In this sermon, the speaker reflects on the story of Moses and the Israelites in Egypt as a metaphor for the spiritual battle between God and the devil. Despite Moses feeling inadequate and unqualified, God chose him to lead the people out of captivity and into a promised land. The speaker emphasizes that the devil has historically enslaved nations, churches, and individuals, using taskmasters to keep them busy and distracted. However, through faith in Christ, believers are called to be a free and changing people, walking in the power of God and bringing others into His rest and promise. The speaker encourages listeners to recognize the spiritual warfare they may face and to stand firm in the truth of God's promises, knowing that through surrender to Him, there is no limit to what God can do through a believer.

This message is one of the Times Square Church Pulpit Series. It was recorded in the sanctuary of Times Square Church in Manhattan, New York City. Other tapes are available by writing World Challenge, PO Box 260, Lindell, TX 75771 or calling 903-963-8626. You are welcome to make additional cassettes of this message for free distribution to friends. However, for all other forms of reproduction or electronic transmission, existing copyright laws apply. The devil's nightmare. You'd be surprised, maybe, maybe not. Father, thank you for the abiding anointing of the Holy Spirit. I thank you for the strength and the power that you give to those that are called to speak your word. And I thank you for the enablement that you provide for us to hear. You said continuously to your churches, he who has ears to hear, let him hear. Lord, we ask for hearing ears tonight and a hearing heart. God, truly, you are speaking to us. You are speaking to this generation. Very darkened time. But Lord, you want to move an unprecedented power. Father, we thank you from the depths of our heart, Lord, what you will speak and how we will hear it and the fruit that it will produce in every one of our lives. I ask God that there be an advancement to your kingdom tonight. Let your kingdom come in us, in our hearts, our lives. Let your will be done in us as it is in heaven. Be glorified in us. Lord, we have no other cry. There's no other prayer in my heart. Just be glorified. We ask it in Jesus name. I have quite recently experienced something personally that has renewed my passion for prayer. 24 years ago, I came to Christ and I began to pray for my family. I began to pray in particular for my father, my mother, my brothers, my sister, and all the offspring and family that is associated with that. I began to pray for them and I would weep for them every day. At that time, I drove 36 miles into work and 36 miles home. I would pray every day and oftentimes with tears. I had come to the understanding of what salvation is and what it feels like to have peace with God, to have your life as it is set on another course, a glorious course of ever-changing into the image of Christ on this side of eternity and then having the assurance in your heart that the day you die, the moment you're absent from the body, you're present with the Lord. If you are truly converted, it's your heart's desire to see your family understand these truths, even though sometimes it's mystifying at how resistant people can be to really what is the best news ever proclaimed to humankind. Incredible that God has reached down in his mercy, became a man, paid the price for our sins and offered to receive us into fellowship with him and into eternity in heaven if we would just simply believe that he took our place and begin to give our lives to him and to walk with him by faith. It's so simple that half the churches in the world stumble over it and can't see it. I began to pray and I began to pray with tears and one day quite unexpectedly on the way to work, the Holy Spirit just dropped into my spirit that he had given me my request, that my father in particular was going to be saved. Twenty-two years ago and it was amazing. From that day forward, I could never pray with tears anymore for my father because God had already given me the answer. It doesn't mean I stopped praying. I continued to pray. I believe we should continue to pray until we actually see that which God has spoken to our hearts. But the prayer was no longer a cry as much as a prayer of thanksgiving. Thanking God that what he had spoken in my heart he was going to accomplish. And after 22 years, this Monday at 3.30 in the afternoon, I had the privilege of leading my father to Christ. He prayed to receive Christ, acknowledged that he was a sinner and needed a savior. We talked about heaven, we talked about eternity. I got to hold his hand and stroke his hair and tell him I loved him, that he was a good father. It was, I think, one of the most awesome times of my entire life. To tell him he could go now, he didn't have to fight, he had cancer, didn't have to fight, didn't have to struggle anymore, that the battle was already won and he had an assurance that he was going to go to heaven to be with God. One of the last things he said to me is that I will see you there when you get there, I'll be there. Hallelujah. He died Friday morning at 3.20, almost four days to the hour from receiving Christ. Talk about the finish line, getting to Christ at the finish line. But I see the power of prayer. I come to understand that everything that has happened in my life has been because of prayer. I have read the word of God, I've seen his promises to me, then gone to the throne of God to see those promises fulfilled. I have seen the promises of God that enabled me to stand against the powers of darkness, not only in my own life but in the lives of others around me. I've begun to understand spiritual authority, I think, even more than I ever had when I first came to Times Square Church. It seemed to be the continuous lesson of Pastor David. The heritage, as it is, he was trying to pass on into my life. He spent seven years teaching me about spiritual authority. Thank God for