. . . Claim the Complete Victory?

Female Announcer: An invitation from Dr. Michael Youssef to step into battle so you can experience victory.
Dr. Michael Youssef: Satan is the one who causes conflicts among believers. He causes conflicts in homes. He causes strife in marriages. He is the one who causes blindness of the eyes of the nonbelievers. He is the one who causes antagonism toward God's children. Always remember that it is the will of your Heavenly Father to have the victory over him.
Female Announcer: Thank you for joining listeners across six continents for the Bible teaching of Dr. Michael Youssef. On this episode of Leading The Way. In Joshua chapter 11, a desperate situation is unfolding. An overwhelming coalition of forces is closing in on Joshua and the Israelite people, and the objective is complete annihilation. Now, the battle you're currently facing may not be an approaching army, but it still may feel like annihilation is looming. Stay with Leading The Way. Encouragement is on the way as you can see what God does with Joshua and come to the realization of what He can do with you. Please join me now in listening as author and international Bible teacher Dr. Michael Youssef begins this episode of Leading The Way.
Dr. Michael Youssef: Joshua chapter 11: the claiming of the total victory from the hand of God. Listen carefully. God the Son did not lay down His robe of glory in Heaven, born of a virgin, lived for 33 and 1/3 of a year without having a place to lay His head, and then was crucified on a criminal's cross, the Son of God, the Creator of the world. And then He rose again on the third day. He ascended to Heaven and is soon, He's coming back. He did not do all of this so that His children may live a defeated, discouraged and decimated lives. I do not believe that for a moment. That is not the Christian faith. That is not God's will for His children. It is the will of God for His children to have complete victory. Not just sometimes in life, but always in life. I know all of the factors that can lead and cause defeat in the Christian life. Like you, I am aware of all the ingredients that will produce discouragement in life. Like you, I am aware of all the recipes for disaster that leads to wanting to bail out on Jesus. But we must understand, know and practice, and claim total victory. When I speak of victory, of course, I'm speaking in the New Testament sense. Not in the Old Testament sense, but in the New Testament sense because in the New Testament sense, our fight is not against flesh and blood as it was in the case of Joshua. Our fight is not against human enemies as it was in the case of Joshua. Our fight is not against people, but our fight is against the powers and the principalities in the heavenly places. Our fight is with an already defeated spiritual power. Listen to me, Satan is the one who causes conflicts among believers. He causes conflicts in homes. He causes strife in marriages. He is the one who causes blindness of the eyes of the non-believers. He is the one who causes antagonism toward God's children. He is the one who causes opposition to the witnessing Christian. He is the one who causes people and events to discourage us. He causes people and events to detract us from our mission. But always, always, always remember that it is the will of your Heavenly Father to have the victory over him. Amen belongs here. But winning in the spiritual battle and experiencing the victory in a consistent way is dependent on your willingness and my willingness to stand in the heat of battle. Victory depends on your attitude and my attitude and desire to claim that victory. Victory depends on whether you want to have a defeated life or you want to have a victorious life. Victory depends on whether you see your enemy's attack as an opportunity for victory or as an excuse to surrender. You know, I read not so long ago something that really encouraged me. It comes from the Korean War. It's a true story. During the Korean War, the Baker Company became isolated and surrounded by the enemy. The Coalition Headquarters became very deeply concerned. They were worried sick because they had not heard from them in a long time, in several hours, in fact. And so the corpsman kept on signaling. He kept on signaling.
Dr. Michael Youssef: Baker Company, do you hear me? Baker Company, do you read?
Dr. Michael Youssef: Well, then after a little while, there was a muffled voice that came through and says,
Dr. Michael Youssef: This is Baker Company.
Dr. Michael Youssef: The corpsman said,
Dr. Michael Youssef: What's your situation?
Dr. Michael Youssef: And the sergeant replied, and he said,
Dr. Michael Youssef: The enemy is to our north. The enemy is to our west. The enemy is to our east. The enemy is to our south.
