Eating the Food of the Land

Carter Conlin from the historic Times Square Church in New York City.

Praying for deliverance and spirit of the saints, and believe that your life can and will make a difference. Thank you for joining us today for a call to the nation and Carter, this message from the book of Psalms in the life of David. It's a message in a time when, as Carter points out, joblessness is on parade. It's the spirit of today's world. Carter reminds us, the battle isn't a political one. It's godlessness versus Christ some 140.

Please return their song written by King David before he was king in the season were his own nation was in the eighth fearful spiritual decline, self-will and spiritism under King Saul was on full display and was leading the nation towards what would inevitably without divine intervention, become a certain defeat.

David was being pursued by an army and Dave.

The courses are Christ type. The Army was hoping as it always has been that a backsliding society could finally cast off that which represented God and threatened its own godless advents.

We are living in that kind of the day again.

Godlessness is on parade. Godlessness believes it has the upper hand and only recently are we starting to see how vulgar and vile. It really is that spirit and those over whom it gains dominion.

That's why you hear such cursing, happening now, even among politicians is so tragic.

Some two verses 1 to 3 says, why do the nations rage and the people plot a vain thing. The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together against the Lord and against his anointed, saying, let us break their bonds in pieces, and cast away their cords from us. The discourse in our nation, the division the bigger speech. The escalating encouragement towards people actually to do things that ought not to be done it's following the pattern of history. The battle is now about Christ and his restrictions on behaviors of those who, in themselves, they want no restrictions and they want to be their own judges of what is right and wrong.

This is the battle. It always has been the battle of the fallen humanity. When Satan came into the garden of Eden is so decedent of his own fallen nature into humankind that you don't need to follow the ways of God.

You can be as God in yourself and you can determine what is right and what is wrong. That is the battle it's not it's not Democrat versus Republican versus libertarian etc. etc. it's godlessness versus Christ. That's what we are fighting in this generation. The lawlessness that has risen up in this and other societies exactly as the Bible foretold it would be in the last days. A sudden infusion of lawlessness that will culminate in the words of Jesus or he said you shall be hated of all nations for my namesake were heading their faults. But thanks be to God throughout history we see that if we will stand up if we will begin to pray. If we will yield our bodies to the purposes of God. God can extend in any society, a season of mercy were multitude. Sometimes, too numerous to count are drawn into his kingdom.

In Rwanda there was a word.

For example, years ago the work to competing factions in society. The Hutu and the tendency to different tribes, both fighting for control of the nation one tribe became dominant over another, and they started to publicly vilify the other people on the radio and actually reduce them to the level of inanimate objects sowing the seeds of penance.

The couple violence that you and I know about. Even today, tragedy. But God preceded this tragedy and many don't realize is when there was a great spiritual awakening in Rwanda before the genocide and many many many countless numbers of people came into the kingdom of God and so mercy will always triumph over judgment. Even though our societies in our world may go into difficult days mercy times, we must never lose sight of the fact that the battle wave five is about eternity is not just preserving us aside is not just keeping our sand castles from getting blown over. One day it will all be folded away.

The Scripture says like a scroll in the heavens and the earth will be re-created and brought back to right order. The word of God tells us that is not about just preserving data, preserving our lifestyle folks that the mission of Christ was about people and thank God it was for you I wouldn't be here today. We would have no hope. It didn't come down across to just preserve our self-image or our steady future or our money in the bank or our retirement plane and died for that died that we might be redeemed and left us as ambassadors of that incredible mercy on the earth and the beauty of it all is that we have power and access to the throne of God that he can extend his mercy one more time.

You can flood our streets and can bring bring the conviction on sin where we never believed it could come join the didn't believe the got good but he feared he would be, but the odds were against God ever showing mercy to the Assyrians in the capital city of Nineveh course so violent and vile that they had a reputation for cruelty in the world, and yet God showed the mercy for a whole generation and you know the ironic thing is that Jonah was in the audience and offering the mercy his own message was repent your finished in 40 days it's all over but the humble themselves under the mighty hand of God in a great great spiritual awakening came to a very very wicked city because the aims of the people cannot be achieved peaceably.

Just as with all the people always have to resort to vulgarity the accusations into even violence in this is what we are witnessing today said to say it, but we are watching a great nation unravel right before our eyes. Many voices you you read them in the media you can you can find. If you're looking for the voices or their secular and sacred their warning that were becoming so uncivil that were rapidly approaching and increased unrest and even potential violence in our major cities.

This is where were heading but you and I as believers in Christ just as David was the only ones who can bring a spiritual awakening back to the nation do you fully understand that you we have power with God to bring back a moment of mercy with power with God to push back the darkness that wants to swallow our society cause violence to permeate our streets and literally overthrow everything of God and everything of Christ in every restriction the people's behavior to literally throw it out of our borders and have this new social order where there are no boundaries, no borders, no rules.

Everyone does what is right in his own site perversion is paraded in.

Morality is degraded.

