Fight for Your Family - Part 2

0:25 I have been ministering about the family for the past several weeks, and this is like part 27 or something like that. Last week we actually talked about fighting for your family. So today is part two of fighting for your family.

0:50 In the prior weeks, last week actually, we talked about the fact that Nehemiah had been given the assignment from God, the responsibility from God that he would go back home to Jerusalem and rebuild the walls around the city of Jerusalem, his hometown. He was to go back and rebuild the walls. The walls had been torn down and he was to go back and to rebuild those walls. And he went back to do so. And when he got there, he had opposition. And I think I told you last week, anytime you make a commitment or a decision to do something for the kingdom of God, there's going to be opposition. Some of you have made decisions to try to bring health to your family. and you've had opposition.

1:48 You've decided to try to save your marriage. You've had opposition. You've tried to get your finances in order. There's been opposition. Anytime you want to do something righteous before the Lord, the enemy will not be happy about it. And he will do whatever he can do to try to discourage you from achieving the thing that God is destined for you to do. And that's what happened to Nehemiah. He had opposition. Nehemiah chapter 4, if you have your Bibles, that's what I'm going to be preaching from today for a few moments. Nehemiah chapter 4, beginning of verse 7. Let me start reading. I'm going to read verses 7 through 14. It says, now it happened when Sanballat, Tobiah, the Arabs, the Ammonites, and the Ashdodites heard that the walls of Jerusalem were being restored and the gaps were beginning to be closed, that they became very angry. And all of them conspired together.

2:49 All of them conspired together to come and attack Jerusalem and create confusion. Stick a pin there. There's always going to be somebody to try to create confusion and to attack you when you make the decision. Look at your neighbor. Tell them, don't be surprised when people start talking about you. don't be shocked when there's some effort to bring confusion it goes with the territory nevertheless verse 9 we made our prayer to our god and because of them we set a watch against them day and night then judah said the strength of the laborers is failing and there is so much rubbish that we are not able to build the wall. And our adversaries said they will neither know nor see anything till we come into their midst and kill them and cause the work to cease. How many of y'all know the devil is going to try to send something in your life to halt you from doing what it is that God wants you to do?

3:58 Let me thank all 15 of y'all for that rousing affirmation. I'm just trying to prepare you that this goes with the territory that the enemy is going to try to stop you from achieving what it is God has for you to do. I'm saying that again. So it was, verse 12. So it was when the Jews who dwelt near them came that they told us 10 times from whatever place you turn, they will be upon us. Therefore I positioned men behind the lower parts of the wall at the openings and I set the people according to their families with their swords, their spears and their bows. And I looked and arose and said to the nobles, to the leaders and to the rest of the people, do not be afraid of them. And remember the Lord great and awesome and fight for your brethren, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your houses.

4:58 Look at your neighbor and say, fight for your family. Tell them on the other side, fight for your family. I love this passage of scripture because it speaks to us and challenging us to understand that what goes along with the territory of doing what it is God has called you to do comes opposition. And what I like that what Nehemiah did is he said to the people, to the peoples, he said to them, to the nobles and the leaders and to the rest of the people, he said, don't be afraid. Remember the Lord, great and awesome, and fight for your brethren. Now, I know a lot of y'all say, well, I ain't got no wife. I ain't got no kids. I don't got no husband or whatever. You don't have no family. But here's what I need you to understand. The principle of what Nehemiah put in place for fighting for your family is also applicable to you for your destiny.

5:59 So you might not have immediate family, but you need to fight for your destiny. You need to fight for your purpose. You need to fight for your assignment. Because what I want to teach you today, what I want to share with you today is how to fight. Because some of y'all don't know how to fight. Y'all think fighting is when you cuss somebody out.

