Clean Transcript

When It Is Time

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• Judges chapter 6, and to save time today, we're going to read verses 12 through 16. However, we will be using the entire chapter. Judges chapter 6, the title of the message is, "When It Is Time." Judges chapter 6, beginning there with verse 12. "And the angel of the Lord appeared unto him and said unto him, The Lord is with thee, thou mighty man of valor. And Gideon said unto him, O my Lord, if the Lord be with us, why then is all this befallen us? And where be all his miracles which our fathers told us of, saying, Did not the Lord bring us up from Egypt? But now the Lord hath forsaken us and delivered us into the hands of the Midianites. And the Lord looked upon him and said, Go in this thy might, and thou shalt save Israel from the hand of the Midianites. Have not I sent thee? And he said unto him, O my Lord, wherewith shall I save Israel?"

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• "Behold, my family is poor in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father's house. And the Lord said unto him, Surely I will be with thee, and thou shalt smite the Midianites as one man." I have often been asked a very simple and straightforward question, "When is it time?" My answer has always been equally simple and straightforward, and that is, "The Lord will reveal when it is time." The question of time is in regard to a revolution such as we had in 1776. I suppose that the correct way to answer in one sense of the word would be to ascertain exactly what took place that ignited the war for independence in 1776.

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• Yes, there were taxes and lots of them. There were also persecutions and prosecutions. There were also colonists that had been murdered in cold blood by the British. And I'm sure that each and every one of these, plus a multitude of other reasons lumped together, would be a heavy weight upon those colonists. However, I believe the straw that actually broke the camel's back, so to speak, was when they came for the guns and ammunition.

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• Older people know about the battles of Lexington and Concord. Unhappily, the younger generation is deficient in historical knowledge. But when they came for the ammunition and for the guns, in Concord especially, that's when war really and truly broke out.

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• Now the interesting thing is our forefathers did not leave us in ignorance as to why they fought. Nor did they leave us in ignorance as to what instituted that war. Many of you are not aware of the fact that there is an official document known as the Declaration of Causes and Necessities of Taking Up Arms. This document was issued by the Second Continental Congress July the 6th, 1775 to explain why the 13 colonies actually took up arms against the British government. The final draft of this declaration was written by John Dickinson who incorporated the language from an earlier draft that had been written by Thomas Jefferson. And what I would like to do is ask that you listen and let me read just four or five paragraphs from this document because it's going to give you a general sense and understanding of what was happening in the colonies in 1774 and 1775. So here's a portion of the Declaration of the Causes and Necessities of Taking Up Arms. Now remember, this was put out by the Second Continental Congress.

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• So here I'm quoting. "Soon after the intelligence of these proceedings arrived on this continent, General Gage, who in the course of the last year had taken possession of the town of Boston in the province of Massachusetts Bay and still occupied it as a garrison, on the 19th day of April, sent out from that place a large detachment of his army who made an unprovoked assault on the inhabitants of the said province in the town of Lexington, as appears by the affidavits of a great number of persons, some of whom were officers and soldiers of that detachment, murdered eight of the inhabitants and wounded many others. From thence the troops proceeded in warlike array to the town of Concord, where they set upon another party of the inhabitants of the same province, killing several and wounding more, until compelled to retreat by the country people suddenly assembled to repel this cruel aggression."

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• "Hostilities thus commenced by the British troops have been since prosecuted by them without regard to faith and reputation. The inhabitants of Boston being confined within that town by the general, their governor, and having in order to procure their dismission entered into a treaty with him, it was stipulated that the said inhabitants having deposited their arms with their own magistrate, should have liberty to depart, taking with them their other effects. They accordingly delivered up their arms. But in open violation of honor and defiance of the obligation of treaties, which even savage nations esteem sacred, the governor ordered their arms deposited, as aforesaid, that they might be preserved for their owners to be seized by a body of his soldiers, detained the greater part of the inhabitants in the town and"

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• "compelled the few who were permitted to retire to leave most of their valuable effects behind. By this perfidy, wives were separated from their husbands, children from their parents, the aged and the sick from their relations and friends who wished to attend and comfort them. And those who have been used to live in plenty and even in elegance are reduced to deplorable distress. The general, further emulating his ministerial masters, by a proclamation bearing date of the twelfth day of June, after venting the grossest falsehoods and calumnies against the good people of these colonies, proceeds to declare them all, either by name or description, to be rebels and traitors, to supersede by the course of common law,"

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• "and instead thereof to publish and order the use and exercise of martial law. His troops have butchered our countrymen, have wantonly burned Charlestown, besides a considerable number of houses in other places. Our ships and vessels are seized, the necessary supplies of provisions are intercepted, and he is exerting his utmost power to spread destruction and devastation around him. We have received certain intelligence that General Carleton, the governor of Canada, is instigating the people of that province and the Indians to fall upon us."

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• "And we have but too much reason to apprehend that schemes have been formed to excite domestic enemies against us. In brief, a part of these colonies now feel, and all of them are sure of feeling, as far as the vengeance of administration can inflict them, the complicated calamities of fire, sword, and famine. We are reduced to the alternative of choosing an unconditional submission to the tyranny of irritated ministers or resistance by force."

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• "The latter is our choice. We have counted the cost of this contest and find nothing so dreadful as voluntary slavery. Honor, justice, and humanity forbid us tamely to surrender that freedom which we have received from our gallant ancestors and which our innocent posterity have a right to receive from us. We cannot endure the infamy and guilt of resigning succeeding generations to that wretchedness which inevitably awaits them if we basely entail hereditary bondage upon them. Our cause is just. Our union is perfect."

