Taking Back Your Half Acre

Carter Conlon from the historic Times Square Church in New York City, but had enough of this mockery of God.

I've had enough of living in this powerless place. I'm not going to sit here and lick my wounds any longer.

I'm getting up and I'm going to do something that will bring glory to God.

Welcome to a call to the nation with Carter Conlon. This week's message from Carter will be taken from first Samuel 14. At this point in the story the nation of Israel has abandoned spiritual leadership.

They want a king to rule over the so God gave them Saul. They thought he had the makings of being the good king. They soon found Saul gave into his own fears and frustrations. He lost touch with God. Now the whole nation was threatened by the Philistines.

One day Jonathan Saul, son stood tall and intact mighty Philistine army and secured a pivotal small piece of land. Let's join Carter, now with today's message taking back your half-acre funding to speak to you about something that you need to hear. I'm going to talk to about the significance of winning your half-acre you have a half-acre battle ahead of you. It might seem like a little small thing in the scope of of the magnitude of what were facing in our society today. Your your battle might seem small and and it still might seem impossible, and you're wondering in your heart. What kind of a difference. Could my life make all my brother, my sister, if you could only see the difference in your life could make some people get to the throne of God when they enter the building at the throne of God that they finally have their still in heaven heaven is still her home, but they finally have a vision of what the let's go to bed if they would've just taken that step. The Godhead set before them if they would've refused to bow down to their struggles or the self-loathing. Whatever it was that they were dealing with, and saw something a little bit bigger than just the place where they were in the admin just got fed up and it's on. I'm getting up out of here. I'm getting out here on a stinger any longer, and I'm really challenging. Some people I'm hoping that you can get fed up with where you are.

I'm hoping that you get tired of the verbal barrage of hell itself and of the bondage and addictions in the despair and hopelessness in all of the rest of it is given your life. I'm hoping and believing some fights going to get into the God by his Holy Spirit will put their and finally said, I got enough of this. I'm getting up and I'm getting out and going to make a difference.

I don't know how big the difference is going to be and I don't how many people is going to affect but I know that staying where I am is going to amount to very little in comparison to what God has for my life and so you're the person I'm speaking to. If you have a Bible going to Canada device for you can follow along in reading from the new King James version of the Bible in first Samuel chapter 14, that's all. You have to find for the moment. This we can find it and just open your Bible first Samuel chapter 14.

Let me set the scene for you. In chapter 14, a first Samuel in the nation of Israel have really abandoned spiritual leadership and they wanted a king for God give them a king, called Saul, it was an idea guy. He stood tall above the rest of the people he looked like he had looked like a king. He had a semblance of a spiritual life when he started out but he soon gave into his own fears his own frustrations and knees on the trajectory now of actually turning to witchcraft.

If you can believe it is lost touch with God the house around himself.

The Scripture says he he was there. The nation is under assault.

Just as our nation is today the forces of darkness have the high ground. That means that they they have all the military advantage that they have the them every conceivable natural advantage over the people of God who incidentally are called to be a testimony of the greatness and glory of God in the earth, the devil is constantly come against this throughout history constantly yelled over the Valley or from the mountaintops constantly tried to convince the people of God that you will serve us. We will not serve you. You will serve us is in my brother my sister this is been a spiritual battle since the Garden of Eden and you and I have to understand this when the only way this battle can be fought is in the spirit you can't find it in the flesh. Saul tried to fight it in the flesh, and he ended up a coward and he led an army that became cowardly and he had a priest around and we went to the E fog, which is the garment the priest warm in there seeking God and you got to imagine you sitting under a pomegranate tree. Nobody around them is the courage to fight himself as becoming a carnal man means he doesn't understand the ways of God or the ways of the spirit and there was a one time when the ark of God was taken captive. There was a baby born at that time and and his name was Ichabod, which means the glory of God has departed how his nephew is now got the garment of prayer on him is in charge of the prayer meeting, so here got Saul a failed king you got Ichabod the nephew of the glory is gone and the nation got the garment of prayer, and there's a young man sitting there. His name is Jonathan is the only one left in this entourage that has a heart for God.

Realistically, and Jonathan finally just says I'm out here. That's what I'm hoping to have me I'm here I'm at.

