Guys, so today we are going to talk about pushing into favor again, part three.
Pushing into favor, part three.
Emily is listening from Lethbridge.
So, here's a question I want to ask you.
Given the fact that we've been talking about favor for the last four or four and a half weeks,
here is a question I want to ask you.
Are you waking up in favor or are you working from a minus or a negative place to a place of favor during the day?
Because by now, if you've been going home and practicing what is being taught,
and if we are cooperating with the Holy Spirit,
we should by now be at that place where we are beginning to wake up in favor,
not working towards favor.
And if that is not your default, then work a little harder at making it your default.
Because after hearing about what God's favor looks like and how he sees us and how it positions us,
then I should wake up in favor.
Like when I get up, it should be, oh, shucks, this is too much to handle, I'm too highly favored.
That should be your attitude.
That is how we should wake up.
Otherwise, what will happen is we'll start at a place of negativity or minus,
and during the day, we'll keep telling ourselves we are favored.
By the time we get to feeling favored, it's already 11 p.m.
And so that isn't very helpful.
So I want you to keep that in mind.
And for today, I mean, there are different ways of describing favor, not defining favor.
You cannot define favor because it's so broad.
It's very hard to define in one sentence.
But there are different ways of describing favor.
And today, the description that we'd probably be focusing on most is that favor is permission.
Favor is permission.
It's an invitation.
It's an invitation from God into greater measure, into greater measure.
It's an invitation from God into greater measure of fullness.
Of what?
Of His ways, plans, person.
That's the beauty of this description of favor.
Like I said, we have to move from this place where we thought favor was a promotion or a job and stuff like that.
That's not where it is anymore.
So today, if we were to describe favor as, how would we describe it today as we talk about this topic?
It would be favor is permission.
Favor is God's invitation into a greater measure of, or greater fullness of His ways, His plans, and His person.
What that does then is favor gives you a vantage point in battle.
Favor gives you a vantage point in battle.
Favor gives you a vantage point in battle or in hard circumstances or the wear and tear of the day.
Favor gives you a vantage point.
And what is a vantage point?
A vantage point is a position.
It's a position that affords you, a position that affords you a wide and advantageous perspective.
A wide and advantageous perspective.
The great thing is this perspective is not your perspective.
It is God's perspective of a situation.
And it is a panoramic perspective.
So it's not limited.
It's not narrow.
It gives you a wide perspective.
So standing here, I can see like a panoramic view of the church.
I can look around.
It's like one of those camera shots where you take the panoramic view.
Camera shots where you take the panoramic view.
And that is what you get.
And it's an advantageous perspective.
It tells you from God's perspective what is really happening.
And so favor gives you a vantage point in battle or vantage point in hard situations or difficult circumstances or everyday wear and tear.
This gives you a very advantageous position to see things from.
And you're seeing it through God's ways.
You're seeing it in the context of God's plans.
And you're seeing it through the mind and the person of God.
And that changes everything.
Derek, you want a new job or you're okay?
You're okay? Okay.
So that's kind of the scripture passage that we are looking at where God, where Moses had this vantage position to deal with a battle.
And it's in Exodus 17, Exodus 17, verse 8 to 16.
Exodus 17, verse 8 to 16.
Here's what it says.
The Amalekites came and attacked the Israelites at Rephidim.
Moses said to Joshua, choose some of our men and go out to fight the Amalekites.
Tomorrow I will stand on top of the hill with the staff of God in my hands.
So Joshua fought the Amalekites as Moses had ordered.
And Moses, Aaron and Her went to the top of the hill.
As long as Moses held up his hands, the Israelites were winning.
But whenever he lowered his hands, the Amalekites were winning.
When Moses' hands grew tired, they took a stone and put it under him and he sat on it.
Aaron and Her held his hands up, one on one side, one on the other,
so that his hands remained steady till sunset.
So Joshua overcame the Amalekite army with the sword.
Then the Lord said to Moses, write this on a scroll as something to be remembered
and make sure that Joshua hears it, because I will completely blot out the memory of the Amalek from under the heavens.
Moses built an altar and called it, The Lord is my banner or Jehovah-Nissi.
He said, for hands were lifted up to the throne of the Lord,
the Lord will be at war against the Amalekites from generation to generation.
Guys, so in this story, it's the first battle since Israel left Egypt.
These are a slave people and they've left Egypt and this is the first time they're in a battle.
It's the first time that since leaving Egypt that Israel is involved in a battle.
You're talking about an exhausted slave people and why do I say exhausted?
If you go to Deuteronomy 25, verse 18, you'll see their condition when they were attacked.
Deuteronomy 25, verse 18, and it says there,
When you were weary and worn out, they met you on your journey and cut off all who were lagging behind.
They had no fear of God. It's recounting the story of the Amalekite attack.
And so this is the first battle since leaving Egypt where an exhausted slave people
were confronted by a trained army that attacked them suddenly and mercilessly.
