S1: Here's what we do. We let the little things keep
S1: us from the everything that God has for us. See,
S1: when it comes to what God wants to do, you've
S1: got to understand God's will. You're either on the way
S1: or in the way.
S2: Welcome to Treasure Truth with pastor and author James Ford,
S2: junior senior pastor of Christ Bible Church in Chicago. I'm
S2: Steve Hiller, and glad you're with us. And, pastor, you
S2: point out an important truth. Sometimes, as we think we've
S2: discerned the will of God and the promise that is
S2: ours to claim and to take. We run into little obstacles,
S2: little roadblocks, things that keep us from doing or taking
S2: what we truly believe God has for us. And for some,
S2: that may be just enough of a discouragement to quit
S2: pursuing that promise of God. How do we know if
S2: a roadblock is legitimate. God saying no. Or just a
S2: little bump in the road to strengthen our faith.
S3: Usually that has to be revealed to us, and there's
S3: not a carte blanche answer. Take, for example, first Corinthians
S3: 16 nine, where Paul said, A great door and effectual
S3: is opened unto me, and there are many adversaries. So
S3: Paul saw the opportunity in the opposition, and he began
S3: to go forward. He changed his plans and everything so
S3: that he could accommodate what God was doing. But it
S3: came through opposition. The seven sons of Skiva and Demetrius,
S3: the silversmith. He saw those as opportunities to promote the gospel,
S3: because they were coming against the Lord Jesus Christ and
S3: His good news. And so it just depends on what
S3: God is doing in your life. However, All opposition is
S3: determined to be utilized by Satan to discourage us. He
S3: loves to discourage, to divide, and we ought to be
S3: aware of that.
S2: So when we do face opposition, expect it. Number two,
S2: it may simply mean we just need to change our
S2: tactics a little bit, like Paul did sometimes.
S3: And I think, you know, we can't let it discourage
S3: us because, see, it's either God allowed or God authorized.
S3: And if God authorized it, there's a perfect will. You know,
S3: anthropomorphically speaking that just means to attribute to God human
S3: characteristics for the purpose of comprehension. And so he allows
S3: us to go through this opposition. Why? So that he
S3: can make us better. The devil is trying to make
S3: us bitter. God is trying to make us better. And
S3: I see it that way. So whatever comes my way,
S3: I belong to the Lord.
S2: Yeah. And as you said a moment ago, we can
S2: look at opposition as opportunity. So that's one of the
S2: lessons that we'll see in today's message. If you can
S2: join us in the book of Joshua, chapter one as
S2: we continue takers. Here's Pastor Ford.
S1: You know, it's amazing to me that some people are
S1: chained to their past. There's some things that are very painful.
S1: I know in your past, but at some point the
S1: past got to be in the past. And God. Moses
S1: represents the past the way we used to do it
S1: and all that. No, no. We got to prepare for
S1: the future. Amen. Now, I don't know about you, but
S1: I've been doing it for the last ten years saying, listen,
S1: I'm preparing to pass the baton that, you know, for
S1: the future. Because the future church doesn't look like anything
S1: that it looks like now. We've got to get ready
S1: for the future. Then he said, in spite of problems,
S1: he said this, Jordan, what is he saying? He's saying, okay,
S1: now I need you to look at this. Jordan. God
S1: is pointing out the Jordan to Joshua. Why? Because that's
S1: what he has to cross. Well, what's going on there?
S1: The Jordan is over swelling its banks, so God is
S1: pointing to the problem that has the possibility for progress
S1: to the promised land. Why would you point the problem out?
S1: Because some people see a problem in every opportunity, and
S1: some people see an opportunity in every problem. Joshua, I
S1: want you to look at it. It's running over its banks.
S1: But I want you to know it cannot stop you
S1: from your promise. Get over it. Get over it now.
S1: Respond to God's plan. Now. Now get this, get this,
S1: get this. We talk about this. He's showing him the Jordan,
S1: but he never tells him what he's going to do
S1: to get him over it. You know what? You know why.
S1: You know why? Because it takes faith to believe the
S1: promise apart from understanding how he going to do it.
