This is “Stop Hiding, Start Living”. In seasons of hurt and offense, it is tempting to retreat inside a proverbial cave. But what appears to be a shelter, quickly turns into a prison. In this message, Jentezen Franklin teaches you to tackle unforgiveness head on and put Jesus’ words into action, “Forgive them, for they know not what they do.”
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friends and partners of Kingdom
connection and when I decide with the
right attitude what I’m going through is
not going to take me down it’s gonna
take me up I’m not just going to grow
roots of rejection and roots of of a
fence and roots that make me hate God
and bitter against God a root of
bitterness I’m not gonna be bitter
against people and I’m gonna bear
freed-up he says I’ll do exceedingly
seems like that when people are afraid
they look for a cave to hide in the
first reference of a cave in the Bible
is when lot came out of Sodom and
Gomorrah he had obeyed God he had done
what God told him to do but once he got
outside because his wife turned and
turned back was turned into a pillar of
salt the Bible said that he began to
waver in his faith he began to question
the decision that he made he became
depressed afraid discouraged and he
found a cave at Zoar and he went in it
and he got drunk in that cave his world
was caving in and he found a dark place
because he was afraid and he was worried
and he was defeated fear will drive you
in a cave fear is faith in the enemy
fear is false evidence appearing real
fear is a dark room where you develop
your negatives fear will paralyze us
from our purpose fear will blur our
reality of a living powerful God fear
will cause the devil to have a
square-dance
he loves it when you become fearful and
enter into a cave of fear worried
depression darkness and discouragement
it seems like over and over and over in
the Bible when people were in trouble
when God’s people the Israelites were
being invaded by the Philistines or some
other alien nation that they would run
the Bible says of Gideon’s time that the
people of God hid themselves in the
caves and in the dens in fear and
trembling the normal reaction when
people are afraid is to hide in a cave
the same is true for us today
of course not a physical cave but there
are emotional caves and caves of
depression in caves of isolation that
when we get hurt when something happens
we we retreat and we cave go in cave in
and go into that dark place live there
isolated among ourselves there are two
great dangers about caves
Joshua 10 and verse 16 tells the story
of how that Joshua defeated five armies
but the five kings of those armies went
in hid in a cave and when Joshua heard
that they were hiding in the cave he
commanded that a large stone be rolled
in front of the cave now I want you to
listen carefully because the hiding
place has now transformed into a prison
if you retreat and hide in a cave long
enough it’ll become a prison now the
hiding place was a prison I know what it
is to be hurt I know what it is to go
through hard things and rejection all of
us do but the enemy wants you to take
what has happened and go into a hiding
place and if you don’t get over it and
if you stay offended and hurt then that
hiding place will become more than a
hiding place emotionally for you it will
become a prison and once it becomes a
prison here’s the critical thing then
there came a time when Joshua called
them out and he hung those five kings
and then he did something strange he
took their bodies and threw it in the
same cave notice that if you don’t come
out of the place of past hurt it’ll
become a prison and after if you stay
there long enough it won’t just become a
prison but it’ll become a grave if you
don’t let go of what happened
the cave will become a grave if you
carry an unforgiving spirit an
unforgiving attitude an unforgiving
mouth because that’s where it shows up
then it will become a grave to God’s
plan to God’s purpose it’ll become a
grave to relationships it’ll become a
grave to your dreams and the call of God
on your life
Obadiah feared the Lord greatly the
Bible said and he took in the time that
Jezebel and Ahab were killing all of the
prophets he hid a hundred of them in a
cave and Elijah showed up and said what
are you doing in the cave Elisha had a
different attitude
he said the preachers in a time when sin
is rampant in our nation why are the
where’s the preachers and they said Shh
we’re in a cave Elisha understood that a
silent preacher is no better than a dead
one when a nation is in a crisis we
can’t afford to be so diplomatic that we
don’t disturb our generation by
preaching the truth in a dark and dying
world Elijah says y’all can stay in the
cave if you want to but God has not
called me to live in a cave I’m going to
confront a hand and he went and
confronted a hab and he said meet me on
Mount Carmel and the four hundred
prophets of Vail go up to Mount Carmel
and Elijah prays and the God who answers
by fire sent fire and consumed the altar
and he slew the false prophets
started revival in the nation a cave can
be an attitude a cave can be an
intimidation afraid those prophets were
afraid and fearful they were intimidated
at the name Jezebel and they have God is
calling us in this hour to not live in
caves of fear live in caves of worry and
dark depression but to come out of that
cave before that cave becomes a prison
and that prison becomes a grave we
cannot afford to live in a cave
Moses was called to bring God’s people
out of Egypt and he felt the stirring of
that call when he saw an Egyptian
beating an Israelite and he got involved
and accidentally killed the Egyptian and
he was shoved out so to speak into the
wilderness and there he lived in a cave
as a shepherd and there’s a scripture
that says these very words after 40
years he had resolved in his mind I
tried and I failed and I’m not going to
try anymore he was living in a cave a
cave and the scripture said that he made
this statement the Bible says he was
content after 40 years of shepherding he
gave up on the call gave up on the dream
