Burn the Boats

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Burn the boats.

Numbers chapter 13.

Numbers 13 · chapter mention

In 1519, there was a man named Hernando Cortez that was set to sail toward the Yucatan Peninsula.

Cortez had a lofty dream that he was going to go in and take a group of people and capture the Aztec treasure.

Gold, silver, historical artifacts, gems, and he knew this to be true: that it was going to take a greater commitment than anyone had ever gone after before.

Cortez had in his employee eleven ships, 500 men for war, a hundred sailors.

He had 12 horses, and he had one big dream to go after this treasure.

But he did believe in this commitment, and so they traveled across and they came inland to where they were going to go in for a battle.

And before he took the men in, he did something strategic and strange to his men.

He brought them in and he took a week's time and he began to have rallies with his men.

And he would explain to them over and over about how this treasure that they were seeking was going to change their lives.

How this gold and this silver and these artifacts were going to change their lives and their kids' lives and their grandkids' lives and how it would change generations if they go in there with a full commitment.

And so, as he did that day after day, right before he went in and took the troops inland for a battle like never before.

He leaned forward and he looked at them and he said three very important words.

He said, I want you to burn the boats.

Hold on to that thought, and we'll get back to it in a little while.

Father, we love you.

Father, we're so thankful for your presence.

Lord, we sang about it, we worshiped for it, we've cried out for it for this day.

God, give us vision.

Or give us eyes like Jesus.

Help us to see what you want to be seen for this church and this body.

Lord, I thank you for every person that's here today.

And I pray, God, that you, through your word, would motivate us to burn the boats.

In Jesus' name, amen.

In Numbers chapter 13, we're going to use that story to share about the story of a man named Caleb.

Numbers 13 · chapter mention

Caleb in Numbers chapter 13, look at verse 2 and 6 as we start off.

Numbers 13 · chapter mention

It says, This send men to spy out the land of Canaan, which I am given to the children of Israel.

From every tribe of their fathers, you shall send a man, every one a leader among them.

And look at verse 6 from the tribe of Judah, Caleb.

And so I want you to see about this man, Caleb, a couple of things about him throughout this service.

Number one, he had foresight.

Vision.

He had vision, foresight.

Foresight is required for the journey.

Everybody say foresight.

The Hebrew word for that is chazon, and that means vision to see or perceive with intelligence.

As a dream.

In 2008, Heather and I were on staff at Calvary Baptist Church, and God began to, in late 07, early 08, begin to birthen me a vision.

We would then put boots to work to see about a youth rally called Storm.

In 08, I had a dream that if I met with a couple of other youth pastors, we could put our forces together and we might just see God bring 200 students to a rally in the Miller building in Connorsville, his little gym you could rent.

And I had some inflatables planned, and we'd began to meet and pray over this event.

Well, two youth pastors that came in by the end of a few months of planning turned into 20 youth pastors that got together over this idea that we could really reach our town if we pulled forces together.

Well, you've seen some pictures come up the first year.

200.

Man, God just give us 200.

Well, God turned that 200 into 375 on our first event, and 75 kids packed this gym.

It was smaller than this, and 75 students came to know Christ as Savior.

Man, I was so excited.

And God began to put into me more vision.

He said, add a high school assembly to that.

So 2009, we went back and we went to work, got principals on board, got into the public high school with this event, and went from 375 to 900 the next year.

And God saved over 200 students.

I said, we got to get a bigger place because we filled up the high school auditorium.

So we went to the middle school.

Basketball is king in Indiana.

This bowl was a 5,000-seat arena.

And we moved over to the 5,000-seat arena in 2010.

And God brought that year 1,500 students to the Connorsville Spartan Bowl, and he saved 350 students.

From 2010 till we were finished in 2015, God brought over 10,000 students to this event that started with three youth pastors with a great dream.

Give us 200.

Over 10,000 came to this event over that time, and over 1,300 students gave their life to Jesus Christ.

Amen.

You see, I got a vision.

I got a vision that something could happen.

Where did it come from?

I could just see it.

I could just believe that it could be done.