it because I remember standing in Nigeria just a few weeks ago and such an oppression, incredible oppression, it seemed like it put your very mind in a vice and began to squeeze your thoughts right out of you. All kinds of disturbances in the heaven and on the ground and I remember the first night with an authority and a confidence in my heart, picking up the microphone and speaking to a crowd of over a half a million people and saying, I command in Christ's name every knee to bow and every tongue to confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. Every demonic power, every evil, every spirit of wickedness in high places, you must bow your knee and you must confess right now that Jesus Christ is Lord. And I was speaking into the heavenlies and those that were there know that there was an incredible release, as it is, of God's presence and those that were held captive by years of witchcraft in some cases and other such like things were released. Muslims by the thousands, I believe, came into the kingdom of God. It was incredible to see the release of the heavenlies and to see people saved simply because the people that God had raised up and sent over understood the principle of spiritual authority. The Apostle Paul said in 1 Thessalonians 5 17 that we are to pray without ceasing. It's one little verse of the Bible and just simply says pray without ceasing. Don't stop praying. Prayer moves the hand of God. Prayer has been the backbone of every successful Christian life. Every successful Christian testimony is birthed and sustained in prayer. Now that's prevailing believing prayer. That's prayer that takes God at his word and says, Lord, this is forever settled in my spirit because this is what you say. I make no apologies for what you say to anybody. I make no apologies to those that would want to water down the truth of the word of God and want to create doctrines that somehow justify a lack of faith or a lack of victory in Christ. I make no apology for it. I stand on the word of God and I believe it with all my heart. I can honestly stand before you tonight and say in 24 years it has been image to image and glory to glory by the spirit of God. There has been a constant change. There have been some hellish battles that I wouldn't wish on my worst enemies, but God has brought me through every one of them. He has been the victor. His word has proven to be the truth. And I thank God with all of my heart that he gives every saint of God the power to stand before every power of hell and to declare a higher authority than every lying spirit. Every lying contrary argument has to bow. It has to bend its knee. It has to bend its thoughts to God. We have power. The scripture says to bring into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ and to cast down contrary arguments to truth. Pray without ceasing. In January we're going to go into a seven day time of fasting and prayer. We're going to pray for God's blessing to come on this church and to continue to guide us and lead us into the coming year 2003. We're not going to take for granted the victory that we've known in the past. It's been wonderful to walk in tremendous victory, but that's yesterday. Today is a brand new day. Tomorrow there are brand new enemies and brand new battles that have to be fought in our lives in the New York City and beyond the borders wherever God should send any one of us. I hope that you will join us for that seven day fast. It will begin on a Monday morning and go right through to the following Sunday night. We'll meet and we'll pray every night and we're going to believe God to continue to lead us. Now Matthew chapter 21. Look there very quickly with me. I'm going to be reading some scriptures and we probably won't have time to turn to them all tonight, but Matthew chapter 21 verse 19. Jesus gives us some things about prayer. Now chapter 21 and verse 19 says when he saw a fig tree in the way he came to it and found nothing there on but leaves only and said unto it let no fruit grow on thee henceforth henceforward forever and presently the fig tree withered away when the disciples saw it they marveled saying how soon is the fig tree withered away Jesus answering said to them early I say unto you if you have faith and doubt not you shall say not only to this which is done to the fig tree but also if you shall say unto this mountain be thou removed and be thou cast into the sea it shall be done and all things how many things all things whatsoever you shall ask in prayer believing you shall receive now I want to bring this into context now first of all the Bible says that if we ask for things to consume them on our own lust we're not going to receive them God in his goodness will not give us things that will diminish our testimony or decrease our dependence on him or begin to satisfy in such a way that we'll no longer look to him but see there was a tree and it was a fruitless tree it gave the appearance of fruit but it was fruitless and Jesus spoke to this tree and commanded it to die and he's giving us a type of what prayer will do that there are in each every in every one of our lives there are fruitless areas there are areas where we we would like to be something that we are not and he says you don't have to pretend that you have the victory anymore I want you just to speak to that area I want you to command it to die that area in your life that just continuously is not bearing fruit and he says not only can you speak to that area but he said you can speak to any mountain any obstacle the devil has put in front of you that prevents you from becoming everything that I've called you to be he said you can speak to it and you can command it to be cast into the sea and it will obey you and everything that you ask me for according to my will for your life believing it he said you're going to have it if you want to be a person of love and you find that your heart is filled with hate and bitterness and it seems like a mountain he says I'm giving you the authority to speak to that