—God's gonna deal with some cases and situations where weapons were formed against you, but tomorrow about this time, the sun is coming up on that situation. Hallelujah.
A Divine Moment of Deliverance
Lord, we believe you. Stand up on your feet all over this building. I want every person under the sound of my voice, if you've been wrestling with fear, even physical elements in your body, I really feel the healing, healings are gonna take place.
Especially, I believe, I want you to come stand down here today because God's gonna begin something. And if it's three people, I'm happy with that. I don't care.
I want people to be delivered from this fear, this tormenting fear. So, I want you to lift those hands up toward Heaven right now. You're in a divine moment with God.
He's gonna take care of you. He's gonna lead you. And I speak right now in the name of Jesus to every natural obstacle. The river that's swelling right before the crisis that has gotten bigger, not smaller—it's swelling, it's gotten bigger, not smaller—but it does not diminish our faith. Hallelujah.
And I speak to manmade obstacles. Jericho walls, you will come down in the name of Jesus. And we speak by faith to Satan, the super intelligent one, in the name of Jesus.
Lord, we just deal with those schemes, and those connivers, and those situations that are being plotted and planned. No weapon formed against God's people… Put them in a bubble of protection right now.
Peace, Healing, and Final Victory
Now, I want you to receive the peace of God about that, right now. I pray for those who are worried about their health, ailments, and even heart palpitations, or knots, or whatever it is. The symptoms have manifested.
But in the name of Jesus, we speak healing to your body and a bubble of protection to preserve you. And you may go through the fire.
Listen, I wanna close with this. Isaiah 43 that we used today. I want everybody to say this out loud over your life, it's so powerful.
Everybody read it out loud and say, "But now, thus sayeth the Lord, that created thee, O Jacob, He that formed thee, O Israel, Fear not, for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; you are mine. When you pass through the flood, I will be with you and through the rivers, they will not overflow you. And when you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, neither shall the flame kindle upon thee. For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior; and I gave Egypt for thy ransom, Ethiopia and Seba for thee".
Now, throw your hands up and praise the Lord. The Lord is my light.
An Invitation to Salvation
If you're here, if you're in any of our campuses and you know you're not in right relationship with Jesus Christ, you're backslid, you're running from God. Maybe you're going through the flood. Maybe it's manmade. Maybe a super smart, incredibly sophisticated situation that is so entangled that you don't see any way out.
This is what I'm preaching this morning. Jesus is a type of Joshua, and He went out before us and went on the cross and paid the price for us to cross from death unto life, from defeat to victory, from slavery to freedom. You can be free this morning. You can be saved this morning.
If you're in this room and you would say, "Pastor Jentezen, I sense that something's going on in the world". Don't you feel it? Don't you feel we are near the coming of the Lord?
"Pastor, pray for me. I need to be ready. I wanna get right with God. I wanna know that I know that I'm saved. Pray for me". If that's you, boldly raise your hand as high as you can raise it, right where you're standing.
I'm gonna ask you to do something strange, but it's gonna break chains off of you if you do it. I want every one of you that have your hand raised to get out of your seat and come up here on the platform and stand with me.
If you raised your hand, clap your hands, church. This is the first of the harvest. This is just the first of the harvest. This is the first fruits. Come on, come on, come on. He loves you. He's the everlasting God and He gives everlasting light.
So, He loves you. He's not angry at you. "I want you to be fearless," the Lord would say. "And I don't want you to fear eternity, and I don't want you to fear the judgment. I don't want you to fear your mistakes, and failures, and sins because I have washed them all away. I'm ready to raise you up and help you".
And that's why you came. You know you. You wouldn't have walked up here, you wouldn't do this in front of all these people. You're doing it because Jesus spoke to you. If you never hear Him again, you heard Him this morning. And He spoke to you.
Now, just raise your hands to Jesus. Everybody in this room, pray this prayer out loud, say it wherever you are.
Lord Jesus, wash me, cleanse me. I receive you. I receive eternal life. I receive forgiveness and acceptance. I am loved by you. You care for me. You know my name, so write it in the book of life. I thank you for salvation. Spirit, soul, and body. Heal me, save me and deliver me from every addiction. I give myself to you. I surrender all to you and you are my Savior and you are my Lord. I will not be afraid. I will not fear. I will not be discouraged, because the Lord is on my side, in Jesus' name. Lord, I praise you.