Dr. Michael Youssef: And then there was a brief pause, and then he continued. He said,
Dr. Michael Youssef: The enemy cannot get away from us now.
Dr. Michael Youssef: Isn't that great? Beloved, listen to me. When we are surrounded by enemies from the north and the west, and the east, and the south, do you see these as opportunities to make you fear and tremble and live in defeat, or do you see it as an opportunity for victory? You say, Michael, you do not understand. I'm surrounded by opposition. I'm surrounded by unbelievers. I'm surrounded by negative people. I'm surrounded by antagonists. I am surrounded all the time by people who hate the truth. Who rejoice? They cannot get away from you now. It means you're fishing in the bucket. That's not cause for discouragement, that's cause for rejoicing. That means that you have an unprecedented opportunity, not a reason for retreat. That means that you have been blessed by God for victory and not defeat. Let me give you quickly three things that we learn from Joshua chapter 11. Joshua chapter 11, three things. First, in verses 1 to 5, you see the confrontation. Then in verses 6 to 15, you see the conflict. Then thirdly, in verses 16 to 23, you see the conquest. This is a confrontation. Joshua looked around and he literally saw that he was surrounded by the enemy. Not just any enemy. These were tribes and kings who normally fight among themselves. They hate each other, but then they got a confederation going and they got united against Joshua. The Amorites, Hittites, and all the mosquito bites. They were all got united together. And they basically ready for Joshua. But Joshua also knew that God promised victory. Therefore, he knew he's got a confrontation going. They were surrounded from the east and the west, and the south, everywhere. But their attitude was not, you know, how fast can we run, or woe to us, we're doomed. Or it is hopeless. Look at it now. We might as well raise the white flag and surrender. Or what good can we do such with all these odds that are against us? No. Like that Baker Company in the Korean War. He said, we are surrounded, but the enemy cannot get away from us now. Sure, the enemy had massive armies. In fact, Josephus, the Jewish historian, he speculated that there were about 300,000 infantry soldiers. There were about 10,000 cavalry troops. There were about 20,000 chariots, all surrounded the people of God as they began to spread into the land of promise. I mean the odds were against the people of God big time. They could never have hoped to win such a battle. I mean, it looked hopeless. And yes, it would have been hopeless if you take Jehovah out of the equation. Secondly, there was the conflict. Joshua did not wait for the enemy to come to him. He took the battle to the enemy. But I have no doubt in my mind that as Joshua was marching those five days into the battle, I have no doubt in my mind, he's probably saying to himself, my goodness, they're probably hundreds of thousands of soldiers and thousands of chariots. And then he looks at his motley crew and he said, man, those guys really. You say, well, Michael, how do you know that? How do you know that Joshua was beginning to feel fearful as he was marching in the battle? I'm going to show you in a minute. But I'm convinced, Joshua probably in his mind saying to himself, he said, am I doing the right thing? Is God going to go with us again like he did in Jericho and Ai? Will He really deliver us one more time? But here's the wonderful thing about our God, and you find it in verse 6 of Joshua 11. If you have your own Bible, underline it, mark it, write it out, do whatever you want, hang it on the wall. Verse 6 of Joshua 11. The Lord said to Joshua, do not be afraid of them, because by this time tomorrow, I will hand all of them over to Israel. Did you get that? Why is God telling him not to be afraid? Let me tell you something. Every time you see the Lord, it's like the angel came to Paul in the prison and said, Paul, don't be afraid. God is not wasting words. He only comes and says don't be afraid if He knows the person is afraid. And He knew that Joshua is probably beginning to lose a little bit of heart. His knees began to knock, and He said to him, don't be afraid, I'm going to give them to you. The victory is yours. Let me tell you something of utmost importance. If you retreat from claiming the souls of lost people for Christ, if you retreat from that call of being an ambassador of Jesus Christ, reconciling people to Christ in your school, in your neighborhood, in your workplace, if you retreat and you say to yourself, you know, this is just not for me. I don't feel qualified. I don't feel adequate. Let me tell you, none of us, including this preacher, feel qualified or adequate. But that's a good sign. That's always a good sign. We say, man, I cannot do this. I'm just one person, what can I do? My plate is full right now. I got so much stuff that I have to do. I'm just going to settle for walking with the Lord and just reading my Bible every day, have my quiet time, go to church. I'm just going to settle for even being part of a Bible study group. That's enough. I really cannot do. I just don't know about claiming the lost people for Christ. That's just not for