You Have A Reputation Pastor Steven Furtick

Everyone in here has a reputation and everyone in here

has a reason to believe that God cannot use you

in your current state. Yet it was remarkable to me

that God used Rahab in Joshua chapter two as the

gateway to the land that he promised to his people.

And he used her before he delivered her. Because I

thought for God to use Rahab, she'd have to quit

her job. And I thought for God to use me,

I'd have to be completely free of the addiction. And

God does want to set me free, but his faithfulness

is greater than my bondage or my brokenness. Can I

show you in the text? She says, she says. We've

heard about you. We've heard about you. You have a reputation.

So now a woman with a reputation is telling the

men of Israel about their reputation. Because sometimes your enemy

knows more about God's plan for you than you do.

Some of us, the devil believes in our destiny more

than we do. And you know how you can tell?

The way he's been attacking you. The things he's been

bringing against you. The devil doesn't waste artillery over anybody

that doesn't threaten him. Now life is hard for all

of us. Please don't hear me saying that your flat

tire is because you're going to be the next Billy Graham.

But what I am saying is that in this passage...

God uses Rahab, who was technically an enemy of the Israelites.

You got to remember, she was not one of them.

And he uses somebody who is technically an enemy to

inform them of their destiny. I wonder if God has

been trying to get an announcement through to you about

the plan that he has for you, but he hasn't

been doing it through your friends. He's been doing it

through your fights. And the reason that you're fighting. Maybe

it's for one person. And if it's just for one person.

You can receive this word for yourself. And maybe you're

not even at this campus. Maybe you're watching online. But

maybe the attack was an announcement.

That God has got you on the edge of the promise.

And now is no time for you to turn back.

She said. She said, we've heard about you. I wonder,

has your enemy heard about you? Because one time in scripture,

the Bible says that there were these Jewish priests and

they were called the seven sons of Siva. And they

wanted the ability to lay hands on people like they

saw Paul lay hands on people. And they were like, hey, man,

that's cool. Maybe we could do it. Maybe we could

make some money off of that. Maybe we could use

that power to make a profit. And when they went

to do it, it was a crazy thing that happened

because one of the demons that was looking at these

seven sons of Siva said back to them, hey, wait

a minute. You're talking about Jesus. We know Jesus. You're

talking about Paul. We know Paul. But who are you?

I'll get paid to argue with you. Who are you?

I don't even know your name. Some of you are like,

I don't understand all this preaching about attack. That's because

the devil doesn't even know your name. Who are you?

Does the enemy know who you are? The devil knew

Job's name because when he came before God and he said, hey,

I've been going around the earth and I've been messing

with people. And God said, have you tried Job? Job

is special to me. Job is so faithful and trustworthy

that you can test him and try him and I

can trust him with trouble. And if you tempt Job,

he will not sin against me. So when the enemy

had touched Job's family and touched Job's cattle and touched

Job's oxen and touched Job's house and was still unable

to make Job deny God, he came back to God

and said, let me go another round. You haven't let

me touch him yet. And God said, you can do

anything you want, but you can't take his life. Somebody shot.

I'm still here. Been through some things, but I'm still here. Now,

even when his body was covered with boils and Job

was in so much pain that even his own wife said, God,

you know, God has obviously left you. There's no need

for you to continue to play this game like God

is good. When it's obvious that he isn't, why don't

you curse God and die? And Job said, what, shall

I receive good from the hand of God and not

evil from the hand of God? And, you know, it's

a funny thing about Job because the Bible says that

in all this, he did not charge God with wrongdoing.

In other words, he did not let his circumstances alter

God's reputation because he had a relationship. In other words,

you can't make me doubt him.

I know too much about him. He's been good to me.

It doesn't feel good right now. It's been a while

since I felt his presence, but I.

Know he's with me. See, my reputation with God is

not based on what I go through or what I

get from him. It's based on relationship. And you can't

tell me he's not a healer. And you can't tell

me he's not a provider. And you can't tell me

he's not a way maker. I've seen him do it.

And he chooses who he wants to choose. And he

does what he wants to do. And he uses who

he wants to use. Even a prostitute. Named Rahab. And

in case you think I'm making too much of this.

Old Testament scripture. Would it interest you to know. That

in the New Testament. Rahab is mentioned by name as well.

Oh yeah. In Matthew chapter 1. Known as the genealogy

Matthew 1 · chapter mention

of Jesus. Where the writer takes time to tell us.

That there were 14 generations. And then 14 more. And

then 14 more. And this is the part of the Bible.

That most of us skip. Because it's a bunch of names.

That are unfamiliar to us. And it says. Begot and begot.

And begot and begot. But some of those begots are

a blessing. A blessing. Some of the stuff you skip

will really bless you if you slow down and look

at it. And I got blessed because I usually skip

to verse 18 where it mentions the name of Jesus.

But I slowed down and read the names in Matthew

Matthew 1 · chapter mention

chapter 1. And the writer told me that Salmon, the

father of Boaz, whose mother was Rahab. See, in order

to get to Jesus, you have to go through Rahab.

In order to get to the prince of peace, you

have to go through the prostitute. If you're tracing the

family line of Jesus, okay, his ancestry.com will lead you

to Rahab's house. And just in case you think that

this is a unique incident in Matthew chapter one, perhaps

we should visit Hebrews chapter 11. This scripture is commonly

Hebrews 11 · chapter mention

called the hall of faith. It lists some of the

heroes that you would be familiar with. And some of

the mighty exploits that they did for God during their lifetime.

Many of the people that we mention and teach about

in Sunday school. Or many of the people that we

idolize in our Bible classes. And many of the historic

turning points of the nation of Israel's faith are listed

in Hebrews 11. Where it says, by faith, verse 29.

The people passed through the Red Sea as on dry land.

But when the Egyptians tried to do so, they were drowned. See,

God doesn't bring you into deep waters to kill you.

He brings you into deep waters because he knows your

enemies can't swim. And our trials are where God brings

our doubts so that we really have to deal with

them beneath the surface and decide whether or not we

will believe even through our doubts. And the Egyptians drowned

because by faith, verse 30, the walls of Jericho fell

after the army had marched around them for seven days.

By faith, the prostitute Rahab, because she welcomed the spies,

was not killed with those who were disobedient. And what

more shall I say? I don't have time to tell

about Gideon, Barak, Samson, and Jephthah. about David and Samuel

and the prophets. Now, wait a minute. You don't have

time to talk about David, the king, but you had

time to talk about Rahab, the prostitute. And God said,

that's right, because I don't choose people like you choose people.

Some of the people that I want to use are

people whose names you don't even know. God doesn't use

people who have a reputation with people. God uses people

who have a reputation with him. By faith, the walls fell. Hey,

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