Jude 1:3, It says,"Beloved". Don't you love how the Lord starts this? He just lets you know he loves you. "While I was very diligent to write you concerning our common salvation, I found it necessary to write to you, exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints".
Father, we thank you today. Lord, we thank you for what you've been doing in our lives over the last couple of weeks dealing with this issue of fear. Holy Spirit, I thank you that you've caused us by your word and through your life to be able to live in the freedom of God and the peace of God. Holy Spirit, I pray right now in this room that our hearts would be open to you, that our minds are able to receive and that Jesus, you would increase and we would decrease for your glory. Amen.
As we deal with the issue of fear and intimidation and of being intimidated by the enemy, I want us to remember that the enemy's purposes are always to come and steal life, health, peace, relationships, joy, all the good that God has come to put in our life. I wonder how many have ever found themselves in the situation at some point in your life where you have found the enemy intimidating you? Either with thoughts or words or feelings that God didn't care and you're not going to make it, just feeling that presence of the enemy just standing over you wanting you to fail? I want to tell you as a believer we don't have to put up with that. Aren't you thankful for that? Through the power of God we don't have to deal with that anymore.
Through fear the enemy intimidates. He'll tell you that life will never change, that things are always going to be the same that they've always been, that there's no hope. The truth is that as believers we must refuse to tolerate those things that he tries to bring into our life. I believe that we need to be careful putting up with two things: the first thing is allowing the enemy to do a work in our life that we accept, to hear his lies and to believe them, to allow him to say things and do things that are contrary to God's promises for our lives and permitting those things to take place. Secondly, tolerating sin or putting up with things that go on in our life or around us.
Throughout the coming weeks as I've been preparing for this message, I really believe that the Lord wanted to speak into lives through today. How many have ever come to a time where you have felt the enemy battling against something that God wanted to do in your life? How many of you will come into agreement with me this morning that the enemy can't have his way in this service this morning?
There are many things that we will tolerate in life that we have to put up with. I know as I was driving yesterday I had somewhere I needed to be. How many have ever gotten on I-95 and all 4 lanes were traveled by people who decided that 55 mph was an acceptable speed? The truth is this, you have to put up with that. You have other options, you can run into the car in front of you or nudge the car next to you off the road. How many know those are not acceptable options? There are other things that go on that we don't have to tolerate. Too many of us tolerate fear in our lives, fear that bad will happen or that things are never going to change. There are times that we will tolerate people that intimidate us, that say and do things that really we don't have to tolerate. We can say, "No", we can say, "Stop", we can declare that its time that things change.
Tolerance is a common word that we hear today. Those with morals and standards, those who have a different view than we do as Christians will tell us that we have to listen to what they say and that our views are outdated, unreliable and for far too long the world has listened to an outdated standard of morality. How many of you believe today that we have a standard that never changes? I've decided that if I'm going to be labeled as intolerant for Christ because I won't change my views from what the Bible says than go ahead and call me intolerant. I'll tell you I love you, I care for you, I'll listen to what you have to say but how many of you know God's word never changes.
One of the prime reasons of intimidation, the enemy coming into your life, the enemies tactic of fear is to rob the people of God of their boldness. How many of you believe it takes boldness to live? It takes boldness to speak, it takes boldness to do and the truth is that all Christians are called to be contenders, to be fighters. How many know the people of God are meant to be overcomers and conquerors in Christ? I want to remind you that in this room there is not a loser among us. As I speak to you this morning, this is not going to be one of those self help, feel good about yourself sermons that we hear today that is kind of like sugar coating, to come into a service and feel better and really nothing changes. How many of you know when God's word comes into someone's life it really does change our life and it's meant to do that.
It's my belief that there are many, many people who are living in fear, fear that the enemy has placed into our lives that we don't need to tolerate. There are many times when that fear begins to come that you have a choice. You can put up with it and tolerate it or you can fight it and resist it. How many know that if you resist you become an overcomer in Christ?
The Bible tells us that we're to contend. Jude, a bondservant of Jesus Christ who was the brother of James wrote to the people, "I found it necessary concerning our salvation to encourage you to be a contender for the faith to make sure that you stand up and live in the life that God has for you". Ist Timothy 4:11 says, "These things that are found in the word of God command and teach.
