Don't Settle for Less Than God's Best

Are you living is listen to Adrian Rogers about the people you live in. Don't get the idea that somehow you are a helpless victim. There is no sin that you cannot overcome no temptation.

So Carol, no problem. So big. No devilish power so great that you cannot overcome in the strength of the spirit of God to find the timeless messages of Adrian Rogers as Roger said, when you try to understand the Bible considered these three questions what means then what is it mean now and how does it apply to me personally. Today's message is taken from Joshua chapter 17 the children of Israel and reach the promised land. Canaan, yet their willingness to compromise with the Canaanites, represents how children of God will often continue to live in sin rather than live in victory.

If you have your Bible turn to Joshua 17 now as Adrian Rogers warns us. Don't settle for less than God's best findings.

Joshua chapter 17 and the word of God facing the new year.

I want us to face the new year in victory.

Joshua is about the victory and it tells us how to have victory day by day.

For the Bible says clearly all these things happen to them. The Old Testament pilgrims always things happen to them. Listen now for examples to us. This is not history only. It is history. It literally happened when we understand that it is also devotional literature. You can take these Old Testament passages and shout your way through and you can find applications for your life in the 21st century. When you look at the Bible you try to understand the Bible Yep asked three questions.

Question number one what did it mean the nephew on the stand that you can understand the wrist don't try to make it mean something it doesn't mean don't think it can mean two things.

It means what it means. That's all. What does it mean what did it mean then when I ask a second question follow-up question, how does it apply now okay what didn't mean then how does it apply now which is not finished yet. What do you mean then how does it apply now and now Nigeria ready to make a burst of flame. How does it apply to me personally.

I haven't really studied about them got into the Bible.

He asked that the question how does it apply to me personally what we go to see here in this something chapter is this that the children of Israel had grown into the promised land in the promised land represents in Bible topology of fullness and fruitfulness and joy in victory, then living in Canaan.

It's a picture of a Christian living in victory living the spiritual life, but there was something wrong, because there were still Canaanites in the land. Now the Canaanites were demon possessed people they represent the power Satan ensconced to keep us from having the full blessing that God wants us to have and these people, God's people were keeping company with Canaanites. Let's look at it here.

Joshua chapter 17 beginning in verse 12.

Look at it yet. The children of Manasseh could not drive out the inhabitants of those cities, but the Canaanites would dwell in that land yet it came to pass, when the children of Israel were waxen strong. That is when they could put the Canaanites out. They put the Canaanites to attribute but did not utterly drive them out.

There was no reason that they did not, but they would not they would not drive these Canaanites out of the land. Now they had some demon possessed people who were keeping them from their full inheritance keeping them from total victory. Now I want you to have victory. So I would lay three things upon your heart tonight and I pray God that do get them in your notebook, but I pray that you get them from you notebook in the head and pray that you are the first thing I want you to see what I would call the problem of sinful compromise. Now God's plan for his people was total occupation. God told Joshua and the children of Israel to take the land, water, water from sea to sea, and to take it totally every grain of sand. They were to take them Canaanites, but God said you ought to drive them out of the land, sir related young man young lady God's plan for use victory are you living in victory, I say, are you living in the world, the flesh and the death that is God's plan for you a Christian who is not living day by day victoriously is an abnormality and he's ashamed all my God first with this chapter 15 verse 57 says thank you. Be undergone, which causes us, gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. I know the passage says that God causes us to triumph always in Christ Jesus. Where to have victory over the world. The world is not to conform us in when I here to get along with the world where here to overcome the world.

And when I say the world I'm talking about a system set up against our Lord and his Christ where here not only to overcome the world but were here to overcome the flesh, the flesh is not to be condoned to be crucified. You say well I have my little falls temperatures runs in my family you living in the feet and you are a disgrace to the grace of God that saved you to have victory over the data submission will not approve about the devil supposed to be afraid of you. You cannot peacefully coexist with the death anymore than you could peacefully coexist with a roaring lion, the devil is described in the Bible is a roaring lion I think about this Canaanites.

They represent the things that keep us from victory. Now the devil has many people convinced that they cannot live in victory. There is no sin that you cannot overcome no temptation so terrible, no problem. So be no devilish power so great that you cannot overcome in the strength of the spirit of God.

