Victory Highway 1

And let's just lift our Bibles.

This is our custom around here.

We like to start it off with a good confession.

Let's just all say this together Say Heavenly Father, I've tuned in on purpose tonight.

I have ears to hear what the Spirit is saying to me through the Word of God, and I commit to not just hear it but become a doer of it in Jesus' name, amen.

Let's turn in our Bibles tonight to 1 Corinthians, chapter 10, verse 13, and read our foundation scripture in the King James.

1 Corinthians 10:13

There hath no temptation taken you, but such is common to man.

But God is faithful, who will not suffer you or allow you to be tempted above what you're able, that you're able, but will, with the temptation, also make a way to escape that you may be able to bear it.

And so tonight I wanted to share a message, a simple message entitled Victory Highway.

You know the faithfulness of God.

You know he is always faithful to watch over his Word, to perform it.

He said you know you're gonna have contrary circumstance.

Jesus said in John 16, 33, in the world you shall have tribulation.

So you're gonna have trouble.

You're gonna have temptations, tests and trial.

The word temptation there means tests and trials.

And so sometimes we just think temptation to sin.

But it's really any trial, any circumstances contrary to God's promises.

And but Jesus said in the world you're gonna have trouble, but be of good courage.

I've overcome the world, and that implication is you can too.

We're more than conquerors, and so it says here in 1 Corinthians 13, that the devil is limited to things that are common to man.

But the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but they're mighty through God.

So the devil is already at a loss.

No matter what he's thrown at you, no matter what symptoms, no matter what trouble financially, no, what trouble in your marriage, your home, whatever it is, you have the upper hand already.

And it says here that God's ability, that you may be able to bear it, he won't allow you to be tempted above what you're able, and that you may be able to bear up under it.

Sometimes you're gonna be under a certain situation until the clouds go away, and but you don't have to be down dumps.

You've got the word ability there, able there.

It comes from the Greek word dunamis, which means supernatural power.

So whenever going through something by ourself, god is right there with us to help us get through the time, and sometimes it takes more, you know more than instantaneous.

Some trials are gonna last a little while, and as long as you stay on God's way of escape, I'm calling it the victory highway.

Amen, stay on victory highway, you can't lose.

And so we have that pathway to our miracle.

Now, you know, over the years I've seen and heard people, even in the church, a misquote 1 Corinthians 10,.

They're fond of saying you know, god won't put on me more than I can bear.

Well, that's not what that verse says at all.

It doesn't say that.

Because, first of all, god is not the one putting anything on you except victory.

You know he's taking, he's the deliverer, he's not the afflictor.

Now, the devil is the afflictor, and I realize many of you have heard this over and over and say if you have, then this is water for your faith.

Yeah, everybody's faith needs to be water.

We need to be reminded constantly and perhaps there might be people watching that have not heard this and then, therefore, it comes as seed, and as you develop this seed, your faith will grow so that you don't melt in a time of trouble.

So God has provided a way of escape, victory highway.

He's provided.

He doesn't have to build it after you get afflicted.

I mean, he doesn't have to wait till something happens.

He already knows everything from the end, from the beginning.

He's got it in existence the very first moment you realize, or something that you've got to confront, and the fact that God, the fact that you're going through something, notice what it says there's no temptation taking you, but such as common to man, that God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above what you're able to bear.

So if you're going here, by definition of this verse, the first thing you tell yourself when you're see the trouble, when trouble comes your way, well, god didn't send this trouble, he's got victory highway for me and he counts me able to get through this onto the other side.

I am able, I am able, with his help, I am able to overcome this.

See, that's the first thing you've got to keep in mind, rather than fear, rather than discouragement, rather than pity party and all of that stuff.

So the fact that you're going through something is proof that God's ability is available to see you through.

And Hebrews 10, 23,.

Hold fast to your confession of faith without wavering.

You know, james says, you know he that waver it is not like the waves of the sea.

Don't let that person think you'll receive anything from God.

And that's many times that's the key to trials being seemingly unending, because we waver in our confession, we waver in our faith.

Now let's just make up our mind the first day of, of whatever it is you're facing that you're overcoming, amen.

I mean you just set your faith and you set your face to realize you're going to find God's pathway and you're going to overcome.

You know some battles that we have in life.

It's just come with the territory.

I mean just you know it depends on your station in life.

