Restoring Confidence
Strong: Courage over Fear • Sermon • Submitted
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· 6 viewsHow do you recover from a moral failure before God? Joshua 8 describes a recovered Israel that still has a job to do. Through the encouagement and power of the Lord they are able to rise to victory once again. So it is in the lives of Christians today. When we suffer a moral failure we must find the strength and courage to have victory once again. Pastor Bill lays out some simple steps to restore the victory in your life once again.
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Introduction: (Defining the pain)
A football team that loses and then loses again and again and again.
It messes with their mind. It’s hard to pull out a victory when you think of yourself as a loser.
They start saying things like, we probably won’t win. We are losers.
As they speak this reality over themselves they start making decisions based on this spoke reality. It becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy that guides their decisions and ultimately their actions.
This is why the halftime talk can be the difference in the game. A good coach has the ability to set their mind right. To refocus their minds and get them believing in themselves again, to trust the team again.
As the fog clears from their mind and they start thinking of themselves as winners. In that 20 minutes they have gone from losers to winners.
Before they ever leave the locker room they are saying different things to each other. They are calling themselves winners once again.
They come out on the field as a new team. They start making good decisions together. Head coaches, Offensive and Defensive coaches, Quarter backs, and team captains all in sync in their decision making.
This leads to new actions that can be seen on the field. People are hitting their assignments. The linemen are making holes. The Quarter back can read the field and the game changes.
The announcers are saying things like. This looks like a brand new team. But it’s the same guys just with a renewed mind and purpose. They didn’t come to lose they came to win.
We all have experienced times of moral bankruptcy in our lives. When faith is lost and the game seems to be over.
We all have experienced times of moral failure in our lives. Times that we go against Gods plan and will and need to restore our confidence for the battle that lies before us.
We start thinking we’re losers. and begin to speak this ungodly prophecy over ourselves like:
I not good enough.
Nothing good happens in my life.
What people say about me is true. I will never amount to anything.
I must make the best of my bad situation.
Some of us need a half time locker room talk this morning.
In this game of life we all need a locker room pep talk every once in a while. And through the years their have been some amazing pep talks that have turn the tide and changed the lives of the players forever.
Joshua need a locker room talk after the defeat at Ai. They had been run down. Men were hurt. Families suffer loss and moral was in the tank.
But the game was not over. there was still work to be done. God was not picking a new players. They had to finish with who they started with.
Let’s listen in as God give Joshua his locker room talk.
Bible Lesson: (Defining the passage)
The Power of Words
The Power of Words
What you say about yourself reveals what you think about yourself.
1 And the Lord said to Joshua, “Do not fear and do not be dismayed. Take all the fighting men with you, and arise, go up to Ai. See, I have given into your hand the king of Ai, and his people, his city, and his land.
Joshua 8:
What does God say about you?
What does God say about you?
Do not fear or be dismayed.
I have set you up for victory, success, and blessing.
11 For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.
What do you say about yourself?
What do you say about yourself?
I am forgiven by God and cleansed.
I am empowered by the Holy Spirit of God for victory and blessing.
I am worthy of the fight or God would have chosen someone else.
The Power of Decisions
The Power of Decisions
The decisions you make will determine your outcome of victory or defeat.
Josh 8:3
3 So Joshua and all the fighting men arose to go up to Ai. And Joshua chose 30,000 mighty men of valor and sent them out by night.
Make decisions based on God’s word and promises.
Make decisions based on God’s word and promises.
Joshua had confidence in the battle because of God’s past tense promise.
“I have given.”
What if Joshua had not heard the promise from the Lord?
By studying God’s word we can claim the promises for our lives.
Make decisions based on God’s strength and provision.
Make decisions based on God’s strength and provision.
God chooses to work through the weak to reveal his strength.
God calling on your life will require the strength and provision of God to see it through.
The Power of Prophesy
The Power of Prophesy
30 At that time Joshua built an altar to the Lord, the God of Israel, on Mount Ebal, 31 just as Moses the servant of the Lord had commanded the people of Israel, as it is written in the Book of the Law of Moses, “an altar of uncut stones, upon which no man has wielded an iron tool.” And they offered on it burnt offerings to the Lord and sacrificed peace offerings.
Josh 8:30
Moses had prophesied this victory already.
Moses had prophesied this victory already.
4 And when you have crossed over the Jordan, you shall set up these stones, concerning which I command you today, on Mount Ebal, and you shall plaster them with plaster. 5 And there you shall build an altar to the Lord your God, an altar of stones. You shall wield no iron tool on them; 6 you shall build an altar to the Lord your God of uncut stones. And you shall offer burnt offerings on it to the Lord your God,
“God’s prophecy of victory bring us hope in the battle.”
“God’s prophecy of victory bring us hope in the battle.”
When it looks like your defeated remember the battle is already own.
When it looks like there is no way out remember God has made a way of escape.
When the enemy is crushing down remember God fights for you.
when all your strength is gone remember the strength of the Lord.
A Renewed Covenant
A Renewed Covenant
32 And there, in the presence of the people of Israel, he wrote on the stones a copy of the law of Moses, which he had written.
Josh 8
35 There was not a word of all that Moses commanded that Joshua did not read before all the assembly of Israel, and the women, and the little ones, and the sojourners who lived among them.
Josh 8:
When you find yourself wounded and weary from battle it’s good to renew your covenant with God.
Communion is one of the ways we renew our covenant to Christ.
Next Steps: (Defining the process)
No matter what your past record God still believes in you.
Listen to what God is saying about you and agree with Him. He’s the only one that matters.
As you renew your mind the victories will begin to come and your confidence will be restored.
The game of life was never meant to be played alone. You need a team of people around you to win and others need you to win. Be a part of the team.