EXPLOITS MAGAZINE August 2013

The LORD said...I have put my Name there forever.

My eyes and my heart will always be there.1 Kings 9: 3

W W W . E X P L O I T S . T V

The FirstCon Artist

in the ChurchBy Christine Darg

A.W. Tozer was a preacher and proli!c authorwith an ability to make believers face ourselves in thelight of God’s Word. He said the teaching of salvationwithout repentance has lowered the moral standards ofthe Church, producing a multitude of deceived church-goers who somehow erroneously believe they’re saved,when in fact they’re still bound in chains of sin. Indeed, it is shocking to see unrepentant sinners seeking thedeeper life in conferences. Tozer said our altars aresometimes !lled with people crying with Simon Magusthe sorcerer, “Give me this power!”

In Acts 8, concerning Simon’s sorcery everybodyexclaimed, “"is man is the Great Power of God!” Butlater the people believed Philip the Evangelist, and in thename of Jesus Christ, many were baptized. "e text saysSimon Magus himself believed and was baptized, and hefollowed Philip, astonished by the miracles and greatsigns. "e apostles in Jerusalem sent Peter and John toconduct followup in Samaria, and they placed theirhands on the believers to receive the Holy Spirit. WhenSimon saw that the Spirit was given by the laying on ofthe apostles’ hands, he o#ered money for this power, butPeter was indignant! “May your money perish with you,because you thought you could buy the gi! of God withmoney! You have no part or share in this ministry, becauseyour heart is not right before God. Repent of thiswickedness and pray to the Lord in the hope that he mayforgive you .... I perceive that you are full of bitterness andcaptive to sin.” Peter observed that Simon Magus waspoisoned by envy and bitterness. Peter discerned thatSimon could not be a true follower of the Cross becausein his heart he still wanted to be a miracle worker, byhook or by crook. Simon Magus had attached himself tothe apostolic band to gain more power. And hisbesetting sin is memorialized in the word “simony,”meaning to pay for position and in$uence in the church.It’s amazing and part of the mercy of God that Simondidn’t drop dead on the spot because only a few chapters

back in Acts 5, Peter had also spoken very sternly toAnanias and Sapphira concerning a money issue, andthey both had dropped dead in Peter’s presence, with nospace o#ered for repentance. But Simon Magus wasgiven the grace of space to repent! Peter’s rebuke, “Youhave no part nor share in this ministry," reminds me ofthe withering rebuke of Nehemiah. When he wasrebuilding the walls of Jerusalem, mockers came to taunthim, but in Nehemiah 2:20, he rebuked them, saying,“You have no portion, right or memorial in Jerusalem!”

From this account we learn many principles:Philip preached Christ, not himself. Simon, surnamedMagus for the magical arts, boasted he was someonegreat. And that’s a red $ag. False teachers seek their ownglory. Simon had conjured tricks, but Philip cast outdemons who were expelled with loud shrieks. "e lameand paralyzed were healed, and Acts 8:8 says there wasgreat rejoicing in that city! Many Jews traded on theprestige of their race and attachment to God. Others whoclaimed supernatural power include a sorcerer namedEtymas mentioned in Acts 13:6 who opposed the ApostlePaul. Exorcists at Ephesus are also mentioned in Acts 19:13. "ese itinerants, seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish chiefpriest, attempted to work wonders by the name of Jesuswithout knowing the Lord. A demon-possessed manoverpowered all seven of these vagabonds, saying, “Jesuswe know, and Paul we know, but who are you?” "e sonsof Sceva su#ered a humiliating beating -- a great lessonfor people who try to make somebody else’s experiencetheir own, or charlatans and politicians who use theLord’s name for their own personal gain!

Simon the sorcerer is in the Bible to warn us notto be naive. Sadly, not all who claim to be converted aregenuine. "e great preacher Charles Spurgeon gave acolorful example: “Fish sometimes leap out of the waterwith great energy, but it would be foolish to concludethat they’ve le% the water for good; and when habitualsinners make a sudden leap at religion, they could soon

be back again in their own ways.” And so, what aboutthe fact, clearly recorded in Acts 8, that Simon believedPhilip’s preaching and was baptized? As an evangelist, IWANT to believe that all who respond and are baptizedwill be saved and that I’ll meet them again one day inheaven! But Bible scholars say the degree of Simon’s sincerity even in submitting to baptism needs carefulconsideration. Jesus taught that when heart ground isshallow or rocky there’s not much hope that the seed ofGod’s Word will be able to take deep root and survive.At !rst Simon may have sincerely decided to follow theWay, but soon he yielded to the pull of his old lifestyle,hoping that a new fortune could be made from this mysterious Holy Spirit power. At the end of the day, truediscipleship is a permanent change of heart. We are to beradically born again. James 2:19 declares that even thedemons believe in Jesus and tremble. Billy Grahamonce said that if he had his life to live over, he would emphasize the cost of discipleship in his preaching.

