Topic: Be Strong and Courageous, Never Retreat!
Good morning, everyone. Today is both Sunday and the 5th lecture of the Healing and Deliverance Conference, so I will combine these two lessons together. This Sunday's topic should have been The Victorious Church Can Claim God's Promises. I have slightly changed the title to Be Strong and Courageous, Never Retreat. Why change it to this title? Because only by being strong and courageous, and never retreating, can we claim God's promises. In the Scriptures, the building of God's army is recorded, with Moses leading the Israelites out of Egypt. God said: The Lord's army has come out of Egypt! However, this army was not built very well; it was a group of timid people who dared not enter the Promised Land.
What was the situation? They sent twelve spies into the Promised Land, including Joshua and Caleb. After entering the Promised Land, these spies saw that the fruits, produce, and everything in the land were very good. There were mountains and valleys; it was indeed a land flowing with milk and honey. However, the Promised Land was not easy to enter; there were giants there. As a result, ten out of the twelve spies gave the Israelites a bad report upon their return. Why did they give a bad report? Because they were afraid of war. Those who are afraid of war cannot claim God's promises. Consequently, the ten spies who gave the bad report died on the spot in front of the congregation of Israel. People are indeed very strange; why did they have to die in the presence of the Lord God? Because they were afraid to enter the Promised Land. Therefore, the road to the Promised Land was littered with corpses. Why? Because there were many who were afraid. When did this matter of being strong and courageous, and never retreating, happen? It happened many years later, after that generation had all died out, leaving only Joshua and Caleb.
Of the 600,000 who were twenty years old and older, able to wield swords and weapons for battle, all had died out, leaving only Joshua and Caleb. This was forty years after Moses led the Israelites out of Egypt. They wandered in the wilderness for forty years. At this time, Moses handed over authority to Joshua. Joshua then led the army that had been trained in the wilderness for forty years to enter the Promised Land. Before entering the Promised Land, Joshua was afraid. As a result, God told Joshua to be strong and courageous. Later, in the process of summarizing, I discovered that only by being strong and courageous can we claim God's promises.
Today, we are all hearing testimonies. We heard a very coincidental testimony. I didn't originally ask them to share this testimony, but it just so happened that the testimony aligned with what I am preaching today. Among us is a sister whose father is mentally ill and smashes things at home every day. Having a mentally ill person at home is truly distressing. As a result, after this sister came among us, a very miraculous thing happened. She followed how I ministered to my mother, confronting the dark forces behind it, and she became strong. As a result, her father's mental illness was cured. At that time, the situation was very difficult to manage. However, this sister not only subdued her father but also subdued the demons in her father.
What solved this problem? Actually, this sister was originally very strong, but why was her previous strength ineffective? Why did it become effective only after she came among us and became strong and courageous? Because we are a victorious army; this is God's army; this is the victorious church. So, brothers and sisters, begin to understand today why her strength and courage became effective after she came among us. It is because this place is able to claim God's promises. Whenever her father had an episode, her mother only needed to call this sister, and the sister would say a word on the phone, and it would immediately be effective. This sister is not very well-educated, having only a primary school education and running a restaurant, but she has great ideas inside.
So today, brothers and sisters, know that you don't need to have high knowledge. You only need to be a strong and courageous person in God's army. What you need to claim God's promises is strength and courage. What you need to claim God's promises is God's victorious church. The victorious church built according to God's army is a victorious church that is strong and courageous, fighting without retreat. In the past years, we have repeatedly tried and tested being strong and courageous in these matters and have never retreated.
Thank God, because we have been strong and courageous and have never retreated, we have never seen a time when we could not claim God's promises. Individuals have been released under my hands. What is the reason? The reason lies in a person being strong and courageous, building God's victorious church, releasing the great power of the Holy Spirit, so that the captives are released and the oppressed are set free. Today, healing and deliverance are God's promise. Everyone must know that the Bible does not promise that we can gain an extra share in a property dispute with our elder brother, nor does it say that we can quarrel with our brothers over property and come before God to fight for family property. Jesus never did such things. What Jesus did was to let the captives be released, let the oppressed be set free, preach the gospel, heal the sick, and cast out demons.