I'm tired of this this leadership in a sense is going nowhere and is just filled with men's ideas. I'm tired of. I'm tired of the prayerless places that are not touching base with God anymore, and I'm just going to get up and under the funds can follow the Lord leads me I'm good. I'm going to do something that will bring glory to God in the Scripture tells us that he decided to get up and go over to a garrison or means a squad of the Philistines and engage in battle, and said, but he did not tell his father know, here's the first point. If God is leading you to do something that you're going to need the strength of God to do don't tell people around you who are prayerless and were not able to follow the spirit of God because they will do everything in their power to talk you out of the leading of God. I know what I'm talking about when I was a young Christian I started to follow the leading of the Holy Spirit in my life. I can't tell you the numbers of people professing to be people of God tried to talk me out of the pathway, the Godhead set before me, almost, you have to get through it. If I if I knew then what I know today I would have said anything to anybody at this would've gone, but I told people I thought they'd be excited that the Lord was leading me to do something only to find out the because of powerlessness.

In many cases, and because many people don't understand what it means to walk in the spirit they will try to talk you out of doing will give you all the reasons why Tempe done your two week didn't get through your own struggles a little detail all the reasons why would God's calling you to do just simply can't be done now. Joshua had a friend, and it's always good to have a friend in armor bearer who would just said whatever's in your heart, let's do it. It's it's great to have a friend like that and I hope you can find somebody that is willing to undertake this this journey with you so that they they set out to engage in battle with a garrison was there since probably about 20 or so soldiers other than vastly outnumbered the soldiers their enemy soldiers on a mountaintop there in the valley. They had to go up in verse forces between the passes which Jonathan sought to go over to the Philistines garrison there was a sharp rock on one side and a sharp rock on the other side numbers with some difficult if you're going to engage the enemy in this particular day that were living in there. Is there some difficult places are going to have to go through the good of the past by these places one rock the name of it was bones as in the other was senna. And it's interesting because bones as means fine white linen and sentiments thorns.

In other words, we didn't have to fight to get through and understand that we have a righteousness that's not our own is given to us by God.

Sometimes people don't get into the battle. He said well I'm not ready, because I'm still battling this and I'm still battling that and I still struggle here and I still struggle, or so they feel like the Gumby on the sidelines. Their whole life. When God says no it's not about what you have done.

It's about what I have done for you and I have given you a righteousness, a right standing with God. That is not your own.

It was bought for you on the cross. 2000 years ago and the other one simply means sentiments thorns.

It means I'll have to battle these thoughts in my mind that somehow I don't qualify for the battle. Remember a crown of thorns in the sense of the devil put on the head of the son of God.

It was a type of thing. Who do you think you are to make the declarations that you are declared yourself to be the son of God, you said you'd come towards you in another kingdom and select crown of thorns and the census pressed into his brow.

The devil's way of saying you thought you were going to win the victory, but I have the victory over you because that's where the ultimate battle is in the Christian life. So you gotta get through these first two battles the first two battles are the you not clean enough to enter into this battle.

So stay home stay where you are. Stay sitting in your chair stay laying in your bed stay on those bills because you not clean enough, and who do you think you are to engage in this battle anyway. You simply going to be defeated. You can make a fully yourself or of the kingdom of God. The Scripture verse five says the front of one of the stones faced northward opposite McMaster the other southward opposite Debian.

It's interesting because when you look at these two particular cities that talks about everything in the Old Testament is a type that so at least I'm looking at it right now and speaking it to you. McMaster means concealed place and to be a means past association so you gotta get past this sense of unrighteousness. Gotta get past these thorns pressed in your mind that who you think you are and who makes you think you're going to win a victory and you also to get past these places that these thoughts that say there's some good new thing in your life or something got a hold of you because of past association that disqualifies you from the battle. I want to remember, it's not enough strength that God is glorified.

It's in our weakness.

It's in our nothingness that he becomes. Everything is when we come to the end of ourselves that the kingdom of God starts to take over and he starts to carry us in the places that only he can go and when we were in the victory at the and received only God could have done this. Only God could have done this.

Jonathan said to the young man who bores armories to let us go over to the garrison of these Philistines for the Lord will work for us. He said for for nothing restrains the Lord from saving by many or by few see God's hand is not obligated to move because we can bring 10,000 people together to fight. History proves that over and over and over again. All he needs is one person of faith as a matter fact, all he needs is you. You you with your struggles you with your trials. You have to fight in your mind you, the devil is after him saying you don't qualify because what you did in your past, or things that may be of try to attach themselves still to your spirit.

Because of past association you that the devil is trying to convince. You can't fight this battle because you certainly couldn't be clean. Think of the things that you have done. Think of the things it flow through your mind now and again. And Satan will come against you with everything's got because more than you do. He knows the threat that you are to his kingdom.

Don't you forget that he's lived through moments like this that I'm reading about or somebody just got up and set I've had enough of this mockery of God. I've had enough of living in this powerless place. I'm not going to sit here and lick my wounds any longer. I'm getting up and I'm going to do something that will bring glory to God. So they went up the hill they went past these two obstacles.