You know mothers have kind of maybe different battles than fathers, and men have different battles than women, and pastors have different battles than the sheep.

You know some of the things I go through, just basically because I'm a pastor and so that's true.

I mean you know trouble comes to everyone, but then there are times when we have, or these trouble is a result of our not following the Holy Ghost.

I use this illustration recently.

But you know the Holy Spirit has given to us as a witness.

So the witness is described sometimes as the green light.

You know, god's permission to go forward in something, or a red light, a hesitancy, god's saying no, don't go that way, no, don't do that.

And you know, I was watching the news one night here recently and a person was running from the law and had a car chase.

It seems like they have them every day in this city and he had seen some others on television run through red lights and they survived, and fortunately he didn't.

He ran a red light and someone T boned him on his driver door and he was dead right there in the intersection.

And so when we run a red light, there can be circumstances.

Does God send it?

Well, no, god didn't send it.

God tried to get you to stop.

God tried to get you to go.

You know, sometimes if you don't go on the green light, somebody might run into the back of you.

So the deal is, we need to follow the witness of the spirit and sometimes, when we don't, there are consequences.

And so when you first enter into a trial, a test trouble, don't concern yourself with why.

Right now, why is not really important.

I mean, you know, the most important thing to consider is who.

God is your deliverer, the devil is your afflictor.

Consider what.

Well, what am I gonna get through with God's word?

I saw.

What you need is God's word and God's spirit to beat the devil.

You've got supernatural weapons.

And then consider when, and when is not right now.

I mean right now.

You don't put it off, you don't say, well, I'm gonna get around to it, I'm gonna fight this.

No, fight.

Fight every battle when it comes up and let the devil know you're not gonna be a shrinking violet, you're gonna stand up for what belongs to you.

So let's look at Matthew 11.

I was meditating on this this morning.

The spirit of God spoke these words to me and I knew they were in Matthew Blessed is he who has not offended in me.

And so let's read the context Matthew 11, verse two.

Now, when John the Baptist had heard in the prison the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples and he said unto him aren't thou he that should come, or look we for another?

And Jesus answered and said unto them, go and show John again those things which you do here and see the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised up and the poor have the gospel preached to them.

And blessed is he whosoever shall not be offended in me.

Well, john was going through a severe trial.

He was thrown in jail just because he confronted the king and said you can't have your brother's wife.

Eventually they took his head off, but he got so discouraged.

He's basically talking to the Lord, whom he prophesied over.

He knew who the Lord was.

He said this is the one who baptizes the Holy Ghost.

You know he's filled with a spirit without measure.

He knew of the miracles and yet he got so discouraged he sent his disciples to find out.

He was just a little bit offended there in jail.

You know you can't be blessed and offended at the same time.

What do you mean?

Offended?

Well, offended at God.

You know, whatever you face, god's not the author.

God's not to ever to blame, no matter what.

God is never to blame.

Sometimes we look for others to blame, we look for people to blame, we look for bosses to blame, we look for anything to blame.

Listen, just get out of the blame game.

You can't.

You can't be offended and blessed at the same time.

That's a good one to remember.

You might go ahead and say that I can't be offended and blessed at the same time.

You're going to be one of the other.

So God is faithful, he's got victory highway already in place for you.

So I wanted to give a short report.

I got this message part of it while I was laying in ICU.

Last week I spent six days.

In case you didn't know, I'm not ashamed of an attack.

I had had an attack, it's not my first one but I wound up at the hospital.

The July 4th weekend and the 5th was Monday was a holiday, and so the 6th, the morning of the 6th, I went to my cardiologist and he sent me right over to the emergency room and then, after they stabilized me, they sent me to ICU and my symptoms were a heart racing, a real elevated heart rate.

By that I mean 155 beats a minute, as you know.

I mean I wasn't running, wasn't going anywhere, I'm just my heart's going like this and short of breath and asleep deprived.

I could not sleep the night of July the 4th, which we had great Sunday services, but when I went home I just couldn't sleep that night.

I didn't sleep Monday night, and so by the time I got to the hospital, those were symptoms that I had.

But yet every day for the last 16 years I wind up my day.

Usually I say these things when I'm taking a shower.

You can say them anytime you want to.

I just like a regular thing.

So that will trigger me to speak a certain way.

But I have a whole string of confessions that I release as commands to my body.