Does the ministry hold the same temptations forfame and fortune today? God’s holy Word must not bereduced to an incantation for blessings. "e Gospel demands high moral standards. Outwardly SimonMagus was a baptized, card-carrying member of thechurch. We should examine ourselves from time to timeto see if any inordinate ambition is in our hearts.

Interestingly, Simon the sorcerer is consideredthe !rst heretic in the church! Traditions about him appear in anti-heretical writings of church fathers. Irenaeus and Justin Martyr regarded him as a formidablesorcerer and the father of all heresies. And so we shouldpay careful attention to this story to !nd elements ofother future heresies: including the fact that wonderworkers and miracles don’t necessarily prove that a mancomes from God. In the future the Anti-Christ and thefalse prophet will do signs and wonders so that even theelect if it were possible would be deceived. Simon in thatsense is a type of the Anti-Christ and false prophet, whowill astonish people. But Philip in this account is ourrole model because he simply preached Christ, and thatwas the big di#erence. Preaching Christ separates themen from the boys, so to speak, and the genuine fromthe counterfeit. Heretics can be only too willing to $eeceGod’s sheep. "ere are men naming the name of Jesuswho seem to have an inordinate con!dence in !nances,and many are undoubtedly wolves in sheep’s clothing,but Peter and John had the courage to unmask a peddler."ere’s no telling what harm Simon Magus might havedone in the early, budding church if he had been le% unchallenged to his own devices. "e account seems tosay “good riddance” to him as the Book of Acts moveson without Simon Magus moving on with the apostles.

Now consider how great was this revival! Philipful!lled prophecy in Samaria, because Jesus had said inActs 1: 8 that the Gospel would be preached !rst inJerusalem, then to Judea and Samaria and on to the veryends of the earth. Following Stephen’s martyrdom, the

church in Jerusalem was severely persecuted. Saul, later tobecome the Apostle Paul, was ringleader. "e persecutionled to the scattering of believers, who went everywherepreaching the Word, including Philip (who was not anapostle but one of the seven men selected to help widowsin Acts 6:5). Philip was the !rst evangelist to preach tothose who were not fully Jews. Jews and Samaritans wereprejudiced against one another, yet the preaching of theGospel brought them into fellowship in a way that perhapsno other religion ever could. Samaritans were consideredhalf-breeds by most Jews. In fact, at one point John theApostle had wanted to call down !re on the Samaritansand was rebuked by Jesus; now John was ministering tothem! As we grow and mature in the Lord, we mellow andideally become more open and loving. St. John clearly haddealt with the racial prejudice that had been in his heart.

Although the majority of scholars and artisanshave presented Simon Magus as one who fell from grace, Ido have to say carefully that not all Bible scholars condemnhim. To give a balanced view, we will ask the Scripture tospeak! St. Luke, the author of the Book of Acts, wrote simply without casting any aspersions, that Simon “also believed” and was baptised. It’s been said we’ll be surprisedto see who made it to heaven by God’s grace and who won’tbe there! Must we complicate the Gospel? Doesn’t theBible say in Romans 10:9 that “if you believe in your heartthat God raised Jesus from the dead and confess with yourmouth that Jesus is Lord, you shall be saved?” While theremay be many fanciful traditions concerning Simon outsideof the Bible, the indication of Scripture on its face value isthat Simon Magus believed but his heart was not yet right.Simon Magus therefore is an example of how fallen andweak believers can be restored. Are we not all works inprogress by God’s grace? He was told by Peter in Acts 8:22to repent and to pray, seeking forgiveness. I have no doubtthat God would have forgiven Simon. However, he onlyasked Peter in a superstitious way to pray for him.

