AMEN: Undisputed and Nonnegotiable - Jarrod Gillihan
Amen, a customary statement at the end of a prayer or during preaching to express our agreement with what is said and the hope that it will take place. But, AMEN is so much more than just a statement.
AMEN is an attitude, a posture, a way of life.
AMEN is a response that unlocks the abundance of Heaven.
AMEN is our resounding YES to all that God says. It is also a resounding YES from God to his children.
AMEN is our emphatic agreement with all that God has said that He will do.
AMEN is never a negotiation and we have to be on constant guard against letting it become so because the Enemy is not only a liar, but he is also a manipulative negotiator. He The exodus of the Israelites from Egypt gives us a great example of how this process will and should play out. When you enter into spiritual warfare for your life, your health, your job, your family, your church, fill in the blank, you can expect resistance. To begin, you need to understand who your are in Christ and hold your ground.
AMEN requires us to be bold.
God spoke to Moses. Moses knew that God had chosen him to liberate the Israelites from Egypt and lead them out into freedom. Pharaoh is the embodiment of the Enemy in our lives. He held all dominion over the Israelites and they were his slaves. He was the most powerful man in the world at this point in time. So, what would you expect him to do when an old shepherd shows up one day and tells him to let God’s people go. Not too surprisingly, he says no. Not just no, but an emphatic no!
Exodus 5:2 But Pharaoh said, “Who is the Lord that I should obey His voice to let Israel go? I do not know the Lord, and besides, I will not let Israel go.”
The enemy’s first response is always no. If his mission to steal, kill, and destroy your life, then you can bet that he’s not just going to roll-over and walk away the first time you engage him. So, Moses tells him again to let God’s people go and this time, he doesn’t just say no. He also doubles their work! We have all experienced how, when we begin to push forward for the things that God has for us, the enemy pushes back and things get harder.
Your sickness develops a new symptom.
You get into another fight with your spouse.
You have a new mechanical failure.
Recognize that this is the first stage of the fight you have entered into. The enemy will attempt a “shock and awe” approach to quickly overwhelm your enthusiasm and faith. The enemy isn’t taking you seriously.
AMEN requires us to encourage ourselves.
When you are believing for God’s deliverance in your life and aligning yourself with all Heaven has promised, you can’t tuck tail and run when you hear “no” from your circumstances. We push forward in the battle, continually declaring what the Word of God says over our lives. Be prepared because, in this phase, the enemy will change tactics and it is critical that you continue to encourage yourself with God’s Word in His Spirit.
We can see in the scripture that as God began to rain down plagues upon Egypt for not releasing his people that Pharoah continues to harden his heart against God. But he also starts to do something interesting. He starts to waffle on releasing the Israelites. Three different times Pharoah agrees to let them go only to reverse course and deny their release as soon as the current plague is past.
Exodus 8:8 & 15 Then Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron and said, “Entreat the Lord that He remove the frogs from me and from my people; and I will let the people go, that they may sacrifice to the Lord.”... But when Pharaoh saw that there was relief, he hardened his heart and did not listen to them, as the Lord had said.
Exodus 8:28 & 32 Pharaoh said, “I will let you go, that you may sacrifice to the Lord your God in the wilderness; only you shall not go very far away. Make supplication for me.”... But Pharaoh hardened his heart this time also, and he did not let the people go.
Exodus 9:27-28 & 34-35 Then Pharaoh sent for Moses and Aaron, and said to them, “I have sinned this time; the Lord is the righteous one, and I and my people are the wicked ones. Make supplication to the Lord, for there has been enough of God’s thunder and hail; and I will let you go, and you shall stay no longer.”... But when Pharaoh saw that the rain and the hail and the thunder had ceased, he sinned again and hardened his heart, he and his servants. Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, and he did not let the sons of Israel go, just as the Lord had spoken through Moses.
You will notice that in each of these circumstances, Pharaoh agreed to let them go because he was suffering. He wanted relief. As soon as he got it, he rescinded the release. I know that we have all experienced this. You find yourself in the middle of a spiritual battle for God’s goodness in you life or someone elses and you get signs that you have won the battle, only to find out that it wasn’t the case. I don’t know about you, but when I experience this, it has the tendency to ramp up my anxiety and sense of hopelessness but instead I need to get excited because the enemy is suffering from the blows that I am raining down upon him! He has begun to shift tactics because he has to do something! He knows he can’t refuse the Word of the Living God! So, don’t get discouraged in this stage of the fight!
Sometimes, this will happen multiple times and it can drive us to despair if we look at it incorrectly. This is not the enemy toying with a powerless fighter. This is the enemy shifting to try and find a toehold because his defeat is imminent.
AMEN requires us to be non-negotiable.
This may be the hardest phase of the battle. The negotiation stage. When the enemy begins to lose ground, he will begin to offer you an imitation blessing, less than the full Amen.
Once again, we look to Egypt. When the plague of locusts and the plague of darkness descend on Egypt, Pharoah attempts to negotiate a compromise. After the locusts, he agrees to let the men only leave to worship God. Thankfully, Moses refuses. After darkness, he allows all the people but not the livestock and animals. Again, Moses refuses.
We see this in our own lives when, for example, we are battling a sickness and praying for healing, but the battle has been long and we are tired. Suddenly, we have a breakthrough and see some actual progress. Unfortunately, many times, we accept this partial relief as what Heaven has for us and we simply stop fighting. I want to encourage you today to keep fighting. These negotiations come right before the final curse when Pharaoh breaks and the Israelites are freed! Don’t settle for the partial win because you are about to win it all! Cherish the ground that you have taken and praise God for it but don’t stop fighting for the full and complete deliverance of the Lord. Because we don’t serve a God of partial blessings.
Ours is a God that leaves the 99 to rescue the one. He isn’t satisfied with some. He wants all and so should we. We should settle for nothing less than the whole, complete deliverance of the Lord!
Moses said to let the people go. - Pharaoh said “no”
Moses asked again. - “No”
Changed a staff to a serpent. - “No”
Turned the Nile to blood. - “No”
Plague of frogs. - “Maybe. Mmmm, No!”
Plague of gnats. - “No”
Plague of flies. - “Maybe. Mmmm, No!”
Pestilience. - “No.”
Boils - “No”
Hail - “No”
Locusts - Okay, maybe some of you!
Darkness - Okay, but not the animals!
Death - GET OUT!
Go through the scripture. We get fixated on the 10 plagues but you will notice the Moses actual demands the release of Israel 12 times! 12 demands and 12 tribes! This is no coincidence! God demanded the release one time for each tribe! He wasn’t going to be satisfied with some of his people, He wanted all!
Mark 8:22-25 And they came to Bethsaida. And they brought a blind man to Jesus and implored Him to touch him. Taking the blind man by the hand, He brought him out of the village; and after spitting on his eyes and laying His hands on him, He asked him, “Do you see anything?” And he looked up and said, “I see men, for I see them like trees, walking around.” Then again He laid His hands on his eyes; and he looked intently and was restored, and began to see everything clearly.
Genesis 15:13-14 God said to Abram, “Know for certain that your descendants will be strangers in a land that is not theirs, where they will be enslaved and oppressed four hundred years. But I will also judge the nation whom they will serve, and afterward they will come out with many possessions.
When you get to the end and your almost there, just keep your eyes on Jesus because your deliverance is coming! If you’ve been discouraged or settled then stand to your feet and lets press into him.