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• "Our internal resources are great. And if necessary, foreign assistance is undoubtedly available. We gratefully acknowledge as signal instances of the divine favor toward us, that his providence would not permit us to be called into this severe controversy until we were grown up to our present strength, had been previously exercised in warlike operation, and possessed the means of defending ourselves. With hearts fortified with these animating reflections, we most solemnly before God and the world declare that exerting the utmost energy of those powers which our beneficent Creator hath graciously bestowed upon us, the arms we have been compelled by our enemies to assume, we will, in defiance of every hazard, with unabating firmness and"

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• "perseverance, employ for the preservation of our liberties, being with one mind resolved to die free men rather than to live slaves. In our own native land, in defense of the freedom that is our birthright and which we have ever enjoyed until the late violation of it, for the protection of our property acquired solely by the honest industry of our forefathers and ourselves against violence actually offered, we have taken up arms. We shall lay them down when hostilities cease on the part of the aggressors and all danger of their being renewed shall be removed and not before." So our forefathers made it exceedingly clear that they were not the aggressors.

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• They did not want the fight. They did not start the fight. However, they were planning on finishing the fight. In this declaration of causes and necessities of taking up arms, our forefathers were not left a choice. It was either fight or become slaves, and so they chose to fight. We must also understand that in reading this document, that they were telling us that the time of fighting was brought upon them by the providence of God.

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• They say, "We gratefully acknowledge as signal instances of the divine favor toward us, that his providence would not permit us to be called into this severe controversy until we had grown up to our present strength, had been previously exercised in warlike operations, and possessed the means of defending ourselves." So what they're saying is very simple. In the providence of God, God prepared them physically, mentally, spiritually, militarily, in every way so that they could fight this war. They chose to fight because they were basically not left a choice.

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• You know, Jefferson said it very succinctly in the Declaration of Independence when he said that all mankind are more willing to suffer while evils are sufferable than to right themselves in abolishing those customs to which they are used to. However, Jefferson was also pointing out there comes a time when evils are insufferable. And that is exactly what our founding fathers gave us in this declaration of the necessity of taking up arms. They are telling us that evils became insufferable.

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• Many have chosen to fight over the years for different reasons. But every time they fought, they believed it was indeed time to fight. When we talk about fighting, we talk about drawing a line in the sand. When you hear someone say, "I've drawn my line in the sand," all he is saying is this is the last place I'm willing to suffer while evils are sufferable. This is the last point that I'm willing to give in and give up. Let me tell you very quickly the background for this drawing the line in the sand.

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• Supposedly this came from Colonel William Barrett Travis who did exactly that for the men of the Alamo. Colonel Travis was a young man. He was only 26. He was not a professional soldier. He was a lawyer. But he knew enough about history to know this. In a siege, the army on the outside usually prevailed against the army on the inside. And so here these men were inside the Alamo.

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• It was in March of 1836. When Colonel Travis addressed his men with these words, he said, "We must die. Our business is not to make a fruitless effort to save our lives, but to choose the manner of our death." Travis considered there were three possibilities. The first one was this, to either surrender and be annihilated by the Mexican armies or to try to fight their way out and be butchered by the Mexican lancers or to stay in the fort and resist every assault and to sell their lives as dearly as possible. And then after he made those statements, he took his sword, drew a line in the sand, and he said, basically, "I want every man who's determined to stay here and die with me to step over this line." Needless to say, there was probably not a stampede to get over that line, because everyone knew that when they crossed that line, they were going to die. We're told that it was young Tapley Holland who first and very quickly ran over that line and as he did so he said that he was ready to die for his country.

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• Eventually every man in the Alamo stepped over that line except two. One who did not step over the line was co-commander Jim Bowie. And the reason he didn't step over the line, he was sick in bed. But he ordered men to take his bed and carry it over the line. And they did so. And the other one who did not step over the line was a French soldier of fortune by the name of Louis Moses Rose, who escaped that night and supposedly made it successfully through the Mexican line to the state of Louisiana. So it's Colonel William Travis who drew that line in the sand and said, "Here it is, all of you who are willing to die, step over here." Well, what worked for Colonel Travis will not necessarily work that easily for you and I today. The reason being is the line in the sand keeps moving. We draw a line here, and we say, "Don't you step over this line." And the enemy steps over the line.

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• And so what do we do? We draw another line. "Well, we'll let you go over that one, but don't you come over this one." And they step over that line. And then we draw a third line. So, the line keeps shifting, the line keeps moving. And you've got to understand another problem with drawing the line in the sand, and that is this. Different men draw their lines in different places.

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• By that I just simply mean this, what really angers and upsets you may not anger and upset me. And what really jerks my line may not jerk your line. So I want you to understand, as our forefathers said in the declaration of causes and necessities of taking up arms, it requires divine providence for you and I all to have the same line in the sand. So God has to work that out.

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• Now, I have been asked this question innumerable times. "When is it time to fight?" I want you to stop and think with me about that answer. When is it time to fight? Well, as you read through scripture, there are different answers to that question. I'm going to show you from the Bible, three answers. And then I'm going to show you in Judges chapter 6, how God worked in the life of Gideon. First of all, when you ask the question, "When is it time to fight?" you must realize at first there were times when God specifically told His leaders that it was time to fight.