What can we pro!t from this Bible episode? First ofall we can pro!t by learning that !nancial pro!ts shouldnever be a motive for serving God! Simon’s blasphemous,low level of thinking that he could make money o# of theHoly Spirit reveals how quickly we can fall into the ways ofthe world, if we’re not spiritually attuned. Secondly, we canlearn that when a believer sins, he or she doesn’t need to bebaptized again, but should repent, pray, and confess sins."is is taught in 1 John 1:9, “If we confess our sins, he isfaithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us fromall unrighteousness.” And thirdly, people with an occultbackground need careful discipleship and genuine renewalof their minds. Simon Magus was ambitious for ajumpstart towards the honour of an apostle. Many whopractice the occult have controlled others for years, and soit’s hard for them to humble themselves and to live thecruci!ed life. If you’re dabbling in the occult, come out ofspiritual darkness and cling to the living Saviour. Call uponthe name of the Lord Jesus Christ, for the Bible promisesthat all who call upon the Name of the Lord shall be saved!

Dealing with Demons in the 21st CenturyBy Christine Darg

Concerning a lunatic boy mentioned in theGospels, the disciples had failed to heal the boy andwere embarrassed. So they came privately to Jesus,asking, “Why couldn’t we cast out the demon?” Hisanswer still applies today: “because of your little faith.”Jesus also said more prayer and fasting were required.

Di&cult cases should inspire us to increaseour faith. "e disciples were perplexed because Jesus had already given them power and authority to healand to cast out devils, and they had enjoyed a certainmeasure of success. Jesus had sent them out two-by-two, and they had returned rejoicing that even devilswere subject to them….until this humiliating encounter.

Today’s “unbelieving believers” no longer enquire of the Lord, “Why couldn’t we drive out ademon?” Most professing believers won’t even acknowledge that demons are real! "e debate continues over the subject, including: Can a Christianhave a demon? A true born-again believer can’t bedemon-possessed, but he or she can be oppressed.We can be attacked by dark spirits if we don’t knowhow to resist and engage in spiritual warfare.

Some manuscripts render Matthew 17:19,“Why could we not heal him?” "at would be a classic case of what comes !rst, the chicken or theegg? In some situations, healing cannot manifest untila demon is discerned and cast out.

“I asked your disciples to drive out the spirit,but they couldn’t,” the boy’s father said. In Jesus’ response, we hear sorrow and exasperation: “You unbelieving generation! How long must I stay and putup with you?” Jesus had continually worked miraclesin their midst, yet they remained unbelieving. ("eLord was thinking, “Am I the only one who can dealwith this? My disciples still aren’t up to speed!”)

Jesus said a perverse and perverted generationdoesn’t know how to deal with demons! "ink aboutthat! Although the people were perverse, and Messiahwas clearly provoked, He was faithful to take care ofthe child: “Bring the boy to me,” Jesus said, and that’swhat all parents should do! When the spirit sawJesus, it immediately threw the boy into a violent convulsion, foaming at the mouth, rolling on theground. "is misery had been going on from the boy’s childhood. "e father begged Jesus, “If you cando anything, take pity and help us.” But beggingprayers don’t get the job done. Faith does.

In Mark 9:23, Jesus turned the question on thefather: “If I can? You mean, if you can. All things are

possible to him who believes!”"e father cried, “I do believe! Help my unbelief!”His reply was transparent butrevealed double-mindedness.

Meanwhile, a crowdgathered, and the demon puton a display. Demons craveattention, which is a form ofworship for them. But Jesussoundly rebuked and nailedthe spirit. He speci!callycommanded a deaf and mutespirit to come out. "is was ademonstration of the gi% ofdiscerning of spirits. "edemon shrieked, convulsedthe boy, causing him to collapse in a heap, resemblinga corpse. What a scene!We’ve seen similar scenes: Awoman collapsed in one ofour meetings in Cairo a%erbeing tormented by a demon, and she also appeared tobe dead, but we commanded her in the name of Jesus to get up, and she did, to God’s glory. In the Bible scene,people assumed the boy was dead. But Jesus li%ed theboy by his hand, and he stood up on his feet.

When the disciples approached Jesus privately, he encouraged them that they had NOT lost the powerto do miracles. He said, “If you have faith as a grain ofmustard seed,” (the least of all seeds), “you can removemountains. And nothing will be impossible for you.” "e borders of our faith should be when “nothing is impossible” because of trust in God’s greatness! "e tiny mustard seed should encourage us: we don’t have to be faith giants, but we do need to start exercising our faith in God!

Our worse enemy is unbelief. God expects us to believe his promises and to ACT. I like the title of the Book of Acts. "ank God it’s not the “Book of Apathy” but the “Book of Action.” "e title comes from a Greek word used in early Christian literature to describe the exploits of the key apostles and disciples in the decades following the Lord’s Ascension. Faith and trust in God separated the men from the boys.