You must understand the context because these were not a people that were trained.
It was not like they had fought. They had only been whipped.
Their backs still carried the scars and now they're out in the open and an army attacks them without provocation.
And that is when God begins to speak to Moses and tells him how to go about things.
So the first point I want to make with regard to favor is that to walk in favor,
if you say you're walking in favor,
There must be evidence of the presence and the power of God.
If you say you're walking in favor,
then there must be evidence of the presence and the power of God,
and if there is not, we must work towards cultivating it.
If you say you're walking in favor,
then there must be evidence for the presence and the power of God.
Guys, favor has to be tangible, eh?
Whenever someone says,
Oh, the boss showed me favor,
what do you say?
How?
And then he'll tell you how.
He gave me a Rolex or he gave me a promotion
or he gave me a airplane or whatever.
Favor is shown.
And whenever favor is shown, it's tangible.
It must be evidenced.
And the first point that we want to make about favor today
is that to walk in favor,
to walk in favor
is to evidence
his presence and power.
Is to evidence his presence and power.
Here, the presence and the power of God
was represented by the staff of God in Moses' hand.
It was just an ordinary staff,
a shepherd staff.
But this is the same staff that in chapter four,
when thrown to the ground,
went and devoured the staffs of the Egyptian magicians.
This is the same staff that when stretched over
the Red Sea, caused the Red Sea to part.
This is the same staff that when used to strike a rock,
brought water out of it.
The favor of God will evidence the presence
and the power of God.
It is a necessity.
Otherwise, all we can tell the world is we are favored.
Show us and there's nothing to show.
We have come to show you the father.
Well, show us the favor of the father.
And let the favor blaze forth in difficult circumstances.
It is in difficult circumstances
that the backdrop for favor becomes even more darker
so that favor is brighter.
Nothing like the early morning sun,
if you have seen it.
I've heard it's brilliant.
It just comes out of the dark.
And it's the best context to see the sun, eh?
I remember once,
traveling back from, I don't know where, maybe Mongolia.
And it was my birthday.
By the way,
just remembered,
you got 20 days, man.
Because of COVID restrictions,
you may have to plan two separate days.
Really, that was not where I was planning to go.
So I was flying back from Mongolia.
I mean, what can I do if God prompts these things?
So I was flying back from Mongolia
and I remember God giving me a promise
that seemed just ridiculous.
It was impossible.
So I was saying, father, this seems so impossible.
How do I know that it's you and not my imagination?
And I remember God saying this.
He says, I'll show you two dawns inside 24 hours.
And then once I show you the two dawns inside 24 hours,
you will not have to doubt it.
Two dawns.
No, D-A-W-N-S, two dawns.
One dawn is here.
Two dawns in 24 hours.
I remember going to sleep and it was odd, eh?
You travel past the international date line
and time changes and stuff like that.
I remember in a span of 15 hours,
waking up exactly at the moment
and opening my window to see the sun coming up,
I've seen the sun rise.
Then I remember going back to sleep
and then waking up exactly when the sun comes up
on this side of the hemisphere.
Sometimes God has odd ways of proving
that he's behind something.
You think I ever doubted the promise after that?
You think it hasn't come to pass?
I'll show you two dawns in less than 24 hours.
Anyways, that's on the side.
Guys,
favor must be evidenced through the power
and the presence of God.
And if it is not evidenced through your life,
you've got to begin to work on it saying,
Father, in difficult circumstances,
help me to walk in the kind of favor or permission
that allows your presence and power
to be shown through my life in difficult circumstances.
In difficult circumstances.
Allow me to walk in your favor
so that your presence and power is evidenced in my life.
Allow me when serpents of the Egyptian magicians
are being thrown before me.
Allow me to have the confidence.
Favor gives you confidence
because you know you have permission.
Favor gives you confidence
because you know you have permission.
Allow me when the Egyptian serpents are running
around my feet to throw down my staff
and know that my staff will swallow theirs.
Allow me, oh God, when the sea doesn't look
like it can be crossed, to stretch out my staff,
knowing that I have permission from you in this area.
Favor, confidence, and that the sea will part.
Father, show your power and presence.
Show that I am favored.
Father, allow me when people are dying of thirst
and almost ready to stone me
to go and strike the rock that you tell me to
with this staff and let water gush out of a rock
in a dry desert.
I mean, if we sing songs like in Jesus' name, miracles,
in Jesus' name, healings, those are,
that's a favor of God upon you, man.
In difficult circumstances, what overcomers do,
and overcomers are those that overcome difficult circumstances.
In difficult circumstances, what overcomers do
is overcomers lock into the extraordinary favor
that they have learned through the years.
In difficult circumstances, what overcomers do
is overcomers lock into the extraordinary favor
that they have learned over the years.
You learn this over the years.
You know that, my God, this is why David's sounds
are so brilliant.