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• He commanded, He ordered them to make war. For instance, hold Judges chapter 6, but look in your Bibles to the book of Numbers chapter 31. Numbers chapter 31. I want you to understand that this is a non-negotiable command. In Numbers chapter 31, beginning with verse 1, notice what is said, "And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying," So the LORD initiated this conversation. The LORD initiated this command. "And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Avenge the children of Israel of the Midianites."

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• "Afterwards thou shalt be gathered unto thy people. And Moses spake unto the people, saying, Arm some of yourselves unto the war, and let them go against the Midianites, and avenge the LORD of Midian." And then he tells them exactly what to do. But notice, if you would, it was the LORD who initiated this war. It was an offensive war. The Midianites were not attacking the Israelites. It is true this war was initiated in response to what happened there in the book of Numbers chapter 25, I think it is, where the Midianites seduced the Israelites into fornication, into idolatry. But there was no battle and consequently God here now commands Moses to avenge Israel of the Midianites. So this was an offensive war begun and initiated by God and God commanded the civil ruler, Moses, he was king in Jeshurun, the scripture says, commanded him to start this war. If you will turn in your Bibles to 1 Samuel chapter 15, you'll see this again. 1 Samuel chapter 15, and notice if you would beginning there with verse 1.

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• 1 Samuel 15 verse 1, "Samuel said also unto Saul, The LORD sent me to anoint thee to be king over his people, over Israel. Now therefore, hearken thou unto the voice of the words of the LORD. Thus saith the LORD of hosts, I remember all that Amalek did to Israel, how he laid wait for him in the way when he came up out of Egypt. Now go and smite Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and spare them not, but slay both man and woman, infant, suckling, ox, sheep, camel, and ass." Now I want you to note, it was God who came to King Saul and said, "You start this war." It was an offensive war. You say, "But God said He remembered what the Amalekites did to Israel," but notice when they came out of Egypt, 400 years earlier. The period of the judges was 480 years. And so here is another offensive war when God came to the civil ruler and God says, "You begin this war."

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• In fact, if you will turn back in your Bibles to the book of Joshua chapter 10. After the book of Deuteronomy you have Joshua and then Judges. Look in Joshua chapter 10 and verse 40. Just showing you what the scripture says in relationship to the wars that Joshua began. Notice if you would, Joshua chapter 10 and verse 40. "So Joshua smote all the country of the hills, and of the south, and of the vale, and of the springs, and all their kings."

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• "He left none remaining, but utterly destroyed all that breathed," Are you looking? "...as the LORD God of Israel commanded." So God commanded all of those wars.

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• Now, you can ask this simple question. "Well, how many wars did God command?" And the answer is, I don't know. A lot of them. Because if you would turn to the book of Numbers chapter 21 and verse 14, you will find this statement. Numbers 21 verse 14. "Wherefore, it is said in the book of the wars of the LORD, what He did in the Red Sea and in the brooks of Arnon." Note, if you would, "Wherefore it is said in the book of the wars of the LORD." So evidently there were a multitude of wars, for there's an entire book concerning the wars of the LORD. And since you're in Numbers, turn back, if you would, to the book of Joshua chapter 5, because everyone is familiar with this passage, and if you're not, you should be. I want to point out one thing concerning it. Joshua chapter 5, beginning there with verse 13. Joshua 5, verse 13. "And it came to pass when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, there stood a man over against him with a sword drawn in his hand."

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• "And Joshua went unto him and said unto him, Art thou for us, or for our adversaries? And he said, Nay; but as captain of the host of the LORD am I now come. And Joshua fell on his face to the earth and did worship and said unto him, What saith my Lord unto his servant? And the captain of the LORD's host, which was the Christophany, which is the pre-incarnate appearing of Jesus Christ. And the captain of the LORD's host said unto Joshua, Loose thy shoe from off thy foot, for the place whereon thou standest is holy. And Joshua did so." Now I want you to note verse 14 he says, "But as captain of the host of the LORD, am I now come." And then if you'll skip down to verse 15, "and the captain of the LORD's host." The word host is the word for armies. "As captain of the LORD's armies, am I now come." So God has His armies.

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• And therefore He is a man of war, the Bible tells us, and there is a book concerning the book of the wars of the LORD. So, let me try to put this where you can grasp this right now. When is it time to fight? The answer is, first of all, when God tells His leaders, "Now is the time, do it." That is exactly what He did in these passages that I've just read. There's a second answer, and that is that sometimes His leaders sought Him for direction and whether or not to initiate a battle or war.

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• I suppose that David is one of the greatest examples of this. So I want you to begin by looking in 1st Samuel chapter 23. Many times David sought God's directives as to whether or not he was to pursue or to attack. And I might point out that God had already chosen David to be king. In fact, David was already anointed king. But if you look in 1 Samuel chapter 23 and verse 1, "Then they told David, saying, Behold, the Philistines fight against Keilah, and they rob the threshing floors. Therefore David inquired of the LORD, saying, Shall I go and smite these Philistines? And the LORD said to David, Go and smite the Philistines and save Keilah." Now I want you to note, God did not necessarily initiate this conversation, but David did. So he asked the LORD, "What is your will?"