6:26 You might feel better, but ain't nothing changed about your situation. I told him, I gave him a piece of my mind, but you still got drama. I'm going to give you a better weapon on how to fight. We want to fight the way God wants us to fight. And I told y'all last week that some of the challenges we have while families don't get along, unresolved conflict, financial challenges, sexual immorality, all of these are things that impact and challenge us to be capable and able to have healthy families. These are the things that are in opposition to healthy families. I talked about all of those one at a time last week. And then I gave you our first Corinthians chapter 10, verse 13, that says that no temptation overtaken you has overtaken you except such as common to man. I gave you a scripture of how to get out of sexual temptation, how to get out of these problems, that God is faithful. He will allow you to be tempted above what you are able.

7:24 He will always make a way of escape and that you'll be able to bear it. I gave you that. Some of y'all took advantage of it this week. Some of y'all kept on doing what you normally do. but God Nehemiah was given some specific steps that I want to give you today of how he was able to build the wall in 52 days he rebuilt the walls around Jerusalem in 52 days a record time 52 days and how he fought he gives us a plan on how he fought it's in verse 14 can I read verse 14 again Okay, go ahead. Read verse 14 again. He says, and I looked and arose and said to the nobles, to the leaders, and to the rest of the people. He gives them some instructions. Here's what he said. Number one, he said, do not be afraid of them. Just point one, don't be scared.

8:20 Some of you need to take some steps to try to bring health and healing to your family, but you are afraid. Afraid of being rejected. Afraid of being talked about. Afraid of whatever you're afraid of. You have fear. You need to understand that fear does not come from God. He has not given us a spirit of fear. any time I get a fear comes in the picture I know that the devil is trying to get me to go in the wrong direction and some of you will abide by what the devil wants you to do and go in the direction that God doesn't want you to go in and my word to tell you is don't allow the tactic of the enemy to stop you from doing what it is that God has called you to do don't be afraid Some of you got some assignments Some of you got some purposes that God has in front of you And you're scared to try it You're scared to do it Because the enemy operates in fear And y'all have heard me talk about this on a thousand occasions Here's a thousand and one occasion That fear is not God's method to give you direction You lean over to your neighbor and say God doesn't use fear to give you directions That was a little weak, but that's okay.

9:35 God doesn't, does not use fear. So I know when the devil is talking, when I see something trying to make me scared, I know that's the devil talking. And I don't go in there. I go in there. I go, I move toward my fears. In other words, when the devil brings fear, he wants you to go in the opposite direction. Instead of me going in the opposite direction, I go toward my fears. When I was a teenager, I was scared to stand up in front of people and talk. Took y'all a minute to catch that, y'all. I see y'all a little slow here today, y'all a little slow. But that's what I do for a living now. This is my job. This is my assignment. But the devil tried to make me afraid.

10:29 My first sermon, my trial sermon at the First Baptist Church of Glenargo when I was 15 years old was six whole minutes. I ain't preached six minutes since then. but the devil wanted me to be afraid, but I went toward that fear, and I spoke, and I'm still speaking. Here I am 51 years later still preaching. Now what has the devil told you to do that you're afraid to do? What book did he tell you to write? What music did he tell you to create? What job did he tell you to create? What business did he tell you to start? What is it that he told you to do but you haven't done it because you're afraid of what people might say? You're afraid you might fail. You're afraid of so many things. Who am I talking to today? Stop being scared. Nehemiah said to the people, we're going to build this wall. Do not be afraid.

11:26 Let me let that digest in your mind for just a moment because there's so many things that you're scared of. He said, don't be afraid. Don't be afraid to move forward. Don't be afraid. There's something the Lord wants you to do that you're scared to do it. God does not operate in the arena of fear. Here's number two. I'm just going to be the shortest sermon. Maybe, maybe not.

11:52 He says, do not be afraid of them. And then he says this, remember the Lord. Great and awesome. I love that right there. He said, look, we're about to do something huge. We're about to rebuild these walls around Jerusalem. We're about to accomplish something that nobody's been able to do for a few hundred years. He says, remember the Lord. And sometimes in life, you will face situations that what you need to do to be able to move forward is to look back over your past at the things that God has already done for you. I wish I had an amen right there from somebody. I don't know you. I don't know your story. I don't know your journey. I don't know what you've been through. But here's what I do know. I know that somewhere in your past, God has opened some door. God has done something for you.