mountain and cast it into the depths of the sea and he says if you ask me to release my love in you I will release it and everything that you want that is according to godliness I will give it to you you ask me believing don't ask with doubt and unbelief in your heart again in luke chapter 11 we discussed this a couple of weeks ago talks about a man who had a friend that came to him on a journey and he had nothing to give him and he went and knocked on his door and the man said don't trouble me my door shut my children are now in bed and I cannot rise to give to you and he said in verse 8 and luke 11 8 he said I say unto you though he will not rise and give him because he is his friend yet because of his opportunity he will rise and give him as much as he needs now the word opportunity means recklessness it means a man who just simply will not be denied a man who shows up at his friend's door and says I have a need you got the bread I'm not going away I don't care what you say you got it I want it and I'm going to knock on your door until you give it to me incredible he's and now he turns from that very application and he says and I say unto you ask and it shall be given you seek you shall find knock it shall be open to you for everyone that asks receives and he that seeks finds and to him that knocks it shall be opened if a son asks bread of you that is a father will he give him a stone if he asks a fish will he give him a serpent if he asks an egg will he give him a scorpion if you then being evil know how to give good gifts to your children how much more shall your heavenly father give the holy spirit to those who ask him god said I want you to pray as a people who will not be denied I want you to come to my door and I don't want you to turn away until I give you what you ask for you need bread I'll give you bread you need love I'll give you love you need deliverance from fear I'll deliver you from fear but I want you to come and I want you to ask and I want you to knock and not go away in the very way I've told you in this parable this is how I want you to pray and the bible tells us in Genesis chapter 3 or Galatians actually chapter 3 verses 7 to 9 that by faith we are the inheritors of the blessing of Abraham now God gave Abraham a blessing and he said in you Abraham all the nations of the world are going to be blessed I'm going to come upon you Abraham I'm going to come upon your descendants and I'm going to touch you with my presence and I'm going to bless you and the blessing that I put upon you is going to flow through you and it's going to become a blessing to all the nations of the world isn't that incredible now God gave that to a man who had no child he had no descendant he had no personal ability to be a blessing to anyone he had personal problems even with telling the truth about his own family but God said I'm going to bless you you see that blessing was Christ Christ was going to come through the lineage of Abraham and Christ in you and I is God's blessing to our generation this is how God has planned to bless New York he has called to himself a people and those who responded he has given us the Holy Spirit which is Christ the Holy Spirit is Christ it's the Spirit of Christ you can't separate the Holy Spirit from Jesus Christ distinct yet one God here O Israel the Lord thy God is one Father Son and Holy Spirit the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Christ and Christ in us is God's blessing to New York City Christ in us is God's blessing to the high schoolers in the inner city of New York Christ in us is God's blessing to Africa Christ in us is God's blessing to your neighborhood Christ in us is God's blessing in your workplace there is no other plan that is the plan of God to bless this generation it is Christ in us we are to be a free people we heard that at three o'clock today we are not to be a bound people we are to be a free people you shall know the truth Jesus said and the truth shall set you free we are to be a people walking in freedom it doesn't mean we don't have battles but the battles don't overwhelm us it doesn't mean we don't have struggles and trials and have to deal with the infirmities of our own physical nature we all have to go through these things but we're not swallowed by it we walk through the midst of the flood we walk through the midst of the fire we walk through and out the other side even to the valley of the shadow of death not even death can stop the testimony of Jesus Christ that he establishes in his people we're to be a free people we're to be a changing people we're to have a testimony of the power of God that's how God destines to bless our generation we're to bring others with us into the power of Christ and to a place of God's rest and promise now beloved the devil doesn't lie down and play dead because the people receive Christ matter of fact you may not have ever known warfare until you really come to the Lord we can expect Satan to resist our faith in the promises of God he will resist us he will oppose the church of Jesus Christ book of Revelation says he sends out of his mouth a flood after the seed of the woman the seed of the woman is the church of Jesus Christ and he sends out a flood to swallow that church to divert the church to cause the church to settle into a place that she was never destined to settle into to cause her to fall short of the calling of the glory of God in Christ Jesus to cause the church to be ineffective in her home to cause the church to have no to be of no consequence in the neighborhood the devil doesn't care if there's a church on every corner and in some cases in towns across America there is a church on every corner he doesn't care as long as the church is absolutely ineffective absolutely swallowed by circumstance absolutely uh literally uh ignorant to the power of prayer to the power of God that is available to this generation he doesn't care how many churches people build as long as the church has no power he will resist faith in the promises of God he