Matt Hagee - Jericho Is A Gift From God
Would you please stand for the reading of God's word? If you brought your Bibles, I invite you to turn them to Joshua 6:1 through 5, as this morning we begin a three-sermon series under the title "Seven laps and seven lessons". Today, we're going to gain perspective about Jericho. Next Sunday, we're going to talk about the seven laps and the seven lessons. And on the final Sunday, we're going to decide that it's time to shout. So not today, two Sundays, save your shout. Save your shout. What is it about Jericho that we can learn something from much more than just a Sunday school story? Joshua and the children of Israel have seen the waters of the Jordan part. They've been invited into the Promised Land. The covenant that God made with Abraham of a land flowing with milk and honey is right before them. And yet, there stands Jericho. High and mighty are the walls, defiant and stubborn.
Jericho is not a problem that comes out to attack you. Jericho is a problem that shuts itself in, and says, get rid of me if you can. Jericho is something that Joshua and the children of Israel don't want to face. The wilderness of sin and frustration is behind them. God's goodness is before them. But God has made it clear: you cannot leave any of the inhabitants in the land. Why not just walk around Jericho? Why not leave it alone: go conquer the rest of the land and just let the city sit? Because God told Moses in the book of numbers, the 33rd chapter, that if they failed to drive out all of the inhabitants of Canaan that those who were left behind would be a barb in their eye and a thorn in their flesh.
Have you ever noticed in your life how to problems that you don't deal with are barbs in your eye and thorns in your flesh? They keep you from seeing God's goodness, because you're not willing to address them. They impede your progress and make life painful. They don't keep you from living. They're just a frustration on a continual basis. Joshua knew he had to deal with Jericho. And God told Joshua, I want you to take some laps. And Joshua learned something in every lap. What we need to know today is that every one of us have a Jericho. Every one of us have a stubborn situation. Maybe it's personal, physical, or financial, emotional. But over time that frustration has built up walls of defense. And those walls are so high and so strong that it seems absolutely pointless for us to begin to tear them down.
I want you to know today, the walls in your life that keep you from enjoying God's promise, they may be higher and they may be mightier than you. But they are not higher and they are not mightier than the God that you serve. He is higher than the highest and he is greater than the greatest. He is the God who keeps his promises. He is the God who has sworn that he would be with you in battle: and that you could do all things through Christ. It may be more than you can handle, but your Jericho problem is no match for your Creator. You may have to take some time and walk around the problem for a few days while God teaches you what he wants you to learn. But when the day comes that God says, "Shout," with a mighty shout of praise and a voice of triumph, the walls and the barriers in your life will lay down flat! Let God arise and let his enemies be scattered!
Let's read Joshua 6:1 through 5. If you're there, say, amen. Now Jericho was securely shut up because of the children of Israel. None went out and none came in. And the Lord said to Joshua, "See I have given Jericho into your hand, its king and the mighty men of valor. You shall march around the city, all you men of war. You shall go around the city once. This you shall do six days. And seven priests shall bear seven trumpets of ram's horns before the ark. But the seventh day, you shall march around the city seven times. And the priests shall blow the trumpets. It shall come to pass, when they make a long blast with the ram's horn, and when you hear the sound of the trumpet: that all of the people shall shout with a great shout. Then the wall of the city will fall down flat. And the people shall go up, every man, straight before him".
Heavenly Father, let us through your word today, recognize that Jericho is not a problem we cannot solve: Jericho is a gift that you have given to us that demonstrates your greatness in our lives. In your precious and mighty name, we ask. And all of God's children said, praise the Lord.
You may be seated. Before we begin into the structure of the sermon, I want to let you know something that I've been telling the folks on Sunday night. And that is this: if you're not taking notes, you should be. Say that with me, if you're not taking notes... (you should be.) I'm going to ask you that from time to time, and I'm just going to leave it blank to see what you say. On the back of this card is an opportunity for you to take notes.
Now why is it important for you to take notes? Because what we're getting ready to talk about could potentially solve a problem in your future. How many of you would affirm that there might be something in your future that you want solved? Well, if you're not taking notes... (you should be.) some of y'all are convinced in your hands. Pop quiz: if you're not taking notes... (you should be.) hallelujah. Because you can take those notes home. And instead of panic when the problem shows up, you just read it. And all of a sudden, there it is. And you've got something you can get through from Sunday to Sunday, because what we're about to talk about here is God's word, and it does not return void.