I send the word to my body and among the things I say, I'll just say my blood pressure is 120 over 80.

My heart beats with a sinus rhythm through open blood vessels, free of plaque, obstructions and clots, and all the electrical pathways in my heart are normal.

That's just part of it.

And I just go on and on.

I go through all of my bodily systems and I speak and I say these things.

I've been doing it for 16 years.

Well then, if I believe, I receive, I believe what I say comes to pass.

Why did this happen?

Well see, don't try to worry about why.

Let's solve the situation first.

And the thing, the matter at hand, was to get that that heart back down and to have medical intervention.

My faith was not working, my words were not working right there at that moment, but I knew that I had sent the word, and the word always works.

You know, sometimes it doesn't work the way we think it should, and so so they started working on me and laying there.

I just, you know, I didn't say it out loud they're working, they're busy, they're asking me how I'm doing.

I, you know, when you're in that situation you can't just have a good confession.

You have to report what's what's going on with your body.

You know they're asking you how you're doing.

Well, I'm not doing, I'm short of breath, though I, you know I don't feel very good.

One time my blood pressure had plunged to 50, something over 40, and my eyesight shrunk down to tunnel vision, and I let them know real quick what was going on and they worked feverishly to get it back up and they did.

Everything worked out.

But all the time I'm thinking there, I'm not fearful, I'm saying you know, god, your word works.

I believe that I sent the word to this, to my body, and my word in my mouth accomplishes what I please, just like it does you it?

It prospers in the thing where to I sent it.

So this is not the final report right here.

What they're doing right now it's behind.

Behind everything is your word, father.

I'm just so thankful you're faithful.

You've given me a way of escape from this particular situation here.

I'm on the way of escape.

And I'll be honest, the first day wasn't that great.

I mean, I didn't sleep that night, the second day, and so now you got three days and going on fourth day that I'm not sleeping.

So there's all sent symptoms ago with sleep deprivation.

But I had to hold on to the word and I did hold on to the word.

So I dozed off one time and I'd wake up with a start.

Doze off, wake up with a start.

They asked me if you got sleep at me.

No, I don't, I've just short a breath and I've symptom of elevated pulse and so forth, and also some of the drugs they were giving me.

So one time James was sitting there with me and he said Pop, I saw you dozed off for three or four minutes and it didn't feel like it to me.

It felt like just seconds.

So I was getting a little more sleep than I thought.

And then, finally, the third night in the ICU, I did sleep a couple of hours and then the next night I started catching up on my rest.

You know, god is faithful.

Are you gonna go through things?

Yes, I went through something.

It didn't just go away, it didn't just obey me instantly.

That's where we miss it.

That's where we think we begin to get offended.

We're maybe not offended at God, but we're offended that we've tried this and it's not worked.

No, you don't try it, you do it.

It's not something I tried, because I've already tried it for years.

It works, the word always works.

And then I always know that at the end of the thing I can do a post-action review and I can find out where I missed it, because it's always me, it's never God.

If the devil did it, it's because I let him, and so, but I don't ever concern myself with that at first.

I wanna get through the battle, I wanna get through the situation a little further.

I trust this is helping you.

And so, six days later, I'm at home, praise God, and my heart is on a sinus rhythm, with normal blood pressure.

My pulse, my resting pulse rate, is 70, sometimes 63.

So everything's back to normal and I could say, oh, praise God, I got the victory.

Well, I do have the victory, but I'm not through traveling down Victory Highway, because I won't be satisfied until this kind of thing is answered.

See, there's a reason why my heart had an arrhythmia or an irregular heartbeat.

It was called atrial flutter.

Which atrial flutter is a very dangerous condition.

I don't ever want it again and so, in consultation, I was under the care.

I used to have two cardiologists one's a plumber, one's an electrician and I didn't need my electrician.

I didn't think so I quit going to him three and a half years ago after open heart surgery, but that's where I ran through.

Actually, I didn't answer a green light.

A year and a half ago I had a green light to get back with him and have an appointment with him and talk to him about the episode that I had in the hospital, similar to this one a year and a half ago, and I didn't.

I didn't follow the witness, and so that's why I went through what I went through.

Was God punishing me?

No, god doesn't punish me.

No, it's just that I opened the door.

I didn't follow the witness of the spirit.

That was his way of escape and I was off, wandering on my own pathway.

I want you to know I'm on God's pathway right now.