I remember, oh God, that you did this.
I remember, oh God, that you did that.
When I was in this situation, you did that.
Oh God, renew them again.
Oh God, do them again.
I remember fondly, oh God, when I sat with you,
he would just go remember that.
When I sat with you, he would just go remember.
And he learned favor, extraordinary favor.
And unless you learn it, you will not find it,
but will under come instead of overcoming.
You have to learn favor.
In difficult circumstances, overcomers immediately lock
into the extraordinary favor that they have learned.
And the longer you live, guys, this is the great advantage
of living long.
I feel bad for you young guys.
The longer you live, the more you've learned.
At least that's the way it should be.
And the more you've learned, the more you can draw
on this extraordinary favor.
So grow up.
Listen to this next line, because it's precious.
In every battle or every difficult circumstance
or in every battle, locate your place of favor.
In every battle, locate your place of favor.
Locate your place of favor.
I'll explain that.
It's what kids do.
They get into a difficult, tight spot,
difficult circumstance, and what do they do?
They immediately locate their place of favor.
And what is that?
Either a safe distance from the father or the mother
or the uncle or the aunt, or a safe place with their friends
or the safe corner in the room or the safe doll
that they can hold.
They locate their place of favor.
In that place, they know there is strength.
And there is nothing there that is really,
it's just the sense of, ah, I found it.
And so in every battle, locate your place of favor,
and you will hear God laughing.
And you will hear God laughing.
Locate your place of favor and you will hear God laughing.
You will hear God laughing.
And once you hear God laugh, a strange thing happens.
It emboldens the warrior in you and it emasculates the enemy.
In every battle, locate your place of favor
and you will hear your father laughing.
When you hear him laughing the warrior in you is emboldened and the enemy is emasculated
Because the laughter of God frightens the enemy he has heard it before it
Frightens him the Psalms talk about it that God laughs
And the enemy gnashes his teeth
But we rarely get into this place where we hear the laughter of the father
It's the first thing to do in trouble man
Okay, dear father and locate his favor and then stand in the permission that you know you have because of
What you've already accomplished you know you have permission in this situation you can hear the father saying
Take a full fella the guy who's coming against he has no idea what you're gonna do to him and as he begins to laugh
You think you the role struck even I didn't have an idea
But I know something's gonna happen and meanwhile the enemy doesn't know but all he can hear is laughter
This is real it's happened in the Old Testament many times
Any questions
Questions
Every time I get to that part in the movie Raiders of the Lost Ark
Where that guy comes up with a sword and does all his sword movement
I begin to laugh because I know what's gonna happen next Harrison Ford is gonna take out his gun and shoot him
It's literally like that this once you hear father's laughter you start laughing because you know how this is going to end
But see you cannot hear him laugh if you haven't fought battles before
And so learn learn
Any questions is it impractical does it not make sense
If it doesn't make sense because you haven't been in difficult circumstances and fought before then there's no way to make sense of it
Till you get involved in a battle and fight
But otherwise does it make sense please talk back
It's too loud don't speak so loudly like thank you
You know Josh and I went to a particular place where we had to pray against a power
And we had to pray against a power that was not going to be able to do anything
Josh and I went to a particular place where we had to pray against a power that was territorial
And I was huffing and puffing because it was uphill and Josh was trying to push me so I don't go back in
As we kept climbing I knew what we were against the wonderful thing about Josh was he was completely oblivious to it
And I thought let's him remain that way because I was scared he would disappear and then I would go downhill
So so he had one point he started pushing me up
And I was thinking
I'm going climbing up and I'm thinking to myself, but father. I know what's gonna happen. I know what is gonna happen
This is a power that has terrorized this region for years, but I'm absolutely confident of what's gonna happen
And I mean you can hear God laughs saying I have sent you for this look at what's gonna happen
And then we experience some
Remarkable things that was supernatural
But we knew
What is gonna happen?
That's a dad scale you can begin to experience this on a on a every circumstances
Guys we only get to be faithful in big things if you are faithful in
little things
the nature of
God okay
No questions okay when you walk in favor
Another great thing that happens when you walk in favor is you open the door for others you open the door for others
You create momentum for others
You create momentum for others and
You
Help others
Experience the impossible
There should be a goal that you have
That oh God I will begin to explore this idea of favor
Once I do and as I get better and better at it my intent is when when I walk in favor
I'm going to open the door for others to walk in favor
They'll begin to recognize what it is to walk in permission
They'll begin to recognize what it is to create moment they begin to feel the momentum
Open the doors for others to engage God
So you open the doors for others to engage God you create momentum in the life of others and you help others experience the impossible
This is critical guys
We we don't want favor for ourselves
We want favor so that the earth may know the ways and the plans and the personhood of God
That's what favor is for this is why Mordecai could not understand why Esther was being so dumb
What's wrong with you Esther? So you got favor for what so that you could be in the palace?
