IT'S TIME TO ADVANCE! 

Pastor Michael Olawore

New Wine Church

Sunday 27 February 2011

Foundation Scriptures: Judges 10: 17; 11: 1-11; 32

We continue today on our journey towards a greater understanding of the power to rule. You will recall that last week we unfolded the secret behind the victory and success of Jephthah in the book of Judges and learned that he was empowered by the Holy Spirit, the key to his victory. From this we looked at others in scripture including Othniel, Saul Gideon and Samson whom the Holy Spirit moved to bring about success and victory and looked at the manifestations of the Holy Spirit, namely wisdom, knowledge, fear of the Lord, understanding and might which are available to empower us to rule. We concluded that a hunger and a thirst for the Holy Spirit, rather than for material things and a willingness to ask for the rain were the two key ways in which to receive the power to rule.

It’s Time to Advance!

Today, I want to continue to draw truths from the life of Jephthah. In Judges 11:32 we see that Jephthah advanced and defeated the Ammonite armies. In this I believe can be found God’s word to us in this season which is: “It is time to advance – in our relationship with Him, in our family relationships, ministries, career, finances, indeed in every area of our life – it’s time to advance! This year represents God’s appointed time to advance; the days of stagnation and struggle are over – This is your day of advancement!”

God is a God of progress. 2 Corinthians 3: 18 establishes that we are moved from glory to glory and in Proverbs 4: 18 we learn that the paths of the just shines brighter and brighter. God does not expect us to remain stationary but wishes to see us move from one level of effectiveness to the next. Jephthah advanced towards a particular direction. He was not haphazard but advanced deliberately towards the Ammonite army. We should learn from this and routinely ask ourselves the question ‘What direction is my life headed to?’ >

Choose life!

Jephthah understood that he had the choice to go back to where he had come from, to remain where he was or to advance. He realised there was more to his life than the status quo and refused to regress and thus made the choice to advance. In this account we can discover some powerful truths about the power of choice. All of us, at some point in our lives will be faced with a similar choice and our choices will either make us or break us. Everyone has been given the power to choose. In Deuteronomy 30: 19 we understand that God has set before us the vastness of all possibilities in life.  We are given the power to decide upon the outcome that we ultimately experience, whether life or death, blessings or curses and, having provided us with a huge hint: ‘choose life’, God leaves us to decide.

Proverbs 23: 7 teaches us that as a man thinks so is he – it can also be said that as a man chooses so is he. We can choose to either accept our current conditions or accept the responsibility to ensure that they change. The bible is full of examples of people who recognised the power of choice – Moses chose to surrender his will to God’s plans for him, Caleb and Joshua chose to believe God’s word rather than the doubts of their fellow spies and Jesus made the choice to surrender his will to God in the garden of Gethsemene saying “Your will be done”. The important thing about every choice that we may be faced with is that there is a corresponding outcome or consequence. Wisdom demands that we be fully aware of the outcome associated with any given choice before a decision is made.

In the account of the four lepers at the gates of Samaria in 2 Kings 6 and 7 we can see that in the midst of a severe famine situation, they had a dialogue amongst themselves reasoning ‘Why should we sit here waiting to die?’ We too should learn to ask ourselves thought-provoking and challenging questions rather than adopting a ‘wait and see’ attitude. Despite the seemingly hopeless situation, these lepers refused to wallow in self-pity or consider themselves as victims of their circumstances and instead spoke to and challenged one another. We can learn from this example and avoid hanging around people who do not challenge us and at all costs, avoid throwing or attending pity-parties. It could be said that the lepers carried out a risk assessment and made an intelligent and strategic decision calculating that the possibility of being shown mercy by the enemy army, however slight, to be a far more attractive option of sitting around and waiting to die.

‘I’m Crossing Over to Take Over!’

I want to look at seven of the truths that can be extracted from Jephthah’s decision to move ahead as follows:

(i)                  He advanced:  Jephthah was willing to rise up, advance and fight for what he wanted. We must be willing to do likewise. Faith without corresponding action is dead. God is interested in our prayers and also our actions.

(ii)                He was focussed: Jepthah was moving in a particular direction towards the Ammonites. 1 Kings 20: 39-40 presents an example of a man who lost focus with severe consequences. We must be focussed in our advancement as our energy will flow in the direction of our focus.

(iii)               He was mission-minded and purpose-driven: Jephthah was willing and ready to fight in order to attain his objective to rule. Many of us want the breakthrough but do not want to warfare. God promised the children of Israel the land of Canaan but they had to dispossess its inhabitants. Our victory is not just down to God - we too have a part to play. Our assignment must be our priority and we cannot afford to be distracted. This was the case with Nehemiah who was preoccupied with his rebuilding project and Paul who refused to be side-tracked by his challenges, stating “None of these things move me” and also Jesus who in John 4:34 declared “My food is to do the will of Him who sent me”.

(iv)              He was a risk-taker: Jephthah took a calculated risk in advancing, refusing to be intimidated by the Ammonite army. Every action involves an inherent risk – even going to sleep! However we must be willing to take risks confident that we will always miss 100% of the shots that we never take!

(v)                He was reward-driven: Jephthah was motivated by the promise of rulership that lay on the other side of the battle. Hebrews 12 teaches us that ‘Jesus for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame’. We too must be motivated and stirred up by the reward of rulership.

(vi)              He maximised the moment: Jephthah seized his moment of opportunity. Once he established with the elders that rulership would be his reward, he ventured out with them. He saw beyond his position of pain and rejection and perceived and acted on the opportunity. ‘The King’s business demands haste - God will give you an understanding of the times and you will not miss your moment! ‘

(vii)             He defeated the Ammonites: Jephthah brought about defeat on the Ammonite army even though we are told in Judges 11: 32 that the Lord delivered the Ammonites into his hands. Jephthah exercised his dominion mandate, understanding that he too had a part to play. Whenever God makes a promise to us He will give us the power to make it happen.

We can learn much from Jephthah’s example in stepping out against the enemy, refusing to be intimidated by the magnitude of the obstacle facing him. That which was a crisis for Gilead became a launch-pad for Jephthah’s repositioning. Like him, we are born to rule and to reign, regardless of our circumstances and regardless of apparent opposition. The Red Sea and the River Jordan gave way when the people of Israel advanced. ‘I prophesy that everything that confronts you will give way before you. No problem will be able to defeat you’. After Jephthah’s astounding victory against the Ammonites they were subdued before the children of Israel. ‘I prophesy that every opposition before you will be subdued. In this year, you will reign!’