Joseph Prince - Growing Stronger in Faith Through Every Trial
And verse 23, «They certainly,» God says about those who didn’t believe, «They certainly shall not see the land of which I swore to your fathers, nor shall any of those who rejected Me see it». If you don’t believe, the land is ready for you. The blessings are there. You cannot believe that I am that good. You cannot believe that I am that good. And I’m here to tell you, God says, because they said to God, «We wish that we died in the land, we died in Egypt» or «We died in the wilderness». God says, «As you have spoken, it will happen to you. You will die in the wilderness».
And the first ones to die are the ten spies that brought fear and unbelief to the entire camp. And then God said this, «But My servant Caleb, because he has a different spirit in him,» and you know the word different is, one of the derivatives of this word is the word follow. He has a following spirit. He has a different spirit, «and has followed Me fully, I’ll bring into the land where he went, his descendants shall inherit it». In 2 Corinthians 4, it says, «We having the same spirit of faith, I believe, and therefore I speak. We also believe and therefore speak». The spirit of faith is I believe and I speak. Not I see, then I speak. No, I believe even before I see, then I speak. Are you listening? It’s a different spirit.
God looked at all of them and God looked at Caleb. God says, «This man Caleb, I will bring him into the land. He has a different spirit». Faith is having a good opinion of God. When God tells you to do something, it’s always for your good. You understand? Trust me, God is not asking you to do something so he becomes richer. Without you, he’s already rich. So, it’s always for your good. I’m not only referring to wealth, material things. I’m referring to rich in the spirit. It’s for you to become rich spiritually with wisdom, with understanding the ways of the Lord. So, the spirit of faith is missing. Everything in the media is telling you about terror, about this, about that, the bad things happening, stock market, this and that kind of thing. Who will rise up and say, «God will provide»? My God will provide, amen. And God loves it. God will say, «Look at that boy! Look at that girl! Come on! Send the answer, angels»!
Always remember this, your enemies, your difficulties may look big in the natural, all right? Compared to God, it’s puny. Can I have a good amen? 1 Timothy 6:12, «Fight the good fight of faith,» you see the word good fight? It’s actually the word in the Greek that’s «kalos». Literally, it’s not the word, for good. It is the word «kalos». «Kalos» is this. The first definition of «kalos». «Kalos» is either beautiful or handsome. In other words, it’s fight the beautiful fight of faith. God is saying when you are in a battle, in a difficulty, your only fight is to stay in faith. Fight to remain in faith. Fight the good fight of faith. In other words, the difficulty is there, but you say, «Father, I thank you. This battle is yours. Thank you, Father. My eyes is on you. Thank you, Father. You have overcome this problem for me». And devil yells, «You can still see it»! «Lord, my eyes are on you, Lord». Amen? You listening, people?
That is your fight. And it’s a beautiful fight. And I suspect God says it’s beautiful because you win. And God loves it. You know, every time we are using faith, God loves it. God loves it. It’s like, «Come on, angels, look at that. Look at that guy. Look at that girl». Hallelujah. I want to give you five words of grace for you to use. Every time there’s a battle, there’s a difficulty, say this under your breath. Look at the problem and say this under your breath. Okay? Before I give it to you, let me show you a story, a very famous story that happened in Israel. You still can go to that place, that valley there, and still imagine because the valley is almost unchanged, all right? The topography and all that.
1 Samuel 17, «When the Philistines looked about and saw David,» the Goliath has been standing there challenging the people of Israel to challenge, to fight him. For 40 days he’s been standing there. No one dared to fight this 10-footer. Some say about 9 to 11, 12 feet, we’re not sure, but he’s one of the giants. And he was ugly. He was mean. In those days, all right, they are very, you know, their faces are all like scars and all that. So, he disdained David, «when he saw David, he despised David because David was only a youth, ruddy and good-looking».
So you’re not supposed to be good-looking in the army. You’re supposed to have a scar down here, you know, all that kind of thing. So, when he looked at David, he saw like Pastor Lawrence, he said, «This guy’s not an army guy. I don’t know what this guy is, but,» say thank you. You know what, I live by faith, you know, right? I’m calling it by faith. It’s all by faith, brother. I’m not moved by what’s visible. No, I love Pastor Lawrence. I think he’s a real good looking guy. Praise God. Look at David. Youth, ruddy, and good looking. I want to tell all the young people here. Young people here, listen. I’ve studied the Bible throughout, okay? I’m going to tell you something. The Bible is full of this.