For a time such as this this favor was meant for others
And so you have to create this for others you see this happening in second Kings 2 9
Where Elijah trained Elisha well and he gets him to a point where Elisha is asking for the impossible the favor that
Elisha saw on Elijah was what made Elijah said can I have twice this?
People should see it on your life in my life and say hey Jacob
I don't want what you have I don't I want twice what you have and
Absolutely begin to work towards getting twice so that the one after you can get four times what I had
This is how it works guys
You see the same thing with Moses in Exodus 24 where Moses had this amazing intimate relationship with God and one point God says to Moses
Hey Moses you want to bring?
Neda by the be who and 70 others with you up the mountain and so 70 elders of Israel go up the mountain
That's what God says to Moses Moses is intimacy with God allowed
72 others to experience God
He created a momentum in Israel that was unheard of and what happens to these 72
There are the only 72 men on the face of the earth who ate and drank with God Exodus 24 verse 11
They saw a sapphire
Sapphire floor
Over which God trod and they've eaten drank with God
You must do this for others. I
Want to do it for others. I want to do it for you
And then I pray God that you'll have the audacity and the work that has been put in to ask for a double
Not ask for a double from me
But from God saying oh God the favor that was upon him was tremendous now could I have twice as much?
By the way when Moses took Aaron and her up the hill
Please we made Aaron and her basically guys who lift up people's hands
What are Aaron and her known best for Aaron is known for making a golden calf and lifting up Moses left hand her
He didn't even make anything all he did was lift up Moses's right hand. They've been like
Aaron and her were trusted
lieutenants of Moses
He wasn't taking them up the hill so they could hold his hands up Moses had no idea what was going to happen there
Moses didn't know that every time he'd lower his hands that the
Amalekites would begin to win and every time he lifted his hands the Israelites would begin to win. He had no idea
He didn't know that he'd be stuck there for a whole day
He didn't know that he would have to hold up that staff. Otherwise this battle is lost
Aaron and her went up with Moses because Moses took them knowing he could open the door for the future because he knew he was
Going to go on he could create momentum. He could help them experience the impossible a boy
Did they experience the impossible?
In the process while they are there when they realize that this battle will not be one if Moses lowers his hand and his hands are
Getting tired now Aaron and her kick it. I
Love those who walk with me because they know what God is doing even though they can't see it
That's one of the advantages of the leaders that acts funny 90 they'll walk with you
Even though they don't know what is happening. They have seen God at work and they'll walk
The other option is when leaders
Give you the benefit of doubt, you know, we really don't know where you're going
But we're just gonna trust you even though you're not really
Giving us scriptures from the word we just trust you
I'll give you the benefit of doubt bad idea when anyone starts a sentence saying I'll give you the benefit of doubt
Know that very soon. It'll go from benefit of doubt to
questioning your motives and
From there not questions questions. I'm asked questioning your motives is different
And then from questioning your motives they will go to the questioner
Is different and then from questioning your motives they will go to
Asking you to jump off the steeple to prove that you are really from God
And if you don't then they'll stone you
This is why in most churches
Pastors will never attempt anything God tells them to because to attempt something that God tells them true will take them through this progression
Will give you the benefit doubt doubt for the next two weeks can't see it from the word
But if you're saying so because we know you with
Moment you hear that be carefully because you know what's gonna come next
Questioning your motives after the question your motives prove that this is really God. How do you prove God man?
And then if that doesn't work
Get ready to stone. I needed to put that in because it's important. Don't go down that road ever. Don't go down that road
You can question
But don't go down this road. It's a it's a really not healthy road
Any questions as in real questions
I was just thinking of that yesterday that man. I am so fortunate and blessed that
Whenever I've worked with people at acts 29 even though they don't
Know what God is even though they have can't see what God is doing
They know that God is up to something and you guys follow
like
crazy
Any questions
Do you want to encourage me by saying something like
No pressure
Thank you Diana
Hey
They were encourages you favor encourages you favor encourages you
To push past
Where God was
To where God is and who he wants to be
They were encourages you to push past where God was
Into where God is and who he wants to be hey just remember one thing guess what was happening in Exodus 15 in
Exodus 15 God said I am Jehovah
Rapha
The God who heals you
Exodus 15 there was but the whole where alpha is now behind them
And
So the next question is who does God want to be now
Who does God want to be now? This is the first battle
They are facing as a slave people
Who does what God want to be now?
They've never fought before
In fact, they can't remember the last time they fought the last time they fought was Abraham's men
318 in his household going out and fighting against the king of Kings in the valley since then Israel hasn't fought
So yes Jehovah was Jehovah Rapha in Exodus 15, but who
Will he now be
To a slave people in Exodus 17 and that's when God comes back to them saying hey, guess who I want to be
I want to be Jehovah
Nessie
I
Wanted that mean that I want to be the Lord is my banner to you. The Lord is my banner guys
This is such a cool thing that we can spend a lifetime exploring father. You were this last year
You were this pre-covid. What do you want to be post-covid?
