Transcription
The following program is sponsored by friends and partners of Kingdom Connection. Well, may God bless you, Pastor Jentezen Franklin, and all your Kingdom Connect partners. We love you.
Well, here we are sharing. I am too. We're inside one of the many buildings. This is, they're going to the produce section. They've been selling their produce here, and down below is the security metal doors. Of course, you're not paying to get in. Everything is under construction, but they're going to be all kinds of buildings selling everything you can think of in this marketplace. 85% on appointment out here, but now as helping Haitians help themselves, it's changing lives forever. And at the end, many people come and know the Lord out here. Sherry, yeah, you know, I just want to say too that there's no price that you can put on hope. Hope is the greatest thing that the Haitian people can have. So, Pastor Jentezen and all your friends, you've done so much for these people. You've not only built the marketplace, but you've given them hope. And the Haitian say, "Hope makes us live." Thank you, thank you, Pastor Jentezen Franklin and your Kingdom Connection partners. Pretty soon, the grand, the grand dedication will be coming up, and I know you will be here. But God bless you for saving lives. And actually, thousands of people will be able to work and be blessed because of love. It's something that you do. Thank you, Pastor Jentezen. We love you.
If you have your Bibles, I'd like for you to open them with me for a few moments to the book of Joshua, chapter 6. Joshua, chapter 6. Look with me in the scripture. Joshua, chapter 6, verse 10. Now, Joshua had commanded the people, saying, "Everybody read this out loud: You shall not shout, nor make any noise with your voice, nor shall a word proceed out of your mouth until the day I say to you, shall then you shall shout." This is an instruction that Joshua gave the children of Israel as they were about to conquer the first city of the promised land. Joshua was aware of the inclination then, and as well as now, for us to talk ourselves out of the victories that are about to unfold before us. When there is no evidence, when there is delay, when there is annoyance, when there is opposition, we have a tendency, and Joshua knew it, to talk ourselves out of the victory that God is unfolding in our life. Proverbs 18 said, "The power of death and life are in your tongue." Your words have tremendous power. When and where was it that Joshua learned this subtle lesson in life? It was when he looked back in the rearview mirror at the intersection of opportunity 40 years before, when Moses sent the twelve spies, and Joshua was one of the twelve. And Caleb came back and said, "We are well able to take the land." But ten came back and with their mouth dismantled the promise of God, the victory of God that He had already planned for His people. He watched them talk the whole camp of Israel out of the victory that God wanted them to have 40 years earlier. The Bible said in Numbers 13 that they brought an evil report, saying, "And all the congregation lifted up their voice and said, 'Would to God that we would have died in the land of Egypt.'" This is on the brink of the greatest victory that God wanted to give His people. Another verse said, "And the children of Israel murmured and they said one unto another, 'Let us return to Egypt.'" And he set back 40 years before, and he watched them start talking to one another and start complaining and murmuring and saying, "We can't do it. And there were grasshoppers, and those cities are so big, and those walls are so high." And he saw that happen with his own eyes. And so he understood that for every day they talked, 40 days of talking, that God gave him a year in the wilderness. And when Joshua stood there watching Israel talk themselves out of that victory, dismantling the design of God for their life with their voice and with their conversation, he determined then and there, "Never again will I get to this place where I'm on the threshold of a victory and allow words and conversations and people discussions to talk me out of the victory God is unfolding." So he gives this command. We're going to march six days around the walls of Jericho. Every day on the seventh day, we're going to march seven times. And when we do that, every day, you shall not utter a word. And in case you didn't understand that, you shall not let a word proceed out of your mouth. And in case you didn't get it, you shall not talk it out of your mouth because God is unfolding a victory, and you need to be quiet. Quiet. There's a victory in progress. We're inclined, ladies and gentlemen, to talk ourselves out of victory. Victory that's unfolding in our life. Victory that God is wanting to bring to our families and our homes. But we start talking negative conversation. And Joshua said, "Never again." And I want you to hear me in this room today, and those of you listening to me all around the world, and wherever you're listening to this, listen. Hear me. In every life, in every need, and every problem represented in this room, and wherever you're listening to me, there is a victory unfolding in your life. If you're trusting in God and praying and holding on to His promises, there is a victory in our homes. There is a victory in our church. There is a victory in our lives that is unfolding. Let's not talk ourselves out of the victory. Let's not begin to murmur and whine and discouraging talk and defeated talk when we understand that victory is ours. It stopped them from possessing the promised land, and Joshua said, "It's not going to happen again." The victory is not in question. I know stuff's going on. I know prophecies being fulfilled like crazy. I know Jesus is coming soon. But let's not just talk the bad stuff that's happening in the world. Let's talk that in the last days, God is going to pour out His Spirit on all flesh. There are some inevitable victories before us if we can keep our mouth shut. He said, "I will build my church, and the gates of Hell shall not prevail against it." They marched to the border of victory, and there were vineyards that were already planted and homes that were already built, and all they had to do was occupy it.