I'm not gonna stop.

And so I have some more appointments.

I've got a follow up with a stress test I did yesterday, next week and then early in August I met with my electrician and he's got a procedure he's gonna do on me.

Am I trusting in the doctor?

No, the doctor just intervenes.

Doctors treat.

Jesus is my healer and this is the way of escape.

It runs right through those two doctors and I believe that when they're through I will close the door and I will have it locked and never again suffer from a regular heartbeat, and that will be the victory.

Amen, and I've already got it, see, because even though it's future, I have it now.

I see it now.

I see myself free, I see myself totally normal, I see myself never short of breath, never unable to sleep, and so that's the way that we can overcome.

So I just want to leave you with three things here tonight, just simple.

When trouble comes and it always does, you know, and when I first got saved, you know I was just getting in the word of faith message and somehow I got the idea, if I could just get enough faith, I'd never have any more trouble.

It's really the opposite, because growing faith is always opposed by the devil.

He always opposes you and he's never going to stop opposing you.

So quit looking for Shangri-La.

You realize you've got to overcome.

So I was listening to this Southern lady, you know.

She sounded like maybe she was from Georgia or something and she was teaching, and somebody gave me the tape Well, this is really good, listen to this.

And so I listened to it for a little bit and she was entertaining.

Then she got to the park.

She says you know, you're either coming into a mess, or you in a mess, or you about to get out of the mess.

I've ejected that cassette tape and threw it in the back seat.

I said man, I don't receive that.

But I found out that she was right, and so that's true.

I mean, you know, we just have contests all the time.

So let's, when trouble comes and it always does let's remember number one God is bigger than the devil.

You know, the devil makes a lot of noise.

He can be very threatening.

This whole thing that I went through was pretty threatening.

I had to hold on to my faith.

I couldn't trust my mind.

I couldn't trust my body.

My mind was reeling from the symptoms of sleep deprivation.

Thank God to James.

James said Pop, this is just sleep deprivation.

And I said that's right, that's all this is.

And I'd had it several days and then, back in the month of June, I've had it a number of times then too.

So God already has plans for your escape.

See, god's bigger.

That's a very simple thing, but you have to keep in mind because the devil's gonna attack your mind.

He's gonna attack your senses.

Number two receive God's power to help you through.

You know you're not alone.

If you're going through something, god says you know they've got the power.

So just receive that same power that you need.

Receive His ability to help you bear up under it.

And that's what I had to do when I was in the hospital.

I had to bear up under it.

They had to find the correct treatment.

In the meantime, I had all kinds of symptoms back and forth and back and forth.

I didn't feel good much of the time.

I couldn't think straight much of the time until about four days in and I started feeling a lot better and eventually, six days, I was released, and usually they don't release you directly home out of ICU.

It's very rare, but they did me.

So receive God's power to help you through.

You're not alone.

And finally stay on the victory highway until final victory, until every situation is shut down.

I'm remembering about the prophet Elijah.

A king came to talk to him and he was threatened by this invading army.

And so he stood at the window and he said he shot an arrow out the window.

Then he went out and he said I want you to grab the arrows and I want you to pound the ground with those arrows.

And so the king, he just did it three times.

And Elijah was mad.

He said you know, you should have pounded the ground six or eight times.

You just did it three times.

Therefore, you're not gonna get the final victory.

Sometimes we stop short and we settle for a temporary reprieve, a temporary ceasefire.

I don't want no ceasefire.

I wanna crush the devil Every time.

I'm gonna make him pay every time he attacks me.

Whether it's my fault or not, sometimes it's me missing God, missing a turn, missing a little witness that I'm.

And I don't condemn myself.

I'm learning all the time.

Let's not be condemning ourselves when we miss God.

Let's just repent, which I did, said God, I shouldn't have been back with my doctor Two years ago.

I repent, I just missed the signal and of course he forgives you and he'll help you, give you another chance.

So don't settle for just a ceasefire.

Don't settle for just getting by.

Slam the door in the devil's face.

Stay on Victory Highway.

Come on, lift your hands and receive tonight.

Hallelujah, glory to God.

Well, I didn't wanna turn this in such a heavy medical report, but I just lived it and it's fresh and everything that I go through is an example.

Everything I do is for the body of Christ to glean from.

So, thank God, I just believe that you're receiving what you need to have the victory.