Don't get the idea that somehow you are a helpless victim here in America we have bowed down before certain things were said there's no use the drug problem, alcoholism, and morale of criminal behavior. We come to the place where we say we can handle it, so will just legalize it as one way to make the crime rate come down and go up at the same time we legalize these things we tell the kids 13-year-olds go out with a birth control device in your purse mean after all the kids are going to do these things anyway so what we need to do is just say these problems are too big for us. That's what we told I would say something paren condoms will fail character will not fail. Now there's the whole thing. That was the problem of sinful compromise on this and Canaanites in your life seriously. Other sins that you favor and you think that you contain other sailors that you fear and you think you cannot overcome other sins that you fellowship and you made peace with him.

The second point is this a problem of self-confidence. We talked about the problem of sinful compromise, but that is compounded now by self-confidence.

Look at it will now in the same chapter, verses 14 and 15 and the children of Joseph's make on the Joshua say why has thou given me, but one law and one portion to inherit seeing I am a great people for as much as the Lord hath blessed me hitherto not here's here's a people living in self-confidence. Now they were they were living in sinful compromise, but the same time. The irony of it they're boasting about the greatness the same thing is true about so many of us is a pride is bad enough, but pride that lists its head from the mire of failure is terrible here.

These people were failing to be do have and say what God would have been made to say and have in this look how great we all pride goes before destruction and a haughty spirit before failure.

Nothing that will put you more out of the reach of the devil in genuine humility and if you're proud you're going to find God as an enemy. The Bible says God resists the proud, he gives grace to the humble. James four verse five and what is grace grace is the desire and the ability to do the will of God. Now these people so long ago were boasting about their greatness. We are great people may fail but the scale life, but you think that's a little bit of irony. Let me give you some New Testament iron that will match the same thing in Luke chapter 9 I was stricken by this reading through Luke nine one time there was a demon possessed boy and the disciples, saying to cast the demons out of this boy and they failed miserably ignominiously and then Jesus came and cast the demons out of this war and the disciples could not do it. Look you be willing Luke nine verse 40 and 41.

The man said to Jesus, I saw thy disciples to cast them out and they could not.

And Jesus answering several faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you and suffer you bring my son Heather and Jesus healed a small map that was the failure of the disciples and these disciples did fail because Jesus said, by prayer and fasting. They could've done the same time, but now that's in Luke nine verses 40 and 41 but now looking Luke nine verse 46 and listen to this, then there rose and reasoning among them which of them should be the greatest failing tensely failing, and then the talking big shot in the King who is going to be the greatest. I tell you that is absolute irony the same irony that we find over here in Joshua chapter 17 is out. That was most have self-confidence.

That's the last thing we need. We need confidence in Almighty God, rather than staying in our big feet sticking out our big chest and saying, look who I am and how great I I've seen men so full of himself and so big that God cannot use them. I've never seen a man so small that God cannot use him there's 1/3 thing and I'll be finished. The problem of senseless clutter. I want all this is about is this that the tribe of Joseph and these others came to Joshua and said no Joshua look we are great people and we want to grow we won't big things done for us and we don't have enough room.

Why do so many trees and so many Canaanites Joshua what we want is more land that knows what Joshua said here in Joshua chapter 17 verse 17, and Joshua spake under the house of Joseph, even to Ephraim and Manasseh say thou art a great people and ask great power. Thou shall not have one lot only when I watch this. But the mountain shall be thine, for it is a wood plain English it is a forest and thou shalt cut it down, and the outgoing that it shall be thine, for thou shalt drive out the Canaanites, though they had iron chariots, and though they be strong now. What was Joshua solution to these people. These people who had a land and vested with Canaanites, Canaanites, they favored Canaanites, they feared, and Canaanites. They fellowship these people are so boastful. These people said.

Where great people what they Joshua tell the Joshua said you see that not you will more land, bigger inheritance get you some taxes and cut down those trees that clutter. That mountain, there's plenty of room here, but you're going to have to clear out those dreams.

Joshua say why should you have more land under your belt with the land that I have given you into you have cleared what I've given what he saying is first things first, what are you doing with the opportunity. The guns already given you like a bigger Sunday school class what you know, the classic God is already given you when some preacher boys are not have any of you would like to have a bigger jerk what are you doing with opportunity that God has given you. You want a bigger job. What are you doing on the job that you have you will more money what are you doing with the money which I what would you do if you had a million al dente. What you do if you had $1 million.

You do the same thing with $100 that you had he that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in that which is much people say well I want to be a missionary raising 2000 miles of ocean going make you missionary if you are not winning souls here. Why should you go overseas and do not what Joshua say you asking for more opportunity you asking for a bigger place to see that mountain go clear it now let me show you the two full priority I'm talking about not settling for less than the best. First of all we must clear out the harmless things that clutter our lives. Clear out the harmless things that clutter our mothering role with pre-crazy view but if you want to build a farm. Are you want to put out pastureland.