S1: And that's the problem with us. We want to know, well,
S1: how are you going to do it? When are you
S1: going to work? How is this going to work? And
S1: God says, what did I tell you to do? Just
S1: get to steppin, that's all. Get to steppin. And once
S1: we get to steppin. We're walking by faith. God says okay, now,
S1: now you're here. Watch what I do. Boom. Yeah, that's
S1: what he does all the time. And here's our problem.
S1: We never get to steppin. God, I'm waiting on you.
S1: I'm waiting on you. But I'm waiting on you. But
S1: I'm waiting on you. But I'm waiting on you. Why
S1: are you waiting on me, God. Because I will not
S1: do what you can do. I will only do what
S1: you can't do. So once you do everything you can
S1: do and you get to the end of your rope,
S1: let go! I'll catch you. I'll provide. That's it. And
S1: so let me give you some principles I didn't give
S1: you last week. Here's what you need to do. Here's
S1: what you need to do. Start today. Start now. Start today.
S1: I say I want to write some more books. And
S1: God has given me favor with a woman who has
S1: worked for 20 years for Urban Ministries, the top senior
S1: editor at Urban Ministries, and now she's helping me with
S1: my book. She takes my sermon DVDs and writes them out,
S1: and she she did me a book in two weeks
S1: for two weeks, two weeks. I've had it six weeks
S1: doing the redacting to it, you know, and she called
S1: me up. She said it only took me two weeks
S1: to put everything together. What's taking you so long? And
S1: then my wife said, my wife said, honey, you ain't
S1: doing this right. You know what you need to do? What?
S1: She asked me this question. What are you doing every
S1: day that is determining what you'll be tomorrow? You say
S1: you want to be a prolific author. Put some of
S1: the stuff that you've had in more books. But if
S1: you ain't writing. So she told me, she said, okay,
S1: here's what I want you to do. Go on in
S1: that office right now. So you're talking to a woman.
S1: I'm talking to you. Go in that office right now
S1: and for the next two hours, work on that book.
S1: I said, don't be telling me what to do. And
S1: I went in my office and I worked on that
S1: book for two hours. Amen. And she told me now
S1: every day, because that is a investment on your future.
S1: So every day, two hours about what are you going
S1: to have at the end of a week, 14 hours
S1: of writing, what are you going to have at two weeks,
S1: 28 hours, and on and on and before you know it?
S1: But if you do that now to the end of
S1: the year, you may have five books, baby. Start now,
S1: start now, start now. And the second thing you ought
S1: to do see the opportunity in the opposition. That's what
S1: he's telling him. This Jordan. Thirdly, quit running from problems
S1: that should be fixed and can be fixed by you
S1: as a pastor. I'm just going to give Buck naked
S1: here because maybe if I get buck naked, y'all will
S1: join me now. Not literally, but figuratively. That is what
S1: I had to learn as a pastor and still struggle
S1: with is correcting people who need to be corrected. Yeah. Amen. Now,
S1: I know none of you have a problem with that,
S1: but correcting people who should be corrected. And you, God,
S1: will you fix it? God? Say, I ain't going to
S1: fix it. You fix it. Tell them they're wrong. Tell
S1: them they shouldn't talk to people like that. Tell them
S1: they shouldn't. Do people like that. Why? You walk by
S1: and see them fussing with each other? You, the pastor,
S1: used the crook or the staff. I say what? Hit
S1: em with it. He said no. He used the crook
S1: to pull the sheep apart when they were fighting each other. Amen.
S1: Number four quit making excuses and start making adjustments. Jesus
S1: died for our sins, not for our excuses. And excuses
S1: are like noses. Everybody has one. Here you are. Cater
S1: to your strengths and guard your weaknesses. What do you
S1: mean cater to your strengths? Why are you wasting all
S1: this time on something? That's my weakness. That I gotta
S1: work on my weakness? No, you work on your strength.
S1: You put the bulk of your time, your talent and
S1: your energy and what you're good at, what you're strong at,
S1: what you're gifted for. And guess what? Your gift will
S1: make room for you. And then finally. Come on, say
S1: it with me. Carpe diem. Who knows what it means?
S1: Stand up and holler it out. What does it mean?
S1: Seize the day. That is that when the opportunity comes,
S1: you got to lock on to that opportunity. When the
S1: door is open. Remember, we saw God said, I give
S1: you an open door and they wouldn't go. And God
S1: closed it. Take the opportunity when the opportunity is given.