I didn't know how all the pieces and parts would come together, but I believed that we could impact God's kingdom.

We all have an impact to God's kingdom, church.

But nothing, hear me, nothing will happen if you don't have vision.

Caleb was a man of vision.

And so let's see about letter A.

Caleb spied out a good land.

There's two reports that come back.

We're gonna see Caleb's report and we're gonna see a coward's report.

Caleb spied out a good land.

Verse 17 in chapter 13 says this that Moses sent them to spy out the land of Canaan.

This was a good land, this was the promised land.

In verse 28 and 29, I want you to see the conflicting report that's given.

Twelve were sent out.

Caleb and Joshua come back one way with a report, and then we see a report that's given from these other men.

Verse 28 and 29.

It says, Nevertheless, the people who dwell in the land are strong.

Cities are fortified and very large.

Moreover, we saw descendants of Anak there.

The Amalekites dwell in the land of the south, the Hittites, the Jebusites, the Amorites dwell in the mountains, and the Canaanites dwell by the sea and along the banks.

So ten men came together and give a conflicting report of the promised land.

They said, This land is a land that devours people.

This land is a land where there are giants filling this land.

The Bible says, Proverbs 28, verse 1, that the wicked flee when no man pursues, but the righteous are bold as a lion.

Proverbs 28:1

They didn't even start a fight and they were running from a fight.

Joshua 14, 8 says this about the report.

Joshua said, My brethren made their hearts melt with fear.

Did we not find out in 2020 that fear and panic are a weapon that's contagious?

Oh, they went into hysterics.

Ten men said, They will devour us.

There's no way.

And they heard it over and over, and they got together in their little group over here, and I tell you, pouting, complaining, grumbling, none of it's fun by yourself.

So they got them a group, and the majority kept pulling more and more.

And they said, Oh, yeah, we can't do it.

Oh yeah, there's giants.

Oh yeah, the land will devour, the land will do.

And over here, there's this report, dismal.

Well, then there's Caleb's report.

Look at verse 30.

Then Caleb quieted the people before Moses, and he said, Let us go up at once and take possession, for we are well able to overcome it.

He stills the people.

He speaks first, and there's uh conflict about this.

Why did Caleb speak first when Joshua's leader's thought?

That Joshua, if he spoke first, everyone would think he's Moses' assistant.

He's just going to say what Moses wants him to say anyhow.

So Caleb possibly speaks up because it's without partiality.

But look at what he says: fear, panic, there's no way, there's no hope.

Caleb says, Let us go and possess this land.

We are able.

Why?

He could see something that they couldn't see.

That's what vision is.

Being able to see something.

It could be done.

Is it possible?

Well, I think Caleb had an experience with God that was real.

And when that happens, maybe God gives vision.

Bob Logan said this about vision: it's the capacity to create a compelling picture of the desired state of affairs that inspires people.

That which could be, should be.

A godly vision is right for the times, it's right for the church and right for its people.

Vision.

Let me tell you today, church, godly vision promotes faith and not fear.

Godly vision promotes effort and not ease.

Godly vision promotes that we go and we're courageous, not that we be comfortable.

Godly vision promotes risk, not relaxation.

Godly vision requires a man step out and step up, even if ten others are faltering.

That's what godly vision is.

And Caleb had that.

Well, what did he do with it?

He spoke up in verse 13, in verse 30, he says again, he quiet the people and said, Let us go at once.

We are able.

And what he's doing there, he's also speaking up against gutlessness.

I want you to look at chapter 14 for a second.

Verse 8 through 10.

Caleb just believed.

They're having this conversation again in chapter 14.

And look what he says, verse 8 through 10.

If the Lord delights in us, then he will bring us into this land and give it to us.

It's a land which flows with milk and honey.

Only do not rebel against the Lord, nor fear the people of the land, for they are our bread.

Their protection has departed for them, and the Lord is with us.

Do not fear them.

And the congregation there says after that to stone him.

Caleb was willing to speak up when he saw cowardice.

He speaks up against cowardice.

You know the Bible says in Revelation 21, verse 8, listen to this group.

