Outnumbered But Not Outfought

Outnumbered But Not Outfought

Still in the fight

There are in the history of battles involving the United States many examples of last minute rescues and outcomes in battles that were not expected. In the Vietnam era many times platoons or even smaller groups called AP’s Ambush Patrols would be set upon by a larger force and in areas of the Vietnam jungle where air support was impossible and helicopter rescue was impossible they would be alone, surrounded by much larger numbers, fighting not only the enemy but the fear of death and capture. In many of these accounts every man in the unit would be fighting wounded, running out of ammunition, bloody, thirsty, scared, and suffering. Yet something inside of them would not let them quit, would not let them just lie down and die. They knew that help was on the way, and that if they could just hold on long enough that they would soon hear the sound of a rescue party coming their way. The odds were against them but in many recorded cases because of the will to live and the desire to see a better day, and a dream of accomplishing more in life than dying in a lonely jungle, they clung to hope. Many times down to their last bullets, bloodied and surrounded by their fellow soldiers who had not survived they would rise out of the underbrush, worn, wounded, tired and filthy but they were alive.

They had been outnumbered but not out fought.

We live in a time of great battles, not in the physical but in the mental and spiritual. In this room if we could see with a spiritual eye we would observe some of the vilest spirits attempting to surround and defeat good people.

The world says hide it from view, don't allow your weakness to be seen among your fellow man, Jesus said “come unto me all ye that labor and are heavy laden, I will give you rest” People here in this building are so heavy with the weight of sin, depression, anxiety and frustration. Heavy with the weight of lies that have stacked one on top of another until you can’t remember truth from lies.

The spirits of hell have you outnumbered and just about convinced that your only hope of rest is surrender. I am here to tell you today that surrender to the enemy is not an option, if it was you would not be here today.

If we look in scripture which is our road map to God , we find a case of a man whose family, town and in fact all humanity had given up on. Chained and abandoned by society, out of sight out of mind he was left for nature to reclaim him in time. Deemed not worthy of any more help or even the basic needs of humanity.

We know him as legion, but his mom and dad knew him as son, his brothers and sisters if he had any knew him as brother. His childhood friends knew him as a friend, but when life caught him and began to war on his life the spirits of hell swarmed him, surrounded him and captured his mind in a hurricane of despair and abuse. We can see that he must have become violent, abusive, addicted to the things of that era, lost in his mind, but there in him was a soul assigned by his creature and not forgotten by the God who was about to show up on the shore.

Luke 8:26–39

KJV 1900

And they arrived at the country of the Gadarenes, which is over against Galilee. And when he went forth to land, there met him out of the city a certain man, which had devils long time, and ware no clothes, neither abode in any house, but in the tombs. When he saw Jesus, he cried out, and fell down before him, and with a loud voice said, What have I to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of God most high? I beseech thee, torment me not. (For he had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. For oftentimes it had caught him: and he was kept bound with chains and in fetters; and he brake the bands, and was driven of the devil into the wilderness.) And Jesus asked him, saying, What is thy name? And he said, Legion: because many devils were entered into him. And they besought him that he would not command them to go out into the deep. And there was there an herd of many swine feeding on the mountain: and they besought him that he would suffer them to enter into them. And he suffered them. Then went the devils out of the man, and entered into the swine: and the herd ran violently down a steep place into the lake, and were choked. When they that fed them saw what was done, they fled, and went and told it in the city and in the country. Then they went out to see what was done; and came to Jesus, and found the man, out of whom the devils were departed, sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed, and in his right mind: and they were afraid. They also which saw it told them by what means he that was possessed of the devils was healed. Then the whole multitude of the country of the Gadarenes round about besought him to depart from them; for they were taken with great fear: and he went up into the ship, and returned back again. Now the man out of whom the devils were departed besought him that he might be with him: but Jesus sent him away, saying, Return to thine own house, and shew how great things God hath done unto thee. And he went his way, and published throughout the whole city how great things Jesus had done unto him.

You might be fighting against things in your life, alcohol, drugs, pornography, you might not can kick the nicotine that is damaging your life, You might have destroyed relationships in your life. You may have even put yourself in a place of separation from society, ashamed to speak or interact for fear your issues would be revealed.

God already knows and he is stepping onto the banks of your life ready to rescue you from the battlefield of your sin.

You may be surrounded by life and weighed down by problems but your are here and that means you are still in the battle, you fought for so long to see a rescue, it’s here are you ready to rise up from the place you have been in so long and run to a savior who is ready to cast away all those chains the enemy has burdened you with.

Jeremiah 32:38

KJV 1900

And they shall be my people, and I will be their God:

In the book of Jeremiah we find God's people have walked away and done things against God, but in this scripture we find again the love of God overcoming the evil of hell. He wants to be your God in a way you have never known.

He wants to bring us out and lift us up to greater heights than we have ever seen or dreamed of.

You can come out, you can be delivered out of the jungle of your life.

Those things that have a grip on your life are nothing when the power of God is unleashed in your life.

Yesterday don’t count. Yesterday the man called legion was eating bugs in a graveyard. running naked through the community screaming uncontrollably, today he was sitting fully clothed, in his right mind, talking to Jesue, God in flesh. This threw such a shock into the people in that area that they told them to leave, go away this isn't possible. People in your life keep telling you it's impossible, you can't stop, you can't change, Friend in this house with this God it not only can, it will change.

Your daddy might have pushed you away, your mom might not trust you any more, the bank might rip up your loan application and business owners might laugh when you apply for a job. Those people only look at your past, God looks at your future and sees where you can go not where you have been.

Is there anyone here today lost or found that's tired of fighting the battle in the jungle of life? Are you weary and worn down and you thought it would be so much easier just to lay my weapon down and surrender to the enemy?

There is a saviour that just came ashore in your life and is on the way to rescue you from the enemy. Fight one last battle to push your enemy back and allow the presence of God to sweep into your soul. Raise your hands and let Jesus know that you are here, still alive and still fighting for freedom.

You may be feeling a feeling of panic, fear, and uncertainty, rebuke that. It;s a last ditch effort from the enemy to regain control over your mind. Slip out of the chair and come to this altar and submit to God, Jesus forgive me of my sins, cleanse my heart and mind, fill me with the holy ghost, I want to speak in that heavenly language as the Holy Ghost floods my life.

Come on, your rescue is here, you have fought so long to survive the battle, let God fill you and save you.