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• "Shall I go and do this? Is it your will for me to fight this time?" And the answer is yes. Turn right over to 1 Samuel chapter 30. 1 Samuel chapter 30. And look if you would please at verse 8. 1 Samuel 30 and verse 8. "And David inquired of the LORD, saying, Shall I pursue after this troop? Shall I overtake them? And he answered him, Pursue, for thou shalt surely overtake them, and without fail recover all." Note if you would again, David was asking the LORD's will concerning pursuing this troop. Turn to 2 Samuel chapter 5 and look at verse 19. 2 Samuel chapter 5 verse 19. Again we read this, "And David inquired of the LORD, saying, Shall I go up to the Philistines? Wilt thou deliver them into mine hand? And the LORD said unto David, Go up, for I will doubtless deliver the Philistines into thine hand." Notice if you would now, three times, David asked the LORD, "Shall I fight? Shall I attack?" And three times, God says, "Yes you may."

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• Now, in David's instance, undoubtedly, he consulted what was known as the Urim and the Thummim, where the high priest discerned the LORD's will. You and I do not have the Urim and the Thummim. We have something far greater. We have the completed, full, final, inspired, inerrant, infallible Word of God. And everything that we do is to be directed and determined by the Word of God. Because it is God's Word that is His revealed will for us today.

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• So, let's put this together now. When is it time to fight? Well, on some occasions, God told His leaders, "Do it." On other occasions, the leaders sought Him for wisdom and direction, and He either said yay or nay. Okay?

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• Thirdly, there were times in the Bible when God did not speak directly to the ruler, and the ruler did not necessarily seek the LORD's will concerning the matter. But there were times in the Bible, thirdly, when everyone just knew it was time to fight. You say, "What?" Well, look in your Bibles to the book of Judges, chapter 20. Judges, chapter 20. Right after the book of Joshua, you have Judges. Judges, chapter 20. And look, if you would please, at verses 1 and 2. I'm not going to go into the background of this, but I'm just pointing out this one truth. Notice Judges chapter 20, verse 1.

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• "Then all the children of Israel went out, and the congregation was gathered together as one man, from Dan, even to Beersheba, with the land of Gilead, unto the LORD in Mizpah. And the chief of all the people, even all the tribes of Israel, presented themselves in the assembly of the people of God, 400,000 footmen that drew sword." But note if you would, in verse 1, they gathered themselves together as one man, from Dan even to Beersheba. Skip down to verse 11. Judges 20, verse 11. "So all the men of Israel were gathered together against the city, knit together as one man."

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• Everyone knew it's time to fight. If you will turn in your Bibles to 2nd Chronicles chapter 32. 2nd Chronicles 32. This one is actually a no-brainer because the king of Assyria was attacking and planning to attack. But in 2nd Chronicles chapter 32 and verse 4, I want you to note what happened. 2nd Chronicles 32 verse 4. "So there was gathered much people together who stopped all the fountains and the brook that ran through the midst of the land saying, Why should the kings of Assyria come and find much water?" But note if you would, "So there was gathered much people together." In other words, everybody knew, "We've got to do something." And so they were going to make sure that the kings of Assyria did not find water to sustain themselves and their armies.

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• Now, by the way, if you'll go back to Judges temporarily, Judges chapter 6 and look at verse 16, that's our text. I'm only explaining this just momentarily. But I want you to understand that this was part of the promise that God gave to Gideon in his war against the Midianites. So in Judges chapter 6 and verse 16, "And the LORD said to him, Surely I will be with thee, and thou shalt smite the Midianites as one man." In other words, what God is saying is this, all the hearts of the people are going to be melted together as one man.

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• Everybody will know it's time to fight. Now, let me also point this out. At times, God may use either one of these three ways or He may use a combination of these three ways. For instance, if you would turn in your Bibles to 1st Samuel chapter 11. 1st Samuel chapter 11. And look at verses 6 and 7. And you'll see that God not only stirred up the civil ruler, He also stirred up the people as well. Notice 1st Samuel chapter 11, beginning there with verse 6. The Bible says, "And the Spirit of God came upon Saul, when he heard those tidings, and his anger was greatly kindled. And he took a yoke of oxen and hewed them in pieces, and sent them throughout all the coasts of Israel by the hands of messengers, saying, Whosoever cometh not after Saul and after Samuel, so shall it be done in his oxen. Watch! And the fear of the LORD fell on the people, and they came out with one consent." So God not only stirred up the king in this instance, He also stirred up the people, and all the people came together with one consent.

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• So, when is it time to fight? The answer is biblically, number one, when God tells the civil ruler, "It's time." Or when a ruler asks God, "Shall I?" And God says yes. Or when God just places it in the hearts of all His people, with one consent, we know, "It's time."

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• Now, I want to take this and go back to the book of Judges chapter 6 and try to show you what transpired when Gideon began his war. I want you to note, first of all, and we're going to look at Judges chapter 6 verses 1 through 5, by the way, this is kind of just like I read in the necessities, the causes and necessities of taking up arms. The oppression, the persecution, the fraud and corruption during Gideon's time was exceedingly severe. Notice Judges chapter 6 verse 1.

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• "And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the LORD, and the LORD delivered them into the hand of Midian seven years. And the hand of Midian prevailed against Israel, because of the Midianites, the children of Israel made them the dens, which are in the mountains, and caves and strongholds. And so it was when Israel had sown, that the Midianites came up, and the Amalekites, the children of the east, even they came up against them, and they encamped against them, and destroyed the increase of the earth, till thou come unto Gaza, and left no sustenance for Israel, neither sheep, nor ox, nor ass, For they came up with their cattle and with their tents, and they came up as grasshoppers for a multitude."