Revelation 21:8

And he puts at the top of them, cowardly.

He says, But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually or moral, adulterers, sorceress, and liars all have a place in the lake which burns with fire.

Revelations 21:8.

Revelation 21:8

Among that ragtag group of people and sinful people, cowards is listed number one.

God will not bless cowardly and unbelieving.

You see, unbelief overlooks the promise and power of God.

What it does is it magnifies danger, it magnifies difficulty, it fills a heart with discouragement.

And that's what these ten over here were doing.

And Caleb spoke up against it.

He says, Do anything, but don't rebel.

Do anything else, but don't rebel against God.

He says, This is our land.

They're going to be like bread for us.

We'll walk right through them because we have a God who can fight that.

Nothing, church, is suggested could hinder Israel from possessing that land except rebelling against God.

Rebelling.

Look at what it says in chapter 14, verse 4 again.

They said, they grumbled over here, and this is what they said.

You won't believe it.

So they said to one another, let us select a leader and return to Egypt.

This is the epitome of rebellion.

They got together, the word of self-rebellion is to resist authority, or the prefix re is to go back.

Say this with me, say go back.

One thing keeps Israel from possessing the promised land, and that's the go back.

Don't go back.

Ten out of twelve were willing to go back to slavery.

God has a promise and purpose and plan for every Christian.

One thing hinders that plan, and that's the go back.

Look at your neighbor and say, Don't go back.

Listen to me, Luke 9.62 says this No man having his hand to the plow, looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.

Paul said, forgetting those things which are behind me, I press forth toward the mark of the prize of the high calling in God in Christ Jesus.

We press forward, we don't go backward.

God did not save you out of your old self so that you'd go back to your old self.

To go back is a problem.

But is it possible, church, that sinning is more comfortable than fighting for what's right.

Is it possible that we get comfortable?

Well, foresight, that vision is being able to visualize something that is not yet.

Hebrews 11:1 says, faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

Hebrews 11:1

There's people in this room today that have the potential to do things that we've never seen, that we've never thought of.

There's people in this room that have the potential to do things, create things, calculate things that we've never dreamed of yet.

But in order to be that kind of person, they have to have that vision with big faith.

Because 2 Corinthians 5 7 says, we walk by faith, not by sight.

And so faith puts foresight in the action.

That's the second point this morning.

Faith is required for the journey.

Caleb had foresight, but he also had great faith.

I was thinking this week about this.

Me and two of my cousins went on a ride together.

I think I was 17 or 18.

And there's these rides at theme parks, sometimes on boardwalks.

It's called a ripcord ride.

You ever seen this?

Great big archway, and it pulls you up 200 feet in the air.

And when you get to the top, they count you down and you fly.

Well, this sounded amazing from the ground.

And I'm like, I'm gonna do this with my two cousins.

And we get pulled up in a harness together.

I'm right there in the middle, right?

These two guys, bigger than me, and we start going up on this thing, and my brain starts connecting the dots once we start going.

I'm about 35 feet in the air, my heart starts kind of racing, and I'm and I'm remembering the things that I read.

90 miles per hour, 200 foot drop.

And I'm looking, I'm like, small, little cable.

The weight limit, 700 pounds, and I'm like trying to calculate.

Ooh, we're close.

And it says, count down from 10, and I'm the guy that's supposed to pull the cord.

And that's we're gonna, and it goes five, four, three, two, one, and I pause.

I'm like, and they're like, pull it, and I'm like, pull it.

My heart's beat.

I'm like, oh no, this thing's about to snap me into eternity, Lord.

Phew! God.

Well, I can tell you, I'm alive today.

But it took some faith.

When I look at them guys next to me, I was question the weight count.

Oh, it took some faith.

I'll tell you this, what a rush.

I'd do it again today, right now.

But I had to experience it to know.

It takes faith for this journey.

Well, how did Caleb have such a faith?

Letter A, Caleb sought God like no one else.

Look at Numbers 14, 24.

It talks about it.

Numbers 14, 24.

Look at what it says.