You were this four months ago. What do you want to be now?
You were this when the sewing factory started who do you want to be now based on who you want to be is what?
I'll build on Earth
Now you can't go take a stick and throw it into the water and expect victory
That was in Jehovah Rapha where you took a stick and threw it into the
Waters called Mara and the waters turned sweet and he declared himself as healer here
He's not declaring himself as healer. He's declaring himself as Lord my banner
So and so that in verse 15 he builds a banner he builds an altar
And he calls it the Lord is my banner and altar whenever it was built was like a memorial that would
Become a principle or a lesson for ever guys. Do you realize this?
The whole work comes and tells them that I will be Jehovah Rapha your healer go to Psalm 105 verse
37 and here's what you hear about them in Psalm 105 verse 37 that when Israel left Egypt
All throughout their journey there was none that was feeble amongst them
What a God
In Exodus 15 he says I will be Jehovah Rapha the God that healed you and then for the next 40 years
There is none that is feeble amongst them some 105 verse 37
There's this thing called
How have I written it? Yeah establish first principles and hammer them into non-negotiables on the anvil of your circumstances
Establish first principles as in as you begin to discover something that God is revealing to you
Establish it as a principle in your life
Establish it as a principle quickly
Why because now
You can take that principle and make it an absolute non-negotiable as in God has said it. I'm convinced about it persuaded
there's no shifting with this and now it becomes a
Non-negotiable and a non-negotiable is all always shaped on the anvil of your circumstances meaning your
Circumstances will test it and when it is tested you keep standing and now it becomes a non-negotiable principle in your life
So are you convinced that Jesus Christ is Yahweh Rapha and that is a healer well then
Begin to allow circum even if not begin to allow even when
Circumstances of sickness come your way you have taken this principle and established it like an altar like a memorial
Like a lesson and you say yes. I see that I am sick. Yes. I see that there is a disease but
On the anvil of the sickness I will establish a non-negotiable
Principle that was shown to me by Jehovah who said he's Jehovah Rapha and I will now prove it
And I will see his favor upon my life and I will create momentum for others to follow too
These altars were not built because Moses had nothing else to do
Proof of walking in favor
What does that look like from your own perspective?
It's not making you look like money or a staff or a home and a cake
Proof of walking in favor I can
Give you three or four examples off the cuff without thinking and you're asking about me
So these are personal examples, so it sounds like boasting, but I'm not so for instance
I can walk into a place where I have to teach and I know that there's such
Permission and favor upon my life in the area of teaching certain truths that I can open my mouth and God will give me
Things from the word that I've never spoken before but they will come I know the favor that is upon me
I can go sit with a person who's going through a problem and have absolutely no counseling experience
And I'm sure there are brilliant counselors, but there will be keys that God will give by its spirit that will open up things
like no counselor can I
I
Can go into a territory where I know that it doesn't matter how long?
This particular power has harassed this land that if I go in there alone
I can still chase that power away because I have permission in this land and I can cause it to happen
It sounds like boasting but it is not it is just permission you experience it in different areas of your life
We don't actually put it down in words because we think maybe God did it don't know whether he'll do it next time
It's not that way this permission thing is beautiful. You experience it every day at work
You experience it every day in your house
It's just that we don't phrase it
The Hover Nessie
God is so smart. This is their first battle. They're an exhausted bunch. There are slave people never fought before
So what does he do? Let me establish who I will be in battle now and forever. I will be Jehovah Nessie
I'll be your banner. What does that mean in the ancient times a banner was the name that you fought under?
Now it's established Israel will fight under this banner
Is
The ancient times a banner was the cause you fought for
He establishes it forever. I will give you a land that I promised to your ancestors
And in ancient times a banner was the commander you served under who would determine strategy
And he establishes it forever and Joshua remembers it
You think Joshua doesn't remember this when he's standing outside Jericho
That there is strategy going to be given by this commander under his banner we fought
Then under his banner we will fight now and he's still yet scared because he's never done this alone
It's his first battle as commander and guess who turns up
the commander
The commander turns up
That's how this God works man
I
Favour knows how to stand before God
Varying the nature of the realm you belong to listen to these words. They're so
Powerful favor
Knows how to stand before God
favor knows how to stand before God when you have favor when you learn how when you're learning how to walk in favor you will
Know how to stand before God and where?
The nature of the realm you belong to and where the nature of the realm you belong to
As in you will wear the nature that of the realm you belong to which the realm do you belong to you
Belong to the realm of the kingdom of God of heaven you see this in first Samuel 17 45
Oh, you see it so beautifully in first Samuel 17 45
You come against me
With spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord our God
He's wearing the nature of the realm of heaven. He's up against a giant much bigger than him, but he wears
What does he wear? He doesn't have an armor
He's just dressed in a simple tunic with five stones and a sling
But he wears the nature of the realm he belongs to because he knows the permission and the favor of God upon him
Why does he know it because he's already seen it with the lion and the bear
He's already seen it when he plays an instrument and demons flee. Who are you you uncircumcised Philistine?
