Overcoming the Insurmountable: God Has a Plan

The following message from Pastor Greg Laurie is made possible by harvest partners, helping people everywhere know God check out virtue our website for Christian women go to harvest.org/virtue doing God is messing with your mind a little bit more about your my ways are really anything you Pastor Greg Laurie says we shouldn't be surprised God strategy for delivering is beyond our comprehension plans and your aspirations, your dream all the things you aspire to the Civil War. You will find this plan for your life and God was small enough for our minds have little problems. Thankfully, God is never encountered a challenge he found today on the new beginning. Pastor Greg Laurie brings us to a moment of the Old Testament. When the Israelites faced a problem they couldn't handle what God has a plan and usual plan sure deliverance of his chosen people today will see what he could do a series of gold world changers were looking at Hebrews 11 which is a collection of the great heroes of the faith men and women that distinguished himself because they put their faith in action and we learned there that world changers don't quit world changers keep marching forward and now in Hebrews 11 were introduced to very up two very distinct world changers and very different from one another. Joshua and Rahab, Joshua and Rahab. One was a godly man, the other an immoral woman. One was a general in the Israeli army, the other a prostitute. One was a Hebrew, the other an enemy of the Hebrews, a Canaanite, but we use that expression often will we need to get on the same page on this will literally Joshua and Rahab are on the same page in the Bible. Here in Hebrews chapter 11 in Hebrews 11 verse 30 says I faith the walls of Jericho fell down after they were encircled for seven days by faith the harlot Rahab did not perish with those who did not believe when she received the spies with peace so that they are put together in the heroes hall of faith. That's what sets a world changer apart from a non-world changer, a world changer uses their faith.

They go from the realm of theory to reality Biddle just talked blue sky, the garden do things for God. They take risks. They're willing to put their faith on the line so let's go back historically. Now the Israelites have been delivered from Egypt and they came in short order, to the point of entry of the land of Canaan, the promised land which would ultimately become the nation of Israel. The point of entry was a spot called Key dish Barney. So instead of marching in, they said bullets. Let's check this out. Send some spies in the 12 spies when it two of them. We know by name Jason Bourne and James Bond no wrong with actually Joshua and Caleb, Joshua and Caleb went in along with 10 other spies when they came back there was a majority report and there was a minority report and said there's no way we should go in there.

The people are really big. In fact, we were like grasshoppers in their sigh. Joshua Caleb came back and said yeah things are big in the new lab. Check out this cluster of grapes we product these grapes are so big it took two of us to get them out of the place. Let's go for it, but the people of Israel said no, they were filled with unbelief is that we do not want to go in.

The problem is they had a small God. Thus, they had big problems and that unbelief cost them 40 years of needless wilderness, wondering. So now there numbers shrunk and their no longer the great multitude they were in fact the older generation is gone.

Now we have all new generation their young people didn't go through the Red Sea, they just heard the stories these other people. Now I get to go into the promised land. God was going to lead them in, but they needed their own encounter with the Lord, you know what every generation needs her own encounter with the Lord over 40 years ago we had the Jesus movement and a whole generation was impacted but were all grandparents now if we were there for that and were praying for another Jesus movement for our young people today that they can encounter God in their own way and see the Lord. Were we should be praying for now, there's a big barrier keeping this new generation ready to enter into the promised land from getting in and it was called the Jordan River that granted it wasn't as big as the Red Sea, but hate was still big enough enough to keep them out. I've seen the Jordan River.

It's a powerful rushing river so they come to the bank of other they look out of. There's no way they can get over it. So the Lord does a special miracle just for them and the waters part sort of like a mini Red Sea and they went in and got their feet wet. What's interesting about the Jordan River as the Lord said walk in and it was still moving and it didn't open up until they got into the water.

Sometimes the Lord will say take this little step of faith in you have to first get your feet wet and it doesn't happen right in front of you.

You have to be willing to take that risk and that's what they did. So the Jordan River opens up.

They walk through it now.

