Eating the Food of the Land

Carter Conlon from the historic Times Square Church in New York City are not what you think you are you are what God says you are. That's why we have to learn to defeat an old way of thinking there's nothing you have to do but to simply believe that you are what he says you are. Thank you for joining us today for a call to the nation and Carter Conlon's message on how we need a new way of thinking God has a specific plan for each of us. But sadly people choose to go their own way to securities safety and personal emails. Carter wants all of us to understand we are called to a higher cause then living, to preserve ourselves. Let's join Carter now 1857 young man who was a minister in training. His name is Jeremiah Lanphier, a businessman really was learning to preach the gospel and was given charge of evangelism, of reaching a certain community and the in Manhattan New York City simply printed up a poster and he put it on some polls around about the area where he was on the poster and simply said if you are as concerned about the future of the city in this country as I am, join with me to pray and from that humble beginning. I believe the first meeting was only about six people showed up to the first meeting were from the beginning of permitting began that swept the country in the estimates range up to 2 million people were swept into the kingdom of God. Prayer hit churches everywhere people's hearts were hardened to the things of God suddenly came under the conviction of the Holy Spirit that would gathering churches. There was public confession of sin people confess to all kinds of things that were in their lives that they needed to get right with God from and it was a great and glorious spiritual awakening is what I'm doing. I'm putting a poster up things you care about this country and you're concerned about the future as I am. Would you join me on October 6, Thursday night worldwide permitting from 7 to 9 PM will be bringing this permitting from Plymouth, Massachusetts in the house that sits on the foundation of the very first house in America were the half of those who landed in 1620, on the shores of Plymouth, Massachusetts who survived, prayed, they prayed on that very spot. And God made a covenant with them, they had no strength.

They had no plan. They had no go forward strategy and they were surrounded by enemies but God gave them favor and from that simple covenant that he made with them 400 years ago and nation was born arguably one of the greatest nations it's ever been on the face of the earth. God's favor has been on this nation but it's been 400 years and as many cultures have done before us. We dealt loosely with this incredible blessing that God gave us so were going to go back to the place where the nation began one month before the election in November and were going to ask God's forgiveness for what we did with the freedom that he gave to us and people from not just in Plymouth but people all over the country are going to be streamed in and going to be praying for the mercy of God, not just confessing our sin, but prayed for the mercy of God for our children for homes for families from schools for our society for racial reconciliation going to be praying for all of these things and I'm asking you to join with us if you really care about the future of this nation, folks. We may not get another chance. After this you have to understand how serious this moment is in our country right now. I don't know what the future holds, but I do know this one thing, if there's no intervention of God, the God's people don't humble themselves. The future is going to be very, very dark for this nation. Perhaps a lot of other places throughout the world as well. This is a serious moment and pray with us pray with us. That's all we're asking you to do now.

It's so important for us now as the church of Jesus Christ in this time that were living in. We got to have the courage at least to say God is are thinking been wrong and this is something that we need to embrace. Are you trying to get a hold of us to do something we might not have considered yet.

I want to talk to you about learning to become the mighty warrior. The mighty men, the mighty woman of God that you actually are the things that you're struggling with. In many cases, not every case but the things that you're struggling with is because you're living in a place other than where God would have you to live under doing things other than what God has called you to do. Therefore you find yourself embracing thoughts your embracing thoughts that are getting to be strongholds in your life so you spend your whole week trying to get out of one thing out of another thing and out of another thing when in reality, God is trying to get you nudges out of these things but is trying to bring you in to something that he has for your life. Philippians chapter 2 in the New Testament were talking about a new way of thinking so I'm gonna start here in Philippians chapter 2 and then I'm going to go to Joshua chapter 5 now in Philippians chapter 2 if I started verse three Paul is going to be speaking in context.

Alright, so that means is making a statement and then is going to bring it into an example that furthers his statement so I want us to follow this in verse three it says let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit. Another was okay all we do is, the people of God, don't let it be because you want to shine.

Don't let it be because you just simply looking for something that's going to make yourself only more comfortable or give you a reputation may be among people, but in the lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. Could you imagine if we just embrace that one verse of Scripture in this generation. The rioting universities would stop almost immediately. There certainly would be no Christian people involved in it I can.