How many know it takes boldness if you're going to command or teach something? I found that when I was growing up and was in school, the teachers that I respected the most were the ones that demanded that I give them attention. As parents you know if you're going to teach your kids there are times that you have to make sure that you're adamantly explaining to them what you accept and don't accept. There are ways that we have to pour into their life. The Bible says with boldness we need to teach and command the word of God.
I want you to hear this, God calls us as believers to be peacemakers not just peacekeepers and there's a difference. There may be things that you are tolerating in your life because you want to keep peace. Fear that the enemy has placed whether in relationships or in situations that you are going through that you are tolerating because if you believe that if you put up with them life is going to finally work itself out and be ok. How many of you have found that there are some things in life that are worth fighting for? There are some things in life that you don't put up with, that you confront so that there can be peace.
Peacekeepers will bring peace at all costs. It's a false sense of security. I'll do whatever there is, I'll put up with whatever's happening just so we don't have to confront it and keep the status quo. How many of you know that's not peace, that's actually uncertainty just waiting for something to go wrong. Peacemakers confront what is wrong when something is not right. Injustice, they'll confront it when someone is hurting and help them through their hurt even if they're being pushed off. How many of you have ever seen someone going through great pain and think, I really want to help them but I'm not going to because there's that fear that if you do you're going to offend them or just make matters worse. How many know the Bible knows how to give us wisdom to help people and to bring peace into their life?
Peacemakers are motivated by love, by the desire to touch people with the truth. Peacekeepers are ruled by fear of what could happen if I do this or that. Peacemakers become people of action and boldness who will reach out to touch others lives and to make a difference. I want to tell you that the enemy will come to you and intimidate your life and try to steal your boldness and your confidence in Christ at the time of your life when you are at your weakest and most exhausted. How many have ever found that to be true? Those are the times where God can prove himself to be the most powerful in our lives, that he is able and caring, competent and helpful.
At the time when you are at your lowest, when the enemy brings fear at its greatest, that is the moment when you and I must clearly and consciously depend on the Lord to be our strength. It is in those moments of weakness that the enemy comes to cause you to doubt yourself, to doubt the call that God has placed in your life, to doubt the abilities and the difference that you're making in other people's lives and the difference that God wants to make in you and in the world. How many of you have ever faced a time like that in your life where the enemy has come and just beat on you and you felt like you couldn't go any lower? That's when he decided to show up and bring those words of doubt and fear, to question really if it was ever worth fighting and living for the Lord, even calling God's faithfulness into question in your life. Be careful what you put up with.
I was watching this week on the news and I thought it was a pretty awesome story. Some guy was working at a Wendy's. He was cleaning up in the back room about 1:00 in the morning. A guy walked in with a shot gun and he was a lot bigger than he was and the guy told him to get on the ground and to open the safe. How many know if a guy is holding a gun to your head at 1:00 in the morning after you've worked an 8 hour shift dealing with people all day your mind is not going to be the clearest? So this man is on the floor and the guy is yelling at him to open the safe and he misses it about 3 or 4 times, he just can't get the combination. Ok, if you want to bother me at Wendy's, take the money, it's just Wendy's. He still couldn't get the safe open and the guy said, "I'm going to shoot you". Pretty soon that man on the ground who is staring up at a much bigger man begins to realize, "I don't have to put up with this", and they caught it on video. How many of you have ever felt like the enemy is bigger than you, stronger than you and is pointing a gun at your head? What than man was ruled by was fear but all of a sudden something rose up inside of him and he grabbed the gun and began to wrestle with the man.
The truth is this, the enemy is just a big bully and even with all the weapons he has he is no match for the power of God. This man got determined, he said, "You're not going to take my life from me, you're not going to take me from my children or from my wife, it's not fair", and he began to fight that man off. Pretty soon what happened is the man got so frustrated with dealing with this short guy who was really tenacious that he ran out of the store. How many think that man let boldness rise up in his heart? I was excited about that, that proves my point exactly what the Lord is wanting to share. There are too many times when the strong man comes in and begins to tell us that he's going to take everything that's precious to us. Something has to rise up inside of us that we decide we're not going to put up with it any longer. We're not going to tolerate that.