12:48 God has responded in some way. I wish I had an amen right there. God has fought some battle. God has done something for you. And every now and then, you have to be reminded. You got to remind yourself, I've been here before. I've seen God do something for me in my past. And if he brought me through that, I know he'll bring me through this. He didn't bring me all this far to abandon me or leave me or forsake me. If he delivered me then, he'll deliver me now. Somebody say, thank God he's a way maker. He's a problem fixer. Somebody say, remember. You got to remember. You got a good look. As a matter of fact, that's the glory of walking with God that we have. Now, I have to be honest with y'all. I don't have the best memory.

13:41 I forget stuff all the time. Oh, dear, y'all go acting like y'all don't know what I'm talking about. Come on now. Some of y'all have gone into a room and forgot what you went into the room for. Do I have anybody here in that category? Anybody here ever picked up the phone to call somebody and forgot who you picked up the phone to call?

14:06 One, two, three. Yeah, I can't always remember stuff. I forget. but I wish over time I started doing this years ago but I stopped I wish I kept going I used to journal, I used to keep a journal and I would encourage you to keep a journal about the many miracles that God has wrought because you know what when you start remembering the things that you know God did and only God did it only God could have opened that door only God knew about the situation that I'm facing Only God could have worked it out. Can I get an amen? Somebody say, I got some stuff in my history that only God could have done it. Nobody else could have done it. It had to be God. It had to be Jesus. It had to be him.

15:00 That's it. Thank you, Lord. Somebody ought to go ahead and give him praise for those things that only he could have done. Somebody say, I remember when my back was up against the wall, and I didn't know which way I was going to turn, and he worked it out. Hallelujah. Only God.

15:29 As a matter of fact, it says right here, remember, it says right here, remember the Lord great and awesome. How many of y'all know we serve a great and awesome God? Y'all see that in the text? Remember the Lord great and awesome. He's an awesome God. Our God.

15:54 Y'all know what I'm talking about. He reigns from heaven above with power. Come on now, somebody. Help me give God the praise. Great and awesome.

16:14 Then he says, fight for your families. That's what the text says. He says right here in verse number 14, that's what I'm reading, verse number 14. He says, fight for your brethren, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your houses. I want to add on that and your destiny and your purpose and your assignment and your name and your reputation and your anointing and your relationships and your peace and your sanity. How many know you've been through some stuff that you should have lost your mind? You should have gone crazy. But I'm here to tell you, don't give up, don't quit, don't walk away, but fight for your sanity. Fight for your peace. Fight for it. Fight, fight, fight.

17:06 Now, the problem with fighting is, y'all, we don't always know how to fight. Matter of fact, the way we are fighting is often the wrong way to fight. You're not fighting by cussing somebody out. Let me say that again. We don't fight by giving somebody a piece of our minds. You need to hold on to the little bit of peace of mind that you have. Yeah, you don't fight by taking them to court. Y'all think if I sue, some of y'all are sue crazy. We live in a sue crazy culture. Yeah. Y'all fight by unfollowing people. That doesn't change the situation. That doesn't change it. It makes you feel better. Yeah.

17:57 Or blocking them. That's what y'all do. Y'all block people. Let me block you. Now you can't show them the love of God. Now you can't shower them with love because you done blocked them. Amen. Normally this side is the side that really says amen. I don't know what's happening over here. I think some of the people that normally sit over here must have come over to this section over here.

18:24 I'm going to teach you how to fight. God tells us how to fight. And I'm going to teach you how to fight. Go to 2 Corinthians chapter 10. 2 Corinthians chapter 10. Say amen when you get there. Amen.

18:45 Here's what it says. 2 Corinthians chapter 10. And I'm going to start at verse 3. It says, for though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. That's enough to shout about right there. clear instructions that we do not fight our fight with fleshly weapons.