gave up on the purpose that God had on
his life and he became content I want to
tell you a cuss word in Christianity is
content the moment you become content
that ought to be like a cuss word to
Christians it ought to be foul language
you can never afford to enter into the
cave of contentment that says I don’t
want anymore just leave me alone let
somebody else do it I’m fine to come to
church but I don’t want anymore from God
he settled down he said let somebody
else do it
let somebody else fight that battle I’m
tired I’ve tried to bring unity and
peace and nothing happened but while
he was in that cave just before his cave
became a grave to his purpose and his
destiny God lit up a bush God sent a
fire and that fire purged his spirit I
am here today to say to you that you got
to come out of that cave a failure come
out of that cave of sadness come out of
that cave of sorrow come out of that
cave of an unforgiving spirit come out
of it you’re called the greater things
and higher things than to isolate
yourself and leav less than what God has
planned for your life I guess what I’m
trying to say to you is I want you to
come out of the cave the cave is what
the enemy wants to become a prison and
then the cave will become a grave to all
that God has for you and we’re not
called to live in caves caves get
emptied of their occupants when Jesus
shows up in John chapter 11 Lazarus was
bound hand and foot dead three days and
put in a cave and they had put the stone
in front of the cave but Jesus walked up
to the cave and said Lazarus come forth
and I believe God has sent me today to
those of you watching by television to
those of you in Gwinnett to those of you
here in Gainesville Spartanburg Orange
County wherever you’re watching this on
the internet I hear the Lord say speak
it and I’ll back it up it’s time for you
to come out of the cave the past hurts
it’s time for you to come out of the
cave of fear and intimidation to do what
God has called you to do and he’s saying
come out of the cave because I’ve got
life for you
I’ve got freedom for you what gives
Christianity power to transform lives is
Jesus wouldn’t stay in here
Cave everybody take a praise break if
he’s brought you out hallelujah
when Jesus came out of that cave he had
the keys of death and of hail that’s why
that addiction can’t hold you because he
has the keys he unlocks prison doors and
he rolls stones away and he calls the
dead back to life your marriage doesn’t
have to live in a cave or past her
somebody made a stupid choice somebody
did something dumb
somebody messed everything out and the
enemy wants you to live in that cave of
hurt that cave of anger that cave of
bitterness but Jesus is saying come out
of the cave it’s over I decree a new
thing in your life and you can be healed
from the pain of the past get out of
that cave the power of the church is an
empty cave an empty tomb I think that
the story of Gideon is so critical
because God called him when he was in a
cave I love that about God he doesn’t
wait until we get strong to whisper
great dreams in our year he doesn’t wait
until we got tons of money and power
when he says you’re gonna do this and
I’m not it’s going on he tells you when
you’re in your dark cave he whispered to
Gideon you are a mighty man of Valor you
know what you need when you get a word
from hell you need a word from heaven
and he’s in the cave and he’s afraid and
God calls he says you are a mighty man
of Valor and he’s sitting in a cave
trembling God does not speak to present
pain he speaks to future potential
there’s something that I noticed about
that story that I’ve never seen before
the Bible said the Gideon sent home all
of those who were afraid and he was with
300 men and God said tell them to take a
lamp
a glass pitcher with a torch a light and
a trumpet surround the enemy and when I
tell you break the glass let the light
shine and blow the trumpet and then
shout listen what he said shout the
sword of the Lord and Gideon what’s
wrong with that story Gideon didn’t have
a sword the Bible just told you all he
had was a torch a glass pitcher and a
trumpet but God said there’s going to be
victory it’s coming out of the cave and
a bunch of cave people are going to come
out of what they’ve been hiding in and
they’re going to go out and I’m going to
give them a victory by the sword of the
Lord and the sword of Gideon here’s what
I want you to understand and in Jewish
fault it means this that the Word of God
is a two-edged sword and when it goes
out of God’s mouth that’s that’s a sword
with one edge but what you say is the
two-edged sword so the point is simply
this you have to speak what God says if
you’re going to come out of the cave and
do what God says you got to speak what
he speaks it’s got an edge and it’s the
sword with an edge when he speaks it but
what makes it a two-edged sword is when
you speak what he speaks so I just
simply say what God says I am the
righteousness of God in Christ Jesus
I am the head and not the tail above
only and not beneath I am blessed I am
highly favored coz God said it and
that’s one sword but when I say it it’s
a two-edged sword and the Lord is going
to give victory by the sword of the Lord
and Gideon what do you say you need to
say in all of these things we are more
than conquerors through Christ you need
to say when you’re in your darkest cave
I’m coming out God has not called me to
a spirit of fear but he has called me to
higher ground and I have the sword of
the Lord and the sword of Jennsen and I
refuse to let the enemy get me to talk
something different than what God is
saying I am free I am delivered I am
clean I am holy
I am a child of the Most High God
somebody thank him that there’s power to
get you out of the cave when this book
gets in your mouth
and I just feel like there’s a lot of
people who’ve been held captive in caves
a past her isolation divorce mistrust
deceit lies somebody hurts you so deeply
that you caved in and you’ve been there
a long time
grief hurt and while you were there
maybe even bankruptcy you failed so just
live in that cave and become content