Second Kings, chapter 4. The Bible said there was a widow who had a son, and he died. That son was born by a prophecy that the Prophet gave many years before. And now the boy's dead in the field, and she takes off in her chariot to get to the Prophet. And a cloud of dust comes over the horizon, and the Prophet sees it and he says, "That's that little widow woman, or that's that little woman that didn't have a child, and now she's gonna have a child." And she had the child. "Go see if everything is well with her." And the Bible said the servant went out, and he asked her, "Is it well with your husband?" And listen to her response in Second Kings 4:26. She said, "It is well." She just kept on going, getting to the Prophet. And then he ran up beside her and said, "Is it well with thee? Are you okay?" Trying to talk her down, you know. She said, "It is well. It is well." She said, "Shh, there's a victory in progress." And then she asked him the big question. He asked her the big question, "Is it well with your son?" And that's where we would have fell to pieces. But she said the same words, "It is well with my child that is dead." She was saying, "That old prophet gave me my boy in the beginning by the word of the Lord, and I'm not about to talk myself out of a victory that's unfolding. I'm gonna get to God. I'm gonna get to what He promised me, and He will bring a miracle to this situation if I won't let this guy let me talk." Sometimes, if you just get into discussion with everybody about things, you'll start talking yourself out of victory. Just get a word from God and talk that back to God and pray that back to God, and you'll stay in victory.
The Bible said in Mark chapter 5 that there was a man by the name of Jairus. His daughter was sick, and while they were on the way to pray for her, she died. And as soon as Jesus heard those words, He said in verse 36, "Don't say anything. Shh." And He put the mourners out, and He put the criers out, and He got in the room and He said, "Quiet, please. I'm about to give a great victory to my people, and I don't need a lot of talk of unbelief." And He put them out. "Suffer no man to go in with me but Peter, James, and John." And He raised that child from the dead because He said, "I need you to not talk me out of the victory."
Jesus said in Matthew chapter 16, on Matthew chapter 6 and verse 22, He said, "I must go to Jerusalem, and there I will suffer and die." And Peter spoke up and said to Him, "No, Lord. Thou speakest not the things of God. No, Lord, don't do it." And He said, "Get thee behind me, Satan." In other words, He was saying, "You are saying what you shouldn't be saying, and you're not going to stop the victory that I'm about to release to the world. I'm gonna defeat sin and sickness and Satan, and you're trying to talk me out." Peter tried to talk Him out of it. "No, Lord, you won't go, and you won't die. I won't let it happen." He said, "Get behind me." Called him Satan. You know, when you start speaking words that are contrary to what God said He wanted to do in your life, you are being used by the enemy. A lot of people are experiencing a lot of things, and the Lord sent me to tell you, don't talk yourself out of the victory that's unfolding in your life. Oh, I just don't see much of it. Shh. Do you know what prayer is? Prayer is prophecy. When you pray, you're prophesying your future. If you pray right, it's not that you can't talk to God about your problems. You can go to Him and say, "God, I'm lonely. I'm really, really lonely. But Lord, I thank You that You've got a man of God for me somewhere, a woman of God for me somewhere, and I thank You." See, prayer is prophesying to your future. "God, I've really got this need. It's overwhelming. This bill is coming to you, but I want to thank You that You supply all my needs. You've always made a way for me, and Lord, I praise You." What are you doing? Prayer is prophesying to your future.
So, I read a book some time ago by a friend of mine. I know this guy pastors in Washington D.C. His name is Mark Batterson, and he wrote a book called "The Circle Maker." And I want to tie this all together in conclusion. And he begins his book by talking about the legend of the circle maker, which is a, it's taught by rabbis to this day in Jewish synagogues. Josephus documented that this occurrence actually happened, by the way. Listen to this, and I just thought, "I'm gonna do something different." But I thought I would read it to you because I'm gonna sum it all up. We're gonna do something in a moment. This is a class participation sermon, and in just a moment, we're going to end by by drawing some circles around some needs in people's lives, and you're gonna understand what I'm talking about in just a moment. Listen to this.
