1 Peter 2:9-10 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. 10 Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. ESV
The marvelous light of Christ heals all that it reveals, over time in our lives!
Just like brokenness can pass through generations so can blessing. That’s what Jesus came to awaken within us all!
Earnest, we celebrate you!
Earnest attends Destiny and is an amazing trophy of God’s grace. He knows what it was to be homeless and addicted to drugs by the age of 18. After years of feeling broken and empty, Earnest attempted suicide by hanging. He survived and continued to spiral out of control until he wound up in prison. Earnest is 32 years old today and is living in The Destiny Recovery House that Brad and Stacia oversee. He has a job and has been clean for 8 months! We are believing for God’s restoration in his life in every way!!!
At the Tag Agency a few weeks ago, Earnest bumped into someone from our church. That person was prompted to give him $100 toward whatever he was there for. Earnest later shared the cost of his tag wound up being more than he expected; $100 more! Thank God for a church family that hears the word of the Lord!
We are outrageously loving people that passionately pursue the Lord with irrationally giving lifestyles as we consistently submit to God’s desires and effectively disciple others to do the same!
All of us go through a process of redemption as we work out our salvation with fear and trembling. It’s fascinating to see how this is revealed in Scripture through the Israelites as they came out of the bondage of Egypt and made their way into the Promised Land. Every giant they faced has meaning and significance speaking to the struggles that are common in all of our lives. We must choose to GROW THROUGH every battle and not merely GO THROUGH them.
Egypt was the first enemy Israel faced. This is the battle of bondage to the old system that owned us and resists letting us go.
Exodus 14:14 The LORD will fight for you, and you have only to be silent. (ESV)
God fights our first battle for us. We can’t free ourselves; we can only follow Him out.
Amalek came next (Exodus 17). Amalek is traditionally read as “dweller in the valley,” and he is a picture of the weakness and weariness of the flesh. Amalek didn’t attack the front of the line, where the strong were. He hit the back, where the tired, the weak and the isolated were falling behind. The enemy does the same with us. He waits until we’re worn out, discouraged or drifting from the group, and then he strikes.
That’s why Jesus taught that we ought always to pray and not lose heart (Luke 18:1), and why we need each other. One can chase a thousand, but two can put ten thousand to flight (Deuteronomy 32:30).
The battles matter. They become your testimony.
The Enemies on the Journey: The Process of moving from Bondage to Promise:
THE BATTLES ON THE JOURNEY: Don’t just GO THROUGH it, GROW THROUGH it:
- Fear and the pull of the past (Pharaoh at the Red Sea): stand still and trust God.
a. Just set free, Israel was trapped between the sea and Pharaoh’s army coming after them. They panicked and said slavery was better than dying in the desert (Exodus 14:11–12): weak in trust.
b. Exodus 14:14 The LORD will fight for you, and you have only to be silent. (ESV) Their old master chased them, but God buried him in the sea. They never fought this one. God did. - Weakness and weariness of the flesh (Amalek): prayer and community.
a. This came right after Israel complained about having no water and questioned God. They were faint and weary, just out of slavery, with no military training: weak in faith.
b. Deuteronomy 25:18 how he attacked you on the way when you were faint and weary, and cut off your tail, those who were lagging behind you, and he did not fear God. (ESV) Amalek targeted the vulnerable who were struggling at the back. Israel won with Joshua fighting while Aaron and Hur held up Moses’ arms. - Presumption and self-effort (Amalekites and Canaanites at Hormah): obedience and God’s presence.
a. After the 10 spies’ bad report, Israel refused to enter the land. When God said they’d wander 40 years, they changed their minds and went up on their own, even though Moses warned them not to: weak in obedience.
b. Numbers 14:44 But they presumed to go up to the heights of the hill country, although neither the ark of the covenant of the LORD nor Moses departed out of the camp. (ESV) It was the same enemy as Rephidim but the opposite result. They went without God and were chased all the way to Hormah. - Rejection from family (Edom): humility and taking the long way.