The first thing I want you to know is there is a lesson in every lap. There is a lesson in every lap. It goes without saying, if you've known God any time at all, that God's ways are not our ways. The path that God charts for your life, the routs that he sends you on, the direction that he gives you to take, most of the time it is not the way that you would have chosen. How many of you are familiar with that feeling? You ask God for progress. God, I want to go there. And he says, great, head that way. And in many cases, you feel like you're walking around in circles over the same situations over and over. But God has a purpose in that. The Proverbs tell us very clearly that there is a way that seems right to man, but the end thereof is destruction. And whenever we walk in God's path, it's a path of righteousness for his name's sake. He knows what he's doing.
But our commonsense, our carnal knowledge, our mind says that everyone knows that the shortest distance between two points is what? A straight line. But sometimes God says, just take a lap. We want progress. People come to church every week. And sometimes we have businessmen that come to church and they says, pastor, pray that I'll make progress in my business. Pray that I'll find favor and that God's abundance will pour out. Pray that everything will begin to change. And then they go from church to work on Monday morning. And the same old problem is waiting for them when they unlock the door to the office. They say, I thought I prayed about this and God was going to take it away.
But here they are on Monday going one more lap. Sometimes you come to church, and the preacher preaches about marriage. And he makes a statement that every marriage could be a better marriage. And the Holy Spirit moves on your heart. And you suddenly feel like it's your time to confess that you're going to make your marriage better. You put your arm around your wife. And the preacher says, say this prayer with me. And together you and your wife make this commitment that you're going to improve the quality of things in your home. You say, "Lord, I'm going to be that loving husband". And she says, "Lord, I'm going to be that wonderful helpmate". And you say, "Lord, I'm going to be patient". And she says, "Lord, I'm going to be kind". And you say, "Lord, I'm going to help out more at the house". And she says, "Oh thank you, Jesus: I heard it".
And you sincerely mean, in that moment, exactly what you say. You're in the house of God, asking God for progress. You want him to take you straight into a season of growth. And God says, no, we've just got to take another lap. And that lap goes something like this: everything's wonderful for about 14 days. You and your wife wake up and look at each other, and go, "I love you". "I love you too". "I'll see you later". "Call me". And about two weeks after that little prayer, somebody said something, somebody does something, somebody brings up something from the past. And it doesn't even have to be anything important. I mean most of the time, those five-year fights over silly stuff like where are we going to eat thanksgiving. Oh, there you go again. I'm so tired of it. Honey, do you like this color bathroom tile? So you want to remodel now: is that it? Is this house not enough? Am I not enough of a writer? I just asked about a color. And you think you're going to make progress. But God's just giving you the chance to take another lap.
There's a lesson in the lap. And if you're not taking notes... (you should be.) okay. Just checking. Some of us want progress in our emotions. Some of us want God to help us control feelings that we know get out of control. There's a difference between having emotions and emotions having you. And some people have emotions that when they boil over, they burn everything they touch. Maybe it's a temper. Maybe it's fear. Maybe it's worry. Maybe it's depression. Some people feel like they've got problems that nobody can solve. And they utilize this kind of self-loathing behavior to get other people to fall in line with their plan. You tell yourself, I'm going to choose to be different. I'm going to make progress. I'm going to wake up and be joyful. I'm going to watch YouTube life coaches, and I'm going to listen to their speeches, and I'm going to brush my teeth, and tell myself good things, and I'm going to leave the house floating on air, because I will have thrown myself a personal pep rally and I'm going to have a great day.
You ever tried that kind of motivation? It's all good until you get in traffic on 281. You back out of your driveway. "This is the day, this is the day". And all of a sudden somebody on 281 like down around corpus Christi had a flat tire. And everybody thought that they might help that guy with the flat tire change that tire, because apparently if you're driving 70, and you slow down to 30, and you look, his tire will change faster. Oh, I wonder what he's doing. And forget that you created a traffic jam that goes to Stephenville. You have now caused my emotions to boil over. And in that moment, you get to take another lap. There are lessons in every lap. And I understand that going in circles isn't fun when what you want is progress. I hate running laps. I'll do anything to get out of running laps. You want me to run through a wall, just point at it. But you want me to run around a track over and over and over again? You're crazy.