S1: I look back, hindsight's always 20 over 20, bro. Richie
S1: and I can see the things we could have had,
S1: you know, we could have had here had I seized
S1: the opportunity. Uh, that apartment right there, we could have
S1: got that for $35,000. Uh, this one across the street
S1: here where this alley is. We could have bought that
S1: for $45,000 and had the alley annex and closed. So
S1: it would have been a cul de sac coming in
S1: the alley. That would have been our property over there
S1: in that 40 flat. We had an opportunity to buy
S1: that for 125,000. And it wasn't that we didn't have
S1: the money, it was we didn't have the vision. And
S1: I look at it today and say, what would we
S1: have done had we gotten that 40 flat and then
S1: fixed it up with all the things that are available
S1: to give us money, to fix it up, to put
S1: our people in there according to their income and have
S1: a Christian community in that building. And then, you know,
S1: Muhammad Ali bought it for $65,000. 40 flat building, $65,000.
S1: Seize the moment. So he says, respond to the plan.
S1: Let's look at the next one. Then we're going to
S1: go on home. That's all I'm going to do at
S1: one point. Notice, he says, what's the first qualification? Respond
S1: to God's plan. See, God has a plan. And the
S1: reason your marriage is messed up because you didn't follow
S1: the plan. The reason why your children messed up. Because
S1: you didn't follow the plan. The reason why are you
S1: still working for somebody? You don't have your own business.
S1: You didn't follow the plan. Then notice. Secondly, rest in
S1: God's promises, verses three and four. Let me read them
S1: to you. Every place that the sole of your foot
S1: shall tread upon have I given unto you, as I
S1: said unto Moses, from the wilderness, and this Lebanon unto
S1: the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of
S1: the Hittites, unto the great sea, toward the going down
S1: of the sun, shall be your coast. Here God gives
S1: them a promise. He marks it out. He gives them
S1: the property boundaries of the promised land. And do you
S1: know the tragedy that that Israel never possessed all the land?
S1: There's only one king who ever possessed all the land
S1: that God said they should should possess. And it wasn't
S1: David and it wasn't Solomon. And when I went to Israel,
S1: I won a serving a sterling silver locket. And the
S1: guy who led us, our our guide, Hillel, has been
S1: doing it for 44 years. And he said, nobody has
S1: ever answered that question for him. It's a sorry dog
S1: won't wag his own tail. And he said. He said, okay,
S1: so tell me, the king, I said, Jeroboam, he said,
S1: which one? I said, Jeroboam the second. He said, nobody
S1: has answered that in 44 years. He said, you're the
S1: first one to ever answer that. I said, well, praise
S1: the Lord. And I didn't tell him that. That had
S1: been a part of my devotional time. I'm studying the
S1: kings of Israel. It didn't matter. My wife wearing that necklace. Yeah.
S1: With a with a manner which is. Which is, uh,
S1: the widow's mite. Amen. Original. You know. Yeah. Original. Done
S1: in excavation. Yeah, yeah, because I answered the question. Here
S1: it is. Rest in God's promises. Here's what we do.
S1: We let the little things keep us from the everything
S1: that God has for us. See, when it comes to
S1: what God wants to do, you gotta understand God's will.
S1: You're either on the way or in the way.
S2: Well, that's a good question to be asking ourselves, isn't it?
S2: Are we on the way or are we in the way?
S2: You're listening to a message entitled takers as we look
S2: at Joshua chapter one. And if you joined us a
S2: little late, you can always come to the website and
S2: listen to each and every program there. You can download
S2: MP3's or you can even order copies on CD. Our
S2: website address is Treasure Truth radio.org. We'd also love to
S2: connect with you on social media. You can follow us
S2: on Twitter, like us on Facebook, even listen to the
S2: program directly through Facebook. Again, you'll find those links at
S2: our website. Treasure Truth radio.org. Back to the message. Here's
S2: Pastor Ford.
S1: Now notice the promises. First of all, notice that it's
S1: a past promise. Notice what it says. It says every
S1: place that the sole of your foot shall tread upon.
S1: That's future. Because they're not in the land yet. But
S1: I'm telling you, you walk on the land, walk on it.
