PREACHING FOR JUNE 30, 2024:

Pastor Antonio Russo

CONQUERING THE CITY FOR GOD, Part 4

Let’s start by reading together some verses from the Book of Proverbs.

Proverbs 3:1-4; 1 My son, forget not my law; but let thine heart keep my commandments: 2 For length of days, and long life, and peace, shall they add to thee. 3 Let not mercy and truth forsake thee: bind them about thy neck; write them upon the table of thine heart: 4 So shalt thou find favour and good understanding in the sight of God and man.

Solomon invites us to deeply reflect on the importance of God's Word, which serves as a fundamental guide for our lives. He exhorts us never to forget it and to guard it with the same care as our most precious possessions. Preserving God's Word is our responsibility. Following its teachings not only lengthens our days on earth but also leads us to live a full and healthy life. Therefore, we must ensure that it remains at the center of our lives, as it generates peace or "Shalom" within usa term that encompasses tranquility, health, prosperity, and divine blessings. Returning to our theme, ¿how many of us have been blessed by God's Word, especially when it comes to achievements? To conquer cities for God, we must first conquer ourselves, our homes, and our neighborhoods. God calls us to a path of conquest that begins within us and expands outward. We must be open to His presence and His Word. The foundation of God's throne is justice and righteousness, symbols of His authority and power. As the Bible teaches, we are seated in heavenly places in Christ, clothed with the same authority and power. This authority, known as "exousia" in Greek, grants us the right to manifest God's supernatural power. Therefore, we must exercise it boldly when facing the enemy. Our prayer life must evolve. God is not calling us to convince Him to act; rather, He wants us to exercise the authority and power with which He has vested us. We are engaged in spiritual warfare, and we must understand that we are in a battle. God doesn't call us to surrender but to fight effectively. We shouldn't swing aimlessly like someone beating the air, as the Apostle Paul said. Instead, we must know our enemy and deliver effective blows. There are at least four reasons why we are fighting this battle. First, it's for souls people who need salvation, to be rescued from the clutches of the devil and brought into God's Kingdom. Second, it's for territories areas assigned to us by God that we must see in the spirit before entering. Third and fourth, it's about resources and finances both crucial in this battle. We are called to spiritual warfare on these four fronts, and we cannot be passive. God calls us to take authority and possess what He has assigned to us. Now, more than ever, we must understand our spiritual battle before possessing the territories God has given us: our lives, families, finances, neighborhoods, and cities. Like Israel in the desert, witnessing miracles of divine providence, we too with God's help will cross our spiritual Jordan into the promised land. We will face every enemy obstructing our path to victory. Today, as we stand at the point of crossing the Jordan and facing God's promises, we also encounter enemies who currently hold those promises and won't release them easily. It's our responsibility to drive them out and take full possession. These enemies are spiritual, and God allows us to see them before we possess the territory.

Genesis 13:14-18; 14 And the Lord said unto Abram, after that Lot was separated from him, Lift up now thine eyes, and look from the place where thou art northward, and southward, and eastward, and westward: 15 For all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed for ever. 16 And I will make thy seed as the dust of the earth: so that if a man can number the dust of the earth, then shall thy seed also be numbered. 17 Arise, walk through the land in the length of it and in the breadth of it; for I will give it unto thee. 18 Then Abram removed his tent, and came and dwelt in the plain of Mamre, which is in Hebron, and built there an altar unto the Lord.

You know, we must renew our minds and open our spiritual eyes, not only to see in the natural world but especially to recognize God's promises in our lives, such as healing, salvation for our families, and the promised prosperity, knowing that Jesus has delivered us from poverty and lack. Initially, Abraham brought Lot and his father Terach with him, who represented an obstacle to God's promises, even though God had clearly told him to leave his home and relatives to follow His promises. After Terach's death, God spoke to Abraham again, telling him to leave Lot; however, because Abraham did not fully follow God's instructions, he found himself in trouble. Abraham tried to solve the problem with compromises, such as going to Egypt during the famine and passing Sarah off as his sister; however, God intervened to protect His promise. Eventually, there was a dispute between Abraham's shepherds and Lot's, and Abraham decided it was time to separate. Lot chose to live in the fertile plain near Sodom and Gomorrah, while Abraham went toward the mountain, following God's guidance. After the separation, God confirmed the promise to Abraham, telling him that all the land he saw would belong to him and his descendants. Our choices, therefore, must be submitted to God, because He sees beyond what we can see. This principle was later repeated in Joshua and Moses' story, but the initial promise had been made to Abraham. ¿Can we see God's promises for us? ¿Do we recognize our healing, our miracle, or the territory God has assigned to us? Only if we see it can we conquer it; otherwise, it will remain out of our reach. Just as God showed Abraham the land He would assign to Israel and promised Joshua the territory to conquer, we too must see and believe in God's promises to achieve victory.

Joshua 6:2; 2 And the Lord said unto Joshua, See, I have given into thine hand Jericho, and the king thereof, and the mighty men of valour. God has placed our enemies in our hands:

We will conquer what we see, but we cannot conquer what we do not see, just as in the history of Israel where, after Jericho, the second city to be conquered was Ai.