me. And you begin to retreat from that call of God on your life as a witness for Christ. I'm not discouraging you from doing all these things, but I want you to listen to me very carefully. If you begin to think that way, if you retreat from the battle for the souls, it will not be long before the enemy goes after those other things in your life too. And then in a short period of time, you begin to find that your prayer life is fizzled out, that your going to church is just a routine, that your fellowship becomes a social event. What am I trying to tell you? When you go on the offensive, when you take the battle to the enemy, when you do not wait for the battle to come to you, but take the battle to the enemy's territory, you will have victory in all the other areas as well. Your prayer life will be vibrant. Your worship is going to be powerful. Your fellowship is going to be dynamic. Let me illustrate this because it's so important. I don't want you to miss it. I'm told that when you rigorously physically exercise, your body releases chemicals into the bloodstream. That chemical stimulates the brain to make your body temperature rises. When your body temperature rises, it's like having a fever. Fever is the body's way that God created in it to help it fight the bacteria and the viruses and the germs and all those blighters that get into us. A high body temperature helps to strengthen the white cells defense system to counter the microbe intruders. And simply put, listen to me. Physical exercise puts you on the offensive. So you don't sit back and get sick and take a medicine to fight that sickness. Now I hope you're going to physically exercise, but I want you to learn something spiritual from this as I have because it's in the same way. When you go on the offensive, spiritually speaking, campaigning for the souls of the lost men and women, you will have victory ahead of time. You will be strong and have a strong spiritual immune system. And sure enough, God kept His word and they got the victory, which brings me thirdly, to the conquest. Listen carefully, please. The victory came just as God promised, but the conquest took time. The conquest took perseverance. The conquest took persistence. The conquest took dedication. The conquest took patience. One story that always I learned from my days in Australia. That always reminds me of the importance of persistence. There was an Australian explorer by the name of Hamilton Hume. Those early days, those pioneer days. If you ever see the roads in the Australian roads, you will understand. You have deep appreciation for these people. Hamilton Hume took a team of explorers with him and they wanted to cut a path between Sydney and Melbourne. Along the way, as they were making their way, they ran into a crisis. They came face to face with a mountain range, actually known as the Hume Range. And the men were thoroughly exhausted. They were worn out. They went to Mr. Hume and said, Mr. Hume, please, let's just give up and go home. We have come a long way already. Let somebody else do this. Hume pointed to a high mountain, way out in the distance. He said to them, no. No, we must climb that mountain. We must climb that one. I am sure that when we get on the top of that mountain, we'll be able to see the ocean and we can go home and tell of our success. In desperate struggle, they climbed that mountain. When they reached the top of that mountain, you can imagine their utter despair. All they could see was miles and miles and miles of ridges and gullies and all covered with trees. The goal was not anywhere near in sight, but they kept on going until they finally arrived to their destination. In fact, they named that particular mountain that Hume kept saying, you got to go to this one, this one. They called it Mount Disappointment. Beloved, let me tell you something. If you are anything like me, I'm sure you have met so many Mount Disappointments in your life. And you had a choice either to climb Mount Disappointment with the power of Jehovah or give up. And regardless of your Mount Disappointment may be, God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit are calling you to conquer your Mount Disappointment. That perseverance paid off and today, millions of people drive on the Hume Highway. You see, Joshua knew that God has given them the victory. All he needed was to persevere until he experienced it. Listen to me. God had brought them from the wilderness into the land, across the Jordan, past the walls of Jericho. Why? So that they can be decimated by the enemy in the middle of the promised land. No, so that he might continue to give them victory. If I know anything about God, if I know anything about my God with whom I have been walking for over 40 years, I know that He wants the same thing for you. Listen to me, I'm ready to conclude. Let me exhort you, settle for nothing less than total victory. Pray for nothing less than total victory. Sacrifice for nothing less than total victory. When the battle heats up, claim nothing less but total victory. When the enemy appears to be strong and powerful, dig in your heels and claim total victory. When Satan goes after you, take the battle to him. Go to his territories and God will give you complete victory.