S1: Because where you walk on it, that's what you will get.
S1: Then he says, I have given unto you. As I
S1: said unto Moses, he ties it to a generational promise,
S1: I promise, Moses, and I have promised Abraham, and I
S1: have promised Isaac, and I have promised Jacob. And so
S1: I'm passing it down. It's a past promise. It's like,
S1: let me tell you about your not yet, right now,
S1: so that you will not let your right now stop
S1: you from your. Not yet. Because if I tell you
S1: you're not yet, and even though you're going through trouble
S1: in your right now, the promise that I gave you
S1: about your not yet will cancel out the problem that
S1: you have in your right now. So if you understand
S1: that right now you have the not yet. Then you'll
S1: act like it. You you'll say, I don't care. Come
S1: the proverbial hell or high water, I'm going to possess
S1: my God given possessions. Okay, okay, okay, okay. Listen, listen, listen.
S1: Say it with me. The power to perform is in
S1: the promise, proclaimed the promise. Alright, let me give you
S1: an example. Remember the man who was paralyzed for 38 years? Yes.
S1: He was laying on a pallet, paralyzed, could speak, but
S1: couldn't move, couldn't move his hands. And Jesus came to
S1: him and said, rise, be a taker. Pick up your
S1: pallet and walk. Now wait a minute. How are you
S1: going to tell a paralyzed man? Rise. He's been paralyzed
S1: 38 years. Rise. Be a taker. Take up your pallet
S1: and walk. Because the power to perform is in the
S1: promise proclaimed. It's inherent in the word that he's given
S1: to us. Our faith activates the power. Now, we ain't
S1: got to go through that. We always talk about Jheri curls.
S1: You had to have the activator. And faith is the
S1: activator that activates the Word of God. So what did
S1: he do? He he rose became a taker. Now, here's
S1: here's what I would have done if I'd been laying
S1: on that pallet for 38 years. I don't want anything
S1: to do with that pallet, am I? Am I right
S1: about it? Sister? Wife? Yeah. Look, look, I just had
S1: this thing. I'm sick of it. I hadn't had the
S1: new model. And, you know, I don't want this thing anymore. So. Jesus,
S1: why do you tell me to take it? Because everybody
S1: knows that for 38 years, the pallet been carrying you.
S1: Now I want you to show them that when you
S1: get a promise from God, you now carry what was
S1: carrying you. You got victory over what had you conquered.
S1: You pick up your pallet so everybody can see that
S1: you're more than a conqueror through him that loves you.
S1: That when you got a promise from God, it doesn't
S1: matter what your circumstances are, because now God gives you
S1: sovereignty over your circumstances so that now he doesn't always
S1: change the circumstances, the palate, but he always changes you.
S1: So you're able to pick up that palate, pick it up.
S1: Come on, tell somebody. Pick it up, pick it up,
S1: pick it up, pick up that palate. Get up off
S1: of it. Pick it up now. Now I want you
S1: to notice something. Because when you look at this thing,
S1: it's really powerful because he says, here's what I want
S1: you to do. I want you to believe the promise.
S1: I say it all the time, but let me say
S1: it again. Don't put a question mark where God has
S1: put a period. Don't do that. No, don't put a
S1: question mark where God has put a period. It is,
S1: it is. There's three tenses of the promise here because
S1: it's a past promise that's given in the reticent about
S1: his future. Now, here's what you do. It's a past promise.
S1: But here's what you gotta do. You gotta personalize it.
S1: You gotta personalize it. What's he telling them to do?
S1: Claim this promise for yourself, Joshua and the children of Israel.
S1: I've given it to you. Now all you have to
S1: do is claim it. See, the first generation didn't believe it.
S1: And so let me show you. Let me show you
S1: my grandson. Uh, my my next to my youngest grandson.
S1: His name is Jaden Ford. Uh, now, Jaden is a
S1: young scholar. Every year he gets 10 or 12 awards
S1: and have been getting them since he's been at Dixon
S1: School in pre-K. He's in fourth grade now. Every year
S1: he gets these awards. Well, this year, here's what happened. Uh,
S1: three years in a row, he won student of the year.