And now they're facing what appears to be an insurmountable obstacle. The first city that they are to conquer in the promised land, the city of Jericho Joshua chapter 6 verses 1 to 5. Bring along with me reading from the new living translation of the gates of Jericho were tightly shot because the people were afraid of the Israelites. No one was allowed to go in a row, but the Lord said to Joshua, I have given you Jericho, its king and its mighty warriors, your entire army is the march around the city once a day for six days seven free to walk ahead of the art, each carrying a ram's horn and on the seventh day march around the city seven times with the priest blowing your horns and when you hear the priest get one loud blast on the horns. All the people should shout, then the walls of the city will collapse and the people in charge straight into the city ever feel like God is just messing with your mind a little bit. I mean, what kind of a crazy battle plan is this you know when you stop and think about it in so many ways would God want to do it.

Our life seems upside down from the way you would think you would do would logically God tells us in Isaiah 55. My thoughts are completely different than your thoughts. In my ways are beyond anything that you could imagine. For instance, you want success by the way, there's nothing wrong with wanting success for Pete's failure. Every time you want success in ministry. You want success in business. You want success in marriage you want success in whatever you're doing wonders of God says you should do. Matthew 633 seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you.

I know people that have been chasing success for their whole life and they've never found it there always looking for that shortcut. The get-rich-quick scheme.

The angle that's gonna propel them to the top and they never achieve what they want and I know other people who never sought it would just follow the Lord and live a godly life in an honest life and work hard with integrity, and God is blessed in so many ways because they put God first, put God first in your career. Put God first in your marriage, put God first in your ministry seek him first, and these things will be given to you and you want to be happy.

Learn to be sad what yes Jesus said happy are those that mourn for they shall be comforted. Another way to translated happy are the unhappy means that if you want to find true and lasting happiness. There must first be sadness and that sadness comes from a recognition that you are a sinner separated from God. But if you will ask God to forgive you of that sin and mourn over that sin and churn from that sin, then you will find the real happiness you've always wanted. You want to be great you want to be mono you want to be the top dog. They had a hog up the trough. Learn to be a servant, Jesus said in Mark 935 if you want to be the first and take a last place and be the servant of everyone else out in God's economy. Up is down, the way to be happy is to be sad in the way to find life is through death, and I know I do it.

That means Jesus said if you want to find your life you need to lose your life and take up his cross daily and follow me. What is it mean means put God first and take your plans and your aspirations in your dreams and all the things you aspire to and commit them to the Lord you will find this plan for your life. Today's message from Pastor Greg is called overcoming the insurmountable and he'll pass along some practical advice for how we can overcome the insurmountable just a moment. We hear from so many people find Christ through the studies some tough times.

Pastor Greg 32 years ago I lost a great job which included many material things I was following my own plan and not God's will and I ended up in jail after being released.

I became a trucker and if now recommitted my life to Christ through your ministry.

Thank you Pastor Greg for your teachings since my recommitment I been able to leave my son and other children to Christ. I now believe that the things that happened in my earlier life have brought me closer to God's will is better than mine.

I will lift my hands. I think the Lord every day for his word and for your teachings. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me were so happy. These daily studies are touching and changing lives. And if your life is been changed.

Would you tell us your story: 1-866-871-1144 that speech 668711144 Pastor Greg is been pointing out that God sometimes chooses ways and means that are beyond our understanding, and were about to see that demonstrated today's message overcoming the insurmountable okay so now the day of reckoning has come for Jericho, a word about the inhabitants of the city. They were very wicked people and they deserved judgment.

These Canaanites use their children as prostitutes for false gods. History tells us they even sacrifice their children on pagan altars. There were into every kind of idolatry, perversion and sin, by the way they had plenty of time to repent, because they knew the Israelites were coming and they been hearing about this and this evil and gone on for years and years and years and God patiently endured the evil of the Canaanites from the time of Abraham to Moses a period of 400 year event. As Israel is making their way toward the new land that was another 40 years, and they knew all about it because by the way when the spies beat Rahab in Joshua 210. She says we've heard how the Lord your God made a path for you to the Red Sea.