Don't you know that I come in the name of Jehovah?
Where the nature of the realm you belong to
Which then requires that I start shedding
What I wear from the nature of the earth that I belong to
Our
Human strength our human wisdom everything that the systems of the world
Teachers is what we hold on to and all of that when you wear what heaven provides new and old do not mix
You cannot put new cloth than an old cloth
You cannot even sustain what God is doing today over what you wore three months ago
We try to hold on to both I
remember once waking up one morning years ago 2007 or 2006
I still have that dream written down and I'm spending time with these three girlfriends from the past and I finished with one and
I go to the next and talk to her then go to I woke up in the morning thing
Why did I dream of these three girls? I still remember the names God said man
You're juggling so many options so that you can always have the best one whenever you want it
He says let go of your options you love juggling options
You keep all your options open so that if this way you can go to this if this way you can go to this
Stop it
No plan B
You know an IRV says in verse 16
an IRV says in verse 16 that
Moses is saying my hands are raised towards the throne of God my hands are raised towards the throne of God and I we says
The Amalekites raised their hands towards the throne of God and I RV says my hands are raised towards the throne of God
And I like that translation because once you begin to wear
Once you begin to wear the nature of the realm you belong to what happens is anybody who touches you now begins to touch God
Exodus 1926 God says to
Not 26 Exodus 1912 when God is going to
Stand on Mount Sinai and give out the Ten Commandments
He says to Moses hey Moses make sure that no animal comes near this mountain as I come upon it
And if anything touches this mountain that animal must be stoned or shot with an arrow and that becomes a thing
When you begin to walk in favor as in the permission of God in a certain area
Now what happens is when others come and touch you they are touching the throne of God
And so you don't have to do nothing
Because now they have to deal with God
This is what
Gamaliel said hey if this is God there's nothing you can do to stop this
In the book of Acts there's nothing you can do to stop this
There's nothing you can do to stop this
Anyone who touches you now touches the throne of God
That's why in niv it says because hands were lifted up against the throne of the Lord
The Lord will be at war with the amalekites and guess how long that war continued it continued through
Exodus into Deuteronomy into Judges into Ruth into Esther and in Esther you see
After generations of war with the amalekites it finally concludes. How does it conclude? Remember there was an amalekite king
That Saul was supposed to put to death
King agag of the amalekites
Don't remember him and Saul spares his life and then
Samuel comes and says why did you spare his life and Samuel kills him and guess who is fighting the jews in the book of ester
him and the agagite
An amalekite and ester is the book where the amalekites are wiped from the face of the earth
Just a bit of history on the side two more things and then we are done which doesn't mean much
You don't know how long the two things are right
You
Pa隊會帶你們從打開對決剛開 swing
The enemy starting us up
We're gonna keep them away
You know the raised hands were not hands of intercession,
the raised hands was hands of intervention.
Moses wasn't praying there.
Manoj, you're not following me with the camera, man.
I went there.
Come on, Manoj.
You're paying your big bucks for this.
The raised hands were not hands of intercession,
but they were hands that intervened with power.
Moses had learned this.
I go to Exodus 14.
You know there are some times where God will say,
stop praying.
That sounds terrible, huh?
From a Christian perspective, stop praying
when we're supposed to pray unceasingly.
But there are times when God will say,
stop praying because I just want you to act now.
In Exodus 14, verse 15,
you see this cool thing that's happening
where Moses is standing at the Red Sea.
He knows something is going to happen.
He thinks maybe we should pray or something
or cry out to God.
And the Lord said to Moses, verse 15,
why are you crying out to me?
Tell the Israelites to move on.
Raise your staff,
stretch out your hand over the sea to divide the water
so that the Israelites can go through the sea on dry ground.
In the message, it says,
why are you crying to me?
Split the sea.
Imagine God saying that to you.
You want to go from Vancouver to Richmond
and you're at the Fraser.
And God says, why are you crying to me?
You just split the Fraser.
But Moses realizes that there is no point crying right now.
Intercession sometimes has to be replaced by intervention.
And when God has given you permission,
you will pray less and do more.
When God gives you permission,
you will pray less and do more
because you know that in this area,
you have permission.
You will still not be presumptuous,
but because you have spent time with God,
you will spend time doing, not praying.
Spending time with God is not the same as spending time praying.
Moses learned this.
And then you see Joshua repeating this.
This is the cool thing, guys.
You walk in favor,
the people who are learning from you will walk in favor
and do exactly what you do.
So in Joshua 8.26,
Joshua 8.26, you see Joshua doing the same thing.
He realizes, well,
I better go and do something now instead of praying
because he had spent some time praying
and God said, stop praying.