will throw circumstance after circumstance into your face and try to get you and I to believe that circumstance has a greater authority than the promises that God has spoken to us if you go to the Old Testament the book of Exodus chapter 5 I want to talk to you about the devil's nightmare what is the devil's nightmare now in Exodus chapter 5 this is the story of Moses coming into Egypt to get three million people that belong to God I love the story it is a type of Jesus Christ true Christ coming to the world Christ dying on a cross Christ breaking the power of the devil but it is also a type of the church the individual Christian the believer in Jesus Christ it speaks to my heart continuously about the fact that there is no limit to what God can do through a surrendered believer what is the devil's nightmare he doesn't really care about church programs and put all on Easter pageants and do all kinds of things couldn't care less about bake sales and all the things that go on in the name of Christ he doesn't care about the three steps to this and four steps to that but there is something that is a virtual nightmare to the devil himself if you take the story in Exodus of Pharaoh to be a type of the devil because it really that's what it's meant to be he's holding the whole nation of God's people in captivity and God is a remedy he doesn't raise up an army in another land and send it in he raises up an 80 year old man incredible a man who has failed his own people in his own side he he felt he had a mission he felt he had a calling and he he set out to fulfill it the people rejected him and he took off he dropped another place for 40 years as far as he's concerned he had a call and he missed it he failed he had no sense of ability for when God called him he said listen I I this is a terrific idea Moses said I you know I hope you find somebody to go and do this thing because that's what he said to send whom you will send uh this is awesome I mean I'm happy for you God that you want to deliver all these people but he said I I I've I've tried it didn't work and uh they rejected me and I'm not a speaker I I'm not eloquent I don't have any ability to stand and speak before the masses and nevertheless the the Lord got a hold of his heart and he he gave him a promise I'm going to I'm going to deliver the people and I'm going to bring them into a place where they're going to worship me I'm going to bring them into a special land of promise and provision protection and so Moses heads out and now let's go over to pharaoh's court for a little while and think about the devil and the powers of darkness he has succeeded historically to captivate entire countries captivate cities generations church ages denominations and he puts over them task masters that make them build build bigger buildings build better things go out and feed the people straw and send them out to make bricks and bring them in and and every service every Sunday some of you have been in churches like that it's one new thermometer after another being rolled out here we are we're almost at our goal taskmasters go out work harder get more bricks come in feed them straw and send them out and the enemy is really happy when that kind of a thing is happening to his people and you can see him in his court and he's he's uh he's got total power he's got authority he's now throwing uh the baby boys he's given an order to throw them all in the river and drown them you see the devil's always after the seed of christ as it is he knew that through abraham was going to come to promise so he had to drown all the baby boys because there was going to come a redeemer and and the devil will always be after that strength always be after that promise always after the seed of christ in your life you can be sure of it the battle never changes i see the this huge temple a huge huge gigantic court and there are all types of people cowering and bowing down people are coming in from other cultures and countries and bowing their knee to him and giving him precious gifts and and you can see the arrogance of this pharaoh as he dismisses people and orders people about and he's got the whole kingdom under his control he's got the most powerful army on the earth in that generation but coming through the door is about to be his worst nightmare who's next next next and here he comes an 80 year old man and he's got a stick in his hand which really is a type of the believer who trusts in the promises of god that person has come to the cross there's no other confidence not a sword in this man's hand there's no army behind him he's got a stick in his hand he's trusting in everything that god has done and everything that god has accomplished as every new testament believer should in our generation and he walks up and he has nothing no confidence in himself you see this is the greatest nightmare the devil himself that somewhere somebody is going to figure out that god calls the weak and the foolish he chooses the nobody's and the nothings of society and those things that are weak to bring down those things that are strong those that are foolish to confound those that are wise in their own sight and then walks an old man and stands and he has nothing but confidence in god and he's got a word in his heart and says let my people go let them go hallelujah you know the devil's afraid you're going to find out the authority you have in christ grandmothers that are here tonight the authority you have in christ to go in the prayer closet and say hey wait devil i got some grandchildren start naming them and i say i command you in christ's name to let them go let them go bow your knee bend your knee to christ i've got a word in my heart i got a promise from this book you have no authority to hold them in captivity any longer i command you in christ's name to release them to the glory of god in the grace of jesus christ satan will resist just like pharaoh resisted satan will do everything in his power to take away your faith and confidence in the promises of god