But my servant Caleb, because he has, what's that word in your Bible?

A different spirit in him, and has followed me fully.

I'll bring him into the land where he went, and his descendants shall inherit it.

I want you to turn to Joshua, if you got a second, over there to 14 and verse 14.

Joshua, his commander, his general, confirms in his writing, Joshua 14, 14, the inheritance of Caleb, the son of Jephunah the Kenizite, to this day is his because he holy, holy, that's fully followed the Lord God of Israel.

Caleb sought out God.

He sought him out like no other.

I can liken this to something.

I sought out Heather like no other.

Fact, I can tell you the truth of the story.

I tricked her into liking me.

I did.

I don't know what she was thinking the whole time, but once I seen her and I locked in, I knew what I wanted.

She was back and forth.

In fact, we were one day playing a game of truth or dare.

I straight up said it.

I said, I dare you to kiss me.

She didn't take me up on that dare.

It's a dare.

You have to do it.

No, wouldn't take me up on that.

We were riding together.

I think I was still semi-friend zone to her.

She was way out of that zone for me.

We're riding together, and I'm going for my shot.

I put on the boys to men' CD.

The chords hit on the piano.

I slide my hand into her hand.

First time.

She's in my truck with me.

And I'm like, oh, this song's going good.

And I'm just waiting.

I'm feeling the heat on my neck.

I'm like, and I look over at her.

Y'all, she is straight up fake sleeping.

I'm like, why is her hand so limp?

Give me something.

Straight up acting like she was asleep.

But I'm telling you what, I saw around holy.

I saw around fooly, and I can prove it worked.

You boys, let me tell you, just keep on.

I don't care if you're ugly, you just keep on.

You just persist.

You be funny.

Okay?

You just keep on.

Wholeheartedly, it says about Caleb.

Wholeheartedly.

The word holy, it means to fill as in filling a sail with all of the air.

Sails filled with all of the available air so that the boat can sail across waters with maximum speed.

Holy.

You see, Caleb sought God with every nerve, with every fiber, with every ounce that he was.

He wanted to be full and filled.

Why do we know this is so full?

Because it says he's different than anybody else.

He's different.

By the way, don't you want to be called wholehearted?

Parents?

Don't you want your kids to say, man, they were everything to me.

They gave it their all with me.

Husbands, wives, don't you want your husband to introduce you?

Ladies, man, my wife, she's amazing.

Wives?

I'm telling you, every husband here wants to be your hero.

Church leaders, don't you want them to say about your leadership?

Man, they were all in.

Raise your hand if you want your introduction to sound like this.

This is my wife.

She's pretty average.

This is my husband.

He's okay.

Y'all hearing me?

Nobody wants that.

They want to hear that they're fully in.

Caleb sought out God fully.

You see, here's how.

When they went into that land looking for vision, Caleb was seeking God.

And he looked at the land and he compared that land, those giants, to his God.

While others compared themselves to those giants.

It was a problem of comparison.

They looked at those giants and said, There's no way we can't do it.

And Caleb said, I'm he looked at his God and said, There's no way we can lose their bread.

Letter B.

Caleb sought out God a certain way.

Caleb showed up group logic.

Look at verse 31 through 33 in chapter 13.

But the man who had gone up with him said, We are not able to go up against the people.

They are stronger than we.

They gave the children of Israel a bad report of the land which they had spied out, saying, The land through which we have gone as spies is a land that devours.

We saw men of great stature, we saw giants from Anak.

And we were like grasshoppers in our own sight, and so in their sight.

And so we see that they give this report, this poor report.

They were panicked, and the first thing they look at is the size.

Let me tell you about the size myth.

The size myth says, we are not able.

They are stronger.

Look at their stature.

And don't miss this word.

It says, we were as grasshoppers.

This is low thinking.

This is no esteem.

This is nothing in our sight.

This is that fear and panic.

Ten of them over here.

There's no way.

We can't.

There's no way.

We can't.

We can't.

We can't.

You get enough of you can't in your life.

You're going to sit around being real depressed.

They had a size myth.

Caleb was showing that up.