I can almost guarantee that if we esteemed every other person better than ourselves. Verse four. He says let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others. Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus will now were still in the same context of what he saying don't do anything just for your own glory or for your own need esteem others better than yourself. Don't just be looking only for your own comfort your own safety your own security.

Anything that bring something to you but look to the needs of others, then he goes into verse five and says let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus. Getting rid of an old way of thinking and embracing a new way of thinking. Let this mind be in you. Let this be our pert my God, give me this mind. I don't know what you would. It is mine is a God, you have to take me out of of living in a place of self concern and self consumption and focus on self and old everything else, it just goes with with with living in that realm is so deficient for the kingdom of God. Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made himself of no reputation, taking on the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. Let this mind be in you. Therefore God also has highly exalted him and given him the name which is above every name, and I believe in this generation is the church of Jesus Christ. We need to start seeing again. Humanity before us we need to start seeing the struggles of others. We need to start seeing that there might be a pathway and a plan of God for each of our lives that a lot bigger than what we thought we had for ourselves to find out planted.

It involves being separated from the thinking of this world. It involves a whole new mind.

It means with embrace something of God, that cause the son of God to leave where he was and come to this world walk among us. Suffering in a sense, our infirmities going to cross and paying the price for our sin. We need to learn again to be obedient even if it takes us to a place of suffering and all is not much of that has been preached in the last maybe 20 years or so I'm I'm sure this places it has been but it's almost the gospel is not heard anymore. We've crafted another mind may put it that way gravitated to a portion of the Scripture. But we force the other portion out of our thinking and were now living at a time where if we are going to make a difference is the church of Jesus Christ, the mind of Christ has to be given to us again the ways of Christ up to become ours otherwise were just an irrelevant argument in the wind. That's all we are to be forced to the sideline and these the voices that are allowed louder than ours are going to be the ones that dominate the moment as is already happening in our culture. God has brought us into a place of reckoning is brought as hold search and replace race trying to speak to us again and talk to us about something that were supposed to be something we are in a place where he is willing if were willing to go with him. He's willing to take us there melons in Joshua chapter 5 there was a there was a whole new generation of people that had been raised in the wilderness, their forefathers had made the error of coming out of Egypt and choosing not to going to the place of promise that God had for them.

And really, the choice was based on self-preservation. They went in and they look at the size of the Giants and look at the fortifications of cities that God told him he will belong to them and and the they drew the conclusion and is based on fear. The drew the conclusion that there too much first of two big frosted too strong for us and realistically, every man, every woman standing there saying if I do this and I'm going to suffer. I might even die. My freedom might be taken without a know what what was in their mind. But here, at least in the wilderness, at least think they had provision they had manna in the wilderness, they they were at least alive in the probably wrongfully assume that is probably better to live here than to try to go in and fulfill the calling of God that's on our lives and sad to say generation to generation. There always Christian people make a choice and they live in a spiritual wilderness that is not a place of victory and is not a place of total defeat is just a place of nothing. Their life is no meaning is no influence that they had conquered nothing for God. It doesn't operate in the supernatural. It's is really relegated to the realm of just arguing doctrine in Scripture, there's no there's no supernatural power with the member.

The apostle Paul said your your faith is not to stand in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.

But there's not too many people can say that anymore.

The whole faith is in the wisdom of of of the crafting of their arguments against the arguments of those that live outside the kingdom of God. Now in Joshua chapter 5 this new generation which we are our being called of God to go into a place that those who came before them chose not to go. It's a place of having to fight. It's a place of having to obey. It's a place of having to do something greater in the sense and just crafting out their own safety in their own security and ultimately if you can hear there were actually fighting for you and fighting for me. Had they not gone in.

You just imagine the consequences there with a bent.

This is a phenomenal thing when you begin to think about it. There were crafting in a sense, the pathway that would ultimately lead to Christ being born in that promise land going to the cross, dying on the cross that occurs after he died, he became our promised land. As the believers in Christ in the New Testament. He is the promised land is all about Jesus Christ our life. I hope our mind, our wisdom are victory our future our strength. Everything is in him every promise of God is not in the physical and anymore. It's now in the person of the son of God, Jesus Christ. Now in chapter 5 in verse two before the one in his head at that time.