I'll tell you a true story. And I can tell this story today, because the statute of limitations on the matter is up. I am right before God, before my father, and before the institution of oral Roberts university. When I went to oral Roberts university in 1996, I was going through freshman orientation. And they took us to a huge gymnasium. And they explained that we would need to take a P.E. credit every semester we were there. The insignia of the school is actually a man surrounded by a circle. And it says that they want to develop you spiritually, which I was like, amen. And it says they want to develop you intellectually. And you're like, that's what you're paying for. And then there's this "P" word that says physically. I thought, what? I didn't come to college to exercise. So there we are, and they say, we'll, you've got to run. I said, "Sign me up for Equestria and I'll ride a horse".
And so here was the situation. They said, at the end of the semester, we have what we call "A fun run". Now you need to know that's a lie. There is nothing fun about a run unless it's the run to the dinner table when you hear the bell ring. And the coach, who was over the P.E. department, began to explain that it was going to be 20% of our grade: and that in order to pass with an "A", we had to run the fun run in three and a half miles under 24 minutes. I said, well take me out of the "A" category. I said, well what's it take to get a "B"? He said, 28 minutes. I said, and a "C"? He said, 34 minutes. I said, "D"? He said, 40 minutes. I said, "F"? And he said, 45. I said, can I rent a golf cart? I was dreading the idea of this fun run, because they had a one-mile track that they had charted out across the campus. You went through the parking lot and around the Mabee Center. And when you did that three times, that was three miles. And then you did a half-mile finish up a hill.
Now who put the hill at the finish line? Cruel and unusual punishment. Knowing that I had to do this run, knowing that I couldn't get an "F" for 20% of my grade, knowing that God did not give me rocket boosters on my ankles to carry me through this moment in life, because at this point in my life, "Fitness" was my concept of whatever fit in my mouth. Knowing I couldn't call home, and say, dad, what do I do? Because he would have said, stop eating and start exercising. I had to come up with another plan. I spent several weeks worried about it, trying to figure out how I could survive. And suddenly, one Friday on my way to chapel, God's house, I saw what God did. God did this for me in the Genesis of time thousands of years before I was ever in Tulsa. God gave me a natural rout of deliverance and a way of escape.
You see on ORU's campus, for those of you who've been there, you'll know about it. But for those of you who don't, you need to. There is a creek and it's dry. And it's called Fred Creek. Not a very creative name, but it is a wonderful place. The chasm of this creek is about 12 to 15-feet deep. And it runs from one end of that campus all the way to the other. And as I was walking to chapel, I looked over and there was a set of coaches putting up the start line. And there was a set of coaches up there on the hill putting up the finish line. And I felt like a prisoner on death row watching them build my gallows. That's where they're going to kill me. And as I walked across a bridge, I looked down at that creek. And I followed it. And I said, there's the start line. Oh, thank you Jesus. It met about a hundred yards from the start and about a hundred yards from the finish.
Now I'm pretty good at basic math. And 200 yards is a lot better than 3.5 miles, baby. So on the day of the race, the fun run, we all lined up. And all of the professors said, do you understand where you're supposed to go? Yes. Do you understand what time you have to be there? Yes. Are you sure that you understand these things? Yes. Let's pray. Now why are they going to do that? The prayer was prayed. The "Amen" was said. The gun sounded and off we went. And sure enough, about a hundred yards from the starting line, I looked down and my shoe was untied. See. You know you can't run with shoes untied. It's dangerous. So I knelt down and I began to tie my shoe. And I'm not sure if it was the force of the 500 other runners or it was just gravity. Or it might have been the hand of an angel. You never know. But somehow from right here, as those runners ran by, I fell into the creek.
Now I've got another problem. I told you about Fred Creek. The walls are 12 to 15-feet high. I'm not that tall. They can't see me. They're already moving from the start line to the finish line. They can't hear me. I'm certain that the national guard will have to be sent out to rescue me. So how do I solve this problem? I have no choice but to walk in search of help. So I begin to progress down the creek bed. And it just so happened that I'm walking towards the finish line. And as I get to the spot where I can start to kind see and hear people, I'm almost in a panic because I've been alone for a long time now. And I look up over the bank, and I see a group of very frail and fragile people. And they're all huddled together and they're moving in the same direction. I think you call them runners. And they ran by me, and I said, help. They didn't hear me. And another group came by. And I thought if I don't get in front of them or behind them, I'm going to be lost forever.