I'm going to share some things today that I think will touch your heart. I remember there was a time in my life when one of the churches we were in was going through a lot of difficult things. God was saving people and touching people's lives but how many know in the midst of that the enemy doesn't want to see God's work happen in people's lives. I was pretty tired and had been going through some things from night after night of emergencies happening at the church and different things that we had to deal with in the life of that church. I was sitting in my office one day and I was very tired and had barely gotten through my prayer time. How many of you have ever gotten through your prayer time with God and were just so glad you had just connected with him even though you didn't feel like it had gone all the way? As I was sitting going through my day taking care of things that needed to be done a lady walked into my office. She said, "You know Pastor, I need to talk to you about some things that you've done wrong". She pulled out 3 pages of stuff that she wanted to talk about. She looked at me and said, "Pastor, I'm a prophetess and I'm here to tell you what God wants to do in your life". I was so tired and she sat there and went down line after line. How many of you have felt like you were being beat while someone was talking to you? I'm from Pittsburgh, I don't take beatings really well, I'm going to fight back.
As she began to go though that thing I was in one of those spiritual conditions and I could feel the enemy. You know what I found myself doing? I found myself agreeing with her. How many of you have ever agreed with someone that you knew was dead wrong and you asked yourself, "What in the world are you doing?" She's going through that list and I'm saying, "You're right". I was seething inside but I was feeling hurt. She was wrong and I was telling her she's right. How many of you have ever had the enemy come to you with a list of accusations and you sat there and agreed with it? That lady left the office feeling like she had done her Godly duty. How many know she wasn't being used by the Lord at all? You know what I found out is that when most people come to you and they are truly a prophet of the Lord, even if they are having to speak to you things that are wrong they're going to help you find redemption. The Lord always helps you even when you are in sin.
Remember when Nathan went to David when he was wrong and David had sinned? He had an affair and then he wound up killing the guy. Nathan came to him and said, "David, listen, you are in sin and if you don't get right with God he's going to take your life but you can repent and be well". How many know that was redemptive? What that lady did to me wasn't redemptive. I remember sitting at my desk and my wife walks in and asked, "Are you ok"? I said, "No, I've got to go pray". I went into the sanctuary and said, "God, what just happened?" He said to me, "Marvin, have you been faithful? Yes. "Do you preach my word?" Yes. "Do you love my people?" Yes. "Are you being faithful to your wife?" Yes. "Are you loving your kids?" Yes. "Have you obeyed my word?" Yes. "Have you corrected people when they're wrong?" Yes. "Have you loved them?" Yes. "Then why did you come into agreement with the enemy?"
How many know the Holy spirit began to rise up within me just a little bit?
You see what the Lord didn't plant inside of me was a righteous indignation for what that lady had done. He began to heal the hurt that the enemy had begun to inflict in my life and began to pour his love and his healing power into me and then that rose up something inside of me. How many know we don't have to tolerate what the enemy does? God said, "Marvin, why were you putting up with that? I said, "I don't know". How many know I prayed and I got right with God and I got my attitude right.
How many know Pastor's have extensive phone number lists? I got that lady on the phone, I brought her and her husband in. How many know they weren't in the church a whole lot longer? Someone say a good amen. Why do you tolerate what you tolerate from the enemy? Boldness can fill us. Refuse to agree with the enemies lies in your life. Know your place in Christ, know what he has for you. Never come into agreement with the enemy or put up with his stuff when he begins to speak to you. The truth is this, that many times the enemy will use people to promote his agenda. We are to love people but to fearlessly oppose what the enemy brings into our life. Be careful what you put up with.
In the church, the truth is this, we put up with way too much. In the body of Christ and in the world we've stopped confronting sin. We've stopped confronting those who are rebellious toward God. As a matter of fact we tolerate it so much, we tolerate those who would make us feel little, those that will come into our life that will speak to us that we are nothing. How many of you know if you are a child of God, whether you stand before Kings or gang members, whether you stand before Presidents or paupers, you are still a child of God? You are who you are no matter who you are with.