Now, if God wants to discourage us, if God doesn’t want us to believe for this, why is it when it comes to David, it comes to Joseph, it comes to Absalom, it comes to the people of God, you always find God saying that they are good looking. When it comes to their wives, Rebekah or Rachel and all that, it always says they are good looking. If they are not good looking, they become good looking, amen? What God is saying is this, and I’ve seen it in our church. I’ve seen people who when they came, they were not good-looking. But as time goes on, they become really good-looking, amen?
So one of the possessions you need to possess this year, all right, is possess this, amen? God’s people are good-looking, amen? Not like a Philistine. Praise God. You might come in looking like a Philistine, but you will leave looking like a David. Praise God. And David «was only a youth, youth, ruddy and good-looking. So the Philistine said to David, 'Am I a dog that you come to me with sticks?' And the Philistines cursed David by his gods. And the Philistines said to David, 'Come to me, come to me, I’ll give your flesh to the birds of the air and the beasts of the field! ' David said to the Philistine, 'You come to me with» visible «sword, with a» visible «spear, and a» visible «javelin,'» today we will say missile, bombs, rockets. «'But I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts,'» invisible God who is eternal, «'the God of the armies of Israel, whom you defy.'»
Next. «'This day the Lord will deliver you into my hand, and I strike you and take your head from you. And this day I’ll give the carcasses of the camp of the Philistines to the birds of the air, to the wild beasts of the earth that all the earth may know there is a God in Israel.'» Next. «'Then all this assembly shall know that the Lord does not save» with what is visible, «with sword and spear; for the battle is the Lord’s, and He will give you into our hands.'» Right now, memorize this. Learn to mutter this before your difficulty. Learn to say this under your breath, «The battle is the Lord’s. It’s not mine. It’s not mine,» amen, amen. Are you listening?
«Pastor Prince, my teenage girl is mixing around with bad company». You feel it’s your battle. It’s not your battle. Don’t touch it. It’s the battle is the Lord’s. Just like the tithe. The tithe is the Lord’s. Don’t touch it. It belongs to him. Same way, the battle is not yours to touch, amen? Your arm is not too great. Your sight is not that far reaching, amen? God is stronger. God is greater. God loves you more than you love yourself. He loves your teenage daughter more than you can love her. God is saying, «Don’t touch the battle, it’s mine». The battle is the Lord’s. «But Pastor Prince, David still went to meet the…» Yeah, but how did he go? Dressed in an armor? No, dress as a shepherd boy. With a sword? No, with a sling. So, obviously he believes this battle is not mine. The battle is the Lord’s.
So, learn to look at your problems now and the devil say, «What are you going to do about it»? Say, «The battle is not mine, it’s the Lord’s. Lord, this is your battle. Lord, this is your battle. Lord, this is your battle». Throughout this year, Lord, this is your battle. Sometimes it won’t be as quick as David’s victory, but the Lord is hearing what you’re saying and the Lord loves it. His arms are bigger than yours. Lord, this is your battle. The battle is the Lord’s. Your five words of grace this year, amen? The doctors gave you a bad diagnosis. Under your breath, «This battle is the Lord’s». That’s the good fight of faith. You fight by not fighting. You fight by not fighting. That’s the greatest fight.
It’s like the devil wants you to think there’s a place called healed, and you are not healed. There’s a place called healed. You see, you must do your best to go there. And you know, he will try to bring in, but you must be obedient enough to reach there. You must be holy enough to reach there. You must be good enough to reach there. And you’re never there. Actually, that’s not the truth. The truth is, you’re already there. You are the healed, and the devil is trying to take your healing. And you’re saying, «No, this is a lying symptom. No, Lord, this is your battle. I’m already healed. This is your battle, Lord. I’m already healed. This is your battle, Lord. I’m already healed».
It’s so much more easier to know that you’re in a building when you’re already in the building. Are you listening? You’re already healed, not trying to be healed. The devil is trying to take your healing. It’s not like you’re trying to take your healing. No, the devil is trying to take your healing. By calling his bluff, you expose him. It’s a fight of faith. It might take some time. I’m not saying it’s going to be easy. And that’s why the Bible is faith food for all of us. Can I have a good amen? Another instance, and you know what happened to the giant? He came down, boom! That’s it, all right? One stone, one stone because the battle is the Lord’s. Who do you think made the stone hit the mark? The Lord. And the giant came down.