So with all of my strength, I pushed and I got out of that creek. And I started running with these individuals who were coming in behind that first group of individuals. And as I climbed up that hill with those other runners, I started to listen. And I could hear coaches saying things like, 19 minutes and 21 seconds, 19 minutes and 24 seconds, 19 minutes and 32 seconds. It felt like I was in that creek for hours. But I was very satisfied. I was satisfied with, one, that I didn't have to run three laps. Two, I was satisfied that the national guard would not be needed. I was back to safety. And three, I was thrilled, because in 19 minutes and 32 seconds, baby, that's an "A".
Now forget that the group of people that I was running with looked like they rode horses in the Kentucky derby, and I looked like the nose guard for the bears. I walked off feeling pretty proud of myself. And that's when the ORU strength and conditioning coach found me. He said, son, what's your name? And I wheeled around with great confidence, and said, Matthew Hagee. And he said, okay. He said, can I talk to you? I said, sure. If you're caught, don't sweat. And I'd only run 200 yards, so I wasn't sweating anyway. He said, where did you start this race? I said, back over there by the baseball field. He said, how long have you been running this race? I said, based on your watch, 19 minutes and 32 seconds. He said, well I have a question. I said, what's that? He said, do you know any of those boys you were running with? I said, no, not at all. He said, well that's my cross country team. Way to go, coach. He said, they're on scholarship to run. Now what did you say your name was again? I said, Matthew Hagee. He said: we'll see each other soon. And I thought maybe we will: and maybe we won't.
The rest of the semester went by. And in the spring, we had to do the "Fun run". But I was not fretting this run because the creek was still there and God was still faithful. And so I knelt down to lace up my shoes. And the gun sounded and off we went. About 95-yards into the race, I heard the most dreadful sound that any human being will ever hear in all of their life. I heard, beep, beep. I thought, what is that? I looked over my shoulder and it was a golf cart. And in that golf cart was the strength and conditioning coach with a stopwatch, looking at me, saying, I told you I'd see you again. Take off. No matter how hard you try, sooner or later, you're going to have to run those dreadful laps.
Now the reason I can share that testimony is not because I advocate doing anything you can to get an "A". It's because I graduated in 2000, and they can't kick me out of the school anymore, so what do you do when you want to make progress, and God says, walk in a circle? How do you get through it when you want to go forward, and God forces you to take another lap? God tells Joshua, he says, I've given you Jericho. Joshua says, great, just knock it down and let's get it over with. But God said, no. I want you to spend seven days walking around this problem before we solve this problem. Why do we get frustrated when God asks us to do that, knowing that there's a lesson in the lap? The answer is very simple. Our perspective of progress is nothing like God's.
We measure success when we get to see what we want. And God measures success when we are willing to do what he wants. We think to ourselves, God, I want you to bless my business. And God says, I want you to trust me. God, I want you to make progress in my marriage. And God says, I want you to listen to me. God, I want you to help me with these emotions. And God says, I want you to cast them on me. We think progress comes when the business grows. God said, progress comes when you know where your finances come from. God measures progress totally different than we do.
Consider the thought of walking in more circles for the children of Israel. Forty years they walked in circles in the wilderness of sin. Why did they have to do that? Because they were unwilling to do what God wanted. God wanted them to walk straight across that wilderness, and go into the Promised Land, and conquer it. But the twelve spies, ten said, "We can't": two said, "We can". And God said, for your unbelief and your disobedience, you'll walk for 40 years. Now God tells Joshua, I want you to take another walk, Joshua. But this walk is not in disobedience: this walk is in obedience. You see there's a difference in the laps in the wilderness and the laps around Jericho. There's a difference in every step that you take. The Bible says: we walk by faith and not by sight. And when you walk by faith, you make progress. But when you walk in flesh, all you do is create work and frustration. So God tells Joshua, I want you to take a lap and I'm going to teach you something.
Now how is it that God can measure this kind of progress and teach us something? And the answer is very simple. The problem of Jericho doesn't change. It's still there. It's still stubborn. It still needs to be solved. But when I'm taking laps, and I'm walking in faith, and I'm walking in obedience, I may be walking around the same problem, but I'm not the same person that I was the last time I was here. This is a problem that I know I need to solve, but every day I'm getting just a little stronger. Every day I'm getting just a little wiser. Every day I'm learning to lean on God more. Every day that word is starting to grow in me, and I know that this problem needs to go away. But sooner or later, it's going to be shouting time. And when that time to shout comes, I'm not going to worry, is God going to do it. I'm going to celebrate that he's already done it. And it's time for me to be crowned the victor.
