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ARE YOU THE ONE THAT GOD IS LOOKING FOR?
Ezekiel 22:29-30
29. The people of the land have used oppression, and exercised robbery, and have vexed the poor and needy: yea, they have oppressed the stranger wrongfully.
30. And I sought for a man among them, that should make up the hedge, and stand in the gap before me for the land, that I should not destroy it: but I found none.
What do you have in your house that God can use for a miracle? And what do you have in your house that will hinder one?
I’m going to try and get your attention so that I can point something out to us that is hindering the church from receiving a miracle.
Josh 7:1-3
1. But the children of Israel committed a trespass in the accursed thing: for Achan, the son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took of the accursed thing: and the anger of the LORD was kindled against the children of Israel.
2. And Joshua sent men from Jericho to Ai, which is beside Beth-aven, on the east side of Bethel, and spake unto them, saying, Go up and view the country. And the men went up and viewed Ai.
3. And they returned to Joshua, and said unto him, Let not all the people go up; but let about two or three thousand men go up and smite Ai; and make not all the people to labor thither; for they are but few.
What they were saying is this: it’s going to be easy. We don’t need a crowd to beat this enemy, but just a few.
Now hang on before you start hollering amen and shouting, I haven’t got started yet.
The talk here is faith, but there is sin hidden in the camp and God isn’t very happy right now.
Yeah I know we have defeated everything and everyone that has gotten in our way and God has been with us and we have defeated the enemy and it was a lot more than this.
Josh 7:4-6
4. So there went up thither of the people about three thousand men: and they fled before the men of Ai. They were defeated because of sin in the camp
5. And the men of Ai smote of them about thirty and six men
6. And Joshua rent his clothes, and fell to the earth upon his face before the ark of the LORD until the eventide, he and the elders of Israel, and put dust upon their heads.
The preacher is beating his brains out trying to figure what in the world is going on here. We’ve been fasting we’ve been praying without ceasing and about time we get going good this happens
Just about time I think we are close to the promise we are defeated and right back where we were in Egypt.
What’s happened Israel?
You aren’t so big and bad now?
The preacher is devastated, he’s embarrassed, and he is wondering what in the world just happened?
The world is wondering what kind of Pastor they have? They thought that they were holy.
Joshua had taken this group of people and defeated every enemy that stood in his way. What has happened here? We were blessed and now look at this!
Listen to Joshua as he is questioning God now.
Josh 7:8 O Lord, what shall I say, when Israel turned their backs before their enemies!
We will never have revival until sin is dealt with!
Josh 7:9-12
9. For the Canaanites and all the inhabitants of the land shall hear of it, and shall environ us round, and cut off our name from the earth: and what wilt thou do unto thy great name?
10. And the Lord said unto Joshua, Get thee up; wherefore liest thou thus upon thy face?
11. Israel hath sinned, and they have also transgressed my covenant which I commanded them: for they have even taken of the accursed thing, and have also stolen, and dissembled also, and they have put it even among their own stuff.
12. Therefore the children of Israel could not stand before their enemies, but turned their backs before their enemies, because they were accursed: neither will the Lord be with us any more, except ye destroy the accursed from among you.
Somebody has sinned and the whole tribe of Israel is being punished!
There is no more victory, no more shouting no more praising God. What just happened?
Let me tell you what’s wrong here in this church. We have sinned and have also transgressed God’s covenant, which He commanded us: for some have even taken from the accursed thing, stolen, dissembled it and they have put it even among their own stuff.
It makes me think; “what do you have in your house that has hindered revival”? We use the excuse that “they backslid”
No, they died because there is sin in the camp.
Come on somebody, you have some accursed money hidden.
You have some Babylonian garments hidden and you think that it’s not hurting anyone but you, while you slip them on in the night.
Listen to me, “the whole church is suffering because of some people’s greed.”
Josh 7:13-14
13. Up, sanctify the people, and say, sanctify yourselves against tomorrow: for thus said the LORD God of Israel,
“There is an accursed thing in the midst of thee,” O Israel:
You cannot stand before your enemies,
Until ye take away the accursed thing from among you.
God said to bring everyone to Him and He will expose his or her sins.
God is about to do some separating and then his judgment will fall upon the guilty!
Here’s the punishment for disobedience:
Josh 7:15-21
15. And it shall be, that he that is taken with the accursed thing shall be burnt with fire, he and all that he hath: because he hath transgressed the covenant of the Lord, and because he hath wrought folly in Israel.
16. So Joshua rose up early in the morning, and brought Israel by their tribes; and the tribe of Judah was taken:
17. And he brought the family of Judah; and he took the family of the Zarhites: and he brought the family of the Zarhites man by man; and Zabdi was taken:
18. And he brought his household man by man; and Achan, the son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, was taken.
19. And Joshua said unto Achan, My son, give, I pray thee, glory to the Lord God of Israel, and make confession unto him; and tell me now what thou hast done; hide it not from me.
20. And Achan answered Joshua, and said, Indeed I have sinned against the Lord God of Israel, and thus and thus have I done:
21. When I saw among the spoils a goodly Babylonish garment, and two hundred shekels of silver, and a wedge of gold of fifty shekels weight, then I coveted them, and took them; and, behold, they are hid in the earth in the midst of my tent, and the silver under it.
Why would anyone of the House of praise want with a worldly garment?