a. Edom was descended from Esau, Jacob’s brother. Moses humbly asked to pass through, but Edom refused and came out with an army. God told Israel not to fight their relatives (Deuteronomy 2:4–5), so they took the long way around, and the people grew impatient (Numbers 21:4): weak in patience.
b. Numbers 20:21 Thus Edom refused to give Israel passage through his territory, so Israel turned away from him. (ESV) Some battles are won by walking away. - Grief and loss (King of Arad): a vow of full surrender.
a. Right after Aaron died and Edom turned them away, the king of Arad attacked and took some Israelites captive: hit while grieving and rejected.
b. Numbers 21:2–3 2 And Israel vowed a vow to the LORD and said, If you will indeed give this people into my hand, then I will devote their cities to destruction. 3 And the LORD heeded the voice of Israel and gave over the Canaanites… So the name of the place was called Hormah. (ESV) Their first victory came at the same place as their defeat 38 years earlier. - Closed doors and blocked paths (Sihon, king of the Amorites): courage to step into what God gives.
a. Israel asked to pass peacefully along the king’s highway. Sihon refused and attacked: opposition to moving forward.
b. Deuteronomy 2:24 Rise up, set out on your journey and go over the Valley of the Arnon. Behold, I have given into your hand Sihon the Amorite, king of Heshbon, and his land. Begin to take possession, and contend with him in battle. (ESV) It was the first land Israel took. The closed door became their first inheritance. - Intimidation and giants (Og, king of Bashan): believe what God says over what you see.
a. Og was one of the last of the giants, and his iron bed was about 13 feet long (Deuteronomy 3:11). He came out against Israel with his whole army: weak in courage.
b. Numbers 21:34 But the LORD said to Moses, Do not fear him, for I have given him into your hand, and all his people, and his land. (ESV) The giants that scared the generation before became a victory for this one. - Spiritual attack and seduction (Balak, Balaam, and Moab): God’s blessing and personal purity.
a. Moab’s king couldn’t beat Israel in battle, so he hired Balaam to curse them. God turned every curse into a blessing. When that failed, Balaam’s advice (Numbers 31:16) led Moabite women to lure Israel into sexual sin and idol worship, and 24,000 died (Numbers 25:9): weak in purity.
b. Numbers 23:8 How can I curse whom God has not cursed? How can I denounce whom the LORD has not denounced? (ESV) The enemy couldn’t curse them, so he tried to get them to compromise. What failed from the outside almost worked from the inside. - Finishing what compromise started (Midian): deal decisively with what tempted you.
a. God told Israel to go to war against Midian, the people behind the seduction at Peor. 1,000 men from each tribe went: cleaning up after compromise.
b. Numbers 31:49 Your servants have counted the men of war who are under our command, and there is not a man missing from us. (ESV) Not one soldier was lost. When you deal fully with what tempted you, God protects you.
(Israel crosses the Jordan into the Promised Land, Joshua 3–5.)
- 10.Walls and impossible obstacles (Jericho): worship and obeying unusual instructions.
a. This was the first battle inside the Promised Land: a walled, locked-down city. The plan was to march silently for six days, then seven times on the seventh, and shout: weak in human strength.
b. Joshua 6:20 So the people shouted, and the trumpets were blown… and the wall fell down flat, so that the people went up into the city, every man straight before him, and they captured the city. (ESV) The walls fell to worship, not weapons. - 11.Hidden sin and overconfidence (Ai): confession and repentance.
a. After Jericho, the spies said Ai was small and only 2,000–3,000 men were needed. Israel was routed and 36 died, because Achan had secretly taken things God had forbidden: weak in integrity.
b. Joshua 7:11 Israel has sinned; they have transgressed my covenant that I commanded them; they have taken some of the devoted things; they have stolen and lied and put them among their own belongings. (ESV) After Achan’s sin was dealt with, Israel took Ai (Joshua 8). What’s hidden in the camp shows up on the battlefield. - 12.Deception (the Gibeonites): seek God before you decide.