He says, You're looking at the wrong thing.

I'm looking at my God, and let me tell you by his size, there's nothing like it.

You're looking at men, mere men.

Do you remember what we've heard and what we've seen of God's acts with the Israelites coming out of Egypt?

Have you forgotten all of his miracles?

Just like Lazarus.

Just like Paul and Silas.

Well, they had a science myth.

They also had a security myth.

The real problem is they didn't want to get into a fight.

They were afraid.

And fear made them forget.

James 4.14 says this, church, about our security.

Do you not know?

Do you know what will happen tomorrow?

What is your life?

It's a vapor, it's here for a little time and then it vanishes away.

You don't own, listen to me, church, you don't own one breath.

You don't know each day if your car is gonna hold up or if you're gonna be in a wreck.

You don't know if you'll have a stroke.

You don't know if a sniper's gonna come out and shoot somebody.

You don't know if something's gonna catch fire.

Life has not nor ever been in your hands.

And we live in a sea of uncertainty, and it starts over again every second.

Yet we attempt to live by man's logic, live by comfort, and it's a great enchantment.

If you believe that money has made you safe, you're lost.

It is a large mirage to think you have any control.

And the deception is tragic, let me tell you, that we should not take any risk for the cause of Christ.

That's the definition of risk.

You just define risk, denying the voice of the one who is in control.

He's hung every star, he's bented every breath that there's ever been, and not missed one moment in all of time.

Now you can grind away in your own effort, in your own strength, and let me tell you, you'll not get it accomplished in ten years what God can do in a moment.

In a moment.

Burning the boats, let me tell you, church, is not safe.

It's not about security, it's not about comfort.

But here's the bottom line: if God doesn't come through, we're gonna be through.

Two times in the Bible, Jesus is amazed at something.

It says he marveled twice in all of Scripture.

Pretty interesting, the creator that was there at the beginning of the universe, who was there at the right hand of God and seen everything that came out of nothing, he was amazed two times.

You think it's pretty important that we know about those two times?

Let me tell you what those two times are.

Luke 7, 3 through 9.

This is what it says.

A certain centurion servant who was dear to him was sick and ready to die.

So when he heard about Jesus, he sent elders of the Jews to him, pleading with him to come and heal his servant.

And when they came to Jesus, they begged earnestly, saying that the one for whom he should do this was deserving.

He loves our nation, he's built a synagogue.

Then Jesus went with them.

And when he was not far from this centurion's house, the centurion sent friends to him to stop him, saying, Lord, do not trouble yourself.

I'm not worthy that you should even enter my roof.

Therefore, I did not even think myself worthy to come to you, but say the word, and I know that my servant will be healed.

Verse 9, it says this Jesus heard these things, and he marveled at his faith.

Faith made Jesus go, Wow.

The God of all creation that has seen everything from history has stopped him in his train and he went, that's a centurion.

That's unbelievable.

He marveled at him and he turned around and said to the ground that followed, I say to you, I have not found such great faith.

They returned, and the servant was healed.

Let me tell you the second thing.

Mark 6, 5 through 6 says this.

Jesus was visiting a town.

It says, He could do no mighty work there, except he laid his hands on a few sick people and healed them.

Hear this.

He marveled because of their unbelief, their lack of faith.

If we read this right, there's a type of small faith that pauses the power of the living God.

There's a small faith that quenches the power of God.

May it never be said of CCW that we lack in faith that sees the power of God.

Great faith made him be marveled.

Small faith made him be marveled.

They have no faith.

It's unbelievable.

It's even affecting God's healing power in this town.

You think your faith matters?

Church, it matters.

Warren said this when God is doing something, he begins with difficulty.

When he's going to do something unbelievable, he begins with the impossible.

I want to tell you, whatever steps of faith God's calling you to, you're never going to regret it, church.

I've never heard a seasoned saint, a person who's lived a long life say, the worst thing I ever did, Pastor, the worst thing was I took a step of faith.

Oh, it was horrible.

Never heard that.

Never heard one person say, When God called me to do something and I did it, it was my biggest mistake.