Achan has stolen garments,
but now in Joshua 8.26,
he does the same thing that Moses did on the mountain.
Joshua 8.26,
for Joshua did not draw back the hand
that held out his javelin
until he had destroyed all who lived in Achan.
So here's this guy who stretched out his hand with a javelin
and he knows what Moses did.
And now he's doing the same thing in Ai.
Because the last time they went out and fought,
they were beaten,
if you read the story.
And they were beaten and Joshua's crying and God says,
why are you crying?
Get up, don't you know that someone's stolen stuff?
Go and deal with that.
And now he says, go out and war.
And throughout the day,
Joshua holds out his javelin this way.
By the way, guys,
on the live stream,
all these services seem shorter
because you can get up and go.
Here, it's still as long as it really is.
Ingling is experiencing it right now.
I can see it on your face.
But it's okay, another ten minutes and we'll be done, Ingling.
Ingling is thinking,
when I watch this on live stream,
it seems much shorter.
It seems very long right now.
So guys, at the end of the day,
favor causes you to move
from asking God
to participating
in God's action.
To participating in God's action.
And the strange thing is,
you will only see what is happening
in your rear view mirror.
As in, when you're participating with God,
you don't have moments to
get up and examine your work.
When you're participating with God,
you are running with him
and all you see is a victory in your rear view mirror.
It's one thing to send someone to look
whether the cloud has come in the sky.
That's intercession.
Intervention is you're running with God
and God is doing stuff.
You're along for the ride.
You're just saying what he wants you to say
and as you do that,
in the rear view mirror, you'll see,
oh shucks, that guy got knocked off.
Oh shucks, that guy's lost his head.
Oh shucks, that guy got slain.
You'll just see it in the rear view mirror.
That's how this works.
So much so, that God has to say,
in verse 14,
hey, Moses, Aaron, Herb,
please write this down
so that Joshua hears about it.
So that Joshua hears about it.
Because Joshua's got no idea what's happening.
Joshua's fighting down there.
He has no idea that Moses is lifting up a stick,
that when he lowers it, the battle is losing.
When he lifts it up, the battle is winning.
He doesn't know any of this.
And God literally says,
write it down, rehearse it
in the ears of Joshua
so that Joshua remembers it.
I love it when you are so involved in the action
that you don't know who you've knocked out.
It's like this football, like say,
who would do stuff like this?
Messi.
So, not the other guy. What's his name?
Something like that.
So, Messi.
So, sometimes you see Messi
taking the ball towards the goal
and you don't even realize the players
from Real Madrid lying behind him.
As he just goes effortlessly,
all you can do is slow motion
and you see guys scattered around you.
It's literally like that.
You see things in the rear view mirror.
You got a problem with that, Don?
It's all perspective, Machan.
Last point.
Favor contends.
When you have permission, you will contend.
You know, it's very odd.
After I came to Canada,
and I realized that we have rights in Canada,
as opposed to the country that I used to live in before.
Before, in the country that I used to live in,
you could have a right to say,
what country do you want to live in?
You could go up to the counter
and demand something from a government official
and he would say, no!
And you would go back.
Because it was like,
that's the end of it.
But, I realized after I came to Canada,
that people have rights.
And the moment you know you have permission,
you will contend.
The moment you know you have permission,
you will contend.
Favor contends.
And God loves it.
God loves it.
When we leverage his permission for his cause.
Favor contends.
And God loves it
when I leverage his permission and power for his cause.
When I leverage his permission and power for his cause.
He loves it.
That's what Moses, Aaron, Her and Joshua were doing.
They realized there's a fluctuation in the battle
when the staff of God is lowered.
So what do they do?
They begin to contend.
Doesn't matter how long it takes.
If till sunset, so be it.
If you need to help him, so be it.
Joshua, oh!
Man, this story always gets me.
Joshua leverages the permission and favor that he has with God.
In Joshua 10, verse 13.
You must read it.
My telling it just won't be the same.
Joshua chapter 10.
Oh!
Joshua chapter 10, verse 11.
Joshua 10, verse 11.
As they fled before Israel on the road down from Bethoran to Ezekiah,
the Lord hurled large hailstones down on them from the sky,
and more of them died from the hailstones
than were killed by the sword of the Israelites.
On that day, the Lord gave the Amorites over to Israel.
Joshua said to the Lord in the presence of Israel,
Oh, sun, stand still over Gibeon,
or moon, over the valley of Agilon.
So the sun stood still and the moon stopped
till the nation avenged itself on its enemies,
as it is written in the book of Jashar.
The sun stopped in the middle of the sky
and delayed going down about a full day.
There has never been a day like it before
or since, a day when the Lord listened to a man.
Surely the Lord was fighting for Israel.
How do you do this, man?
What kind of permission is this?
Not what kind of permission.
What kind of audacity is this?
This is what I mean by standing in your permission and contending.