When he left Egypt in our hearts of melted and fear. No one is encouraged to fight to after hearing such things. We know that your God is the supreme God of the cabins in the earth below. See all the people of Jericho have been following Israel on social media, and they tweeted every day working to the right you make it our way through the Red Sea hashtag. God is awesome mentor for breakfast and jointed, but hoping for something new. Soon, getting close to the new land ready to conquer Jericho. These people knew it was coming. These people knew about the miracles that God did for Israel and yet they continued in the hardness of heart and so now here comes the Israelites and their marching around the city for six days.

So those Canaanites could have said all men judgment is here we rip heads Commodore city. We want to serve you got all know they probably left out of the probably dumped garbage on them. They thought this was all a joke as Israel marched around the city. Day after day after day and then finally the last day came and they gave their shout and they blew their trumpets and of course the walls collapsed.

Listen, you can overcome the insurmountable. Just do what God tells you to do and trust him. Let's think about your Jericho. How many of you would say today I'm facing a Jericho ridge. Kind of a big thing it's a big thing. Okay, think about your Jericho ferment and I don't know what it is, of course, but it's an illness that you see no resolution for no way you can be healed of it are you on some problem whatever it is. Just know this.

There is no illness. He can't heal. There's no need. He can't meet.

There's no problem he can't resolve. And there's no person, he can't say just make that point. Let's wrap up with our second world changer Rahab the harlot Rahab the harlot, the prostitute, the hooker call girl for LeBlanc here and it's interesting how many times in the Bible. She's referred to as side so we got the memo.

This was an immoral woman. She had everything going against the cards were stacked against Rahab. Even her name Rahab she's named after in the Egyptian deity and then to make it even worse. She's in a moral woman but what is she she's the perfect candidate for the grace of God, reminding us that the gospel is for everyone everywhere, and there are no exceptions to that no one is beyond the reach of God and it seems as though Jesus goes out of his way to reach people like course we see them there with disappointment with the woman at the well drawing water in the heat of the day because she was ostracized by the village and was living with a guy have been married and divorced five times and Jesus reaches out to her and she ends up believing that particular day or the woman caught in the act of adultery how Jesus would reach out to her and others like so here come the spies they become of the city to check it out. Jason Bourne, James Fontenot know this is later. This is a second so the spies there nurture cannot Jericho and so she says I'm in a high due care on my roof from the other Canaanites and she said and the reason this is because she believed in the Lord their God. She said you serve the real God you serve the true God associate in effect already become a believer. Joshua 211 says, but saying something is not enough has to be followed by actions.

The Bible says faith without works is dead and Ray Showed her feet by her actions.

James 225 says Rahab the prostitute was shown to be right with God by her actions when she hid those messengers and sent them safely away by a different road so she showed evidence for her faith and then another indication she was a real believer.

She cared about her family. She believed judgment was coming in in Joshua chapter 2. She said that the two spies promised me by God. I showed you mercy now, so my family mercy and give me some tangible proof a guarantee of life for my father and mother, my brothers and my sisters.

Everyone connected with my family save our soul from death toll in my family.our true mark of conversion is when you want to go and reach your family with the gospel and let me ask you this. Have you reached your family does your family know that you believe that the mark of conversion you want to tell someone my daughter-in-law Britney who is married to my son Jonathan they go up to the Fred Jordan mission once a month on Saturdays and they are guarding a bottle water out to people living on the streets or in skid Row. The invite them to a meeting where they give him a meal at the Fred Jordan mission run by my aunt Willie, Jordan, and then they show the gospel with these people so as they were on the bus of folks from our church on the way up to skid Row.

Britney said she was amazed to find it.

Everyone on the bus that was going up to spend a Saturday afternoon helping people was a relatively new believer. She said most of the people on the bus had been believers for a year or less.

I find it interesting.

I read that 70 to 80% of those that have the gospel shared with them have been shared by someone who is been a Christian for less than two years. This make sense.

In other words, new believers, God bless them, are doing a great job of sharing their faith or my question is where the older believers. Why is it that people have known the Lord for 10 years or more are not sharing their faith as aggressively as those who have known the Lord for two years or less. See if you really know the Lord you want to share this message with others, and that's what Rahab did as well.

