7th Time's the Charm!

1 For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven: 2 a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted; 3 a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; 4 a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; 5 a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; 6 a time to seek, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away; 7 a time to tear, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; 8 a time to love, and a time to hate; a time for war, and a time for peace.

Now none of us need help or encougagment during some of theser times. We love times to laugh, and we love times to dance and we love seasons in life where we rejoice.

And we should!

But life is not all laughing, dasncing and rejoicing. There are times where life can be hard, frustrating, and even down right misrible. the struggle is real.

God’s people enjoyed times of prosperity and peace and at times had to endure harsh winters or enemy attacks.

It is to those people now that i want to minister.

I have a word for trhe people that are struggeling, that are trying to maintain hope but are finding faith hard to come by.

To all those people who are trying and traying and traying but just cant seem to get anywhere:

Never ever Give Up!

2 Chronicles 15:7 NIV84

7 But as for you, be strong and do not give up, for your work will be rewarded.”

Why should we be strong? Where does that strength to keep going come from? from trhe knowlefe that God is on your side.

He loves you, is wouth yopu, cares for you and will never leave you.

As we look at ehat may seem hopeless we take courage because

Mark 10:27 ESV

27 Jesus looked at them and said, “With man it is impossible, but not with God. For all things are possible with God.”

A word on Failure

Lets talk about failure for a moment, because it is often failure, time and time again that brings people to the point of giving up.

“Ive prayed so many times...”

“Ive tried so many times...”

“ive fasting so many times...”

Well let me just say this: Biblically, failure is not that you tried so many times and it did not work, biblically, failure only happens when you STOP trying.

Proverbs 24:16 ESV

16 for the righteous falls seven times and rises again, but the wicked stumble in times of calamity.

There is a strange beliefe that often floats around the christian ecosystem: That if God is behand or in favor of something it will happen smotthly. Like if its god plan there will not be a struggle or everything will always work out the first time.

This is absolute nonsense.

look at this verse, it does not say thatr the righteous will never fail and never fall. It says that the righteous often fail, but that each time, by the grace of God, they rise agin.

My friends let me tell you something:

God is with you and he is on your side.

Joshua 1:5 ESV

5 No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life. Just as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you or forsake you.

But there are times, that like Joshua, even though God is indeed with you, you have to go around Jericho 7 times.

Joshua 6:12–17 ESV

12 Then Joshua rose early in the morning, and the priests took up the ark of the Lord. 13 And the seven priests bearing the seven trumpets of rams’ horns before the ark of the Lord walked on, and they blew the trumpets continually. And the armed men were walking before them, and the rear guard was walking after the ark of the Lord, while the trumpets blew continually. 14 And the second day they marched around the city once, and returned into the camp. So they did for six days. 15 On the seventh day they rose early, at the dawn of day, and marched around the city in the same manner seven times. It was only on that day that they marched around the city seven times. 16 And at the seventh time, when the priests had blown the trumpets, Joshua said to the people, “Shout, for the Lord has given you the city. 17 And the city and all that is within it shall be devoted to the Lord for destruction. Only Rahab the prostitute and all who are with her in her house shall live, because she hid the messengers whom we sent.

Did the ciry fall on the first trip? No. The second? no, the third? no.

Did joshua then fail on the first try?, did he fail on the 2 and 3 try?

No, hoiwever, imagine if Joshua gave up ater 5 rounds. “Its not working lads, if God was for us this wall would be done by down..”

He hand to to go around 7 times.

A Word on 7

in the bible, yes 7 is number - it comes fater 6 and before 8. But 7 is also a concept. It speaks of completion. It was not only 7 times they had to go around, but it was God saying, “Go around till the ob is completed” - Dont give up.

Let me show yoiu a few other bible stories:

2 Kings 5:10–14 ESV

10 And Elisha sent a messenger to him, saying, “Go and wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh shall be restored, and you shall be clean.” 11 But Naaman was angry and went away, saying, “Behold, I thought that he would surely come out to me and stand and call upon the name of the Lord his God, and wave his hand over the place and cure the leper. 12 Are not Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Could I not wash in them and be clean?” So he turned and went away in a rage. 13 But his servants came near and said to him, “My father, it is a great word the prophet has spoken to you; will you not do it? Has he actually said to you, ‘Wash, and be clean’?” 14 So he went down and dipped himself seven times in the Jordan, according to the word of the man of God, and his flesh was restored like the flesh of a little child, and he was clean.

How many times did Nanman have to dip into ther waters? 1, 2 or 3?

His deliverance id not come on the first or even the 6th dip, but only on the 7th.

And remeber, 7 spewaks of completing, “Keep diddping till the diliverance is complete”

another:

1 Kings 18:40–45 ESV

40 And Elijah said to them, “Seize the prophets of Baal; let not one of them escape.” And they seized them. And Elijah brought them down to the brook Kishon and slaughtered them there. 41 And Elijah said to Ahab, “Go up, eat and drink, for there is a sound of the rushing of rain.” 42 So Ahab went up to eat and to drink. And Elijah went up to the top of Mount Carmel. And he bowed himself down on the earth and put his face between his knees. 43 And he said to his servant, “Go up now, look toward the sea.” And he went up and looked and said, “There is nothing.” And he said, “Go again,” seven times. 44 And at the seventh time he said, “Behold, a little cloud like a man’s hand is rising from the sea.” And he said, “Go up, say to Ahab, ‘Prepare your chariot and go down, lest the rain stop you.’ ” 45 And in a little while the heavens grew black with clouds and wind, and there was a great rain. And Ahab rode and went to Jezreel.

3 years of drought had brought the land to its knees. But God is about to send a might blessing of grace to people.

Elijah tells Ahab to go and look for the rain, he went to the mountan and diddnt see any sighn of it, go again, and again… each time there was no sign of God’s blessing and grace - keep looking, ive gone up this mountan 6 times and still no sign - maybe God has forgioteen me. GO AGAIN!!!

on the 7 times, the blessings came like a punch to the land, thats how hard they hit.

Imagine if he stopped looking after 5th time?

Jerico’s walls are a obstical.

Naahams leprosay is an intrenched sin.

Elijah’s rain is a comming blessing.

None of them were given on the first try.

For the walls to Go down, Joshua had to go around and around the ciry till they came down.

For Naaman to be healed, he had to dip again and again untill he was healed.

The rins were a much needed releaf for the people, for Ahab to see them, he had to keep going up the mountain to look.

Your jericho will fall, your lepsory will heal and your blessings will come, but only if you are willing to go round or down or go up 7 times.