So the question is what are we not to do. You have to make it practical because a no Ike I can keep it on a level where nobody can really grasp it, but I know that if you're as I am and I were sitting here in your seat and someone were preaching to me and said preacher tell me know what I do and how to do it when it's look at what David did in Psalm 140.

Now he's in the cave.

A madman is pursuing him. He's got an army behind them there. There is talk of violence everywhere, not only of the people that are trying to find him and kill him. Literally talking of violence. But the people surrounding him inside the cave are also talking of violence to understand the people outside want to kill him. The people inside one to kill somebody else they want they wanted to kill King Saul, but David recognizes something because he's a Christ type that this is not how the kingdom of God is going to advance this is not what God is calling us to do as a people and in Psalm 140. He says deliver me all Lord from evil man is not talking about just the people outside is also talking about the people inside those whose speech is given to other than godliness, those suits are looking for a solution in physical or human terms, that which the natural mind only can understand.

He says preserve me from violent men. God don't let the spirit of violence get a hold.

Don't let maybe don't let it be in my mouth.

Don't let them touch my hands don't don't let me be a partaker of this spirit, it's become so prevalent in this time will plan evil things in their hearts they gathered together for war. They sharpen their tongues like a serpent and the poison of snakes is under their lips. And so what David did and this is what you and I have to do. Pray for deliverance from the spirit of this age pray for deliverance, a God deliver me.

I don't want to be part of the problem. I want to be part of the solution. Yet my mind back on spiritual things get me away from the media get me away from all of these things and want to poison my spirit and cause my speech to lose its effect and be exactly the way they are. I told my wife this morning coming and I don't listen to the news. I can't listen to it anymore I can. It's so poisonous I can't listen to an outgoing once a day and read the headlines and not Satan. I'm out… Paul is this something else give me anything about what's going on in the public sphere today. Pray for deliverance from all of these things.

David said in Psalm 142 when he was in the cave, he cried out, is that I cried to the Lord with my voice and with my voice to the Lord. I make supplication. I pour out my complaint before him, I declare before you my trouble is, he turned a prayer that's always been the key when my spirit was overwhelmed within me then you knew my path in the way which I walk. They have secretly set a snare for me. Look on my right hand and see there's no one who acknowledges make refuges failed me.

No one cares for muscle.

Another was Davis a field called this something fire in the petty violence and grievance of this generation. Nobody seems to understand it around me. David saying outside. They want to kill me inside. They want me to kill.

But God help me. David had no way of understanding. He was the Christ type of his generation. He was the type of somebody who was God Vern didn't I did, and empowered by the spirit of God, Lord, there has to be another way. I cried out to you Lord I said you are my refuge, my portion in the land of the living attend to my cry from brought very low. Deliver me from my persecutors, for they are stronger than I bring my soul out of prison that I may praise your name the right to self surround me, for you shall deal bountifully with me, here's one.

David says deliver me from the spirit of this age, buddy. In verse seven he says I believe that I will have a different spirit that your life inside of me will have a great effect on others around me and that's got to be the cry of my heart and yours got give me a different spirit than this age give me a Holy Spirit give me your thoughts.

Give me your mind.

Give me what you are saying about this time, give me your compassion for the multitudes. Even those who don't know (from the right hand, spiritually speaking to love. Even my enemies.

God Almighty give me a different spirit and bring people around me that will become mighty you will deal bountifully.

David says the right to self surround me. This was a prayer that was a prayer of faith because around him were discontented men there were and dress distress. They were and that they wanted him to become violent. They wanted him to fight physically but David knew the fight that he was called the fight was so much deeper than this and he said God I C&A the righteous will surround make those whose hearts are right. Those who make right choices because you will deal bountifully with me. They will see your hand on me and that had to be what made these men mighty or with the date they change something change the men that were with David the understand they were advocating violence but they came out of that cave and they were mighty they became changes in their generation.

They took on battles that only God could have given them the strength to win. And in Psalm 140 again. Verse six.

The second thing we must do firstly pray for deliverance from the spirit of this age and believe that your life can and will make a difference versus 68 I said to the Lord, you are my God hear the voice of my supplication. So Lord God, the Lord, the strength of my salvation.

You've covered my head in the day of battle.

Do not grant the Lord the desires of the wicked do not further his wicked scheme, lest they be exalted. Here's what David is praying God through my life push back the darkness covered my head in the day of battle and help me not to listen to the voice of the enemy help me a lot to succumb to the threats of the wicked for David would've remembered when he was young that every morning the voice arose on the opposite side of the valley and challenge the armies of Israel into a one on one conflict and that voice in a sense, indicating you don't have the power to overcome what's against you. So you'll do it now, rather than be humiliated and David remembered the day that he refused the roof through the armor of Saul because he is never proven it.