These two sharp rocks that they had to go around in the journey up the fight with the this enemy army of the people of God of the very first thing when they said they reveal themselves. Lately they actually reveal themselves to the Philistines were here to fight with you.

I think there's something in my spirit. This rock can't fully explain it but I just think the somebody that's getting up and say I'm going into the battle.

I'm just done with this I'm done with this undone Dragon my sword in the into David's cave. Like walking like a defeated soldier every week on understand pick that thing up and recognize I'm a child of God in a minute light for something bigger than just getting out of my own struggles and so the Philistines said look the Hebrews are coming out of the holes where they couldn't answer very first thing you have to face when you step out to do something for the glory of God. You will face the mockery of every Devil of Hell is see the demons believe James said, and they tremble, they know what can happen to them when somebody raises up in faith again and they will hit you with mockery. Who do you think you are you been hiding all these years and suddenly you're just going become a soldier suddenly go to fight with us want to know we have the high ground, don't you know you're in the Valley.

Don't you know that we've got you where the dominant voice of the culture today.

What makes you think you can stand up and fight against us. The second thing they said to Jonathan and his armor bearer's come up to us in verse 12 and we will show you something to the second thing you will face after mockery as threats.

This is going to heart.

If you continue on this journey.

This will be painful is going to difficult you're going to suffer if you continue on this journey so everything in the voice of the enemy is telling these men turn around and go back to that place of powerlessness turn around and go back and sit under that leadership that has no mind of God and under the priesthood. That doesn't pray in those is not connected with God anymore. Go back go back go back and maybe somebody else to do something but not you.

Verse 13 says Jonathan climbed up on his hands and knees with his armor bearer after him. Arts is really interesting. Second Chronicles 714 says if my people are called by my name will want to humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven, forgive their sin, and I will heal the land.

I want you to notice the Jonathan did not approach the battle in arrogance he protested in humility, he of all people.

At this point would recognize that God is with us.

We will win a marvelous victory and if is not. If God is not with us if we walk up with pride. The Scripture says God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble is on their hands and knees, now can you imagine that from the Philistine perspective this must look like quite a spectacle here come these two guys are crawling up the side of the mountain you got 20 soldiers guarding this half acre parcel ground on the top of the mountain. They have all the weaponry that got the muscles they've got the swords that got the numbers and here come two guys up the hill literally crawling towards him up the hill and was to look like a joke to them and quite often throughout history. What God uses to tear down the powers of darkness looks like a joke to the powers a doctor but I guarantee you there are no joke to the kingdom of God.

All hallelujah hallelujah we are a mighty army in the hand of God.

Yes first season. We lost sight of who we are first season. I guess because we sailed some pretty smooth seas for a while.

We forgot that were called to fight and bring glory to the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. We forgot we had power to tear down serpents and scorpions and all the power the enemy and nothing shall by any means hurt us. We forgot that are weaponry and prayer is to stand against thoughts that are in high places and pulled them down and bring every thought into obedience to the Lord Jesus Christ. We we forgotten we are in Christ, we forgot the mind of our God may be weaving forgot the willingness of our God to take us in our failure and use us for his glory. Maybe we thought we had to have it all together before God could use us only had to be as strong as our is were forgetting. It's not in our strength. You see your calling brother and the apostle Paul says not many mighty, not many noble, not many wise, but it was God chosen is taking the foolish things of the world and the weak things of this world's and things which are nothing, and things which are despised to bring everything that stands against God in its own strength down into nothing that no flesh can glory in his presence.

Praise be to God, we have what we have and we are who we are because of the grace of all mighty God, Jonathan and his armor bearer stood up and in the natural they have no chance of winning this victory, but you see are not walking in the natural there walking in the supernatural and this is where we as the people of God must return again standing against the forces of darkness that are pitted against our children in this generation of families or homes or marriages or mines in the very testimony of God himself. I feel like fire of young King David coming in the my soul again. Even in my old age were David Tim into the camp of Israel and the traveling before the Philistine army one more time, and King David said, is there not a cause of why are we not fighting for the glory of God. Why are we letting these enemy armies walked the people of God unlock the testimony of God in the earth.