So, brothers and sisters, if you come among us with sickness, wanting to receive healing, wanting to claim God's power, wanting to claim God's promises, then you are standing on the banks of the Jordan River today. Today, I give you a word, which is the word God gave to Joshua: Be strong and courageous! Today, I will intersperse some testimonies of my past strength and courage in the sermon. Some are stories, but when I want to share the stories with everyone, don't guess who this is or who that is. As long as you can grasp a theme: being strong and courageous can claim God's promises, then you have gained it! Today, we are all standing on the banks of the Jordan River; today, God's people are about to enter the Promised Land! In the past, we were timid, but today we must be strong. Today is the moment to enter the Promised Land; today, in the Healing and Deliverance Conference, we will see the captives released and the oppressed set free. Those who have been oppressed by the devil in the past will be released today!
In the past few days, I have given several lectures at the Healing and Deliverance Conference, and many people have signed up to be ministered to. Many of those who come are very difficult to manage. No matter how difficult they are to manage, as long as it is within the scope of God's promises, today you and I can claim God's promises. I have a small request when ministering to these people: do not retreat, do not fear, do not worry, just be strong and courageous! This is the moment to enter the Promised Land; this is the victorious church, about to go in to claim God's promises. The decision that must be made before entering the Promised Land is called being strong and courageous.
Scripture
After the death of Moses the servant of the LORD, the LORD said to Joshua son of Nun, Moses' aide: Moses my servant is dead. Now then, you and all these people, get ready to cross the Jordan River into the land I am about to give to them—to the Israelites. I will give you every place where you set your foot, as I promised Moses. Your territory will extend from the desert to Lebanon, and from the great river, the Euphrates—all the Hittite country—to the Mediterranean Sea in the west. No one will be able to stand up against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you. Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their ancestors to give them. Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go. (Joshua 1:1-9)
Prayer
God, today we will be strong and courageous! God, today we will move forward according to your promised word! God, today we are like Joshua, standing on the banks of the Jordan River. God, although there is fear within us, your word comes upon us, and we will enter the Promised Land to inherit the land! No matter how many years we have wandered in the wilderness, no matter how many people we have seen die in the wilderness, today we will be strong. According to what you have commanded, be strong! We will claim your promises, enter the Promised Land, enter the land flowing with milk and honey. May the brothers and sisters among us be like the people who were healed in the days of Jesus. Today, those who are sick among us will be healed. Today, those who minister among us will be strong and courageous. God, you will make us strong, so that we can lead this people into the Promised Land.
God, according to what you have promised, no one will be able to stand against us all the days of our lives. God, as you were with Moses, so you will be with us, so that wherever we go, you will be with us. Lord, thank you for your promises. We will praise your holy name, and we will let your glory be manifested among us, so that the captives will be released and the oppressed will be set free. We pray in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen!
Background of this Scripture
This scripture speaks of how, after the death of Moses, Joshua took over Moses' mantle and turned this group of well-trained people of God into a powerful army. How do we know that this is a powerful army? This army is very united. To what extent is it united? Joshua said: Do not make a sound. Just walk around the city of Jericho once. As a result, everyone remained silent, quietly walking around the city of Jericho once. This continued for seven consecutive days. No one created trouble, no one created disturbance, trained to such an astonishing degree.
After Moses died, Joshua took over this baton. Before entering the Promised Land, how did he feel inside? He felt very bad, feeling the burden weighing on him. He did not know what the future would hold, or how it would be to lead the Israelites into the Promised Land, and his heart was full of fear. I believe that many of the brothers and sisters among us feel the same way when claiming God's promises. I know that there are giants there. When the giants open their mouths and roar, it is like Zhang Fei standing on Changban Slope, roaring in the same way, which can scare people out of their wits.
But the giants there are not the size of Zhang Fei, but many times taller and much larger in size than Zhang Fei. If we think about it, who would not be afraid in the face of such giants? Because entering that Promised Land, there are giants and powerful enemies in the Promised Land, but the Promised Land is indeed given to us by God. How many battles will be fought in that Promised Land, and how many people will die, no one knows. Joshua's heart was in turmoil. At this time, God clearly understood Joshua's feelings, and as a result, God's word came to Joshua, because Joshua was really praying there. A person's weakness is very normal; being strong is not a very common thing. But God's word came to Joshua, and Joshua became strong. As a result, this passage has been passed down to us today. If you want to enter the Promised Land and claim God's promises, you must know that you will definitely have a feeling of turmoil inside.