Are you want to build a house. Whatever you need. Then you got to clear the ground not the reason that many people are not living in victory is their lives are clutter.

You will have enough time for prayer. You have enough time for Bible study is that what you say what you have enough time for prayer and Bible study you doing something you are not to do. Can you say mentor that I wanted it but I will guarantee if you don't have time to read your Bible and pray you doing something God never assigned you to do this something clutter your life and what is clutter your life may not be a harmful thing overtly harmful.

It may not be a sinful, wicked thing. But if it is clutter in your life you need to get rid of it. There's enough time in every day to do gracefully everything God wants you to do is I will pastor than I need to find time. No, you don't need to take time you need to make time and where you make time and take time is to clear the clutter out of your life. It might be television it might be church work. It would be better for you to stay home from church to study your Bible and pray than to miss your Bible study and prayer, and come to church does not timely.

Everything that God wants us to do, but what we have to do sometime is just get the clutter out of our lives. Some people are so busy doing good. They don't have time to be godly to get alone with God is always to the time we get Jesus to be what I'm saying is, step number one you must clear out the harmless things that clutter your life.

Verse 15 and then clean out the harmful things that corrupt your life that the harmless things that clutter your life I harmless lender the harmful things that corrupt your life, but which comes first. Which comes first cutting down trees are fighting Canaanites, you may be surprised. But God's order is first cut down the trees and then drive out the Canaanites. That's what God says. First, the trees and then the giant hello is what God is saying is get the clutter out of your life, get down to worship. Worship comes before work worship comes before warfare these things that clutter your life. When the good becomes the enemy of the best and what you do then is establish a beachy you say I'm going to make time for the things that count. I'm going to have a beachhead the fight against these Canaanites bout would you be all that you want to be. They want to live in victory this coming year. Are you compromising other Canaanites that you favor will harmless sends you think this is good to me other Canaanites that you fear say I'll never have victory in this area. Other Canaanites that you fellowship with you just make peace with them. You live this way and may become accustomed to and been conformed to this world and at the same time is that self-confidence you think you're great and be in fine go see a great need. Are there things that clutter your life all the things that you need to say this goes and this goes in, this goes it may be occurring, harmless tree, but occasionally from being what ought to be his say listen God's plan for you. I want to say it again, God's plan to use Victor Victor is not just some slogan not just some preacher call. I'm telling you that you are to live in victory, day by day by day, constantly conspicuously continuously living in victory, where the Canaanites in your life ones are keeping company with all the sum Canaanites that you favored is that this is my little pets in actually, I think it works out pretty good for me other Canaanites that you fear all areas we just given up hope when you think I'll never be victorious of the Canaanites that you fellowship you just become at home with Cindy's habits were used to amaze us not just a nuisance.

We say things read things watch things that would've shocked us years ago but now we fellowship with Canaanites.

Have you maximize what God is already given you and you take advantage of all the blessings that God has for you to have a mountain that needs to be cleared out and get the clutter down so you can establish a base of operation to drive out the Canaanites. I want to again worship comes before work or warfare get the clutter out of your life. Take time to behold Lord speak Everhart begin with my own Lord forbid that I should ask for more responsibility or greater opportunity or more blessing the Lord. I've already appropriated what you've given me all just clear out the clutter Lord to let me make peace with Canaanites possess the land that you get what I pray for myself boyfriend that others will point for them to your holy name.

Amen. What a profound message from God's word for us today in if you have questions regarding your victory in Jesus. We loved our few and insightful resource on our website.

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Let us hear from you today F you like a copy of this message in its entirety. You can call us at 1877 love God and to the title. Don't settle for less than God's best. When you call us 1877 love God or you can order online@lwf.org/radio or write us at love worth finding box 38, 600 Memphis, TN 38183 will do you want to live in the victory that God's plan for your life is time to get rid of the clutter and clean out the things that corrupt your life. Adrian Rogers said there is no sin that you cannot overcome the temptation so terrible, no problem. So big.

No devilish power so great that you cannot overcome in the strength of the spirit of God.

We hope you and your stay safe and healthy in this new year and that you'll join us again next time.

For more timeless truths right on love worth lately. Rogers also said if you woke up this morning and you're still here, God still has a plan for your life. I love them and I love a dedicated pastor Rogers was about discipling and equipping believers for their Christian walk. That's why love worth finding.

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