Does anybody here know that God brings in this earth that he's in total charge. The heaven is his throne and the earth is his footstool. So Jonathan and his armor bearer stood up to fight. Verse 14 of first Samuel chapter 14 says that first slaughter which Jonathan and his armor bearer made was about 20 men within about 1/2 an acre of land does little good big victory doesn't not listen to me. The whole nation is being threatened border to border north to south east to west out of the how many square miles. That is, it's a lot. It's a lot leave the Philistine army is in the thousands or tens or maybe the hundreds of thousands that come against the people of God. They got the high ground that got the upper hand then got the weapon really got the big voices. They seem to have the upper hand in everything. So in the midst of it all. This one man in his armor bearer climbs up this place of difficulty cast off all the threatenings and all the mockery and all the fear of failure. The past and takes back 1/2 acre of land so very much half-acre roughly hundred and 10 by hundred 10 ft.² suffered big, but they took it back. What happened when they took it back the first 15 says there was a trembling in the Amazing how would I want to touch of this would be that they just went out to win a battle of the place. It's probably about the size of this is really and really take back that piece of ground there's a friendly go through the whole holes of the enemy in the camp in the field and among all the people suddenly there's a trembling means like there's is a fear that is released among the people there's there's a sense is if there's been like a nuclear explosion in our midst.

Somebody of faith has risen up again. That's the one thing the devil fears more than anything else.

Somebody of faith rises up the garrison and the Raiders also tremble. Now this is amazing these of the trained soldiers started to tremble and the Raiders are parties there called spoilers action there is a condition of the parties little raiding parties that are sent out in advance, the kind that terrorized towns were the armies of the enemy are going to come and sometimes they they rated town. Sometimes it just circle the walls next started declaring the defeat that was coming the way of the people of God and the Raiders are not even there begin to tremble. In other words H trembling went through the whole host of the enemies of God and God's people in the earthquake so that it was a very great trembling. Even the ground started to shake one man and his armor bearer climbed a mountain and took 1/2 an acre then also what happened in verse 20 it says every man's sword was against his neighbor. There was great confusion now. Not only that the enemies of God's people start trembling. They turned on each other. I can't over emphasize to you the importance of taking back our half-acre each of us in this generation.

I can emphasize it enough every man's sword was against his neighbor, and there was a very great confusion. This is what we ought to pray for our generation. For those who would destroy this nation.

For those who would take away our Christian heritage for those who would trample on everything that we hold dear and precious in this time let to be a confusion. Let them not achieve their objectives that they have in their heart. Moreover, it's as the Hebrews were with the Philistines before the time went up with them into the camp from the surrounding country. They also joined the Israelites were with Saul and Jonathan so there were a lot of people were mixed in effect. Realistically, there were in the enemies That's really where this in the been there but they were there and when they saw the victory coming back into the camp of Israel.

They left their association with people where they shouldn't have been and came back again into the kingdom of God and likewise it says in verse 22. All the men of Israel had hidden in the mountains of Ephraim when they heard that the Philistines fled. They also follow hard after them in battle. So the Lord saved Israel that day. In other words, the people of God came out of their place of fear and they got into the battle to is well and that was a great victory that day.

The Philistine army is completely rounded the enemies of God turn their swords on each other. Those that are backslidden up her that we have come home and those were fearful of gotten into the fight and it all happened because one man and his armor bearer says I'm up and I'm outta here. You have no idea what could be a lease through your life today. If you make the choice to say I'm not living here in defeat any longer. My life is not destined us to try to get out of this battle another that battle another the struggle other that struggle and just survive another day I'm done. Just trying to preserve myself. I'm going into the fight for the glory of God and is the spirit of God leads me I'm going to follow him and I'm going to take back my half-acre your half-acre might be your home, your family, your half-acre might be just the escape or the that getting away from your own addictions, weathers, pornography or drugs or alcohol or some kind of mental addiction.

Whatever it is that you're struggling with your half-acre might be your children, your half-acre might be your husband or wife was left and it just you hanging by a straw believing the gods able to bring them home again that might be your half-acre but I'm telling you, if you get up and take that half-acre by faith, by faith in what God has done for you through his son Jesus Christ by faith in what God is able to do when you're walking in the spirit and according to his will. There is a rambling that starts going through every Devil of Hell would spit it against you and your family a trembling is suddenly the enemies were focused on. You are now focused on each other. Suddenly, those were backslidden start coming home. Suddenly, those were fearful start getting into the fight. Suddenly, everything changes.

Just because you've got up so not living there anymore. I don't go to get beyond those obstacles, those hard places a tell me I'm not worthy to get beyond the mocking voice is under get beyond the fear of my own heart. I would rather die fighting for the kingdom of God and live in defeat. Testers recorded time and again when one vessel gets up one Gideon one Esther one Moses one Elizabeth one Mary look at his alter scriptural history. Somebody got up and began to fight in hell was pushed back by the power of God himself. God's called you to be a warrior. That's who you are.

That's what you're calling. That's what your future. I don't know what your half-acre is.

I know for sure people on the sidelines get up and start a fight with by the grace of God. A great victory will be one you've been listening to Carter Conlon from Times Square Church in New York City. For more information and resources to help you in your walk in Christ. Log onto TSC.NYC TSC.NYC, be sure to be with us next week for a call to the nation with Carter,