the first thing that pharaoh says i'm going to look at just a few of the responses of pharaoh to the demands of god god placed the demand on him to let the people go moses was only a vessel and you and i have to understand that when we have a promise from the word of god it's not up to us to make it happen thank god we don't have to make it happen we just go to the prayer closet and begin to sing and dance and rejoice because we know that when we've laid hold of it by faith whatever we ask god says i'm going to give it to you i'm going to give it to you i know it's according to the will of god so i have a secret delight in my heart i'm just saying god i don't know how you're going to do it but you're going to save my father somehow you're going to reach down you're going to touch him you're going to cause him to bend his knee and confess with his mouth that jesus christ is lord and pharaoh in chapter 5 verse 2 of exodus and pharaoh said who is the lord that i should obey his voice and let israel go i know not the lord and neither will i let israel go this is the first tactic of the devil when you and i begin to pray in faith he says in whose name are you praying i don't have i don't know him and i don't have to obey him and the very first thing that happens is the burden increases pharaoh increases the burden on the people now sometimes when we begin to pray in faith folks things get worse before they get better i'll show you this go to put a marker in exodus and go to mark chapter 9 with me in the new testament very quickly mark chapter 9 is a story about a man who brought a demonically oppressed child to christ mark chapter 9 verse 17 and one of the multitude answered and said master i have brought to thee my son which has a dumb spirit and wheresoever he takes him he tears him and he foams and he gnashes with his teeth and he's pining away and i spoke to the disciples that they should cast him out and they could not and folks that's sometimes what happens and it goes it goes on he says he answered him and said oh faithless generation how long shall i be with you and how long shall i suffer you bring him to me and they brought him unto him and when he saw him straightway the spirit tore him and he fell on the ground and wallowed foaming and folks this is exactly the way it goes sometimes this man brings his oppressed son to christ and basically is saying if you can do anything would you please do something for him and when you begin to pray for a lost loved one how many parents here when i ask the question no no don't put your i'm not done asking the question now how many parents that i've prayed for a lost child and the moment you began to pray it seems like your child is just taking a course on how to be more like the devil isn't that true it just seems like it gets worse before it gets better but james says even the devils believe in tremble you see they know that the one who has spoken to you has all the power and the devil puts on one final display of his power as it is one final uh manifestation to get you and i to believe that there is no power in the name of jesus christ takes a bad situation and makes it worse and this boy falls on the ground and now it looks really hopeless and jesus said how long has this been with him and he said since he's a child and oftentimes it's cast him into the fire and into the waters he said if you can do anything have compassion on us and help us now jesus said these words to him if thou can't believe all things are possible to him that believes oh folks i make no apology for that if you can't believe jesus said all things are possible if christ himself was standing at the altar of this church tonight and you came to him and said i have a child and this child is being pressed to the devil and the devil is leading him and the devil is pining him away and causing him to waste away into nothing jesus would not change his words for this generation he would say to you and to me if you can believe all things are possible to him who believes and the man cried out and said lord i believe but help my unbelief god i believe as much as i can but the devil is putting this scenario before my eyes and trying to convince me that you don't you you have no power in this situation help my unbelief oh god help my unbelief i believe that should be the cry of every christian now in this hour every father every mother god help my unbelief help me lord jesus take me out of the realm of unbelief god i don't want you looking at my life and referring to me as part of a faithless and crooked generation my god give me the power give me the ability to believe that what you say is the truth and what you said you will do what you will do and he charged him and said he rebuked him and said you dumb and deaf spirit i charge you come out of him and enter no more into him and the spirit cried and read him sore and came out of him and he was as one dead in so much that many said he is dead incredible they say it's hopeless and when god intervenes now they say he's dead but jesus took him by the hand and lifted him up and he arose all folks i want to tell you something god never calls things what people call them he never calls them what circumstances because you see that's our hope and you can't believe it for others until you believe it for yourself until you yourself have been taken by the hand of christ until he has lifted you out of your weakness and depression and bondage and brought you into his power and when you begin to experience it then you understand that all things are possible to him who believes all things are possible folks this is not just some kind of a fictitious hyperfaith message this is the reality of jesus christ all things are possible then he said to them this kind comes not forth but comes forth but by by nothing but by prayer and fasting in other words the casual seeker of god will never know this power those who just go to church on tuesday and you you make your your weekly uh visit to the house of god sunday but it's christ really