Joshua 8:1; 1 And the Lord said unto Joshua, Fear not, neither be thou dismayed: take all the people of war with thee, and arise, go up to Ai: see, I have given into thy hand the king of Ai, and his people, and his city, and his land:

God grants us what we can see in the spiritual world. Let us remember the story of the widow who, through the word of the prophet Elisha, filled countless jars with the little oil she had, thus saving her sons. This teaches us that the Word of God can transform our lives, which is why we must obey when God speaks. The vision of Jesus, who also serves as our guide as a community, is based on four steps: evangelize, consolidate, disciple, and send. The Church exists not merely to create believers but to equip disciples who transform their lives and fight for spiritual victories. Therefore, as a Church, we have become aware that we must go out and conquer cities, proclaiming Jesus and taking possession of territory through a strategy of spiritual warfare. God calls us to be conquerors, not losers, and there are two types of Christians: those who passively wait and those who act on God's promises. We must take action because God has given us the believer's armor, which includes the sword of the Spirit the Word of God. It is time to attack evil, free lost souls, and bring them into the Kingdom of God. Now, conquest must be achieved in three main areas.

1) We must know that we have been called by God to conquer territories.

If you harbor doubts about the call you received to conquer that territory, know that you will never succeed in conquering it. Joshua had to be certain of God's call; when Moses died, however, he was worried and wondered, "¿With a leader like Moses who came before me, what will my destiny be?" But God removed all his doubts and concerns.

Joshua 1:2-4; 2 Moses my servant is dead; now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, thou, and all this people, unto the land which I do give to them, even to the children of Israel. 3 Every place that the sole of your foot shall tread upon, that have I given unto you, as I said unto Moses. 4 From the wilderness and this Lebanon even unto the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and unto the great sea toward the going down of the sun, shall be your coast.

Today is the moment when we must become aware that God has called us to be conquerors, to take possession of our territory.

Deuteronomy 2:24-25; 24 Rise ye up, take your journey, and pass over the river Arnon: behold, I have given into thine hand Sihon the Amorite, king of Heshbon, and his land: begin to possess it, and contend with him in battle. 25 This day will I begin to put the dread of thee and the fear of thee upon the nations that are under the whole heaven, who shall hear report of thee, and shall tremble, and be in anguish because of thee.

When we know we are called, when we have this identity that God has called us to conquer our territory, we will walk with our heads held high, without bowing before our enemies, and we will be more than conquerors because God will spread His terror upon our enemies. We must prepare for times of war; for this, we need to build our faith now so that when the enemies come, we will be strong, determined, and victorious.

2) We must take possession of the territory previously invaded by the enemy.

How do we do this through a spiritual stance? Through prayer. We must be aware that the devil has invaded this place, but we are heirs of heavenly blessings. This territory belonged to God, but it was stolen when the devil deceived Adam; today, in Christ, this territory is ours, and it is time to reclaim what we have lost. The battle described by Paul aims to free people from the devil's snare.

Ephesians 6:12; 12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

Paul, in these verses, speaks of the true enemies we must face in our spiritual battle to reclaim the lost territory of souls, knowing that each of us is God's treasure on Earth; for this reason, we must plunder hell for Christ and fill the Kingdom of heaven.

Ephesians 6:18-20; 18 Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints; 19 And for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel, 20 For which I am an ambassador in bonds: that therein I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.

The Apostle Paul, personally knowing the power of prayer through direct experience, conveys to the Church the importance of praying at all times, both in good moments and difficult ones, because God calls us to pray in every situation. In good times, we praise and thank God; in bad times, we continue to praise and thank Him, knowing that He will intervene; we must always be grateful to God. Even in prison, Paul deeply understood the power of prayer. In fact, he asked the Church to pray for him so that he could boldly communicate the mystery of the Gospel. This allowed him, despite his situation, to preach to the jailers and convert 47 of them, demonstrating that even though physically imprisoned, the Word of God remains free. You see, Paul desired boldness not only for himself but also for the Church, so that we could proclaim the Gospel without fear or timidity. Before speaking to others and preaching, we must seek God's presence to give meaning to our words and communicate with sincerity and authenticity, so that our message touches people's hearts deeply.

3) We must physically go to conquer the territory.

When God told Joshua to conquer Jericho, He gave him a strategy: to march around the city seven times once a day, and on the seventh day, to march around it seven times. On the seventh lap of the seventh day, they stood before the massive walls of Jericho, and after hearing the "shofar", they shouted loudly, and the walls collapsed. The only house that remained standing was that of the prostitute Rahab because she had helped the Israelite spies. You see, even though it seemed strange to the Canaanites to witness an entire people marching around their city, it was a divine strategy that Israel had to obey. Just like with the tribes of Israel, God has also assigned us a territory, but we must not stop at the first or second conquest; we must pray and act to fully conquer it. When we set foot in the territory God has given us, we will declare, "This is the territory that God has given us", and we will begin to preach the Gospel.