Thank God, the night before yesterday, a sister saw that her husband was actually very uncomfortable, with numb eyes and a headache, a lot of things going on. She said to her husband: Can I pray for you? Her husband gave her a scolding. Then our sister felt very uncomfortable, unable to say anything. Not to mention casting out demons, just saying a weak prayer, and she was scolded back. Then seeing her husband hurting here and there, how could she not feel uncomfortable in her heart? It was very uncomfortable. That night, I led her in prayer, telling her: Sister, you must be strong and courageous. Then I taught her what to say, because verbal strength and courage, and mental strength and courage, are closely related to claiming God's promises. It is impossible to use soft words to represent the strength in your heart; it is impossible.
Some of the brothers and sisters among us always speak softly. In the future, I will definitely find a time to train everyone on how to speak strong and courageous words. Everyone must want to know how I taught this sister to speak strong and courageous words. Today, we will not talk about this, because if I talk about this, I will lose the theme of today. After I taught this sister, the next morning, this sister tried it according to what I taught. She used to think that if she said that, wouldn't she be stirring up a hornet's nest? As a result, when she really went to be strong and courageous to stir it up, things did not develop as we imagined. Her husband listened. The sister's pastor happened to be in their area, and she asked her husband if he wanted to see him. As a result, her husband actually agreed! Her pastor went to see her husband and discussed a lot of real things in the spiritual realm with her husband. In fact, he was very sensible and understood very well in his heart.
I tell you, it is actually very uncomfortable when a person's faith collapses. We who do pastoral work must inspire people's faith. We We must press down the demons in him through strength and courage. Everyone wants to win, no one does not want to win. Through this event, I am also very grateful to God. Whenever we are strong and courageous, whenever we never retreat, the feeling of victory in our hearts can enable us to bless those we serve! We hope that those who are served can receive God's promises! We are not fighting for a breath; we are not fighting for anything. are Just to bless people. This is the beginning of victory and the beginning of claiming God's promises.
In the past years, the teaching of being strong and courageous has been the main axis throughout Chinese Mingding Destiny, from beginning to end, so it doesn't matter if the pastors among us are sometimes too strong. Because being too strong is better than being soft and getting it right. Being soft can never solve the problem. Joshua received God's revelation, and this passage speaks particularly well: You will cause these people to inherit the Promised Land. If you yourself cannot be strong and courageous, how can you expect the people under you to be strong and courageous? So today, as a pastor, you must be a strong and courageous person. If you want the people under your pastoral care to be able to claim God's promises with you, you must be a strong and courageous person.
Thank the Lord. I don’t know if I am naturally a strong and courageous person or gradually understand the truth of being strong and courageous. But in my heart, I clearly know that God’s word says. I love to read God’s word, and I will implement what God’s word says. Even if being strong and courageous is wrong, we can see God’s promises. In fact, many times, when we are strong and courageous, you are afraid of messing things up. In fact, brothers and sisters, you don't have to be afraid today, because God will be with you. Read it carefully: Wherever you go, the Lord your God will be with you. It’s not because you are strong, or your father, or your husband, or the people you serve, you should be strong and courageous. Don't be afraid or panic, because wherever you go, the Lord your God will be with you. Your God will make such things come upon you.
So the testimonies we see today are clear evidence that God is with us! Brothers and sisters, can you begin to claim such a promise: No one will be able to stand against you all the days of your life! The phrase No one will be able to stand against you seems to be talking about the people of this world. In fact, I tell you, even these demon-possessed people, no one will be able to stand against you. Do you understand? Brothers and sisters, today God will never leave us, and God will never abandon us. As long as we are strong, we will see God's presence and see the clear evidence of God's power manifested around us. Today, we will enter the Promised Land.
Many of our leaders are about to serve those who have been sick for several years, ten years, or decades. But today, these small pastors among us must become strong, because God is only with the strong. The timid cannot claim God's promises, nor can the timid lead people into the Promised Land. Begin to claim God's promises today. In the days to come, serve these people. Remove the fear among us, remove the mysteries among us, as long as we are strong and very courageous, the Lord God will be with you, and He will be the rock you rely on.