doesn't become your all in he's not part of your life you're not seeking first his kingdom and his righteousness you will never know you'll always be outside of this kind of power we are now seeing hundreds we saw hundreds that other friday night a few fridays ago come to christ pastor patrick said gang members thugs weeping so hard downstairs that they could hardly talk under the conviction of the holy ghost standing up in this sanctuary and giving their lives publicly for the lord jesus christ and these things are happening because we are praying they're happening because there's a young people's group in this church that are fasting and seeking god for their high school companions the casual seekers will never know this and the devil is happy when the church just stays at the level of casually seeking god like the king that said to paul when it's convenient i'll call for you and so many people live their christianity like that now lord i thanks for helping me when i when i need you i'll give you a shout when it's convenient i'll call you oh i'm tired today i better not go to church it's raining and it's such a long drive but lord i'll call you when it's convenient but you see these people will never know the power of god it's the seekers of god that begin to know his power it's the it's the people who abandon themselves to god and say lord jesus i want the whole thing i want the whole thing i want everything you've got for me if it if it lands me in asia or africa or india it really doesn't matter i want the whole thing i want what you have for me and the lord says okay now seek my face seek me because as you seek me you're going to be changed from image to image and glory to glory by the spirit of the lord where my spirit is there is liberty and the word liberty means generosity when you find me you're going to find me a generous god you're going to find that i will give you things you didn't possess i will make you what you never were i will take you where you can't go i will renew your mind i will give you new thoughts i will renew your heart you delight yourself in me and i will give you the desires of your heart i will give you brand new desires and then with those desires i will fulfill those desires i will give you a testimony i will take you out of the dunghill and i will set you among princes i will give you a brand new song and people will see it and they will fear god and begin to trust in him they will look at you and like the man who was in the gatherings cutting himself and wounding himself and they'll say is it how did this happen how does this man now in his right mind where did he get this authority from the early disciples they called them in uh because they were preaching in the name of jesus christ and they marveled they looked at them because they knew they had been ignorant and unlearned men but they were moving in the realm of such power that all around them people were getting healed there were salvations happening and they looked at them and said where did they get this authority back in exodus again chapter 8 i'll tell you some things very very quickly the devil will try to make you believe that he's giving up without a fight to stop you from praying then pharaoh called for moses and aaron and said entreat the lord that he take away the frogs from me and from my people and i will let the people go that they may do sacrifice unto the lord he will let you believe that he's giving up and even if you feel that you have the answer beloved pray it through with thanksgiving until it comes to pass don't stop praying many many people say i got the answer 25 years ago to pray now would be a lack of faith no no no no so many just bite into that lie the devil says okay you got me you got me you got me i give up your whole family's going to be saved you don't have to pray anymore i give up exodus 8 25 pharaoh calls moses again and he says go sacrifice now you have to understand in between these are severe judgments of god coming on him in his kingdom because moses is not backing down moses is continuing to come in and stand him to the face remember the bible says resist the devil and he will flee from you and moses is standing and he's got one thing on his mind let the people go it's as simple as that there's no compromise and the enemy now is coming up with all types of compromises let them go and he says well go sacrifice to the to god first of all in chapter 8 verse 25 in the land in other words all right i'll give you a testimony that you defeated me but there will be no real change that'll be our little secret okay you'll have the testimony you'll sing the songs you'll come to times square church and wave your hands but there will be no change of location you're still in the same old spot you're still doing the same old thing but you know that'll be our secret nobody has to know but moses says no no first 26 and first 27 he says we will go three days into the wilderness journey into the wilderness and sacrifice to the lord our god as he shall command us then pharaoh comes back again i want you to understand this is the resisting of faith and pharaoh said i'll let you go that you may sacrifice to the lord your god in the wilderness only you shall not go very far away okay all right all right i'll give you a testimony but there'll be little change just a little bit of a change oh folks i want to ask you a question should we settle for a little when the promise of god is that we should be changed into the image of jesus christ by the power of the holy ghost what a foolish people we will be if we just settle for a little victory a little better than it used to be when he says no i've come to give you life and i came to give it to you more abundantly i came to make you a praise in the earth i came to establish a testimony in you that will cause nations to stand up and take notice i came to so work in your life that your neighbors can no longer write you off because they see something that could not be procured by the hand of man it can only be