But you've got to know the boundaries of your permission,
and you've got to be able to keep expanding the boundaries of your permission
by being faithful to what God has shown you.
Please hear me.
It's worth waiting for an extra couple of minutes.
You need to know the boundaries of your permission.
You cannot know the boundaries of your permission
if you don't know what God is saying to you.
God does not say it to you in one day.
He says it to you over a lifetime.
He realizes that, aha, you are paying attention.
You're not here for a quick fix.
You're not here for show me your will.
You are here to know the ways and the plans of God,
not for yourself enough, but for people around you.
And now he begins to tell you,
Jacob, this is the area that you can roam in.
And so you begin to roam in it.
And as you do, you realize that, oh shucks, in this area,
I seem to have tremendous favor.
And you begin to experiment with it.
And as you begin to experiment, boldness rises in you to say,
can I have that stand?
Can I have that monitor?
Can I have that table?
Can I walk to the edge?
And as you ask, God says, yeah, I gave you permission.
Yeah, take it.
Yeah, it's yours.
And as you do, you realize.
But you will never walk off this boundary
because if you do, you find that you're sinking like a stone.
But as you prove yourself faithful,
you're God says, hey, now let me show you greater favor.
You've done, you've handled this so well.
Whatever company you work for, whatever car you own,
whatever home you presently rent, whatever ministry you have,
whatever position you've been placed in,
whatever has been given into your hand, you have this.
But if you are faithful in it, you will, your dominion expands.
But till you're faithful in what you've been given, dominion does not expand.
I feel bad when people hop, skip, and jump from one thing to the other thinking,
if I change location, change job, change this, everything will become okay.
I tried it, it doesn't work.
Then I was stuck with Heidi and Chris for eight months, and it worked.
Joshua, what a thing he does, huh?
Permission to stop the sun so that slaughter is complete.
One of the ways you find your permission, guys,
hey, there's someone at the door if someone wants to open it.
Nick, you want to help?
One of the ways you understand your permission is by looking at your prophetic word.
Your prophetic word is the standard by which you dwell,
as in the banner, the flag by which you dwell.
Look at the prophetic word that is on you,
and you will begin to find out the permission you have.
It's a permission that gives you an idea of the future, man, not just your past.
Go examine it.
You will find your permission in it.
So and so, guys, that when you get accustomed to favor,
you begin to question events in the context of God's nature.
When you get accustomed to favor,
you begin to question events in the context of God's nature,
as in you get so accustomed to the favor God is showing you that you think to yourself,
but if I have the favor and the permission of God in this situation,
why is this happening?
It doesn't sit right.
Hey, Shel.
Why is this happening?
It doesn't sit right.
You begin to question the nature of events because you're so accustomed to favor.
It's an attitude of majesty.
What do I mean by that?
Favor and contending for favor is like this attitude of majesty.
And what do I mean by that is
you begin to come to this place where no one is greater than your God,
and you're going to prove it.
No one is greater than your God and you're going to prove it.
No one is greater than your God and you're going to prove Kievan.
No one is greater than your God and you're going to prove it.
Learn favor guys, learn favor. Learn favor and once you learn favor you will not, you
will know it's not by spear or sword but by the Spirit of God and rest. Learn favor.
I think this is a brilliant teaching. Just go look at it again, listen to it again, walk
in it. Majesty, favor, vengeance, they all go together. Isaiah 61, the sovereign Lord
has poured His Spirit giving us a year of Jubilee, the year of release, the year of
vengeance. They all go together. It's all put together. Let's pray. Father, we had this
song that we were going to sing but it's kind of late now so we're going to skip this song.
Just conclude with prayer. Father, I don't know whether there's another part four to
favor but I just pray that we go and examine this, examine the words spoken over us, examine
the things that we have been given permission for and then begin to step into experimenting
with how you want to be in the area that you've given us permission. Is there any particular
way you want me to end this or shall we just say amen? So I declare over this church what
you're saying, Father. Go home, find out what I have already said to you. Go home, examine
what I've already spoken. Go home, look at the permission I have already given you in certain areas.
Then put on your shoes and say, oh God, I will be faithful in this.
I will walk in this permission. I will consider it a sacred responsibility.
I won't step back from it anymore. I won't wait for the right moment. I won't wait for the right
conditions. Oh God, I want to hear your laughter so that my spirit may be emboldened.
Go home and establish an altar calling me by the name that I last revealed to you.
For I want to use you so badly in this city as a people who walk in the permission and the favor of
God so that you may contend where I want you to contend, be it a rescue home in Nandigama or be it
Wali in Surrey or meet your neighbor. Come church, rise to your feet for I am a God who has taught you
a lot and I am coming to look and check to see the fruit you bore, the fruit you bore. No more delay.
So we thank you Father. In our difficult circumstances, not waiting for the conditions
to be right, we step up now in Jesus' name. Amen.