Biblical faith gives you the determination andpower to resist the advice of unbelieving family members and well-meaning friends; otherwise theywould drive you over the cli# of unbelief. Unless you pay

them no heed, they’ll push you to go to the doctor or hospital because of THEIR fears and unbelief. "ey will

insist that you have medical tests. I praise God for medical advancesthat have helped many people. Forexample, a bionic eye has been invented in Israel! But we’respeaking of developing Biblicalfaith, and medical tests o%en stirup and strengthen devils, and canopen the door for sickness to gaina foothold in your body with a diagnosis (rather than taking yourcase to the Lord our Healer). Alsoin countries such as Americawhere sicknesses are regularly advertised on TV, it is di&cult tomaintain a Biblical faith in God. In countries such as Britain andIsrael, where there is socializedmedicine, the Lord our Healer iso%en not !rst priority in the mindsof even “believers.”

When was the last time youheard somebody rebuke a demon?In Matthew 17: 18, Jesus rebukedthe devil. Sadly, people in the

church today don’t think to rebuke an evil spirit becausethey’re not trained to act biblically. "e Church has apostatized to the point that most unbelieving believerslaugh cynically when demons are mentioned! Priests who exorcise devils are depicted by central casting asstereotypes of fanaticism. I heard a Baptist deacon say,“Do you know how long it took me to learn to rebuke thedevil?” "e thought had never crossed his mind to castout a demon, because his Baptist church never discussedsuch matters. But as the deacon studied the Bible, it became clear that Jesus gave his followers power to rebuke and to cast out evil spirits, and so he began to take authority over demons with great success.

Jesus cited two reasons for his disciples’ failure.Number one was their unbelief, or literally, “little faith.”And secondly, Jesus taught a harsh reality that stubbornspirits are cast out because of a believer’s consecration toGod by devoting extra time and energy to fasting andprayer. A casual believer who has never added fasting tohis prayers is not a likely candidate to get the job done.

Some evil spirits are more wicked and obstinate,and they are not easily evicted a%er a long tenure. InMatthew 12:45, Jesus said, “When an unclean spirit is goneout of a man, he .... attempts to return and …. takes withhimself seven other spirits more wicked ... and when theygain entry, the man is worse o" than previously....” So although all things are possible, some works are more

di&cult to accomplish than others. "e discipleslearned that the exorcist needs special preparation.Fasting subdues the $esh, and increases the spirit ofrevelation. By means of prayer and fasting, a believercan receive greater power to withstand assaults of theEvil One.

In the Gospel of Matthew, the boy is called alunatic from a word meaning “to be moonstruck,” supposedly in$uenced by the moon’s movements, butsome translations render this word as epileptic. Let’slook at this whole topic from another angle. Todaylunatic means mentally ill. No doubt, the boy in theGospel looked deranged. Mental illness is a problemin our world of stress, uncertainties and side e#ectsfrom high-powered drugs that cause people to gocrazy and commit suicide or murder. A man wrote toa rabbi that he felt depressed and worthless because ofa serious mental illness. I thought to myself howmany people feel just like that! "e man bemoanedhis failures while all his school friends appeared to besuccessful. He ended his letter asking woefully, “Whatam I worth?”

"e rabbi gave a compassionate response: “First of all, we must understand man’s purpose onearth. Is it to be a Torah scholar? Is it to be admiredby everybody? Is our purpose to have a high status inlife? No! Man’s purpose is to serve God.” "e rabbisaid we were created “for the sole purpose of rejoicingin God and deriving pleasure from the splendor ofHis Presence.” "is brought to mind the WestminsterCatechism that I learned from my father, aPresbyterian minister, of blessed memory. "e !rstquestion of the Westminster Shorter Catechism asks,“What is the chief end, or purpose, of man? "e chiefend of man is to glorify God and to enjoy himforever.” Amen! "e Master of the Universe is not an achievement-oriented elitist.

“In the world to come,” the rabbi said, “"erewill be many surprises. People considered importantand celebrated here on earth will be consideredworthless in the world to come, and many who arederided here will be highly important there. Do yourbest, and always be aware that you are precious inGod’s sight.” "e rabbi’s beautiful words were certainlywise advice on a certain level of understanding.

However, in this Gospel Age, we are expectedto believe God’s promises of health and guidance. We are expected to know how to rebuke evil spiritsand to cast them out. Jesus expected us to fast andpray to be able to give the word of command to relieve the oppressed and possessed. Dealing withdemons is surely part of the Great Commission! “Andthese signs will accompany those who believe: In myname they will drive out demons...” (Mark 16:17)

We enjoyed connecting withour ministry partners recently in theUSA, and in Chester, England, aswell as several localities in NorthernIreland. Each night the altars werefull of people receiving a touch fromthe Lord, and we were delighted tominister to so many with the help offaithful friends, including at right,Karen Ingram, at our Israel meetingsin Northern Ireland. We look forward perhaps to coming to yourarea, as the Lord directs our steps.