god that could do it exodus 9 27 pharaoh says all right all right another judgment comes and he says i've sinned this time the lord is righteous and i and my people are wicked entreat the lord it is enough that there be no more mighty thunderings and hail and i will let you go and you shall stay no longer beware of a false surrender it's the oldest battle tactic in the books it's to get you to cease from fighting to throw down your weaponry to stand up declare the victory prematurely and then the devil returns with renewed fury to again undermine your confidence in god i think of old type warfare years gone by where they'd be fighting in trenches and one side is as old as the books would just all of a sudden hoist up a little white flag and if the other side was not aware of what they're doing they throw down their arms and everybody stands up and says oh we won the victory forgetting that their enemies have not yet thrown down their weapons oh folks be careful of the false surrender of the enemy i would pray this way okay if you're surrendering give up the goods and until i see the goods i'm going to stay in the fight i'm not out of this thing until i have what god has promised me in my hands chapter 10 again verse 8 to 11 one more time he says well okay then who's who are they that shall go moses said we'll go with our young and our old our sons our daughters our flocks our herds we will go from what must hold a feast unto the lord he said unto them let the lord be so with you as i will let you go and your little ones and look to it for evil is before you not so he said go now ye that are men and serve the lord for that you did desire and they were driven out from pharaoh's presence he says you can have partial freedom not all of you have to go all right i'll concede you're going to become a mighty man of god you'll all be mighty men of god but you can't take your families with you and that's one of the lies of the devil that's one of the resistances of darkness when we begin to pray for our families and our homes our communities but the bible tells us where the spirit of the lord is there is liberty pharaoh again verse 16 calls for moses and aaron in haste he said i've sinned against the lord your god and against you now therefore forgive i pray thee my sin only this once and entreat the lord your god that he may take away from me this death only you see ultimately this is what the devil is after there is a death that happened two thousand years ago and when christ died the bible says that he openly triumphed over the powers of darkness he made a display overall of all the weaponry of the devil and the devil wants you and i to focus on anything but that death anything but that triumph on calvary take away this death do you can have whatever you want but just take away this focus on the victory that was won for you on calvary's cross and finally chapter 10 verse 24 he says all right you can go serve the lord only let your flocks and your herds be stayed and your little ones can go with you moses said thou must give us also sacrifices and burnt offerings that we may sacrifice to the lord our god our cattle also shall go with us there shall not be a hoof left behind hallelujah for therefore must we take to serve the lord our god and we know not with what we must serve the lord until we get there the devil says all right everybody goes but no stuff goes with you you see he knows that a provisionless church will soon come back to him oh remember what the apostle paul said that your eyes could be open that you would see that christ sits at the right hand of all glory that you would understand the exceeding greatness of his power towards us who believe that you would know him paul says as i know him hallelujah hallelujah no deal no deal no deal we want the whole thing we're all going there is no deal with the devil this is the devil's greatest nightmare when there is a people even in their weakness but clothed in the strength of christ that stand before him and say no deal no deal no deal i'm not even leaving a hoof behind in this place everything is going i'm going my sons are going my daughters are going my wife's going my husband's going my father's going my mother's going my cousins are going the church is going my friends are going i'm not leaving a hoof behind in this place nothing you can't have anything that belongs to me then finally farrell says to moses get out you'll not see my face again and moses said you've spoken well i will see your face again no more and beloved for you and i this is our constant testimony i am becoming ever distant from the former holds of the devil on my life and so are you if you're a true believer in christ you are becoming ever distant from the former holds ever distant from the bitterness ever distant from the fear ever distant from everything the devil ever had that was a stronghold of you you are moving away from him and one day soon thanks be to god we will see his face and hear his voice no more forever one day soon we're going to be in a place where the devil has no access to us anymore he cannot lie because he's not there christ is absolutely triumphed over him he will be cast into a lake of fire forever and ever and until that day i am moving away from him i am taking what is mine away from him i am heading into the place of god's promise and by god's grace by god's grace one day i shall see his face no more but there is one difference between you and i and moses you see until that day i want my voice to be known in the corridors of hell until christ takes me home i want my voice to be known there i've stood and prayed for 22 years to see the salvation of my father and finally in an incredible struggle in his spirit the devil had to let him go he was released into the loving arms of jesus christ and the devil would like to say to you and me all right fine just take off and you'll see my face no more but there is a difference between me and moses i want hell to record something i want the devils of hell to run to satan