Well here's the one final thing I like to say about her.

After the spies left Jericho. They said okay now we come back with the Army is something to be pretty.

So we want you to hang a red rope from your window so we'll know where you live will get you out of there. So, sure enough, here comes the Israeli army marching enough of the walls of collapse and when they see the window with the red rope going to take Rahab out and she's protected from all of these things and know if this wasn't enough that she was hardened and she was, not judge, and she was forgiven. God even took it a step further.

This shows the grace of God. Just what she made it into the most exclusive genealogy in all of human history. Rahab the harlot made it into the messianic line of Jesus Christ.

It's amazing to me because later she marries a Jewish guy named Sam, and I think that was a fishy thing� See Mary Samet and then she enters into the messianic line so when you read the genealogy of Christ on the gospel about you whose name is in their Rahab the harlot's God can take your life better know what you're known for now and so turn you around, people will not believe it. That's the power of God to change your life.

There are no exceptions. Let's pray father, thank you for your power to transform. Thank you for your love and your desire to change us, and I prefer any person here now does not yet know you who does not have that relationship with you and Heather looking at what seems like an insurmountable obstacle, and they don't see how they could ever change. Lord, we know you can change them. We know the gospel can change the Lord, we pray for them now.

They don't know you yet, they will come to believe in you in Jesus name we pray for Greg Laurie important word of prayer. And if you know you need to make a change today, your relationship with the Lord. Pastor Greg will come back to help you do that in just a moment before today's addition of a new beginning.

Concludes to get a replay of today's insights were to play for someone else. Just go online to harvest.org and look for the title overcoming the insurmountable.

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Call 1-800-821-3300, and we're here to take your call 24 seven. Again, dial 1-800-821-3300 what were so happy to be making available an outstanding resource for kids for the holiday season. It's the Jesus storybook Bible, a Christmas collection by Sally Lloyd Jones, you know II think there's a book that's called something like comedy is serious business and along the same lines as I think you could say writing for children isn't child's play takes a certain amount of talent and understanding it were a child coming from to be able to communicate effectively on their level and Sally is such a gifted children's author Shelley you know how to speak to them in a way that really resonates. Let me ask you, what can you tell us about the dynamics of sharing spiritual truths with kids while I think someone sent this to me that the difference between a piece this complexity and this Bible stories that very complex outmanned to understand them enough to make them simple enough for a child. You have to get three complexity out the other side to simplicity. If you don't do the work. Can you stay this side of complexity then you dumb it down so I just think you have a we we have to make sure that we in our own hearts have have freely responded to the truth of what the Bible is saying fast. That's the most important thing and we need to know God loves us so that we can tell a child God loves them and I think the best thing is just to be very honest with the child not try and have some perfect fa�ade on because I think that makes a child freak out. They may not say anything that they went trust us unless we tell them the truth so I think the most important thing is to do the work so that you can understand it well enough to make it simpler for a child who I love how, and Sally began often times in telling your story you bring in the adult and the child into a place of wonder and amazement and seeing with childlike eyes because were not to be childish, but were to be childlike and I love how often you refer to the Bible and refer to the Bible stories as a love story or the story at an adventure story about a young hero that comes from a far country to redeem his lost treasure. Those are things that really speak to a child's heart that to an adult's heart as well because deep inside for all longing for that to be true and then you turn anything, but this isn't just a story. This is real. This happened and on and it impacts our lives to this day and night. I just love how you command it with that because I child will relate to it.

Every talent relate to an adventure story or love story and down and it's all there in the Scripture and eight and the readings that you have for advent beginning on December 1, let's take us through these incredible stories. She is selected from the Jesus story the Bible and Peggy had not for NiCd.

The handpicking for SL. It's easy for us to get into the story. During the and I think if I was to really sum up how you take very big concepts.

You made me remember the radio comes down to story and we make a mistake the children when we think we get we got to summarize Mickle to point send again to say to some we might be destroying them eccentric child or what that story means is whatever we put on the other side of means is is basically going to limit what God might want to say to that child and I think the best thing you can do is tell a story because the story is powerful and it will not concede that's planted in you may not see what it's doing but it's working and it might be between God and the child and you don't have to sit and wrap everything up in about if you do, in fact, he might actually kill the story so I just recommend people trust the story.