You may be in here walking around the same problem that you've been dealing with for years. But you need to know you're making progress with every step when you walk in God's will and you walk in his obedience. Your enemies may be scoffing you from on top of the wall. They may be saying you look ridiculous. They may be laughing at you, saying, you have no chance. But you know there's a day to shout in your future. You can take a step and tell yourself, just keep watching, because I'm not walking blindly: I'm walking with God Almighty. Just keep watching. Jericho, he's given you to me. Jericho, he's promised me a victory. Jericho, you don't stand a chance! Your days are numbered, because you might be greater than me. But you're not greater than my God! The chart that he's coursed for me, I'm going to take another step, because every step is taking me to victory!
There's a lesson in the lap. And before you begin taking those laps, you need to remember, don't ignore the good news while dealing with today's news. Now if you're not taking notes... (you should be.) y'all are going to get real tired of that. But one day, all those things are going to be gone and there are going to be notes all over them. Don't ignore the good news while dealing with today's news. We live in a very fast-paced and complicated world. And the pace that we live at and the complications that we face can often force us to put on blinders and start to believe that everything is hard. Everything is hard. Nothing is easy. There are no simple solutions. And sooner or later, we just lose sight of the simple joys in life. But you cannot ignore the good news when you deal with today's news.
Don't let God's promise be overshadowed by the problem you're trying to solve. You can't stop people from seeing things through complicated lenses, but you don't have to. If you don't think that people believe this world is complicated, watch the news tonight. They're going to talk to somebody who they say is really smart. They're going to say, this is the foremost expert on the economy, and he's here to tell us what we need to do as a country. Sir, why can't we stop spending? Well, it's complicated. Have you ever seen them interview that guy? Well hey genius, if you're so smart, why can't you just uncomplicate it? They'll ask a politician, can you cut our taxes? And they'll say, well, it's complicated. No, it's not: just give us some of our money back. When you decide that everything in life is complicated, you become blinded to simple truths. And you can't, if you're going to enjoy life.
Here's a simple truth that you've probably forgotten and need to be reminded of on a daily basis. It's not complicated. And it's something that if you remember to rejoice in, I assure you you're going to have a better day. Here's the simple truth that applies to everyone about the life they're living right now, and that is this: you woke up. Hey, that's good news. Because the alternatives, if you didn't wake up, the alternatives are final. I'm serious. You woke up! You've got to thank God that you're alive, because the Bible says: let everything that hath breath praise the Lord.
I don't care how complicated life gets. If you can breathe, you're going to have a good day. Why? Because there's till a good God sitting on the throne. And he is till faithful. And he hasn't forgotten you. And he loves you. And he has a plan for you. He has a heart beat in your chest that's beating because he's given you a purpose. He's provided you with everything that you need. It might look like it's complicated in front of you. But the God who sits on high, he's not confused. He knows the path that you take. He's gone before you to prepare a way. He's moved mountains of impossibility. If you need wisdom, you can ask him. If you need strength, you can lean on him. If you need joy, he'll be the glory and the lifter of your head. Whatever it is you're facing today, do not forget the good news in dealing with today's news! God is on your side! Give the Lord a handclap of praise!
When God speaks to Joshua in Joshua 1, he gives him a lot of good news. Joshua is facing the burden of responsibility. Up until this moment, he's followed Moses. Now he's taking Moses' place. And God speaks to Joshua, and God tells Joshua, I am giving you the land. That's good news. And God tells Joshua, every place the sole of your foot walks, I'm going to give that to you. That's good news. That would make me want to walk a long way. Then God tells him in verse 5: no man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life. Guess what that is? Good news. I am with you just as I was with Moses. That's good news. I will not leave you, nor forsake you. Guess what? That's good news. Over and over God tells Joshua, I've got good news Joshua. I've got good news.
And then in Joshua 6:2, he says: I have given you Jericho. That's good news. He didn't say, I'm going to give it to you. He didn't say, if you do this, I might give it to you. He said, I have given it, but you've still got to deal with it. And when it comes to dealing with today's news, don't forget the good news. You might go to work tomorrow and you've got to deal with today's news. Just remember it is the Lord who gives you the power to get wealth. You might have your heart broke and you've got to deal with today's news. Remember he has caught every tear that you've cried in a vase and he hears every prayer that you pray. And if you're broken hearted today, he's got good news. Weeping may endure for the night but joy cometh in the morning.