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• "For both they and their camels were without number, and they entered into the land to destroy it." Notice if you would please. Oppression, fraud, everything. I mean, they came up with one intent and that is to destroy the land. They were leaving nothing for the people or for their animals. I've got one thing to say about this point. It seems as if folks have to hit rock solid bottom before they look up to the LORD.

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• Have you ever noticed that? We are so perverse that we do not heed instruction easily, nor do we take correction readily, and therefore it takes the proverbial two by four upside the head to get our attention to wake us up. I'm sure that there are probably a few people that lived in the land of Israel that may not have been affected by the Midianite invasion, but by and large, as a whole, everyone was.

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• And you've got to remember, back in those days and times, economy was an agricultural economy. It was an agricultural society. And without the fruit, and without the crops, you didn't live. No one lived. No animals lived. Nothing. You say, "Well, Brother Weaver," and by the way, all you've got to do is read. All you have to do is listen to the news, and I know that it is a controlled news media.

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• But if you believe usually the opposite of what you're told, or if you extrapolate about a thousand percent out of what you're told, you will find that conditions are far worse than they really are. You look at the corruption and the fraud that we have in our own government. Look at our own congressmen. Look at our judicial system. Look at the executive branch. My question is this. Why do we have to get so low before we look up?

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• And I will be absolutely honest with you. I suppose one of the greatest things that could happen to this country is if it got a hundred times worse. Because maybe then people would say, "You know, there is something wrong." Maybe we would begin to open our eyes and wake up. So, I'm just showing you the background for God choosing a deliverer, for God choosing a man to start a war and to start a fight. So first of all, you've got to consider the oppression and the persecution and the fraud and corruption.

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• We read all about that in the Declaration of Causes and Necessities of Taking Up Arms.

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• Secondly, I want you to note that generally speaking the people as a whole here in Judges chapter 6 were crying for help and relief and for aid. They understood that basically speaking their society, their economy, their country were destroyed. Look in verses 6 and 7. "And Israel was greatly impoverished because of the Midianites and the children of Israel cried unto the LORD. And it came to pass when the children of Israel cried unto the LORD because of the Midianites." So here they are crying. Why are they crying?

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• Because of all this oppression, because of all the corruption, because of all of the destruction. Do you realize, when these people cried to the LORD, most of them were already hiding in the mountains and caves. They had lost everything. Have you ever asked yourself this question? Why did Israel wait so long before they cried to the LORD? Why did they have to get so low before they cried to the LORD?

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• Go back to verse 1. "And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the LORD. And the LORD delivered them into the hand of Midian seven years." You know why they had to get so low? It's because they were so sinful, and so wicked, and so disobedient, and so lacking in understanding. I'm telling you folks, sinners do not want to repent. They do not want to change. They love their sin. And that was the problem with Israel. The reason they were in the problem to begin with was because of their sin. Had they not been idolaters, had they not been rebellious, they never would have been delivered in the hands of the Midianites to begin with.

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• But now they're beginning to cry. Now they're beginning to scream. Now they're beginning to realize, "We're done for. We are gone as a country, as an economy, as a society, as a nation, if God does not do something." That was the point that they had to come to.

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• Thirdly, I want you to note that there was also a rebuke for their sins and their disobedience. Look in verses 8 through 10. They're crying now in 6 and 7. "Then the LORD sent a prophet unto the children of Israel, who said unto them, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, I brought you up from Egypt, and brought you forth out of the house of bondage, and I delivered you out of the hand of all the Egyptians, and out of the hand"

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• "of all them that oppressed you, and drave them out before you, that is all those peoples, and gave you their land. And I said unto you, I am the LORD your God, fear not the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell, but you obey not my voice." You know what God said? "I told you and you wouldn't listen. I gave you a command and you wouldn't obey." You know it's strange that we can't put two and two together and make it equal four.

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• We wish to blame our problems on everyone and everything else. We don't want to confess or acknowledge or forsake our sins. Now, listen to me. There are many things that are wrong in America today. There are many things that are wrong with America today. But the most pressing problem that we have is that we have sinned against our God. The Bible tells us in Numbers 32 and verse 23, "Be sure your sins will find you out." And the truth of the matter is folks, our sins have found us out. We have been caught up with and we still are desiring to blame our problems on everyone and everything else. It seems as if we do not want to listen to God's rebuke. It seems that we will not heed His voice.

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• We will never prosper until we do. The Bible tells us in Proverbs 28 and verse 13, "He that covereth his sins shall not prosper, but whoso confesseth and forsaketh his sins shall have mercy." But we're willing to say that our problems are anything but spiritual.

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• Fourthly, I want you to notice that God sovereignly and providentially selects and chooses the man to deliver His people. It is true He chose the judges. He chose David. He chose a host of others. And so it should not surprise us then that we find God choosing Gideon. Look in verse 11. "And there came an angel of the LORD, and sat under the oak which was in Ophrah, that pertained to Joash the Abiezrite, and his son Gideon threshed wheat by the winepress to hide it from the Midianites. And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him, and said unto him, The LORD is with thee, thou mighty man of valor. And Gideon said unto him, O my Lord, If the LORD be with us, why then is all this befallen us?"

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• "Where be all His miracles which our fathers told us of, saying, Did not the LORD bring us up from Egypt? But now the LORD hath forsaken us and delivered us in the hands of the Midianites. And the LORD looked upon him and said, Go in this thy might, and thou shalt save Israel from the hand of the Midianites. Have not I sent thee?"