19:14 For the weapons, verse 4, for the weapons of our warfare are not carnal. Write that down. They're not carnal. The weapons that God gives us and tells us how to fight, we don't use carnal weapons. And that's what a lot of y'all are doing, using carnal weapons. And you're not getting any results. You're not getting lasting results. You're not getting change. because you're using carnal weapons. And my assignment is to tell you we don't use carnal weapons. We don't fight using fleshly weapons. We're not going to win the battle. We're not going to be victorious by cussing somebody out, giving them a piece of our mind, fighting in the flesh. That don't work. Now, matter of fact, I'm getting ready to tell you what works. And by the way, let me prepare you. What am I about to say? You're going to say that don't make sense. But it's okay. it does make sense because it's God's way of fighting thank all two of y'all appreciate that very much here's what he tells us to do he gives us some clear he says for the weapons of our warfare are not carnal I like this right here in verse 4 but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds God says I'm going to tell you what to do and what I'm going to tell you to do may not make sense but it's mighty in God and it'll pull down the stronghold of the enemy.

20:37 It will defeat the enemy in the place where he has his strength. And what is it? What is it? I'm glad you asked the question. Verse five, here it is. Here it is. Casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God. Here is how we fight. It begins in your thought life. it begins with the way you're thinking. That's how, God says, here's how you start fighting. You fight with, not with carnal weapons, not with guns, not with cussing, not with suits, but you fight by the way you think. It begins with your thought processes. He says, you gotta learn to cast down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God.

21:30 Everything that pushes against God's will, pushes against God's way, everything that wants to exalt itself against the standard of what God has established, he says, cast it down, pull it down, get rid of it. Matter of fact, I feel a shout coming in my mind because he says, bring every thought into captivity. Get a hold of the things that you're thinking. And when it doesn't line up with the word of God, cast it down. Some of y'all don't understand. You don't recognize that the enemy has already won when he's got you thinking crazy, acting crazy, moving crazy. When he got you cussing people out and talking about people and gossiping about people, he's already won. God says the weapons that we use is not by carnal means. Instead, God said, I want you to think differently.

22:25 and God says, when I see how you're thinking, I can move on your behalf. I know some of y'all don't get that. You don't understand it. You don't see the application. You don't see the relevance to it. But I am persuaded. I am convinced. I am convicted. I am sure that God is examining and watching your thought life. And the way you think will make a determination as to whether God can move on your behalf. That's it. That's it.

22:58 When I was a young man, a teenager, the devil used to, I just, ooh, Lord, that devil used to just torment me, torment my thought life. That devil would tell me, nobody cares about you. Nobody loves you. That devil would just bombard me. And the problem is I entertained it. And you know, the problem is when you entertain it, it stays. And when it stays, it has babies. I'm preaching better than y'all are saying amen.

23:42 Somebody look at your neighbor and say, you need to bring every thought captive. You need to bring every thought captive. I would entertain these thoughts. Felt unloved, unwanted, and the devil even said, this world is better without you. but I'm so glad that at some point God spoke to me and I cast down that thought.

24:22 Can you imagine if you had not, if I was not here, your life would be jacked up if you didn't have John Jenkins in your life. How many of your life is better because you came across the First Baptist Church of Glen Arden? Can I get an amen from somebody? Look, that devil saw that I had an anointing. He saw I had a future. He saw I had a call and a gift from God. He saw that God was going to use me to make a difference in people's lives. And he wanted to get me out of there. And guess what? Some of you, many of you, all of you have a destiny and you have a call and you have a future and you have an assignment and the devil wants to get you off track. But I come here to tell you, cast it down. Get rid of it. Don't entertain it.

25:16 Don't think about it. Don't like it. Don't join it. You have a destiny. You have a call. You have an anointing. Hallelujah. Hallelujah.

25:38 I need y'all to get this. There's a whole bunch of y'all in here that the devil's trying to destroy you. But I hear declared that no weapon formed against you shall prosper. Don't measure your value by some other human beings statement about you. Don't determine your value by what others say.