But God covered his head so that he was not listening to the talks he was not listening to the voice of that particular generation, but he had a word from God, and you remember when he ran into the valley is that you come to me with armor and sword in a spear, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, the God that you have defied. David understood is not implied is not written, but he understood this is the God who made a promise to my forefather. Abraham that he was going to bless the people that are going to be multiplied by the strength of God. They were going to be a blessing in the earth and all people in the world would come to understand who God is through these people is both Abraham and said whoever blesses you will be blessed never curses you will be cursed. So I come against you with that which God has placed in my hand a weaponry that looks foolish to those who walk in the natural but you and I know that the weapons are warfare are not carnal, but they are mighty in God to the pulling down of strongholds, casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God.

Every high thing that exalts itself against the word of God the will of God. The boundaries of God.

God has given us power to bring these things down into captivity to the obedience of Christ. And David knew yes he's indicate when he wrote the Psalms. Yes, there's only 400 with them and there's thousands against it. Didn't know who he could trust anymore because when this kind of a situation arises. Submit is a division that happens and he didn't know who could be trusted. But David knew the one he could trust was still with him the one who still does miracles, the one who had given them victory over lion and the bear and a giant was still his God, no matter how difficult his life looked. He knew that when he turned to prayer. Miracles still happen and folks you and I have to learn the lesson of history were on the weaker side in the natural is no doubt about that but in the spiritual we are already more than conquerors were already seated at the right hand of Almighty God, we are connected to the one will reduce drawing the power of darkness, and since in all power and all authority, every name that is named in this world and in the world to come is in subjection to him. He is the head. We are the body we have direct access to the throne of God point last Friday. Now we must go to the throne of God and pushed back the dark. This is not an hour for cowards. This is not an hour for the self-seeking.

This is not an hour for those who pray the fullest prayer of Hezekiah when he was told after a great history with God. After God given great victory in the past when he laid his concerns out before the Lord, the one incredible vectors and could only have come from God, but at the end of his days. A problem comes to him and says your sons are going to be taken captive. The going to be castrated in the going to start before taking his cork and Hezekiah praise the most stupid prayer I've never heard a man of God, pray in the Old Testament is as well, as long as it doesn't happen in my day is not a good thing. And there are people in this generation the nursing well as long as I'm dead before all this evil comes on society is not a good thing. No, it's not a good thing it's a good thing. All little children that saying in this quiet this morning we willing to give them over to doctors we going to stand up and fight for them. It's only good things of those whose entire Christianity is all about themselves making God deliver us from this child is foolishness and make us men and women of God to get me God calls us to understand that we have power to make a difference in our generation and we had to stand up now. We don't hundred tomorrow to get this rightful we have to stand up and we stand up by going to our needs first.

We go to the throne of God is the Lord, what would you have me to do what you want for my life. What are you calling me to do for your kingdom sake.

And thirdly believe that God will give us the victory. David says in verse 12. I know that the Lord will maintain the cause of the afflicted and justice for the poor. Surely the righteous shall give thanks to your name in the upright shall dwell in your presence believe that God will give us the victory in that worship and thanksgiving will become the portion of multitudes in the days just ahead. That was David's prayer in the cave and I remind you that David lived to see the victory he believed God for I remind you that David danced before the ark of God is the presence of God was being ushered back in to the center of were God's government will one day be forever into Jerusalem as God's presence was being ushered is the heart and will of God are being fulfilled. David could not contain himself any longer and he began to dance before the ark, and I believe that multitudes doesn't witness in Scripture but no doubt there were people dancing with them.

If you are one of the 400 persons read been in that cave when you be dancing with him as well, knowing that only God could have given the victory.

There's no other way. This victory could've come were at a crossroads in the church of Jesus Christ. Now folks, we press in.

We fight we don't fight with physical weaponry as the people of this world do we fight with spiritual weaponry we fight with prayer, we fight with the word of God. We fight with righteous living.

I was reminded this morning that when I was in that darkness can encompass the whole ocean storms can, and threatened to swallow sailors and travelers make the passage impossible all that God needs to counter it and bring multitudes to safety is a lightbulb in a place that can be seen with reflection behind it.

That's why Jesus said you are the light of the world would you consider augmenting lighthouses all over the place. And when you consider the ferocity of the storm. When you consider the immensity of the darkness, the power of the wind and the waves and all it seems to be against the travelers trying to make their way to the journey.

That's before them and you realize a bulb about this big put it a proper place can diffuse it all can send being for miles.

1020 3050 miles and send the beam out and say this way to safety this way to safety this way to safety, and it can diffuse the power of the darkness the darkness cannot hide the light no matter how hard he tries, no matter how much it tries to swallow the traveler and cannot hide the light you are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be cannot be hidden. If you and are willing to be given for the sake of others. That's really the key to long in America, Christianity has focused on itself and has allowed this decided to devolve into the darkness that is now surrounding it and threatening to swallow multitudes, but we are still the city set upon the hill. If you are willing to make the journey. The Lord Jesus as you were willing to die for me that I might have life, may I give my life for others that they too might the message today has been brought to you by Carter, pastor of Times Square church. For more information log onto TSC NYC.org dance TSC NYC.org plan to be with us next week for a call to the nation with Carter,