By Pastor Kumar,By Pastor Kumar,Salvation for IndiaSalvation for India

We are greatly anticipating the next visitto India in November 2013 by our Sister Christine Darg, whom we receive as a Deborahevangelist from Israel, and our brother Rev.Peter. We are busy preparing open air Gospelmeetings as well as the Second Bible WomenCongress, on behalf of Exploits Ministry, thistime to be held in Vijayawada, in the state ofAndhra Pradesh. Please join us in our prayersfor thousands to be saved in the Gospelcampaign, and for more than a thousand BibleWomen to be empowered in the Congress.

We request your urgent and ferventprayers that the Hindu Party will not come intoruling power in our great nation, because Indiamust belong to Yeshua the Messiah. Our

planned meetings could be one of the last chancesto hold open air Gospel meetings if the HinduParty prevails in upcoming elections. Believewith us that India shall be saved!

"e Lord has shown us how to multiplythe Exploits Gospel campaigns by videotaping themeetings for broadcast on various Christian andsecular television channels in India. Peter Darg’svideo “Yeshua, Discovering the Hebrew Jesus,” hasalso been translated recently into Hindi.

We here in India believe that ChristineDarg is following in the footsteps of the Apostle"omas, who brought the Gospel of Yeshua toIndia. Please therefore do what is needful as aministry partner for God’s power to be released.As the organizer for Exploits Ministry in India, Ican attest that many are calling for this ministry,and we must respond to the cries of the lost!

Israel ConvocationIsrael ConvocationIn Northern IrelandIn Northern Ireland

What Is Zionism and Is it Biblical?What Is Zionism and Is it Biblical?

By Christine Darg“Sing praises to the LORD, who dwells in Zion.”

(Psalm 9:11)Because Israel’s hymnal, the Book of Psalms,

contains nearly 40 references to Zion, there is noway a Bible believer can enjoy worship and readingGod’s Word without encountering the concept of Zionism. "e Word of God equates Zion with:

--the Lord’s holy mountain--Jerusalem, the City of the Great King--God’s personal dwelling place--the people of God in a broader sense--the heavenly Jerusalem that will one day

descend and be suspended over Mt. ZionFurthermore, in the Psalms God says he

loves the gates of Zion more than all the dwellingplaces of Jacob. Isn’t it amazing that although theGod of the Universe dwells outside of time in Eternity, nevertheless he is territorial and has chosenZion in the past and will yet choose Zion again. Hevowed in 1 Kings 9:3 that his eyes and heart wouldalways be there, even when he sent his people intoexile for disobedience.

"e holy Scriptures inform us that God isjealous on behalf of Jerusalem and Zion: “#is iswhat the LORD Almighty says: ‘I am very jealous forZion; I am burning with jealousy for her.’” (Zechariah8:2, NIV) Politicians should fear this jealousy!

So what is Zionism as de!ned today? It is the belief based upon the Word of God that the Jewish people have a right to their nationalhomeland in the Land of Israel, Eretz Yisrael. Godmade a covenant with his friend Abraham that hisdescendants through Isaac and Jacob would inheritthe Land of Canaan as an everlasting possession, andthat the borders would stretch from the River of

Egypt to the Euphrates River. (Genesis 15: 7-21) InDeuteronomy 28, God warned Israel of dispersionfrom the Land if they disobeyed him, but in manyScriptures he promised for the sake of his holy namethat he would regather them. "e Lord has beenfaithful to his Word; for the last century the Jewshave been returning in waves. According to Ezekiel37-39, the Jews will return to their land in unbelief,but when restored to their land in the last days, theywill receive an outpouring of the Holy Spirit and behold/receive their Messiah. Yeshua Himself foretold the whole last 2,000 years of Jewish historyin Luke 21: 20-24, that they would be dispersed andthat Jerusalem would be Gentile-controlled until thetimes of the Gentiles are ful!lled. "en the delivererwill come to Zion and remove all ungodliness fromJacob (Isaiah 59:20) and all Israel shall be saved!(Romans 11:26)