himself and say we've got a problem he's back and satan himself say well what does he want this time he says he's not satisfied with a hundred thousand souls in nigeria he's not satisfied with his mother and father coming to christ he says he has two brothers one sister one nephew one niece other family members a church family thousands of inner city high schoolers a city in a nation without god and he's not leaving without them that's the difference that's the difference between you and i and moses hallelujah i'm not going without them i'm not going with i i've asked the lord years ago for a hundred thousand souls and i saw that answered every night in nigeria i saw that prayer and god continuously speaks to my heart and says don't limit me don't limit what i can do through a surrendered vessel and beloved that's my word for you tonight when you go to the lord in prayer even though the devil will throw every tactic in the book at you to resist you don't limit the power of god don't limit what god can do in your family don't limit what he can do in your home don't limit what he can do through you in the workplace don't put parameters on almighty god who created this universe let him use your life for his glory and in christ's name stand up and be counted for the kingdom of god stand up in your weakness stand up in your struggle stand up with all your frailties because it's not about you and it's not about me it's about a savior that rose from the dead and triumphed over the devil himself and the powers of darkness stand up before your generation in the power of his name stand the devil to the face those who you got hell riding over your house and hell's riding over your family and your generation stand up god's given you authority you don't have to cower down you don't have to accept a compromise you don't have to go half measure in anything of the kingdom of god stand up and say i'm going and my family's going and everyone god you put in my heart is going stand up recognize there's a spiritual authority given to those who walk with god whose concern is his kingdom and the souls of man is not concerned about their own lives their own future their own sense of self-worth and ambition and all this other nonsense that is captivating the church of jesus christ they're concerned about the souls of men and the testimony of christ god gives you power he says i want you to pray like a people who cannot be denied we've got his word it's for me and my house i hung it over my on a sign over the road of my house for years it's for me and my house we will serve the lord we will serve the lord hallelujah hallelujah thank you jesus thank you lord thank you mighty god tonight education annex balcony main sanctuary i'd like to give an altar call for those who just say lord i help my unbelief it's as simple as that god help my unbelief help me lord to start believing that you can change me and as you change me it will give me the courage the faith to believe that you could also change others help me not to settle for a land of compromise a halfway testimony to victory half of a deliverance partial christianity a casual seeking of god help me god to put this stuff away help me to seek you with all my heart help me lord god to have your heart for fallen humanity around me help me to believe for my family my sons my daughters my those that i love the most that are the closest help me god to believe for them that you're going to take them and use them too for your glory help me god help me god with all my unbelief lord help my unbelief that's simply all that the holy spirit's put on my heart for those that would like to come and pray stand up in the balcony you can go to either exit in the main sanctuary honor you slip out just make your way to this altar and we're going to pray together it's not to rest in the wisdom of man we're going to pray that god we get to really do something lord your word says so lord in the area tonight lord as a pastor of times for insurance to enable us enable us to believe you oh god enable us to lay hold of your promises enable us to pray through until we had the answer enable us to withstand the devil to the face enable us oh god lord you've shown us all of these things so many of us have experienced marvelous victory but we're so poverty stricken if we can't appropriate it in our lives god if we never lay hold of it father let's pray together lord jesus i ask you to touch my heart give me faith to believe that you can change me that you can give me victory in the areas that i struggle that you can take my weakness and make me strong that you can take my failures and make them successes for the glory of your kingdom i ask you to take my heart take my life and use me for your glory i ask you jesus to plant faith in my heart and make me a warrior christian who will not take no for an answer for your promises are yay and amen god help me not to believe a lie over the truth of your word i ask you for faith to pray for those that i love my family my brothers and sisters my friends my neighbors those you put across my path i ask you for faith to see them released from the grip of the devil and the darkness of sin into the glorious life and liberty of jesus christ lord tonight i yield my life to you i ask you use me for your glory send me where truth needs to be spoken to those who live in darkness make my life a blessing to my generation and to everyone around me and i promise i will come back to you and i will give you the praise and i will give you the honor and i will give you the glory for yours is the kingdom and all of the power and all of the glory today and forever hallelujah hallelujah thank you jesus thank you jesus now lord i ask you this coming year take us into a dimension of prayer that we've not known lift us into the realm of faith where impossible becomes possible we ask it for the glory of god through jesus christ our lord and savior we believe it we thank you for it in jesus mighty name amen and amen this is the conclusion of the message