Being Strong and Courageous is a Prerequisite for Claiming God's Promises
Today, brothers and sisters, you must know that being strong and courageous is a prerequisite for claiming God's promises. Without being strong and courageous, there is no way to claim God's promises. Today, because it is also the fifth lecture of the Healing and Deliverance Conference and also a Sunday, I want to share this matter clearly with everyone. If many times you see that God's promises cannot be fulfilled, and you see many confusing things, and you see many unbelievable situations, these are closely related to being strong and courageous.
One of the sisters among us experienced a very great miracle. More than a year ago, she came among us because her elder brother was working in another place. A little money started to do nonsense things, and then he was infected with syphilis. After getting sick, he was sent home for injections and medicine, and finally it got worse and worse the more he took. At the end of the year before last, when I was serving a cancer patient, this sister's brother was dying, lying on the bed motionless. But this year, this sister's brother is able to live a normal life, and the cancer patient has passed away. The recovery of the sister's brother is something that just happened a few weeks ago. When her brother was dying, he prayed with us, and now he can get up and walk.
But before that, there was a strange phenomenon in this sister's family. Her parents were very addicted to the fancy preaching of a certain pastor. Although they listened to a lot of these sermons, they still could not get their son released and lead a normal life. Her parents were very opposed to the sister following us to believe in the Lord, but this sister was very strong and served her brother under various pressures. Later, an event occurred that prevented this sister from continuing to attend gatherings among us. Although she continued to listen to our sermons and gatherings on the website, she lost contact with us for a while. Her brother's condition deteriorated during that time, and he often ran naked through the streets. His parents had a headache and still did not want to come to us for a solution, wanting to send his brother to a mental hospital. But the mental hospital refused to accept this situation directly.
The family was helpless in the face of this situation. Finally, this sister returned among us to seek help. Only when this sister is among us can her brother return to normal. This sister is actually very strong, but she cannot completely solve this problem. Three weeks ago, the sister's mother began to pray with us to serve her brother, and as a result, her brother miraculously recovered! Why did you see such a miracle? First, because we are a victorious church , you can claim God's promises together with the church in the victorious church. Second, the sister is really strong and can persevere in the face of family pressure. Even during the time she left her church, she continued to follow us on the website. When she came back among us, when we saw the condition of her brother , we also felt that they were really struggling.
Brothers and sisters, if you really want to be a person who claims God's grace, you must be strong and courageous and never retreat. I am a person who never retreats. No matter what the situation, I have never retreated and never given up. I have never given up on anyone, unless the other person gives up, otherwise I will never give up! The small pastors among us must also inherit this attitude. If you also want to be like Moses and Joshua and lead the Israelites out of Egypt, you must be such a strong and courageous person who never retreats. The devil's heart has already been digested in front of you, because the Lord God will be with you.
The place where your feet step is the Promised Land of God, the Lord God will be with you, no matter where you go, you will see God's presence, what else are you afraid of? First, you must be a strong and courageous person; second, it must be the church of God's army that can trample on the devil's enemy. This church must be built according to God's word and built on the rock of God. So before entering the Promised Land, you and I often have a struggle in our hearts, whether to move forward or retreat. There will be great struggles in our thoughts. It is not that there is no fear , but we overcome this fear through strength and courage and through God's word.
Fortitude in Thought and Understanding
This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. (Joshua 1:8)
This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night. We must be careful to observe all the laws of God that Moses, the servant of God, commanded. Today, we must also be careful to observe all the words of God that Jesus Christ, the servant of God, has commanded us, not turning to the left or to the right, so that we may have good success wherever we go. Today, brothers and sisters, we are beginning to understand that we are afraid because we look at the environment, and the problems we see are always bigger than us, like the giants in the land of Canaan. But if we let the word of God fill our minds and thoughts, we will rely on God's promises to face the difficulties and giants we face.
Therefore, one must be strong in thought and understanding through believing in the word of God. Not believing in our muscles, not believing in our environment, not being afraid when we see problems, but believing in God's promises, because the place we want to go is the promised land of God. If you want to draw upon the promise of God, you must build your thought system on trusting in the word of God, so fortitude in thought and understanding is the solution to problems.