The Bible says, «David decapitated his head, took his head». And very interesting, the Bible says that he brought the head to Jerusalem. Valley of Eli is miles away from Jerusalem. Why did David bring the head to Jerusalem? Now, there’s one rabbinical tradition, there’s one tradition that says that the head of Goliath was buried in a place that was called Gal-Goliath. And later on, there’s a perversion of the name from Gal-Goliath, the heel of Goliath, became Golgotha. Where a greater son of David, Jesus Christ, would conquer a greater Goliath and smash his head at the cross when he bore all our sins and shout, «It is finished»! Amen?
All right, let’s fast forward. David became a king and, according to his seed, down through the years, there was another king called Jehoshaphat. And King Jehoshaphat was surrounded, don’t show them just yet. They were surrounded by the enemies, about four or five enemies, and they were surrounding him. The Bible says, «A great multitude came against him». And I love his prayer. You got time? Read his prayer, all right? It’s found in 1 Chronicles 20 for a 2020 vision. So, you look at… he says this, he looks to God and he says, «God,» I love this «prayer, we have no might, no power against this great multitude. But our eyes are upon you».
I love it. It’s like saying, «We have no might, we have nothing, no resources against this disease, against this condition. But our eyes are upon you. I don’t know how my daughter can be delivered, how my son can be delivered, but my eyes are on you». And when they said that, the Holy Spirit fell upon one of the sons of Asaph and he was a prophet. And he said this, «Listen, all Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem, and you, King Jehoshaphat! Thus says the Lord to you: Do not be afraid nor be dismayed because of this great multitude, for the battle is not yours, but God’s». Yes! Listen! This battle is not yours. It is God’s. «But the enemies are coming against me»!
Jehoshaphat could have said. But it’s not yours, King. It is God’s. «You don’t understand, Pastor Prince. This is coming against my family». But it’s not yours. It’s God’s. And everything in your flesh is saying, «You are just being irresponsible. You should worry. How can you not worry»? And in fact, you are doing the greatest thing you can ever do against that situation, against that problem, even though you are in the midst of a trial, amen. By the way, the word complain in the Bible, all right, is the word luwn. And the word luwn is complain, but it’s also the word to spend a night. In other words, if you complain about your situation, God says, «One more night». In other words, you stay in that situation one night. You complain, you remain. You praise, you get a raise above your situation, all right? Don’t complain and remain. Praise and be raised. Hallelujah!
The battle is not yours, y’all. It’s God’s. So, you know what you say? The greatest thing you can say: rest. When it happens say, «Lord, it’s not mine. I cannot overcome this addiction. The battle is yours». And this is where a lot of people say, «Apostle Prince, you know, you’re teaching people they can do whatever they want». That’s what you always say. I don’t know who you are. But let me tell you this, Mr. Philistine, I have a testimony here of a man who has been smoking for 50 years. Last week I shared about a guy who was on drug addiction, and before that, pornography and all that. Our ministry has testimonies of people being delivered from drug addiction and also pornography. These are the two areas.
So, before you cry out to the highest heaven, we need to teach on holiness. Show me your results and I’ll show you mine, okay? So, here is a guy who has been smoking for 50 years. «I was a heavy smoker who used to smoke a minimum of one packet of cigarettes per day. One day, I made a decision to quit smoking after hearing a sermon. However, my efforts were in vain. I started smoking again after a few days». How many of you know that by trying, you cannot? The battle is not yours. It is God’s. «Then my son gave me Joseph Prince’s book, 'Destined to Reign, ' which I read in two weeks. I realized that Jesus has redeemed me and this life is all about looking to him, all about believing and receiving what he has already done for me. I felt a great desire to quit smoking».
This is supernatural. Some people try to stop but still have a desire. He said, «I felt a great desire». «I reread some chapters from the book again and wrote down my prayer on paper. But this time,» listen, this was written before I preached this sermon. «But this time, I decided not to fight against my cigarette addiction». The battle is the Lord’s, all right? He got a revelation from reading the book, «Not to fight against my cigarette addiction because I knew I could not quit smoking successfully through my own efforts. I just chose to rest in Jesus, receiving his grace and believing that he has set me free from my addiction at the cross. It was not my battle, but his, and he has already won it for me».