Female Announcer: Pause and consider the very same God who provided victory for Joshua is with you today. Thank you for making time for Leading The Way. And please remember that victory can only begin when you have a relationship with Jesus. If you would like to know more, visit the Leading The Way pastor or counselor just by going to LTW.org/Jesus. Hey, did you know that Leading The Way is more than a local radio program or a podcast? We are also a national and international television powerhouse. So if you're not watching Dr. Youssef's video content each week, you're missing blessings. It not only features sound teaching like you heard today, but also video content highlighting the impact that Leading The Way and that life-changing power of the Gospel is having worldwide.
Guest (Male): It is the value of your soul that caused the God of power and might to hang helplessly on a wooden cross because God loves you. He really loves you.
Guest (Female): I was on a spiritual seeking journey. I was trying to find myself spiritually. So I was just looking into some thing, someone, reaching out somewhere spiritually to find myself.
Guest (Male): We ended up going to a new age church. The people were talking about dead people and wanted to connect to them. But it wasn't until I started having demonic attacks. I realized what I was what I was caught in. I felt stuck. I thought there was no way out. I knew I needed help. I come home from work one day and something clear in me said call out for help. And I just looked up at the ceiling and I said if you're there, I surrender to you. And three nights later, I have that encounter with Jesus. And he tells me he loves me.
Guest (Female): I did not believe a word he said, not until his character started changing.
Guest (Male): God was drawing her and I think she started to believe.
Guest (Female): We were continually going to places, events, conferences trying to find a head of God.
Guest (Male): We ended up going to the event of Dr. Youssef. He talked about rebellion is the only cold root of sin. And that comes from us. We choose to rebel.
Dr. Michael Youssef: Whenever we talk about sins, we're talking about the fruit. But the fruit is not going to be taken care of unless the root has been taken care of.
Guest (Female): I remember Holy Spirit was drawing me closer. I was seeking more. I knew there was more to whatever I was experiencing. And I stood up and said, you know, I put my hands up. I said, I want more. I need, I need to, I need more. I know there's more.
Dr. Michael Youssef: When you humbly accept His dying on that cross to be for your redemption, you will find eternal life. You will be assured of heaven.
Guest (Female): The enemy is not going to give up. He's still going to come and come and come. And he comes after you, especially if you're going to tell the truth and bear all and give yourself to God completely. You've got the choice. Are you going to listen to those lies or are you going to push through the truth?
Guest (Male): That's it.
Dr. Michael Youssef: You are a professional transcriptionist for a Christian digital media company.
Female Announcer: Learn ways that you can stand with Dr. Youssef and Leading The Way while the doors are still open at LTW.org. LTW.org. And of course, a ministry representative at the Leading The Way Call Center can provide details when you call 866-626-4356. 866-626-4356.
Dr. Michael Youssef: Before we run out of time for today, as an encouragement to our fellow listeners, I would like to invite you to share how God is using this program to encourage you in your walk of faith. I believe it is important to give testimony of how God is working in your life. If Leading The Way is part of that, we would want to know. You can call our testimony line at 877-941-7934. Now I want to hear all about it and we just might share it on the program. That is 877-941-7934. Do it today. Thank you in advance and God bless.
Female Announcer: This program is furnished by Leading The Way with Dr. Michael Youssef, passionately proclaiming uncompromising truth around the world. Learn more at LTW.org.