I've yet to hear that.

Never heard somebody say, God told me to give and help, and what a big dummy I was.

James 2, 14 says this.

What does it profit a man if he says he has faith but has no works?

I will show you my faith by my works.

Caleb's faith was the kind that produced works, and that takes us to the third point this morning.

Fight is required for the journey.

Fight.

Are you willing to fight?

Look again in Numbers chapter 14, verse 29 and 30.

Numbers 14:29

It says, the carcasses of you who have complained against me, these are the ten.

And he says, Shall fall in this wilderness all of you who were out who were numbered according to your entire number from twenty years old and above, except for Caleb.

You see, Caleb stood out letter A in a gathering because he was willing to go and fight.

Going and fighting, burning the boats of low living.

I want you to tell you, church, that Satan wants you to live in the wilderness when the promised land is right there for you.

It's right within sight.

He wants you to settle in the wilderness.

I want you to see verse 31 through 33.

Right after that.

But your little ones, whom you said would be victims, I will bring in, and they shall know the land which you have despised.

But as for you, your carcasses shall fall in this wilderness, and your sons shall be shepherds in the wilderness forty years, and bear the brunt of your infidelity until your carcasses are consumed in the wilderness.

You have accepted wilderness living as normal and just adjusted your life to accommodate something that wasn't meant to be.

I want to tell you something, church.

If you don't possess what's yours, the enemy will possess it.

The enemy will possess your land.

He'll take your job, he'll take your house, he'll mess up your marriage, he'll mess up your kids, he'll mess up your free time, he'll take your money.

You've got to step in and take a fight.

As long as you're a spectator, the devil is good with you.

But faith requires that we have works.

You gotta be willing to see all hell break loose in a fight.

Benji, when you went to the hospital and it went into sepsis in your body, did the devil fight fair?

He didn't fight fair.

And you dedicated after that to go all in with the church at Chelsea Westover and help this church and help build this church.

And Benji and Sarah, after that, you had a little girl, a newborn baby, and she had gastrochesis.

When that happened, did the devil fight fair with you?

No.

For nine weeks, all hell broke loose.

Did the enemy fight fair?

No.

But did you fight?

Absolutely.

That baby fought.

When you're willing to get in a fight, guess what?

God will fight with you.

And that's what he was telling Caleb.

He'll fight with you.

Anytime, listen to me, church, anytime you try to do great for God, it's gonna bring a fight.

The enemy wants my land and he wants your land.

And it's not a nice fight.

Let me tell you, if somebody gets in my house, it's not gonna be a nice fight.

How about you?

If an enemy tries to get your family, you're gonna fight.

I hope you'll fight.

It's not gonna be a nice exchange of gentleman's affair with rules.

There's gonna be scratching and biting and clawing, and I'll poke somebody in the eyes.

It's gonna be kamikaze in my house, let me tell you.

I'm not trained, but I can go off and be breaking a knee.

Church, are you gonna sit there and let the enemy have your stuff?

Just hand it over.

See, the promises of God are within reach.

Your good family, your good name, your future that has a purpose are within reach.

But you gotta fight.

You better fight for your territory.

If you're not willing to fight, you can go ahead and pitch your tent in the wilderness.

You can pitch your tent toward temporary gain.

You can pitch your tent toward mediocrity.

Pinch your tent toward nothingness.

When has the three P's ever fulfilled somebody?

Pleasure, possessions, power.

When has it filled this heart?

Degrees have never filled somebody.

Looks.

Nobody's ever looked at the mirror and said, I'm enough.

I have arrived.

I am beautiful.

When has social media ever fulfilled somebody, but yet we spend a whole lot of hours of our day with it?

When did your hobbies?

Your team.

Have they called for your birthday yet?

When has it ever fulfilled somebody?

When has a pill or a drink ever fulfilled somebody?

It's never filled your heart.

Why?

The enemy has three objectives.

Steal, kill, destroy.

There's one secret for the promised land.

You've got a Jesus-sized hole in this heart.

And there's one thing that can fulfill you.

Nothing, nothing, nothing, church.