God made an everlasting covenant with Zionin Jeremiah 50: 4-5: “#e sons of Israel and the sonsof Judah alike will return to Israel, weeping as they go.#ey will ask for directions to Zion.” "at verse wasliterally ful!lled in our lives in the 1970s when Peterand I visited the former Soviet Union. One night aswe were entering a restaurant in Moscow, someGeorgian Jews who were also visiting the capitalasked us if they could join us for a meal. During theconversation, they revealed that they wanted to immigrate to Israel but because of the oppression ofthe Soviet regime against Jews, they had noinformation and didn’t even know where Israel waslocated. My husband, who was a student inseminary at the time, drew a map of the Middle Easton a napkin. It was the !rst time that these GeorgianJews knew the direction of their homeland. “#eywill ask directions to Zion!” HalleluYah!

Joshua, a Profile in Courage, Part 2By Christine Darg

"e very name Joshua-- Jesus, “God issalvation,” is enough to note special interest in thisman of God. He is the deliverer whom God provided,well named “God’s salvation,” for as Joshua led thechildren of Israel into the Promised Land, he wasindeed a type of Messiah. Moses, whose leadershipwas synonymous with the Law, could never bringIsrael into Canaan, anymore than the Law cantransport us to heaven. Salvation is the work of Joshua(Yeshua), our Saviour. “For the law was given throughMoses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.”(John 1:17)

For many years Joshua was only known as “the Servant of Moses,” and he conducted himselfwith contentment in that role. Moses was on themountaintop for 40 days, receiving revelations fromGod, having a high time, while Joshua was faithfullywatching guard halfway down the mountain. Joshuawasn’t exactly enjoying a spiritual high. He wasn’treceiving revelations from the !nger of God, yet hedidn’t desert his post. Meanwhile, down in the camp,the Israelites fell quickly into sin. Even the brother ofMoses went o# the rails. I’m sure Joshua heard thenoise, but he wasn’t tempted to desert his post. Godcan promote somebody like that. If you will servefaithfully where God has placed you, if you will notstrive, if you will carefully follow instructions of amentor and wait on God, your promotion will come.God will be faithful to you. God rewards faithfulness.

Joshua was a lover of God’s presence. "is iswhere many miss it. Men-and-ladies-in-waiting mightbe hard workers, faithful servants. "ey might knowhow to shout and send forth the anointed Word ofGod to bring down walls. But God seeks mighty menlike Joshua and David who crave His presence. Davidhad a circle of mighty men, and of the 30, there werethree who were mightier than the others, and of thethree there was one mightier than the three. AndDavid was the mightiest of them all because he lovedthe presence of God. He consistently sought the Lord.It was in the presence of the Lord that David re-fuelledand received revelation. It was in the presence of Godthat David received power to live an overcomer’s life.

And so we discover in Exodus 33:11 one ofthe chief characteristics of Joshua was that he hungaround the tabernacle when Moses was !nished communing with God. Joshua learned from Moses

the importance of thePresence of God.Moses famously saidto the Lord, “ExceptYour presence goeswith us, I don’t wantto go.” Loving God’sPresence is one of thegreatest principles wecan learn from a manor woman of God. Each time we’ve goneto one of the Arabtowns to evangelize, I have prayed, “Lord,unless Your Presencegoes with us, I’m not interested in going!” Andeverytime His Presence has always been with us,opening doors, enabling us to accomplish exploits forHim.

Another important principle in Joshua’s lifeis that he knew how to handle rejection. We must experience rejection and contradictions. Our pride must be broken. "rough many sorrows, we learn tolean on the Lord for his love and consolations. BothJoshua and Caleb were rejected by their nation forbringing a faith report. Joseph spent many years of rejection and setbacks, but consider what a great man of God he turned out to be! Paul spent many years of rejection by the brethren. When I !rst began to evangelize, I lost every friend. To my great surprise, my ministry evoked resentment and jealousy from the Body of Christ! “How dare she do this?” “Who does she think she is?” God allows rejection to train us to trust Him and to make Him our chief con!dante.

Joshua passed the test of obeying God’s instructions. He learned to follow divine instructionsvery carefully. He didn’t build a military bridge to crossthe Jordan because God had said the priests should puttheir feet in the water carrying the Ark, and then theriver would open miraculously. Joshua also didn’t construct ra%s. And he didn’t construct catapults andramps against Jericho’s walls, but he followed God’s non-military orders! How many of us can so clearlyobey God’s unusual, speci!c commands? Yet God callsus to a life of accuracy. Like Joshua, mighty men and women of valour must learn to obey the voice of God,and not lean upon our own understanding. Amen!

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