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• Now, I pointed out this one thing before. I find it extremely interesting that the angel appears to Gideon and he says, "Hail, thou mighty man of valor." And what was Gideon doing? He was hiding, threshing wheat by the winepress, trying to keep the Midianites from finding. And yet God calls him a mighty man of valor. Because God knew his character. God knew his courage. Now, the interesting thing is this. When the angel says, "The LORD is with thee, thou mighty man of valor," I want you to look at verse 13. Watch this. "And Gideon said unto him, O my Lord, if the LORD be with us, why then is all this befalling us? Where be all these miracles which our fathers told us of, saying, Did not the LORD bring us up from Egypt? But now the LORD hath forsaken us, and delivered us into the hands of the Midianites." Watch the next verse. "And the LORD looked upon him, and said, Go in this thy might, and thou shalt save Israel from the hand of the Midianites."

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• "Have not I sent thee?" Isn't it interesting that God never answered his questions in verse 13? Of course we already know the answer. And that answer is given us because of their sin and their wickedness and their idolatry. Why is all this befalling us? But the point I'm trying to make is this. Everyone wants to ask the question, "Why? Why? Why?" Why something happened is not important. What is important is what happened and what must be done to make it right. And our Lord just simply ignored his questions. In fact, our Lord had already given us the answer. Go back to verse 10. He said, "I said unto you, I am the LORD your God."

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• "Fear not the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell, but you have not obeyed my voice." They fell into idolatry. So God then comes and He sovereignly, providentially selects Gideon.

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• Now I want you to note something. Gideon was not seeking the job as a deliverer. He did not want the job. And if you looked at him, you would say he was not even qualified for the job. Gideon did not seek the LORD out, the LORD sought Gideon out. So God then has sovereignly and providentially selected the man who is going to deliver his people. Fifthly, I want you to note, that God prepared Gideon in every way for the work that Gideon was chosen to do. He said in verse 14, "And the LORD looked upon him and said, Go in this thy might, and thou shalt save Israel from the hand of the Midianites, have not I sent thee?" Those whom God calls, He qualifies. Men tell me that God had called them to a certain work, and yet they were totally unprepared and unqualified for that work. And my estimation is God never called them to that work. For whom God calls, He qualifies. Now listen carefully. If God calls a man to preach, He's going to give him the gift of teaching.

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• It's just that simple. If God calls a man to lead, He's going to give him the gift of leadership. Okay? If God calls a man to serve, He's going to give him a servant's heart. If God calls a man to fight, He's going to give him the gift of warfare. Like He did David in Psalm 144 and verse 1 where David said, "Blessed be the LORD my strength who teacheth my hands to war and my fingers to fight." Did God give David the gift of warfare? Yes He did. Where did David learn? From God. Now, if God is going to use Gideon, He's going to qualify him. I want you to note how God qualified him. Look in verse 11. "There came an angel of the LORD and sat under the oak which was in Ophrah that pertained to Joash the Abiezrite and his son Gideon threshed wheat by the winepress to hide it from the Midianites." Number one, Gideon was already a worker. Number two, he was already using his noggin for something beside a hat rack.

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• He knew if he was going to preserve himself and his family, he had to at least put something away that could not be stolen by the invaders. So God selects him. Look in verse 16. "The LORD said, Surely I will be with thee." God is going to be with him. Skip down to verse 23. "The LORD said unto him, Peace be unto thee, fear not, thou shalt not die." God proclaims peace unto him and tells him not to be afraid. Skip down to verse 25 and 26. Look at this.

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• "And it came to pass the same night that the LORD said unto him, Take thy father's young bullock, even the second bullock of seven years old, and throw down the altar of Baal that thy father hath, and cut down the grove that is by it, and build an altar unto the LORD thy God upon the top of the rock in the ordered place, and take the second bullock and offer a burnt offering with the wood of the grove which thou shalt cut down." I want you to note what God does in verses 25 and 26.

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• He tells Gideon how to start the war. And he starts the war with a spiritual act. Why did he have to throw down the altar of Baal? Why did he have to cut down the groves, which was Asherah, the worship of Asherah? Why were they the subjects of Midian to begin with? Because God said in verse 10, "You've failed to obey my voice. You're idolaters." Here's their idolatry. Here's the cause of their problem. Here's the root cause. And so He tells Gideon, "You begin this war by tearing down this altar of Baal. And you establish my altar. You set it up where they will know that if they want liberty and freedom, they must come back to God." You know what we have forgotten in this land? We have forgotten that our problems are first and foremost spiritual problems.

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• It is true we have economic problems, political problems, governmental problems, societal problems, military problems. We have all kind of problems, but behind every one of those problems is a spiritual root. We would not have those problems if we were biblical. So God qualifies Gideon. Sixthly, I want you to note something else. God brought Gideon's family to understand and support him to stand and to work with him. Now Gideon tore down that altar of Baal.

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• Skip down to verse 28. "And when the men of the city arose early in the morning, behold, the altar of Baal was cast down, and the grove was cut down that was by it, and the second bullock was offered upon the altar that was built, And they said one to another, Who hath done this thing? And when they inquired and asked, they said, Gideon the son of Joash hath done this thing. Then the men of the city said unto Joash, Bring out my son, that he may die, because he hath cast down the altar of Baal, and because he hath cut down the grove that was by it. And Joash said unto all that stood against him, Will you plead for Baal? Will you save him? He that will plead for him, let him be put to death while it is yet morning. If he is a god, let him plead for himself, because one hath cast down his altar. Therefore, that day he called him Jerubbaal, saying, Let Baal plead against him, because he had thrown down his altar."