"The Legend of the Circle Maker. Young children danced in the downpour like it was the first rainfall they had ever seen. And it was. Parents threw back their heads and opened their mouths and caught raindrops like they were diamonds falling from the sky. It could be forever remembered as the day, the day thunderclaps applauded the Almighty, the day puddle jumping became an act to praise, the day the legend of the circle maker was born. It was the first century BC. Devastating droughts threatened to destroy an entire generation. The generation before Jesus, the last of the Jewish prophets had died off nearly four centuries before. Miracles were such a distant memory that they seemed like a false memory, and God was nowhere to be heard. But there was one man, an eccentric sage who lived outside the walls of Jerusalem, who dared pray anyway. His name was Honi. And even if people could no longer hear God, he believed that God could still hear them. When rain is plentiful, it's an afterthought. During a drought, it's the only thought. And Honi was their only hope. Famous for his ability to pray for rain, it was on this day, the day that Honi would earn his moniker. With a six-foot staff in his hand, Honi began to turn like a math compass. His circular movement was rhythmical and methodical. 90 degrees, 180 degrees, 270 degrees, 360 degrees. He never looked up as the crowd looked on. After what seemed to be like hours, but it was only seconds, Honi stood inside of the circle that he had drawn. Then he dropped to his knees and raised his hands to heaven, and with an authority like the Prophet Elisha, who called down fire from heaven, Honi called down rain. 'Lord,' I'm quoting now, 'Lord of the universe, I swear before You, before Your great name, that I will not move from this circle until we have shown mercy, until You have shown mercy upon Your children.' The word sent a shudder down the spines of all who were within earshot that day. It wasn't just the volume of his voice; it was the authority of his tone. Like water from an artesian well, the words flowed from the depth of his soul. His prayer was resolute, yet humble, confident, yet meek, expectant, yet unassuming. Then it happened. As his prayer ascended to the heavens, raindrops descended to the earth. An audible gasp went across the thousands of congregants who encircled Honi. Every head turned heavenward as the first raindrops parachuted from the sky. But Honi's eyes remained bound. The people rejoiced over every drop, but Honi wasn't satisfied with a sprinkle. Still kneeling in the circle, Honi lifted his voice over the sounds of celebration and said, 'Not for such a rain have I prayed, but for rain that will fill the cisterns and the valleys and the caverns.' The sprinkle turned into such a torrential downpour that eyewitnesses said no raindrops smaller than an egg in size fell. It rained so heavy and so steadily that people fled the Temple Mount to escape a flash flood. Honi stayed and prayed inside his protracted circle once more. He refined his bold request. 'Not for such a rain have I prayed, but for the rain of Your favor and blessing and graciousness.' Then, like a well-proportioned sun shower on a hot and humid August afternoon, it began to rain calmly, peacefully. Every raindrop was a tangible token of God's grace, and they did not just soak into the skin; they soaked into the spirit. With faith, it had been difficult to believe the day before. The day after the day, it was impossible not to believe. The prayer that saved a generation was deemed one of the most significant prayers in the history of Israel. The circle he drew in the sand became a sacred symbol, and the legend of Honi, the circle maker, stands forever as a testimony to the power of a single prayer to change the course of history."
Why did I read that? Here's why. Because in my prayer place this week, the Lord said to me, "Tell the people that that's exactly what Joshua did." So, what I want you to do is, I want you to think, "What do you want me to do?" If Jesus Himself walked up to you this morning and looked you face to face and said, "What do you want Me to do for you?" What is your heart? Come on, you don't have to play games with Jesus. You may can't tell other people, but you can tell Jesus. What do you want Me to do? Is it a person? Maybe it's a son. Maybe it's a daughter. Maybe it's a healing. Maybe it's a financial need. Maybe it's your business. Maybe, maybe it's a grandchild. Maybe you've got cancer. Maybe, maybe you're facing some, maybe you're single and you're lonely, and you know you want God to give you the person that He's promised you. I want you to write down the number one thing you want Jesus to do for you. Write it down right now. Just take them. You can cover it up if you want to. If you got peepers, you know, write it down. Maybe it's an addiction. Maybe you'd love to never pick up a bottle again, or maybe it's a pill, or drugs, or I don't know. I don't know. But, but, but just write it down. Maybe it's the son, maybe it's named the child, named the person, named the issue. What do you want Me to do for you? Now, have you written it down? If you have, say, "Yes." Now, take that pen and draw a circle around that need that you've just singled out. Draw a circle around it. And I don't want you to leave that piece of paper here. I want you to put it in your Bible, or put it in your wallet, or put it in your purse, or put it on your refrigerator, or put it on your mirror. Even greater, I want you to put it in your car somewhere where you're seeing it, or wherever you will notice it. And for the next seven days, I want you to march around it in prayer and in