It is when we can begin to live that and know that, that we don't have to live in fear of anything. The truth is we can't live a game of trying to be something that we're not to people in trying to fit in all the time. God created you who you are to be and he made you a child of God. Be comfortable with who God made you to be and get ready for the things that God wants to do in your life and through your life.
In Revelations 2:20, God was speaking to his church. In the last days, he said this to his people, "Nevertheless, I have this against you, that you tolerate that woman, Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess. By her teaching she misleads my servants into sexual immorality and the eating of foods sacrificed to idols". I want to speak to you church, be careful what you put up with.
One of the greatest warnings that God gave to his church. He spoke this to the last days churches, "I have this against you, you put up with that woman Jezebel'. The true people of God put up with a lot of false teaching, a lot of false doctrine and sinful lifestyles. They will listen to people who sound spiritual and convincing but truly in many ways they lead us into things that aren't of God and they'll dare us to say otherwise about what they're saying.
We tolerate disobedient children and disrespectful people. How many remember the days of old when kids had to respect adults and mind their manners and be polite? I want to speak this to the church, the issue of the Jezebel spirit is an issue of fear. More than of rebellion and sin towards God, the issue is this woman Jezebel. If you'll go back into the old testament, it really was an issue of bringing sin and fear to the people of God so they would put up with being challenged in their spiritual life. The enemy would have his way in their life. The Jezebel spirit I believe is rampant in the church of America. It's blatant, arrogant and even unapologetic.
Remember the story of Elijah when there was idol worship that was taking place and the prophet of God was being challenged not to stand up but to put up with the ungodliness that was taking place? You know the story, Elijah came and the false prophets of Baal built an altar to Baal and all day they stood around dancing, believing that their God would bring fire from heaven to consume the sacrifice and when their God didn't answer they began to cut themselves and began to get exhausted and did all the things that pagans do to bring their God's answer.
When they were done doing their things, the prophet Elijah said, "Here's what we're going to do, we're going to build an altar to God" and on the altar he placed the sacrifice and he told his people to bring 5 gallons of water. How many know the way to start a fire is not to pour water on the kindling? "I'm going to show you how big my God is" and began to pour water on that sacrifice. Elijah didn't dance, he didn't cut himself, he didn't get frustrated or upset. How many know there were 400 prophets of Baal and just one prophet of God? Elijah said, "God, I want you to prove that you're real, show these people that you're the God of this world". God answered and fire came out from heaven, consumed the sacrifice, the altar and all the water that was around it, even the dust that was around the altar and God was proved that he was the God of creation. Immediately after Elijah's greatest victory, Jezebel stood up and said, "You know what, I'm tired of the God of the universe, I don't care who he is, I don't care what he does through people, I don't care what he does through Elijah and said, Elijah, after you have put these prophets to death, I'm coming after you and I'm going to take your life".
Let me ask you , how many of you in your greatest victories that you've had with God, that right after that victory the enemy came to steal the victory that God had placed in your life? That is what the Jezebel spirit does. It comes to cause the people of God to be filled with fear; fear that their life will be taken, fear that their joy will be taken or the things that God had for their life will be taken.
The real issue behind the Jezebel spirit is one of control. Control is simply this, witchcraft. Control is rebellion against others, it's about rebellion and not relationship. It's about not being obedient to God but also not caring what goes on in others lives. The idea today when we speak of witchcraft and how appropriate in the month of October, when the world is actually enjoying it and embracing it. The idea of witchcraft conjurs up images of spells and potions and Ouji boards and things like that but listen, intimidation is witchcraft that is meant to control your life. People today don't have spells cast on them, witches don't come and blow their smoke over people anymore. The enemy doesn't have to work through people to try and put control over your life. The control of the enemy and witchcraft is anything that causes you to stop trusting God and being obedient to God through fear. It cause you to disobey God's truth or to follow his direction. It cause you to not be true to yourself or to obey the Lord. How many of you know that when I was in that office coming into agreement with that lady who wasn't obeying God's word and wasn't telling the truth that I was under the spell of the enemy? Listen to me, so many people today come under that same kind of control when they're dealing with those issues in their life of self loathing and hatred not believing what God has for them.