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• Now I want you to note what God did. God took Gideon's father and turned his heart to support Gideon and the war. Remember, it was his father's altar that he tore down. Are you listening to me? It is important that a man's family be with him in his work. It is important that a man's family be with him in his ministry. Whatever that ministry is, I don't care if it is a warrior, I don't care if it's preaching, I don't care if it's serving, I don't care if it's exhorting, I don't care what it is. You've got to remember, in 1 Samuel 22, you don't have to turn there, but when David had to flee to the cave of Adullam because of Saul, guess what? His father and his mother and his brethren went to him. They were going to be solidly behind David. So it's important, wives listen, that if God calls your husband to a ministry, that you have to be with him in that ministry. It's important that children and sons and brothers and daughters be with you in the ministry.

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• And God gave Gideon a work and his family supported it. Notice seventhly, God empowered Gideon for the work which he had been chosen. Skip down to verse 34. Look at it. "But the Spirit of the LORD came upon Gideon, and he blew a trumpet, and Abiezer was gathered unto him." Notice, if you would, this phrase, "and the Spirit of the LORD came upon Gideon." You will find this truth all throughout the Bible. Those whom God chooses to lead His people in fighting, inevitably, invariably, He always endows them with His power. God has said in Zechariah 4 and verse 6, "Not by might nor power, but by My Spirit, saith the LORD."

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• It's important that you understand this. If it comes to fighting, if it comes to warfare, we do not fight out of anger and retaliation and bitterness and resentment. We fight because it's right to fight. There's a biblical basis, there's scriptural principles, and we do it in faith according to the Word of God and by the power of God upon us. We don't fight just because folks make us mad, and they're not doing right. Don't turn to these passages, but let me just read them for you very quickly.

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• I want you to listen now. Othniel, who was a judge, Judges 3 verse 10, "And the Spirit of the LORD came upon him, and he judged Israel, and went out to war." Notice, "the Spirit of the LORD came upon him, and he judged Israel, and went out to war." We read of Samson in Judges 14 and verse 19, "And the Spirit of the LORD came upon him, and he went down to Ashkelon, and slew thirty men, and took their spoil." We read in 1 Samuel 11 and verse 6, "And the Spirit of God came upon Saul when he heard those tidings, and his anger was greatly kindled." And then Judges 11 and verse 29, "And the Spirit of the LORD came upon Jephthah, and he passed over unto Gilead, and to Manasseh, and he went to war."

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• In other words, every time God calls a man to fight, the Spirit and the power of God come upon him. Because those whom God chooses, He qualifies and He empowers. Eighthly, if you'll look in Judges chapter 7 and verse 17, God selected the army or the fighting men that Gideon was supposed to use. Everybody knows this story. I'm not going to tell it, but look in Judges 7 and verse 17. "And he said unto him, Look on me, and do likewise."

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• Behold, that's not the one I want. Judges 7. It was 1 through 7. Judges 7, 1 through 7. That's where he cuts them down to 300. Skip down to verse 5. "So he brought down the people into the water, and the LORD said unto Gideon, Everyone that lappeth of the water with his tongue as a dog lappeth, him shalt thou set by himself likewise, everyone that boweth down upon his knees to drink."

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• "And the number of them that lapped, putting their hand into their mouth were three hundred men. But all the rest of the people bowed down upon their knees to drink water. And the LORD said unto Gideon, By the three hundred men that lapped will I save you and deliver the Midianites into thine hand. Let all the other people go, every man to his own place."

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• Now God had already sent home everyone who was afraid. Now He separates them more. And here's a man who will pick up water with his hands and lap like a dog. God says, "Those are the three hundred that I'm going to use." Because they could look around. They could be aware of their surroundings while they lapped. But if you bow down and put your mouth in the water, then you can't see what's going on. So God said, "I'm going to choose these. I'm going to choose these 300." David had his 600. Gideon had his 300.

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• This is important for you and I to learn. When God is in charge, His will is to be obeyed in every area, and when God is in charge and His will is obeyed, it does not take a vast army to win. God is majority in and of Himself. I had rather fight by myself with God on my side than with 20,000 men with me and God against me.

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• I hope you know that it was a minority that prevailed in the American war for independence. I read in one passage where Washington never had more than 3,000 men at one time. Now he had more men than that, but not any more than at one time. Samuel Adams said this, "It does not require a majority to prevail, but rather an irate, tireless minority keen to set brush fires in people's minds." And that's a fact.

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• Jonathan, Saul's son, spoke to his armor bearer, and revealed this truth. He said, let me just quote it, 1 Samuel 14 verse 6, "And Jonathan said to the young man that bare his armor, Come, let us go over to the garrison of these uncircumcised. It may be that the LORD will work for us, for there is no restraint of the LORD to save by many or by few." You know what Jonathan said?

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• "We don't need the army if God's on our side." And Jonathan and his armor bearer went out, showed themselves, the Philistines said, "Come down here and we'll show you something." Jonathan said, "Fine." And he killed about 20 or 30 of them before they could blink their eyes. It's nothing with God to save by many or by few. Ninthly, I want you to note, the proof that God had chosen Gideon and had blessed him was the absolute success of the mission and the victorious outcome of the war.