In verse two of chapter 5 in Joshua the Lord said to Joshua, make flint dives for yourself and circumcise the sons of Israel again the second time. So Joshua made flint knives for himself and circumcise the sons of Israel at the Hill of the foreskins and this is the reason why Joshua circumcise them, all the people came out of Egypt were males, all the men of war had died in the wilderness on the way when they come up out of Egypt, for all the people came out at been circumcise, but all the people born in the wilderness on the way as they came out of Egypt had not been circumcise no when we choose not to go in and conquer. As Christ is called us to conquer. Then everything that we raise up after us won't be separated as we chose not to be separated. Those who raised up after us will also not be fully separated for the purposes of God for the children of Israel. Verse six, walk 40 years in the wilderness till all the people who were men of war receded and know what they're worth now the Bible calls the men of war, but that's not what they called themselves they called themselves grasshoppers remember that we were grasshoppers in their side, but know that God called the men of war.

That's what I'm speaking to you the way I am here, not what you think you are you are what God says you are. That's why we have to learn to defeat an old way of thinking and you don't want to defeated you will be laying on your map. The rest of your life waiting for the waters to move so you can be healed when Christ is standing beside you now saying will you be made whole. There's nothing you have to do but to simply believe that you are what he says you are in and believing that you simply get up, roll up your map and begin the walk and become a living miracle for the kingdom of God, you begin to pull down powers and principalities, and spiritual wickedness in high places just by the fact that you are letting God called you and cause you to walk worries called you to walk. Then suddenly there's a great victory all the people who were men of war verse six, who came out of Egypt were consumed because they did not obey the voice of the Lord. In other words, God had a plan for each of them, but they chose security and safety and personal ease that they weren't really is concerned about the honor of God is that should have been in the Lord swore that he would not show them the land which the Lord had sworn to their fathers, that he would give us a land flowing with milk and honey.

Then Joshua circumcise their sons will be raised up in their place, for they were uncircumcised. It's it's a type like for example of a generation raised up in the present church, as is really the reason that separated under the things of God. They have of a partial God thinking, but they also have a parcel thinking that's of this world, they're not separated on the God that thinking is not separated their lives and not separated.

They know the Scripture that says as the father has sent me, and so now I send you the know it, but they're not willing to follow it. They don't want to do it in a great measure. There's a portion of that part of their forefathers and said that we don't want to suffer for the cause of inheriting this land we we don't want to run the risk of losing our lives or freedom or whatever it is, and so they drew back and they would've had to craft their own religion in the wilderness and there's there's nothing worse than a dry church and about. I do feel that that's that's what happens when people do not walk with God.

The church becomes a very very very dry place, a place nobody really wants to go to if they don't want to go to hell. So they feel they have to go to church on Sunday not to the reader want to be there don't really want to hear the words that come from God. If there's anything from God even in the pulpit anymore.

We live in a dry dry place and I don't know about you but I don't live there. I don't think you do either and I'm gonna go to try because the Holy Spirit send me to get through to you that you are not called to be where you are in your whole life. Focus is not to be focused on the struggle that you're presently having member that this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus.

Let every man look on the things of others would think about the struggles of others and not just on his own struggles and trials announces so it was when they had finished circumcising all the people they stayed in their places in the camp until they were healed when the Lord said to Joshua this day I've rolled away the reproach of Egypt from you. Therefore, the name of the place is called dual gal under the station. There were there about this experience marvelous victory. I'm in the. The first victory. After this, this, the separating of the God is ever going to go into Jericho and I do know the story of how they just they didn't have to do anything just march around, don't say a word to seven. They just march around when I tell you the shout is shout got somebody give you the victory and he gave them a marvelous, marvelous victory over a place that was that was fortified was in transit declared that it had the dominance over their promised land, which it did in the course. God gave it to his own people. Now, in order for this generation to submit to this covenant was that circumcision was a covenant it it was it was a new generation coming to God and sang our forefathers may have chosen security and safety over the glory and the honor of God, but were going to walk with you, Lord, what we choose in the Lord's saying and in order to do this you have to come to a full recognition of the failures of the past you. You have to you have to reckon with. You have to deal with it. The Scripture that in second Chronicles is it my people called by my name will humble themselves and pray and turn from their wicked ways in the Scripture says it tells us there has to be a reckoning with our failures were living in a generation where cities are on fire folks to understand art. Our families are breaking down addiction is becoming read the whole society in America today is dissolving right before our eyes.