In Galatians 3:1 Paul said, " Who has bewitched you that you should not obey the truth? Listen to me, sometimes not obeying the truth doesn't mean that you just take what the word of God says is wrong and go into a life of sin. How many know that most Christians have already made the choice to obey God with all their heart, soul, mind and strength? Most of us won't go into a life of sin but many of us will live beneath what God has planned for our lives because we come under that spell of what the enemy has. How many of you understand that the Lord is speaking a good word in this place today? Today we're dealing with some heavy stuff. Some of you have been going through some things and putting up with that word that the enemy has been putting on your life.
Intimidation can happen through just about anyone to bring fear into your life. Listen, intimidation will even happen through people who are submitted to God until things don't go their way. The blowup with anger will even come at you with tears. Intimidation will attack those who are obedient to God. It will come through students being disobedient to teachers, children being disobedient to parents, husbands not caring for their wives, wives not caring for their husbands and people who to try to control their bosses instead of just being good employees. Many times we permit people who are controlling to keep doing what they're doing in our lives just to keep the peace. We do it with spouses, with kids, with friends. Listen to me, if there's anything questionable in a behavior or a motive or a conflict and those who would seek to intimidate us because their life is not living right for the Lord or they're not treating you properly, the people need to be confronted and not cowered to.
Let me ask you, Do you ever find yourself saying yes to things when you should be saying no or vice versa? The kind of compromise that causes you to give into fear, compromise that needs to be broken. Spiritual battles that you're fighting or maybe even sins that you're giving into because they've held such a grip in your life. Listen to me, Control can be blatant where it says I want you to do this, I'm going to make you do this because I want you to do this. Control can be as simple as someone who manipulates you through tears. How many have ever been with someone who appears to be fragile and they're going through things in life that they need help with and they need to be confronted but they come to tears and they're broken and probably they really are broken but they begin to manipulate
you through their tears. Their words are saying, "Poor me, feel bad for me, don't touch me in that area, don't confront me in that area because I?m fragile". But they only appear to be there. In that same way that is a use of a Jezebel spirit that many times we put up with.
How many of you know many times those people who are hurting and are going through things need us to confront them boldly with the power of God so that they can be brought out of those things. Sometimes we allow people to control us with those attitudes. Be careful what you put up with.
1st Peter 5:8 says, "Be sober and be vigilant because your adversary the devil walks about as a roaring lion seeking whom he can devour. Resist him steadfast in the faith. James 4:7 says, "Therefore submit to God, resist the devil and he will flee from you".
Listen, stop putting up with the enemy. Resist him and he will flee. How many of you know that guy at Wendy's had the right idea? He resisted instead of laying there shot and dead and the man fled from him. What is the enemy doing in your life that you're tolerating and putting up with? Resist it. Stop allowing his work in your life, in your mind, in your family, in your workplace, even in the church. The Bible says, "Resist him and he will flee". Resisting means this, to refuse to bow under the tactics of the enemy, thats all it is. So how do you resist the enemy? Instead of bowing to him, bow to Jesus.
Someone came up with a great acronym that I love. It said this, "Believe, Obey and Worship". How many of you believe the Lord, obey the Lord and worship the Lord? That's resisting the enemy and God can bless your life.
I want to ask you, has the devil ever reminded you of your past? Of your failures? Has he ever reminded you of your mistakes and told you that you deserved it and that you were stupid and weak? The Bible says that we're to be careful and vigilant when those things begin to happen and to make sure that we resist him.
Peter tells us that the devil is our adversary and to resist him. An adversary is like a lawyer who will come and speak and make his case against you. How many of you have ever had the enemy speak to you and his lies just went over and over again in your mind? All you could think about was the things that you did wrong or the way that you messed up or the things you could have done better. He'll say you created this mess, you have no friends because you haven't been faithful, you spent too much money and made a financial mess and that's why you're in the mess that you're in. Listen, I want to speak this to you, the devil will not make up some fantasy that you would reject because you know it's a lie. Many times the devil will use facts and arguments that make sense so that you will come into agreement with him.