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• Look in Judges chapter 8 and verse 28. "Thus was Midian subdued before the children of Israel, so that they lifted up their heads no more, and the country was in quietness forty years in the days of Gideon." Notice, "So Midian was subdued before the children of Israel, and they lifted up their heads no more." The proof that God was in the war was the victory. Do you realize when God is involved, the outcome is guaranteed? When God is involved, victory is assured. When God is involved, there is no failure. So God used Gideon to subdue the Midianites so that they lifted up their head no more. Do you realize that God spared Gideon throughout this entire war? Well, God had called him to fight. God had called him to victory. God had not called him to defeat and death. Those whom God calls, He qualifies.

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• Let me give you a similar remarkable act of divine providence in the life of George Washington. It was during the French and Indian War in July of 1755. George Washington was with the British. There were 1,459 British soldiers who were fighting out in the open, very stupidly, with the French and Indians hiding behind trees. Out of the 1,459 British soldiers, 1,000 of them had already been killed. And the Indians were purposefully and deliberately taking aim and destroying the officers one by one.

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• Finally, there was only one officer left. And the old Indian chief said, "Quick, fire, let your aim be certain, kill them all." And round after round was fired at George Washington. 10, 12, 13 rounds. Twice his horse was hit and killed. Each time he disentangled himself, found another horse, and got on it. Finally, the old Indian chief commanded his men to stop firing. Here's what he said. "Stop firing. This one is under the special protection of the Great Spirit." One Indian brave said, "I had 17 clear shots at the man and after all, I could not bring him to the ground. This man was not born to be killed by a bullet." When the firing ceased, Lieutenant Colonel George Washington led the remaining men in an orderly retreat. When they were in the safety and protection of buildings and the wounding was being treated, George Washington began to notice a hole in his sleeve. And he got to looking and it was a bullet hole.

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• He pulled his coat off. And there were three or four other bullet holes in his coat, but the bullets did not penetrate his skin. They stopped inside the coat. Fifteen years later, in 1770, the old Indian chief heard that George Washington was back into the area, and the old chief made it a point to meet George Washington. There were other men around, and the old Indian chief said this, and I'm quoting, listen, as he points to Washington, "The Great Spirit protects this man and guides his destinies. He will become the chief of nations."

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• "And a people yet unborn will hail Him as the founder of a mighty empire. I am come to pay homage to the man who is the particular favorite of heaven and who can never die in battle." That was in 1770. When God calls a man to a ministry, He's going to assure his success. And He'll spare his life. Those whom God chooses, He qualifies and He protects.

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• Doesn't matter if it's a Gideon. Doesn't matter if it's a Washington. Doesn't matter who it is.

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• Now let me make some applications and try to tie this together. The first one is this. Divine providence always arranges the time for fighting. You've got to remember God is called the God of war. There's a book of the wars of the LORD. So fighting and war is not something to be taken lightly or in the heat of passion. It is not something to be begun out of sin, rebellion, bitterness and resentment. War is serious business. And it is to be carried on, it is to be begun at the command and instigation of divine providence. The second application is this, we must be aware of the principles of scripture concerning leadership and war in order to discern those whom God chooses to lead His people. God's choice of a leader during a time of war does not necessarily have to be a military man. It is true in Scripture sometimes God did choose men who had some military training and power, but more often than not, they had none. God just taught them. God just used them.

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• One of the greatest generals during the war of Northern Aggression was Nathan Bedford Forrest. Nathan Bedford Forrest had never been trained in the art of war. He'd never been to West Point or anywhere else. And he out-fought many men who had been trained in the art of war and defeated them over and over and over. I'm just simply pointing out the fact, when God chooses a man to lead His people, it does not necessarily have to be a military man, even though He may choose that man to lead in battle, in a war, and may choose him to lead militarily. God uses whom He pleases to use.

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• Thirdly, the hardest and the most difficult part in all of this is waiting upon God's time. You have to remember, folks, that our God is far more patient, far more gracious, and far more kind than we are. And I've often said, and you've heard me say it, "I'm so thankful I'm not God. For if I was, I'd have killed me and a whole lot of other people a long time ago." And you've also got to consider this, folks. If we really got what we deserved, it'd be far much worse than it is today. Isn't that right?

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• Lamentations 3, don't turn there, let me just quote it. Lamentations 3, 39 and 40 says this. "Wherefore doth a living man complain, a man for the punishment of his sins? Let us search and try our ways and turn again to the LORD." God says, "Why are you going to complain about getting what you deserve?" And then Lamentations 3, 22 through 27 says this, "It is of the LORD's mercies that we are not consumed."

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• "Because His compassions, they fail not. They are new every morning. Great is Thy faithfulness. The LORD is my portion, saith my soul. Therefore will I hope in Him. The LORD is good to them that wait for Him, to the soul that seeketh Him. It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the LORD. It is good that a man bear the yoke in his youth." The hardest part is waiting upon the LORD.

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• The best counsel that I can give to anyone is this. Wait upon the LORD. Do not run ahead of Him. Do not run behind Him. Run with Him. And our God will always deliver His people. He did so from Egypt. He did so from Canaan land so many times. And He will continue to do so if we will repent of our sins and cry to Him for mercy and grace and truth. When it is time, God will move. Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, we bow to Thee and we ask for Your grace and Your mercy. Father, we do ask for understanding. Teach us Thy Word and give us, Lord, an understanding heart. Help us, Lord, to be prepared and yet, Lord, submissive vessels unto Thee to be used of Thee in the manner in which Thou dost please. In the name of Jesus Christ, we ask and pray. Amen. Amen.

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deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | clean_readable_transcript | 2026-06-06T04:11:58Z