Nothing else fills a person.

Listen to me.

Not anything that you're going to take on in 2023 that's not Jesus is going to fulfill the need in your heart.

Nobody wanted that fight.

Except Joshua and Caleb.

Church, burn the boats and get in the fight.

Look what it says.

According to the number of the days in which you spied out the land, 40 days, for each day you shall bear your guilt one year, namely 40 years, you shall know my rejection.

Look down at verse 38.

But Joshua, the son of Nun, and Caleb, the son of Jephunnah, remained alive of the men who went to spy out the land.

Says this, you either gonna fight or you're gonna fall.

You are gonna fight or you're gonna fall.

The crowd who wouldn't fight wallowed, it says there, in their guilt and their rejection of God.

Forty years, one for each day of their spying.

Forty days they went into that land to get a vision.

They came back without, they came back with fear, and for their fear and their complaints, they got 40 years.

I'm gonna give away my message in a few weeks, but have you ever camped?

Have you ever camped for 40 days?

No shower?

No home?

Beans over a fire?

This is misery.

40 years.

They could get right in there with the land of milk and honey.

Listen, I'd rather be a bloody nose, one leg, fought a giant, and living than being comfortable living in the wilderness.

40 years.

It says they wallowed in their guilt.

Have you ever felt guilty, man?

Husbands, have you ever done something you knew your wife was ticked about?

An hour of the cold shoulder.

And I'm like, baby, what you need?

I'm sorry.

Forget it.

Look, how can look what I gotta do?

I know I was wrong.

Even if she was wrong, I know I was wrong for saying you were wrong.

I don't want that guilt.

I don't want that rejection.

God said, This is your promised land, and you forsook it.

I want you to turn to Joshua chapter 14.

Joshua 14 · chapter mention

I know we've been going back and forth, but you got to see different pieces.

At this point, Joshua 14, 6 through 12, Caleb has gone through his 40 years.

Look what it says.

Then the children of Judah came to Joshua and Gilgal, and Caleb, the son of Jephunah, the Ken Isite, said to him, You know the word which the Lord said to Moses, the man of God, concerning you and me.

He says this to Joshua in Kadesh Barneah.

I was 40 years old then, when Moses, the servant of the Lord, sent me from Kadesh Barnea to spot the land, and I brought back word as it was in my heart.

Nevertheless, my brethren who went up with me made the heart of the people melt, but I wholly followed the Lord my God.

So Moses swore on that day, saying, Surely the land where your foot has trodden shall be your inheritance and your children forever, because you've wholly followed the Lord my God.

And now, behold, the Lord has kept me alive, as he said, these forty-five years, ever since the Lord spoke this word to Moses, while Israel wandered in the wilderness.

And now here I am, eighty-five years old.

Listen what he says next.

As yet I am as strong this day as I was when I was forty.

Hope I could say that.

Just as my strength was then, so now is my strength for war, both for for going and coming in.

Now, therefore, give me this mountain of which the Lord spoke in that day.

You heard in that day how the Anakim, the giants were there, and that the cities were great and fortified.

It may be that the Lord will be with me, and I'll be able to drive them out, as the Lord said.

And Joshua blessed him.

Two important lines in that dialogue that he gives us.

Two secrets that a man could hold his wherewithal after 45 years.

Here's the secrets.

Verse 10, he said, Notice who he calls.

He says, The Lord has kept me.

I'm healthy today.

I'm of right mind.

The Lord has kept me.

Because I followed him holy.

I hope that when you're 80, you can say this the Lord has kept me.

I've plotted on and I've followed him no matter what the ten have done.

The world, the workforce, people in the family, no matter what they've done or said, I'm part of the chosen.

And I've followed him and he's kept me.

And verse, the next one he says, the next secret, he says, I'll go and fight.

You know why?

Because I believe that the Lord is with me.

85 years old.

He says, I've lived for the Lord and I've loved the Lord.

I have waited 45 years because of these rebellious people.

Let me have my mountain.

I can't wait to fight somebody.

Just let them try me.

He said, I'm gonna go in there and you're gonna see giants come out of this place running.