a. The Gibeonites wore worn-out clothes and carried moldy bread to pretend they came from far away. Israel trusted what they saw and made a peace treaty: weak in discernment.
b. Joshua 9:14 So the men took some of their provisions, but did not ask counsel from the LORD. (ESV) Not every attack looks like an attack. Some come looking harmless. - 13.Being ganged up on (five Amorite kings): keep your word, and God fights for you.
a. Five kings joined forces against Gibeon because it made peace with Israel. Even though they had been tricked, Israel kept their promise and marched all night to defend Gibeon: overwhelmed but faithful.
b. Joshua 10:14 There has been no day like it before or since, when the LORD heeded the voice of a man, for the LORD fought for Israel. (ESV) God sent hailstones and made the sun stand still. - 14.Outnumbered and out-equipped (Jabin and the northern kings): don’t trust what the world trusts.
a. The northern kings came “like the sand that is on the seashore,” with horses and chariots Israel didn’t have (Joshua 11:4): weak in resources.
b. Joshua 11:6 And the LORD said to Joshua, Do not be afraid of them, for tomorrow at this time I will give over all of them, slain, to Israel. You shall hamstring their horses and burn their chariots with fire. (ESV) God told them not to keep the enemy’s weapons. Their strength was the Lord.
The enemies are a progression as we grow. Early on, God fights for us. Later, He trains us to fight with Him. The battles move from outside of us (bondage) to inside of us (fear, pride, compromise). Victory comes little by little, so we can hold what we take.
Our transformed lives are evidence in this world that God’s Kingdom has come!
God’s plan in all of our lives is that the light keeps getting brighter!
Proverbs 4:18 But the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn, which shines brighter and brighter until full day. (ESV)
We are so thankful for the marvelous light of Jesus Christ! We want to continue to share the hope of Christ all of our lives and beyond our lives. Our sacrificial giving truly does expand God’s Kingdom in our lives and beyond! Tracy and I have never not tithed on our income because it is a Biblical practice of worship that releases something powerful in our own hearts, in the world around us and to our children and our children’s children beyond us.
I’m really excited about the Destiny Endowment Initiative. The goal is simple: to advance the cause of Christ and God’s Kingdom beyond our own lifetime. Whatever we fund, we move forward, and there’s no greater cause than Jesus redeeming and restoring people all over the world.
Psalm 145:4 One generation shall commend your works to another and shall declare your mighty acts. (ESV)
That’s what this is about. It’s a way for us to keep declaring God’s mighty acts for generations after we’re gone.
Giving to the endowment is not the same as tithing. Your tithe supports the ministry of Destiny today. The endowment is a gift above and beyond the tithe that serves the generations who come after us.
In the beginning, it will have a growth focus, so gifts can be invested and grow until the endowment is more funded. Once it’s more established, the earnings will provide steady, strategic income for Kingdom work, with clear guidelines that keep it focused on advancing God’s Kingdom. The plan is to support Kingdom impact locally, nationally, and internationally.
We’re following a common three-step process:
Step one: a dedicated fund. It’s set up now. You’ll see “Endowment Initiative” in the giving drop-down menu.
Step two: a board-designated fund. Our Board will formally establish this fund for the endowment.
Step three: an independent nonprofit. It will have its own governing documents, designed to keep the fund serving Destiny’s vision for generations to come. This protects your intent as a giver, so your gift keeps doing what you meant it to do, generation after generation after generation.
We’re studying how some of the most respected endowments in the country are invested, so we can be as wise and effective as possible in setting all of this up. If you’d like to be part of building something that outlives all of us, just select “Endowment” when you give.
We believe that Jesus is the answer to the problems of this world for our generation and for future generations. We are building something that will keep advancing the Kingdom long after we’re all gone!
GP2RL: Tell someone this week about your story explaining how the goodness of God and the Light of Christ has changed your life.