You may be afflicted in your body. You may be afflicted in your finances. You may be facing affliction that you can't get out from under. But don't forget the good news while you're dealing with today's news. No matter what the affliction is, there is a Bible promise that says: many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers them out of them all. Child of God, I don't know what your Jericho is. And I don't know how long you've been dealing with it. But no matter how long you deal with it, don't forget the good news when you deal with today's news. And in this Bible, are 3,000 promises that apply to you. And if God is a God who keeps his word from generation to generation, you have nothing to be afraid of! Let God arise and his enemies be scattered!
I say this in closing. Jericho is God's gift: it's not your battle. We look at Jericho, and we say, how am I going to do that? You're not: God already has. God is using this on so many levels, because he wants you to become dependent. And he wants to use it to establish in the minds of those who are around you that he is on your side! This is the first battle that's going to take place in the land of Canaan. This will determine how Joshua's enemies view him in the future. Can you imagine? Walk around it and don't say a word. God, that's not a real good battle plan. There's a lesson in the lap, Joshua: just take off. Seven days, they walk around, all 13 laps completed. The trumpets sound. The shout is made. And the Bible says: the walls fell down flat. Here's how the book ends.
Joshua 6:27, it says: so the Lord was with Joshua and his fame spread throughout the country. God told Joshua in chapter 1: no man will ever be able to stand before you. How was God going to do that? Was he going to give him superman's cape? No. He gave him a reputation. Everywhere Joshua went, when he walked into town, people said, that guy right there walked around the biggest city in the nation for seven days. He didn't even fire a shot: he just yelled, and the walls fell down flat. And everyone, who would think to oppose him, suddenly sat down, and said, let him have whatever he wants: just keep him from yelling. I don't know how long you've been walking in laps. If you're walking those laps in obedience to God's word, your shouting day is coming. I don't know how many hours of frustration you've spent dealing with this problem. But if you're doing what God asks you to do, that problem is going to be solved in your future.
Fifty-nine years of ministry, you have no idea how many laps that is. Fifty-nine years of listening to people say, what is that John Hagee doing over there? What does he think building another church? Why on earth does he need a school? Who on earth wants to be on television? Why would you move to 1604 and stone oak parkway? Nobody will ever live out there anyway. Why on earth would you ever try to be on international television and tell people you're going to preach the gospel? Why are you trying to reach out to the Jewish community and get other churches to do it with you? Why on earth do you think you can stand up and tell people that Jesus is coming back, and they're not going to turn you off, because that's crazy talk. Nobody believes that anymore.
Why on earth would you try to build a school where you're going to have thousands of prob, I mean children coming through the door every day that need an education? Why on earth would you put the thought into a sanctuary of hope where not only are you going to give girls a chance to have children, but you're going to actually take the time to raise those children? And those children are going to have needs and those needs are going to have to be met. And all of these things are going to go on. What on earth are you doing? I'm taking a lap, knowing that some day when I get to shout my shout of praise, every problem will be solved, every wall will fall, and God Almighty will get the glory! Give the Lord a shout in this house today! Come on and praise the Lord! Magnify the Lord with me and let us rejoice in his name together!
Remain standing. It may look like another lap, but there's a lesson in it. God's leading you. He's growing you. He's showing you how good he can be in your life. And when he's done, just like Joshua, the world will recognize that there is a God in heaven and his power is real when it comes to you. We're going to enjoy learning the lessons in the laps. But some of you today have a Jericho. You've got a problem that instead of making you better, it's making you bitter. You see it as your burden instead of your gift. And today, I want to give you the opportunity to ask the Lord to change your perspective so that you don't forget the good news while you're dealing with today's news. How many of you have that kind of Jericho in your life right now, personal, physical, financial, emotional, in any way? I want everyone in this room to repeat this prayer with me. And those of you who are professing that need, leave your hand raised as a testimony. Repeat this prayer.
Lord Jesus Christ, today I thank you that you have given me the victory. I thank you that I am learning with every lap that I take. I'm asking you, Lord, today, to give me the patience, to remember the good news while I deal with today's news. Jericho is not my problem. Jericho is my gift. And you're going to demonstrate your grace in my life through this. In Jesus' name, I receive that answer. Amen.