with a lesser life that is not God’s
will for you God’s will for you if
you’re a widow if you’ve been divorced
if you’ve been bankrupt if you’ve been
hurt if you’ve been broken God’s will
for you is not to live in the pain of
the past make that cave a prison and
sooner or later that cave will become a
grave for you your hope your dreams your
joy will die in that cave
that has become a grave but I hear the
Lord saying call them out tell all the
cave dwellers come out come out wherever
you are
roll the stone away take the death
clothes off get a smile back on your
face stand up on your hind legs and say
I will live and not die and declare the
way I feel the Holy Ghost in this place
right now I really do I’m not about to
die in the cave enemy tried to put me I
won’t be intimidated
Cavin of addiction Cave of unforgiving
spirit never gonna speak to anybody
again trust anybody again come out this
is your deliverance day we serve the one
who says I am the resurrection and the
life he that believeth in me shall never
die that cave cannot hold you because
there’s an empty cave in Jerusalem it
says you can come up and you can come
out and you can live again
stand to your feet every head bowed
every eye closed no one moving please
paster you’re preaching to me and I’d
like to get right with God today if
that’s you boldly lift your hand right
where you’re standing boldly all over
this room there they go all over this
room boldly lift your hand right where
you’re standing up in the balcony lift
it high and unashamed
there and gwinnett lift it high and
unashamed because this is the power that
will bring you out of that cave a past
shame and guilt no more excuses it’s
time to come out every one of you that
raised your hand first I want you to get
out here they come cup your hands
because they’re coming out of the grave
they’re coming out of the cave they’re
coming out of the addiction they’re
coming out of the shame they’re coming
out of the fear they’re coming out of
the darkness they’re coming out of the
depression coming out of the worry
better weightily of life than fear and
word
a Spain
we’re gonna pray this prayer and I tell
you on the authority of God’s Word that
when you say what he said already the
heel back it up so pray this prayer say
it from your heart and God will hear
your words you’re important you’re
highly valued by God
very very highly valued we live in a
world that devalues us sin tries to
humiliate and devalue us but Jesus
values you greatly greatly
every person has high value to God every
person somebody needs to hear that that
cave of insecurity that you’ve lived in
you’re coming out of it pray this prayer
everybody out loud
Lord Jesus I give you my life I thank
you that what you did on the cross was
you nailed my sins and my shame to that
cross and your blood washed it all away
and now I am forgiven and then when you
rose from that borrowed cave
you gave me the power to get up and come
out of my cave a past shame and guilt so
I come out in Jesus name I am forgiven I
am Alive again I was dead but now I’m
alive I was blind but now I see I was
lost but now I’m found and I am free in
Jesus mighty name now give him a great
shout of praise when you see that there
are no more palm trees no more trees no
more Gardens there goats are gone the
cows are gone everything that they have
is gone and then just think in about two
months from now when it really hits how
bad is going to be even worse now you
will start seeing typhoid and cholera
and disease and today we stopped we saw
a guy drinking water right off the
street running down the street where
people are defecating it is it is
critical that water comes here that food
continues to come here not just one time
but it’s going to take a lot of
humanitarian effort and and they need
help here and so we’re just here to try
to give them a shoulder and and a hand
and thank those of you who have helped
us bring food here but it has to keep on
coming all this month we’ve been sharing
about the devastation that occurred in
Haiti due to Hurricane Matthew this past
October 145 mile an hour winds destroyed
homes and entire villages it left over a
thousand people dead and they need our
help today the UN officials have
described the storm’s aftermath as being
similar to a nuclear bomb in 2009 we
began feeding the poor and the starving
with 270,000 meals a month
now more than ever we have the
opportunity to help these desperate
children and people in Haiti I believe
God has strategically positioned us to
be the hands and the feet of Jesus to
these precious people we’re asking for
any and everyone who can help us to join
and purchase more food to send to Haiti
as well as two trucks that will
transport the food to some of the most
desperate and remote areas where
children and families have been left and
forgotten if God speaks to your heart
today I want you to be a blessing to
someone in need
father I pray you’ll speak to your
people today and that we will not forget
that even though the storm is over the
hurt and the need and the hunger is real
speak to your people and let us be your
hands and your feet to the precious
people of Haiti in Jesus name thank you
my announcer is going to tell you what
you can do to be a part of this amazing
rescue effort in the aftermath of
Hurricane Matthew the people of Haiti
are in desperate need of emergency
supplies and food it is because of
generous partners just like you that we
have been on the ground delivering these
life-saving items and food to the
hardest hit hardest to reach and most
desperate villages of Haiti but we need
your help to reach more of those who are
in need with your gift of $30.00 or more
this month we will send you jetson
Franklin’s newest to CD series finding
your way in the storm including two CD
messages an accompanying study guide and
a specially handcrafted Haitian bracelet
your support this month is critical for
more information on how you can help
please visit Jentezen Franklin dot o-r-g
or call us at 888 eight eight eight
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