Giants are gonna be running from grandpa.

He said, Buckle up, boys, you're about to see a beatdown.

You know why?

Caleb a long time ago had burned the boats.

There was no plan B for him.

It was always, I'm all in, I'm wholehearted.

It's always him, it's always gonna be him.

It doesn't matter 40 years ago, wholehearted, fooly, it doesn't matter what everyone else says, it doesn't matter how culture changes, I am focused on my God.

A funny thing happened after Cortez leaned in and he said them three words.

He said, Burn the boats.

The men looked at each other and said, What?

He said, burn the boats, and they realized his message.

We're not getting out of this island without a fight.

We don't have an option of retreat.

We don't have an option of a fallback or a go back.

What they realized burned within them a commitment.

They burnt them boats and they went in.

The crazy thing that happened, outmanned, outgunned, they went in for war and they fought like never before.

No plan B.

They went in for a fight.

If they were gonna retreat, it was only one way on the enemy ships.

If they were leaving that island, this is what they came to.

There was no turning back.

So they moved forward, they summoned their faith and they fought.

And let me tell you what happened.

For the first time in over 600 years, the Aztec treasure was conquered and taken by Cortez and his men, changing their lives and their children's lives and the future and their grandchildren's lives.

It started with burning the boats.

Let me tell you something, church.

Your boat can be something that you love.

Not everything that you love is helping you.

Not everything is helping you move forward.

Burning the boats is unsafe.

It's vulnerable.

We're about to start 21 days of prayer and fasting today.

And when I think about that fast, some people are going to be faced with what is the thing that I love?

What is the thing that comforts me?

You know idolatry defined as this, the worship of someone or something as if it were God and it's not God.

So I want you to think about is there things in your life that are keeping you from God?

In 2023, what do you already have on the schedule?

Let me tell you some things about yourself.

What have you already purposed?

When you looked at your goals, what did you say to yourself?

I gotta get this, I gotta do this.

Can I ask you, what on your goal list was spiritual?

Did anybody say, I gotta get to more church?

Because I've been missing.

Did anybody say, I need to get deeper?

Did anybody say I gotta memorize some scripture?

Did anybody say, I need my children to get more of this God in me?

Or did you spit out finance goals, health goals, image goals, possession goals?

You see, your boat can be something that the world would look at and say it's good.

But I'm gonna tell you today, you might have a boat that you need to burn.

My teenage years, I did what the ten did.

I had a go back.

I was rebellious towards God's in some ways, and some people around me formulated an idea about my destiny because they had seen what I had been.

And I want to tell you today that I didn't stay what I had been.

I gave my heart to God, I made a decision, it changed my life, and I wasn't going back, even though the opinion of some people would have me say, You're not good enough.

You should never be a pastor.

Lord have mercy.

I'm telling you, there's people that I grew up with and tell her it'd be the last thing they ever thought would happen.

They had an idea about my destiny, and you know what?

I had to burn that boat.

I cannot be concerned about people's idea of what I should be, only what God wants.

God saw fit to do something for me, no matter what any man thought about my past.

He's so good.

So good.

God wants you to be what you're supposed to be, not what you're not.

By the way, the only other option to burning the boats is to plod along in the wilderness.

Boring living, missed destiny.

Caleb said, Do anything but rebel.

Do anything but go back.

Somebody needs to hear this today.

Your mess up is over.

Your bad year, it's over.

Your ten years ago, it doesn't define you.

It's over.

Don't go back.

You don't go back to slavery because you made a mistake.

Get back in the fight.

Why would we ever listen?

Oh, the enemy wants your ear, and he wants you to go round and round in circles.

40 years, one year per day, because of a lack of faith.

Willing to go back and be a slave to men instead of fight.

CCW.

Together, listen to me, we must not take one more day of just looking at the promised land.

I don't know exactly what God's gonna do in 2023, but I'm gonna tell you this.

We gotta be all in.

We gotta be all in.

We gotta burn the boats.

We're at the shore, we're on the brink.

God has called us to something, and we gotta say, let's chore!

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