praise, and refuse. This is the most important part. Refuse to speak or say anything about that situation but prayer and praise. Prayer and praise. I mean, if you believe God can honor this. Well, I don't know about that stuff. Well, you know what? I know you don't know about that stuff, but I've been around for a while, and you know how we built this church, stuff like this. And it sounds weird to you, and it sounds crazy to you, but maybe God likes bold prayers. Maybe God likes for people to access the Son, to stand still in an axe head, to swim in the Red Sea. Depart. Maybe God likes bold prayers. So, have you got it? Hold it up in the air. If you've got it, I mean, if you've got a prayer circle around it right now, you're gonna, for the next seven days, I'm gonna walk around that thing in prayer. Those walls of resistance are gonna come down. Hold it up. Hold it up. And before we even get into the prayer and the praise, He said, "When I tell you, shout." And I am your Joshua this morning. And I don't want you to wait until the wall falls. And there are some Jericho's that will never fall until you shout. I know you're dignified. I know you're something else. I know you're educated. I know you drive a Lexus. I know this. I know that. But I'm just telling you, there are some walls. See, it's just like, do you know that there are decibels? You put it in there, decibels that a sound that that certain people can hit. Have you ever been sitting in your house and thunder rolled and your windows respond? Because sound is invisible, but there are certain decibels that can hit real matter. God knows how to how to transform the sound of your praise to the decibel level that will make your walls of resistance respond. So I'm here to tell you, hold it up in the air and shout now. Hallelujah. Come on, shout now. Shout like you believe He can move the mountain. He can defile the walls. He can slay the giants. Shout now. Come on. Take a moment. Voice in prayer and in praise. The next seven days. Put them in that circle. Put that husband in that circle. Put that child in that circle. Put that financial need in that circle. Glory, glory, glory, glory. Get up on your feet and shout a little bit. Get up on your feet and shout a little bit. I know the world says this is crazy, but it's not crazy when we hear from the Lord. I feel the Lord grieving on this little word, and He's saying, "I'm telling you that if you'll agree in prayer and make a prayer circle against that attack, no scum against you, no weapon formed against you will prosper, and God is going to bless whatever you put in that circle." Hallelujah. Thank you, Jesus. Gloria. Come what counselors couldn't do, what money couldn't do, what all yours couldn't do, what doctors couldn't do. You put it in a prayer circle and begin to pray. My God.
Life has a way of weighing us down. We want to live a life full of hope and joy, but the problems we face often lead only to hopelessness. But we can overcome. God offers a promise instead of a problem. All we have to do is pray in faith and watch as He opens our eyes to His supernatural promises, because everything changes when we give God's perspective. In His new message, "Five Powerful Prayers to Pray," Jentezen Franklin reveals that God has given us a formula for prayer that can touch the heart of God. Don't just pray a day, don't just pray a week, don't just pray a month, but pray until something happens. Request Jentezen Franklin's new product, the "Five Powerful Prayers to Pray" action plan, including this powerful message and a five-week focused prayer journal. It's time to release your faith and start praying these powerful prayers. As you do, you will see your life change and the power of God revealed in your life. Request the "Five Powerful Prayers to Pray" action plan today.
Over six years ago, God led me to come and begin a church here in Orange County, Free Chapel Orange County. We've seen that church explode, and now thousands of people call Free Chapel home. I'm standing in the Bren Center at the University of California, and right here in Orange County, we are believing that God is going to give us a harvest in this ring. As a matter of fact, on September the 21st at 6 p.m., we're coming together as a church family. All of our services and all of our people are coming, but we're opening it up free of charge to all of the community. My friend, we're hoping multi-Grammy Award winner will be leading in worship that night along with our Free Chapel team. I'm going to be preaching a special message, and I know that God will touch you and bless you. If you're here, tell everybody you can. Bring everybody. We cannot wait to see you right here at the Bren Center at the University of California, Irvine, September the 21st, 6 p.m. It's going to be awesome.
Two fine women are powerful tools in the hand of God. We are ruled by grace and love. We have become a force on earth that enjoys the world we live in. Cherise Franklin and Diane want you to join us. The Boots on the Ground, a three-day Women's Conference from sea to shining sea. Join us in Gainesville, Georgia, this September 18th through the 20th, as we welcome special guests Lisa Bevere, Beverly Johnson, and Jentezen Franklin. And in Irvine, California, this October 2nd through the 4th, with special guests Lisa Bevere, Wendy Treat, and Jentezen Franklin. Boots on the Ground tickets and information are available online now at divineconference.org. Register today.
This program has been brought to you by the friends and partners of Jentezen Franklin Media Ministries. For more information on this broadcast or for additional resources, go online at JentezenFranklin.org.