Okay, what’s the result? What’s the result? And those of you who are shouting to the high heavens how dangerous grace is and talking about holiness, amen? This is the result. «I just needed to continually realize that I’m forgiven and justified by Jesus’s grace, not by my obedience or actions. After struggling to quit smoking for 50 years, miraculously by simply resting in Jesus’s finished work, I have kicked the habit successfully and effortlessly. I’ve been free of cigarettes. Jesus has done it for me». Hallelujah. Amen. So, by not fighting, he’s actually fighting, all right? Two more verses. I’m going to close. Let’s look at the story of the people of God over in Jehoshaphat here. And He said, «Battle is not yours, but God’s».
You know what he did? You know who he sent in front of him? You know who he sent in front of him? To meet the great multitude, praisers, worshipers, and they praised the Lord for the beauty of holiness by saying, «Praise the Lord for he is good. His mercies endures forever». Now, when they arrived at the battle scene, they found out all the enemies killed each other. There was an internal fight and they started fighting and all of them killed each other. And for 3 days, Israel was picking up the spoils of war. And the Bible says, «They pick up jewelry». One of them says, «Oh, sundial Rolex for my wife,» for three days. And that whole valley is now called the Valley of Barakah. It is still in Israel. I’ve seen it. It’s a very beautiful, fruitful valley. Barakah means blessing. The Valley of Blessing.
Are you feeling like there’s a big problem coming your way? Or you’re in the midst of a difficulty? Or the doctors have told you something? Or something has happened and you see your child rebelling and all that? Let me tell you this, the bigger the multitude, the bigger the valley. And it’s called the valley of blessing awaiting you, amen? And all you got to do, praise the Lord, stand still. This is what God says, «Drop down». God says, «You will not need to fight. You won’t need to fight in this battle». Position yourself, number one. Stand still and see the salvation of the Lord. If I can show you the Hebrew, Jesus’s name, Yeshua in Hebrew, is what you find down here. Position yourself, stand still and see Jesus. See Jesus. For those of you who know Aleph Toph, Aleph Toph appears here. Aleph Toph, Jesus, Yahweh. «Don’t be afraid, don’t be dismayed; tomorrow go out against them, the Lord is with you».
«Pastor Prince, they still had to go out and fight». Yes, but they sent singers to show how much they trust the battle is not theirs. Praising the Lord. «Grace Revolution, yeow, I will follow after you as long as my soul lives». And all the enemy heard that. «Oh man, you are the…» They start killing. «Now kill me, kill me, ah, now I kill you, I kill you». And, hey, you think I’m joking? Do we have that verse? The Bible says they helped kill one another. It literally says they helped kill one another. «You do first, you do first». «Okay, then I do». But the Bible says when Israel came, it was a finished work, amen? Now we go to the time of Moses in front of the Red Sea. Armies of Pharaoh coming behind, the people yelling, «Did you bring us out here to die, Moses? Is this what it’s all about»? And then Bible says, «Moses said to the people, 'Do not be afraid. Stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord,'» same thing.
See Jesus. Stand still, see the invisible. The one who loves you. The one who cares for you. The one who gave his life for you. Look at him, all right? «The Egyptians,» the disease you see on the x-ray, the condition in your child, that lack, that debt, the huge debt you’re supposed to pay, «that you see today, you shall see again no more forever». Why? «The Lord will fight for you, and you will hold your peace». The Lord will fight for you. The word fight here is lachem. «The Lord will fight for you, you will hold your peace». All right, watch this again. Hold your peace. I want to do something. Hold your peace. Hold it, hold it steady. I want to say something. Hold your peace, the Lord will fight for you. «Maybe God needs my help». Hold your peace, the Lord will fight for you. «I don’t see any difference, it’s getting worse». Hold your peace. Hold your peace, the Lord will fight for you. «I need to help God»! Then go hold his peace.
Remember this, God must get all the glory. He doesn’t share the glory. I always say this, and I say this reverently, if God wants to get all the glory, let God do all the work. Just sit there, «Lord, Lord, it’s you and my x-ray, what it says. The battle is not mine. The battle is yours, Lord. The battle is yours. The battle is yours». Amen? «My debt, my huge debt, it’s not my problem. It’s your problem, Lord. The battle is yours. The battle is yours, Lord». And devil will always come throughout the day. It’s a fight of faith. It’s a beautiful fight of faith. What are you going to do about it? No, it’s the Lord. It’s not mine. The battle is not mine. You found the wrong guy, right? Look to the one, amen, who sees everything.