There was a brother in his twenties who had not done any serious work in the past few years, but he was very good at eating and drinking, and he had developed a lot of bad habits after puberty. He wanted to go out to work, but he was too lazy, and he was strong for a few days and then weak for a few days. Do you know what the problem is? The problem lies in the lack of understanding in thought, the lack of the word of God, the lack of faith in the word of God. Don't think that you have a lot of faith. What do we believe in? We have a lot of faith, faith in the word and promises of God. As long as we are strong and never retreat, no one will not experience God's promise, and no one will not see God's presence. Let the word of God not depart from our mouths today, and meditate on it day and night, so that we may be careful to observe it, because the most important thing in the word of God is the promise of God.
God's promise will surely be fulfilled in you and me, no matter how weak we are, no matter how many years we have wandered in the wilderness, today no difficulty can stand before you and me. Being able to be clear in thought and understanding, being able to clearly know that God is with us, so fortitude in thought and understanding is very important. When I minister, as long as there are weak brothers and sisters, I will definitely teach them in understanding while praying. I don't just recite a few words of God, but I also teach them what to say, what to do, and how to be strong. When they begin to be clear inside, have a knowledge of the word of God, and have a clear understanding of how to put the word of God into practice, they will surely see the promise and presence of God when they go to implement it.
So a lack of understanding is a very serious problem. Clarity in understanding is the solution to problems! Improving understanding comes through understanding the word of God. You need to know for sure: Meditate on it day and night! What does meditate on it day and night mean? Don't think that the word of God is just a few things over and over again, and there is nothing to read about. In fact, during the time of Joshua, all that Joshua could read was Genesis, Deuteronomy, Leviticus, Numbers, and Exodus. There were no other books to read. These books added up to just over two hundred pages. The five books written by Moses were the books of the law that Joshua read day and night, but how do you read faith from the books of the law? The essence of the law is faith. If you read the law from it, then you have read it wrong. If you can read faith from it, then you have read it correctly. Everything Moses said was related to faith.
Abraham in Genesis pioneered the path of faith, and Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph all walked the path of faith. If you think about it carefully, all the information conveyed in the Pentateuch is related to faith. If you don't meditate on it day and night, it is difficult to go directly into faith. Many people read the same Bible, and some people finish reading it and that's it. They don't meditate on it day and night to ponder its meaning, so how can they grasp God's will? All they grasp are things that cause people to stumble, because the word of God is also a stumbling stone. If you keep the Sabbath not out of faith, then keeping it is of no great benefit. You are just following the rules of the law, walking in the way of the Pharisees. If you are by faith, you can understand the truth, so that this Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night. Then, being careful to observe it, is to observe the will of God.
It is not rules that are carefully observed, but the will of God. Brothers and sisters, can you read the will of God from Joshua, Deuteronomy, Exodus, Leviticus, and Genesis? If you can read the will of God and carefully observe it, how can you not see the promise of God? In fact, in the New Testament, during the time of the Apostle Paul, there was no New Testament. Jesus did not write any books before he ascended to heaven, and he did not leave any letters. A large part of the New Testament was written by Paul. Don't misread the Old Testament. The Old Testament is about the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; the New Testament is still about the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; the Old Testament is about drawing upon God's promises, and the New Testament is still about drawing upon God's promises. The Old Testament is about building the army of the Lord God, and the New Testament is still about building the glorious army of God. The Old Testament leads the people of Israel into the promised land, and the New Testament still leads the people of God into the promised land. The Old Testament and the New Testament are one God. We need to know that we must not let the word of God depart from our mouths, but we must ponder and meditate on it day and night... Then you say, Wow, so that's how it is!
Recently, some people have stumbled because of my talk about Golgotha and Dede. Do they really know Golgotha and Dede? They may not know it. Have they really meditated on the word of God day and night? They haven't either. So why did it hit them so hard? In fact, Dede and Golgotha have not given him any benefits. If we can get benefits today, it must be by carefully observing the word of God, and it must be in accordance with the teachings of the Apostle Paul, because the Apostle Paul taught words of strength and courage to draw upon God's promises. Some people say that Golgotha and Dede also teach these words. Brothers and sisters, don't think that just because he said nine out of ten sentences correctly, they are all correct. If 90% of what he said is the same as what Paul said, the remaining 10% of the differences are enough to be fatal.