Choose the right story and then trust it and let the story the story and it will be powerful wheel can point back to stories that have changed us quite apart from the Bible story which changed us, but you know stories very powerful. That's right. And if you want to read what Sally is done with the greatest of all stories the greatest story ever told the story of the of the birth of Jesus. But it wasn't just the celebration of Jesus being born because when Christ came to this earth that wasn't just an arrival. It was a departure he left heaven to come to work as Isaiah says friend was a child is born, unto us a son is given, so from Earth's perspective. A child was born from heaven's perspective son was given and Sally writes about that the beautiful understandable way that you can read to your children or grandchildren in the special resource that were offering called the Jesus storybook Bible, a Christmas collection including story songs and reflections of the Advent season, and we want to rush you a copy of this for the holiday season for your gift of any size you try to cheer investments in his daily radio ministry that allow pastor Greg's insight to keep coming your way here on the station and of the Lord is putting on your heart to support us on a regular basis. Ask about becoming a harvest partner there. The close friends to help us reach so much further with the gospel with your first gift as a harvest partner will be glad to send you the Jesus storybook Bible, a Christmas collection just try to set a new beginning. Box 4000, Riverside, CA 92514 or call 1-800-821-3300, you can dial any time 24 hours a day and again the number 1-800-821-3300 or go online to harvest.org will pass to Greg a couple of moments ago you talked about the importance of coming to the Lord to have our sins forgiven. If somebody listening right now wants to do that. Could you help them yeah I can do that David be happy to in the book of Isaiah we read these words seek the Lord while he may be found, call upon him while he is near.

Let the wicked forsake their ways and the unrighteous man their thoughts let them return to the Lord and he will have mercy on them and to our God, for he will freely pardon this and that's God's word to you and let me address this to the person who is never asked Jesus Christ to come into their life.

Why don't you do it now that versus seek the Lord while he may be found, God is touched your heart today perhaps and you thought I need this relationship of the Lord. One of these days I'm gonna make that commitment to Christ no, don't wait for one of these days. This is the day this is your moment, seek the Lord while he may be found, call upon him while he is near. Listen God is near to you and he is ready to come into your life and there's another part of this verse when it says let us return to the Lord. I want to also extend an invitation to you that have fallen away from your faith. You fallen away from the Lord, and you need to make a recommitment.

So if you want Jesus Christ to come into your life if you want your sins forgiven. If you want to go to heaven when you die, or if you fallen away from the Lord, and you want to return to them. Pray this prayer with me, Lord Jesus, I know that I'm a sinner but I also know that you are a Savior and I need your help. I need your forgiveness come in the my life and forgive me of all of my sins, I choose to follow you from this moment forward be my Savior be my Lord be my God, and be my friend. Thank you for hearing this prayer. Thank you for answering this prayer in Jesus name I pray, amen. And I want you to know on the authority of Scripture. If you just prayed that prayer and minute Christ is heard you and he is forgiven you, so God bless you and we want to help you begin to grow in your new face. We want to send you some resource materials we call our new believers growth packet will answer some of the questions you might have and get you started off right. Walking with the Lord.

So get in touch today for your new believers growth packet with Senate free of charge if you prayed with Pastor Greg for the first time today. Write a new beginning. Box 4000, Riverside, CA 92514 or call 1-800-821-3300. We are here 24 seven to take your call. That's 1-800-821-3300 or go to harvest.org and click on know God everybody Greg Laurie here and finding you to join me every weekend for what we call Harvest at Home. It's a church service. It's a worship service. It's a Bible study and its wherever you wanted to be in your home in your car sitting on a beach walking down the street watching it on your phone wherever you are, you can take it with you and be ministered to every weekend. Join us for Harvest at Home@harvest.org when Pastor Greg brings a message that offers a lot of hope you can see it in the title what to do when the odds are stacked against you is next on your new beginning possible by harvest partners, helping people everywhere know God sign up for pastor great free daily email, devotions@harvest.org