I want you to listen to me, in Revelation the Bible also says that the enemy is the "accuser of the brethren". He's aggressive in it and he will attack you with it and the Bible says that we need to resist him and he will flee. When those thoughts come through your head, instead of putting up with them and tolerating them, actively resist them with the word of God. How many of you have ever been under that kind of attack before? Resist him.
Psalms 103:14 says, "Bless the Lord oh my soul who redeems your life from destruction". That means that even if you are in the worst things in life you serve a God who is faithful and even if you made the mess that got you there, if you will come to God and be honest with the Lord, God will set you free and bring you through the mess that you created. Some of you are in financial situations that you did cause yourself. God is still faithful. You may be in things that are going on in relationships that are a mess because of things that you did. God is still faithful. The enemy will accuse you and tell you there is no hope and it's your fault but if you will resist the enemy and stop putting up with that fear and being intimidated by the intimidator, if you will begin to intimidate the intimidator with the word of God and declare it in your life, you can be set free. How many of you believe God wants us to be free?
Someone once said this, What you put up with at one point for just a little while will soon become the norm in your life. What you tolerate will eventually become the norm. Do you know what we put up with in one generation becomes the norm in the next generation? How many of you have watched television just slowly degrade and degrade over the years? What used to be something you could turn on and enjoy and not be afraid of ,compromise began to be put into that and then slowly, even today, you turn on a show at 8:00 at night with your kids and realize you shouldn't be watching it. What used to be tolerated now becomes the norm. One of the purposes of the enemy behind fear is to restrain us from action so that something we would put up will eventually become normal. I want to speak this into the life of the church. One of the things that God spoke in Revelations was that you tolerate that woman Jezebel and she's led my people into lots of sin. How many know that if you're right with God you have nothig to fear? But when there is compromise in your life, there are areas that you know aren't right and the enemy has a valid foothold in that. Let me ask you, what have you begun to tolerate in your own life that has given the enemy a valid reason to say, "I can stake my claim here". What have you begun to tolerate in your family, the music that you listen to, the tv that you watch, the words that you say?
Edmond Burke wrote in 1795 that the only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good people to do nothing. Those who are not given to apathy or laziness will many times simply face intimidation because most people especially in America don't like confrontation. You don't want to fight with your kids over the music they're listening to so you'll put up with it because you want things to be peaceful.
The Bible says, "raise up a child in the way he should go and when he is old he will not depart from it."
You've got to do it now. What is intimidating you that's keeping you from the plan that God has for your life? What is the ministry and the passion that the Lord has given you?
What we were studying just last week in 2nd Timothy 1:6-7, "God has not given us a spirit of fear but of power, of love and a sound mind". Verse 6 says, "Therefore I remind you to stir up the gift of God which is in you from the laying on of my hands for God has not given us a spirit of fear but of power, of love and a sound mind".
What fear are you putting up with that is keeping you back from God's best for your life? What are you afraid of? Aren't you glad that Troy got over the fear of himself? Now he plays and worships. What are you afraid to do? What are you putting up with? What passion has God put in your heart? What ministry does God want you to do? What thing in life that God has really wanted you to enjoy but because you're afraid of something you haven't stepped out to receive all that God has? Listen to me, don't put up with it. Be careful what you put up with. Be careful what you tolerate because when you do it you miss out on God's best and God's plan and God's goodness. No fear. Next week I'm going to speak on being fearless, what it really takes to be fearless for the Lord.
When I woke up this morning, the thing that God so impressed on my heart was this, that there are people who have been so intimidated by the enemy that they've been putting up with stuff in their life. There is evil that the enemy has been putting on you and you haven't resisted, you've just given in to it. You've just said you're going to put up with it because that's the way it's always got to be, sin that maybe you've been bound up in and the enemy has said you'll be caught up in it all your life. Maybe it's sexual thoughts, maybe it's lying, whatever it is, you've put up with it because you thought you can never be set free. How many know if you'll just resist the enemy you can live in the fullness of what God has?