Brothers and sisters, you need to know today that strength and courage are the thought system of Paul. As for Golgotha and Dede, I will definitely share it with you clearly in the next few times, so that you can open your spiritual eyes. If you are not a person who meditates day and night, and you just read the literal meaning, then read slowly, may God have mercy. Reading these things, those that can draw upon God's promises count; reading these things, those that cannot draw upon God's promises don't count. Because our God is not the God of the Tao Te Ching. Everyone carefully ponder, Chinese Mingding Destiny from Genesis to Revelation, the sermons we preach are different from traditional sermons, and you can't find them on the Internet.
In the testimony, the person who ran around naked, who was the brother of our sister, had syphilis. His mother had been attending the local church for many years, and she took her son to the local church, but the church did not accept him, and the mental hospital did not accept him either. The mother came to us in despair. In fact, his mother had been opposing our statement, and I don't know what she was opposing. If she had been a person who meditated on the word of God day and night in the past few years, if she had been clear in understanding, if she had truly known the word of God, she would have known that what I said was really the word of God, and it was really in accordance with the teaching of the Bible, and not just seemingly right.
Moreover, what I teach can really draw upon God's promises, because what I teach is really in accordance with the word of God, building a victorious army, building a victorious church, building a church filled with the Spirit of God, being able to see the glory of God, the promises of God, and see the people of God entering into the promised land here, crossing the Jordan River as if walking on dry land! To see with our own eyes the walls of Jericho collapse, and to see with our own eyes the people of God being able to trample on the enemy on the promised land, because we have grasped the will of God.
Removing the Myths of Healing and Deliverance Within Us
In the first few lectures of this healing and deliverance conference, some people raised some questions: Why has my situation become worse since I came among you? If it gets worse, will you retreat? Are you still strong and courageous? In fact, I have biblical basis to tell you: All things will get worse before we draw upon God's promises. Are there any that don't look so bad? Yes, there are. But today I want to explain to you how many examples of things getting worse there are. First of all, let's talk about Moses entering Egypt to bring the Israelites out of Egypt. Did the situation get worse? It got worse (see Exodus 5:6-21). But can we be weak because it got worse? We shouldn't be weak even if it gets worse! Because we are drawing upon God's promises according to the word of God. Even if it gets worse, the word of God still stands there! If we are clear in our thoughts and understanding, we will not be troubled by this kind of thing.
But the most common situation is that as soon as things get worse, many people explain it and say, Look at you, I didn't let you do healing and deliverance, and I didn't let you cast out demons, but you had to do it anyway. What happened? The demon ran into you! Is there a problem with things getting worse? Didn't the Israelites eventually come out of Egypt? But after leaving Egypt, the environment became worse, and those Israelites complained about Moses, and Moses called out to God, and God told Moses: Don't worry, be strong and courageous! The general idea is don't retreat, keep doing it! God used ten plagues to attack the land of Egypt, and as a result, Moses was really able to bring the people of Israel out of Egypt. Later, the situation was still bad. After the Israelites entered the wilderness, they had no water to drink. Later, when they reached the edge of the Red Sea, the Egyptian army chased after them again, and the situation became even worse.
Behind them were the Egyptian pursuers, and in front of them was the Red Sea. Where could you escape to? Moses worked hard! The Israelites complained, Why did you bring us to die in this land? Are there no graves for us in Egypt? Listen to these words, the people lack a strong and courageous heart, and the loss in this life is very huge. As a result, God said, Moses, why are you crying out to me? Lift up your staff to the sea! As a result, when Moses lifted up his staff, the Red Sea parted, and the problem was solved. Nothing can stump God. The arm of the Lord has never been shortened. Even if it has been shortened, it is because of the timidity in our hearts, and we cannot draw upon God's promises. Today, let's clean up the faith inside us, be strong, and use faith to compete with the difficulties we face in our minds. Let us become clearer in language and understanding, and be able to compete with the difficulties we face, and remove the myths inside us.