S1: And that's from pre-K to sixth grade. Student of the year. And,
S1: this year they said, okay, we're going to award our
S1: trophy for student of the year. Now the student of
S1: the year gets special things. They get. They got a
S1: he got a the the reader thing. Where's the reader thing?
S1: Kindle fire, Kindle Fire. He got a Kindle Fire and he,
S1: and he got the opportunity to bring his family and
S1: they ate with the principal. Now he's done that three
S1: years in a row. So they got up and they said, okay,
S1: we're going to announce the student of the year. And
S1: before the teacher could announce it, the whole student body
S1: said Jayden Ford. And she said, that's right, Jayden Ford. Now,
S1: he has never been late or missed a day of
S1: school from pre-K, and he gets that award for never
S1: missing class and never being late every year. So this
S1: is what happened last week. My son got a flat
S1: tire and so he was on his way to school
S1: and his dad got a flat tire. He went into
S1: the trunk and the spare was flat. Jayden's in the back.
S1: He starts crying. Oh, dad, I'm going to be late.
S1: I'm never been late. You're going to make me late.
S1: I knew I should have rode to school with mom.
S1: I told you we should leave early in case anything happened.
S1: Then we could get on the bus. So my son said.
S1: He said, you know, I've been sharing with my children
S1: how God just changed me, turned me around. And now
S1: I have this job. My son worked for the railroad.
S1: He said, I have this job and I'm so blessed.
S1: And so I told him, you know how when you
S1: give God what he wants, he gives you what you want,
S1: and until you give God what he wants, he's not
S1: giving you what you want. So he said he wanted
S1: my life, but I didn't want to give it to him.
S1: And I tried everything in my own power, my own
S1: way to make it. I never made it. But as
S1: soon as I turned my life over to him, he
S1: opened up doors I never could see and look where
S1: I am now. And so Jayden said, but how is
S1: that going to help me get to school on time.
S1: And my son said, do you believe in Jesus Christ?
S1: Yes I do, daddy. Uh, don't you believe that he
S1: could get you on school on time? You believe that? Yes, sir,
S1: I believe it. But I'm riding with you and not
S1: with Jesus. And, uh, he's very practical. He's very practical,
S1: Pastor Betsy. He's very practical. And so he said he
S1: said he said, well, then do you know how to pray?
S1: And he said, yes, I know how to pray. He said, well,
S1: pray and ask him because this is something that is
S1: good and he will do it for you. But we're
S1: going to be late. You're on a flat tire. And uh,
S1: he said, well, are you going to believe God or what?
S1: And so Jaden prayed, Lord, you know, I've never been late.
S1: And now because I chose to go with my daddy
S1: and not my mommy, I'm going to be late. Please
S1: help us get to school on time. My son said
S1: he He hit the gas and that and that tire
S1: hit the rim, and the tire came off and the
S1: rim was rolling. And then the rim started sparking and
S1: the car starts smoking. And he stopped. The car grabbed
S1: his son and they ran the rest of the way.
S1: He said as the last child was going in, Jaden
S1: went in, joined in the back, got in his room,
S1: sat in his chair and the bell rang and the
S1: bell rang and he showed him. All you had to
S1: do was personalise it. And he was telling me about
S1: his thanksgiving prayer, and that he talked about it all
S1: day in school. Jesus got me here on time. Jesus
S1: got me here on time. Jesus got. I prayed and
S1: Jesus got me here on time. Jesus. And so my
S1: son had me cracking up. If you don't know my
S1: youngest son, all the four men got a little sense
S1: of humor. I don't know where they get it from,
S1: but they all got it. And so and so I said,
S1: what did you do, son? He said, I said, Lord Jesus,
S1: you're a real worker. You've been willed to me. Because
S1: where there's a will, there's a way.
S2: Yeah. Wonder where that sense of humor comes from, right.
S2: You're listening to Treasure Truth with Pastor Ford. A message
S2: entitled takers from Joshua chapter one. And we're going to
S2: continue this next time in the broadcast. If you want
S2: to make sure you don't miss it, come to the website.
S2: Right now it's Treasure Truth radio.org. You can sign up
S2: for the podcast or you can download the Moody Radio app.
S2: We'll link you to it when you come to Treasure
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S2: A production of Moody Radio, a ministry of Moody Bible Institute.