And God help us as a church if all we can do is boast about how great we been in all the wonderful things that we don't let's deal honestly with our failures if we had truly live for God.

The way we should have. There would be a first in this society for the supernatural.

Just as there was on the day of Pentecost. There's no getting around this truth, we've not been what we boasted about being many of God's people have lived in the wilderness out of Egypt but not into the place of promise out of audit from under the penalty of sin, but not becoming what God wanted them to be not doing what God called us to do. Not conquering the things God called us to conquer. We got no passion for prayer because in many cases people just content to dwell on this this dry place in and not have really of a burden not have the mind of Christ. This mind that caused them to come down from the throne where he was equal with God. His father and condescend as it Scripture says sales were two men of lowered estate and walk among us and become a servant and become obedient to the death of the cross.

There has to be a reckoning with the failures of the past that otherwise we will go in otherwise will justify what we are will will look to blame somebody for the mess that the nation is and when the mess the blame realistically for the mouse lands on the pulpits of America and the people of God there. There really is no escaping this. If we really were what we were called to be the nation would be in the permitting, they wouldn't be burning our cities at present an end.

The issue of circumcision now there are three elements of circumcision really there's there's there's exposure and shame is pain and the separation there has to be an admission that is to be an admission in my heart in your heart are not everything. I should be in God is obviously calling me to Morse or God. Would you give me the grace to to take the next step would you give me the grace to step out of the crowd. Would you give me the grace to go farther than others say is far enough to give me the grace to lose my freedom if necessary.

The love is making there's would you give me the grace to suffer so that the sufferings of others.

Macy's would you give me the mind of Christ. Would you help me God to to go forward and become what I said would you would you help me didn't get off this bed of self-pity. If you're looking for volunteers. Let me be the first to step forward. Let me be the first to say God I am willing to identify with Christ am willing to suffer the same of rejection that this generation will give to those who belong to God, if necessary, and yes, there's pain. There's a certain pain that comes with separation is the breaking of old relationships with the putting away of of old habits and suffer the pain of putting away old practices old relationships old ways of doing things and become separate on the God and and and and embracing of that separation embracing him say I'm going to be identified as a follower of Jesus Christ. From this day forward.

No more mumbling in the restaurant wiping my brow making it look like I'm praying no more hiding in the closet yes and it's going to cost you, tell you straight out in this generation. You can have a biblical opinion and even have safety on the job anymore. You know that I know that but there has to be a willingness for you and I and anyone else who God is calling to stand up and be separated for the purposes of God. If were ever going to know the power of God again being manifested through our lives, then the Scripture tells us in verse 11. This is the eight the produce of the land.

On the day after Passover and unleavened bread and parched grain.

On the very same day. Then, the manna ceased on the day after they had eaten the produce of the land and the children of Israel no longer had manna but they ate the food of the land of Canaan that year… To me. Amazingly, they step forward, they submitted to the covenant of circumcision. They declared themselves to be the people of God. They decided they were going to go in and fight in the didn't quite know what that was going to mean they didn't know if some of them would lose their lives over but they said were going to go in because were called God to a higher cause than just living to preserve ourselves number let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus. We are called to a higher cause than living to preserve ourselves on the site. Again we are called to a higher cause than living to preserve ourselves and not spoonfed anymore. They're opening the Bible and the word is coming to life it's jumping off the pages. The remember the manner they had to go out every day and get up, but when they crossed in this place, the land began to produce for them because they chose to walk with God say Lord I'm stepping out if all of humanity and America's all the churches lined up in a single line and you're looking for volunteers.

God, I'm going to be the first step forward. I'm not going to step forward, having it all together in Markham step forward in any kind of personal perfection. I'm going to step forward. Just because you're calling me, though I consider myself weak. You tell me a mighty sword in the let your power in your life flow through my life for the sake of others because I want the mind of Christ to be my mind you been listening to Carter Conlon from Times Square Church in New York City.

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