Brothers and sisters, we often encounter all kinds of attacks. How many punches do you often get when you fight the devil? In MMA boxing matches, or other boxing matches, the champion and the runner-up are both beaten with bruised noses and swollen faces, and they will all be scratched, but it doesn't matter. Once I prayed for someone whose shoulder could not be lifted. After the prayer, his shoulder was lifted, but my shoulder could not be lifted. Later, I remembered some people saying, You have to be careful, don't lay hands when you pray, because if you lay hands, the demons will run into you! But I have not found such words in the Bible from beginning to end, and the information released by these words is extremely corruptive to people's faith. My shoulder could not be lifted, how could I explain it to my brothers and sisters? I am in the church every day, who can I turn to? I have no one to turn to, I can only turn to my God. I also longed for a pastor to help me, but there really wasn't one. I held on to the back of the chair with one hand, squatted down, pulled out the muscles of my arm, and dealt with it while praying.
It took two months for my arm to get better. Did you think that two months could defeat the faith inside me? It can't be defeated! I still don't believe those wrong teachings, those wrong teachings can never replace the word of God. The word of God has not said that, so I refuse to accept it. Later, all kinds of problems with shoulders, lumbar spine, and cervical spine were immediately loosened after praying for a while, and they got better very quickly. That was the first beautiful battle I fought on the road of healing and deliverance. No one can use this kind of myth to confuse me. As long as it is not the word of God, I refuse to accept it. What attacked, breach, laying hands will run the demon into you, I don't accept all of them. Because that is not the word of God, the word of God has never said that. I just need to be strong and be greatly courageous. Did you think that I would be afraid because I couldn't lift my arm? It is at this time that I practice my faith!
Brothers and sisters, start to imitate me, because I imitate Jesus Christ and imitate the Apostle Paul. In the contest of faith, do you think that two months can defeat me? Even forty years of wilderness road cannot erase my faith in God. No matter what, I must imitate Joshua and Caleb to enter the promised land, draw upon God's promises, and lead the people of God into the promised land! To see the captives released and the oppressed set free! My mouth is also very powerful, and most people can't compete with me, because I have a very clear understanding. I teach some people to go out and do this. Unless they are afraid and don't dare to do it, if they do it according to the tricks I teach, the demons will all be pressed down. Why? Because in this life, no one will be able to stand before me. These are the words that God said to Joshua, and also to you and me.
Even if we lose occasionally, what will happen? In the past few years of doing healing and deliverance and building churches, I have often lost battles. Some people say, You often lose battles, do you still have the qualifications to speak here? But you need to know that I am defeated but not discouraged! Do you know Zeng Guofan? Zeng Guofan is amazing! His subordinates helped him draft a letter to the emperor, saying that the battles against the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom were repeatedly defeated. After Zeng Guofan saw it, he changed repeatedly defeated to defeated but not discouraged: As long as I have a breath, I will continue to fight. In the past, when I lost a battle, I knew that I hadn't figured out this matter, and then I began to think about it. After many years, I continued to move forward in the darkness. My colleagues are the ones who walked with me in those years, and they said that I was very powerful at that time, and I was very good at releasing visions and faith. At that time, it was difficult to see with my own eyes, but you still had the faith to move forward.
They have all seen the days when I lost battles, but I keep reflecting, as long as I have a breath, I will meditate on the word of God day and night. Until a certain year, I suddenly received God's revelation that I could not fight the devil on the battlefield of the knowledge of good and evil. I wanted to start climbing the mountain of the Lord, entering the temple of the God of Jacob, and constantly improving my understanding of the word of God. The Book of Joshua is the Bible that I studied in those years. I thank my God, the word of God is still in power. God can let me live, even if I am attacked by the devil, the devil cannot take my life. Even if I can't lift my arm, God can still let me rely on Him and let me be released.
In the past so many years, I have broken a lot of myths. The church later concluded that a victorious church is the key. Building a powerful army according to the word of God is a victorious church. If you build a victorious army and fight spiritual battles, being strong and courageous is the key. I never accept what God has not said, even if those things seem very normal, very realistic, even if they are what I have experienced in real life. If I get hemorrhoids and blood flows all over the floor, I will definitely be strong and courageous to overcome it and never retreat! Let the words of this Book of the Law not depart from my mouth, but meditate on it day and night. If you often listen to my sharing, you will not be able to listen to others, because what I am talking about is a system, I meditate on the word of God day and night.