Why would anyone from the house of praise want to sell their souls and their family’s souls for a little cash?
All he got was two hundred and fifty shekels of silver and a wedge of gold that’s less than a thousand dollars today in our money.
Disobedience is going to have to pay with its life and not only his but also all that are with him, his wife, his children and all that he owns is about to be burnt with fire.
For just a worldly garment and a little bit of money, he sacrificed.
Is the thing that you have in your house hindering your revival and your miracle?
Is the thing you held back hindering your miracle?
Josh 7:22-26
22. So Joshua sent messengers and they ran unto the tent and behold, it was hid in his tent and the silver under it.
23. And they took them out of the midst of the tent, and brought them unto Joshua, and unto all the children of Israel, and laid them out before the Lord.
24. And Joshua, and all Israel with him, took Achan the son of Zerah, and the silver, and the garment, and the wedge of gold, and his sons, and his daughters, and his oxen, and his asses, and his sheep, and his tent, and all that he had: and they brought them unto the valley of Achor.
25. And Joshua said, Why hast thou troubled us? the Lord shall trouble thee this day. And all Israel stoned him with stones, and burned them with fire, after they had stoned them with stones.
26. And they raised over him a great heap of stones unto this day. So the Lord turned from the fierceness of his anger. Wherefore the name of that place was called, The valley of Achor, unto this day.
The penalty for hindering victory cost the whole family their lives and all their possessions.
God is trying to get us to heaven and He has given us commandments.
We have in our houses things that hinder the whole church, and us.
There is too much worldliness in our homes.
In our spirits there is too much greed.
And you think like Achan, no one knows and it can’t hurt anything.
God has blessed you and you forgot all about God, you think you have it hidden and no one knows you have it.
You have caused the church to suffer along with you, but what I believe is that just like Achan, God is going to reveal you and separate you that you will be no more.
Josh 8:1-2
1. And the LORD said unto Joshua, Fear not, neither be thou dismayed: take all the people of war with thee, and arise, go up to Ai: see, I have given into thy hand the king of Ai, and his people, and his city, and his land:
2. And thou shalt do to Ai and her king as thou didst unto Jericho and her king: only the spoil thereof, and the cattle thereof, shall ye take for a prey unto yourselves: lay thee an ambush for the city behind it.
Listen to this miracle
2Kings 4:1-3 Now there cried a certain woman of the wives of the sons of the prophets unto Elisha, saying, Thy servant my husband is dead; and you know that thy servant did fear the LORD: and the creditor is come to take unto him my two sons to be bondmen.
2. And Elisha said unto her, What shall I do for thee? tell me, what hast thou in the house? And she said, your handmaid hath not anything in the house, save a pot of oil.
Here’s willingness to separate from what she had, to get the miracle she needed.
3. Then he said, Go, borrow thee vessels abroad of all thy neighbors, even empty vessels; borrow not a few.
Being obedient creates a miracle!
Listen, God was looking for a vessel to create a miracle and He found a little Virgin girl by the name of Mary.
1st She had to be a clean, untouched virgin.
2nd She had to be willing to receive.
3rd She had to be willing to be looked upon by others who would persecute her.
4th She had to bear the burden of separation.
You see, in those days an unmarried pregnant girl wasn’t common like it is today. They didn’t have a baby shower for her and bring gifts. She was an outcast to society looked down on by everyone including her parents.
What do you think her parents thought when she told them “Hey Mom, Dad I’m going to have a baby and God’s the father of it?”
She waddled around for nine months, everybody looking at her and criticizing her.
But when you’re holding a miracle in you, you’ll walk different.
You’ll look different; people won’t accept what God is doing in your life.
When you’re holding a miracle in you; you’ll watch how you dress.
You’ll be particular about where you go and what you allow yourself to consume.
People that don’t want to change will separate themselves from you.
Old friends won’t hang around you.
They won’t offer you something to drink or smoke.
When you have a miracle inside you there will be some that want to see it and when it happens it will change their lives.
So we have to want to change them with our miracle instead of them changing us.
But understand this; once that miracle came out of her people paid attention.
It got the attention of a bunch of Shepherds.
A heavenly choir was singing.
It drew wise men from the Far East and they brought gifts to celebrate what others would hate.
It changed the lives of prostitutes and drunks and the self-righteous.
It changed the outlook of the religious, rich and the poor.
It opened the eyes of the blind, healed the sick and suffering.
Raised the dead, the crippled walked and the half of it still isn’t told.
When God finds a vessel and puts a miracle in it, everybody can benefit from it.
Yea I know, Mary was the talk of the town, in their eyes Mary had sinned, she had committed adultery.
Mary was called names; no one wanted anything to do with her anymore.
Her future husband was through with her until the angel came to him and said, “Joseph that which is in Mary is of the Holy Ghost”.
Let me tell you something “what others think of your transformation cannot kill your miracle. Only YOU can abort it.”
You can say, “I don’t want this, everyone is looking at me”.
I don’t see my old friends anymore and I feel lonely
You can have regrets and abort your miracle but listen to me,
No matter if your friends come back, no matter if you get drunk and high again, you will never be the same.
Once God uses you as a vessel for his spirit, you will never, ever, be the same again!
You can get as high as you want, fornicate, get whacked out on drugs, but inside their will always be emptiness, a void in your life, a hunger that isn’t satisfied by the world. It can only be filled with a miracle from God.