Some people ask me some very tricky questions, but Jesus faced more tricky questions than me. But it doesn't matter, I also answer these tricky questions very skillfully. Do you think I can't see through the devil's tricks? Even if things get worse and the environment gets darker, it cannot replace the word of God. Joseph received his destiny and shared his dreams, and as a result, he was sold to Egypt. Did you think it would get better? Was it getting worse? No, because this was all God's plan, and as a result, Joseph later became prime minister in Egypt.
David was anointed to be the king of Israel, and as a result, he began thirteen years of exile being hunted down. It was very difficult, and he didn't know if he could survive tomorrow. Did David's situation get better? No, it got worse. But we thank God that in such an environment our faith can be forged, and our faith can never be defeated! Even if faith is dying, we still hold on. Fear must retreat, and being strong and courageous is the most natural choice we make according to the word of God, and this is the key to our drawing upon God's promises!
Some people say, You can't lay hands when you pray for people, because you have a breach in your body, and you can only cast out demons when you live perfectly. I was thinking, My God, aren't the breaches in my body as many as the holes in a sieve? What kind of teaching is this? If you can only cast out demons if you don't have breaches, then wouldn't I have to wait until I am in the coffin to stop sinning and become perfect? But how can I cast out demons when I am in the coffin? In fact, it is only through casting out demons that one can become perfect. It doesn't matter if there are breaches. As you cast out demons, you will know where you are not good enough. If you find out where you are not good enough, then you can practice there, get rid of the breaches, and as a result, you will embark on the path of sanctification. I don't deny that there are still things in my body that cater to the flesh and the knowledge of good and evil, but aren't these things discovered through losing battles in casting out demons? Once discovered, stop and reflect on where you didn't do it right, and isn't it precisely through this that people can manifest the wisdom of God?
Conclusion: Be Strong and Courageous, Draw Upon God's Promises
Today, everyone removes all the wrong teachings about laying hands and breaches, and only receives strength and courage, wins the battle, and draws upon God's promises. Wherever you go, the Lord your God will be with you. In all your life, no one will be able to stand before you. As God was with Moses, as God was with Joshua, as God was with Jesus Christ and the Apostle Paul, God is with us in the same way today. As God commanded Joshua to carefully observe the words of Moses, the servant of God, and not turn to the left or to the right, today God will also command us to carefully observe all the words of Moses, the servant of God, and to observe all the words that Jesus Christ, the servant of God, has commanded us. Let these words not depart from our mouths, but let us meditate on them day and night, so that our faith can begin to build a complete system. This healing and deliverance conference is about the logical system of healing and deliverance, about the entire belief system behind healing and deliverance, and this is called meditating day and night.
Wherever we go, our God will be with us. The phrase be strong and courageous is repeated three times in this passage. Isn't God commanding us today? Be strong and courageous, do not be afraid, do not be dismayed. On your path of ministry, do not be afraid, God will be with you. Today, I give encouragement to the brothers and sisters who are participating in the ministry, do not be afraid, do not be dismayed. Because wherever you go, the Lord your God will be with you, until the end of the world. This is the promise of God, and you are the one who leads the people of God into the promised land. Amen! May God bless you all!
Brothers and sisters, never collect offerings randomly. If you do not understand the meaning of offerings, please do not give them. Our ministries are all free, and you do not need to give offerings to be ministered to. If you do not understand the meaning of offerings, please do not give them. Because our ministry is freely received, freely given.
About Offerings: Do Not Give Offerings If You Do Not Understand Their Meaning
Some time ago, a patient with a hemorrhage came and was healed after praying in our midst. The sister who brought her to us was very enthusiastic and strongly urged the patient to give an offering. Why did she urge her to give an offering? Because she hoped that she would no longer live such a poor life. Because she had suffered from hemorrhage for so many years, was her life not difficult? But since she gave an offering of one thousand dollars, she has been so entangled in her heart! In fact, our sister created a misunderstanding for people, thinking that we were going to collect her money. All brothers and sisters must remember that you must never turn healing and deliverance into healing and deliverance for money. Our ministry is freely received, freely given.
In addition, we are willing to give offerings because we are willing to give cheerfully. From the beginning I believed in the Lord until today, I have never deducted offerings, because that is where I get the benefits, not where others get the benefits. Because offerings are not just an offering, offerings are sowing seeds of blessing. So if you do not understand the meaning of offerings, please do not give them.