Stay tuned for the latest message excerpt from JosephPrince.com
The enemy always comes when you are rested.
The enemy comes.
Go back to David's mighty men— I didn't forget.
2 Samuel 23:8- "These are the names of the mighty men whom David had: Josheb-Basshebeth
the Tachmonite."
He's a Tachmonite.
Now he's a tech guy, okay?
He's very good with IT and all that.
Now, "Tachmonite".
What's his name here?
His name is Josheb-Basshebeth.
"He was called Adino the Eznite, because he had killed eight hundred men at one time."
Can you imagine that?
Killing eight hundred men at one time?
What's his secret?
He accomplished so much in a short time!
It's in the name.
The Holy Spirit hides truths even in names.
These are the names of the mighty men.
This men led the rest (he was chief among the captains).
He's the first one mentioned.
Now, in your New King James Version, it says "Josheb-Basshebeth".
Actually, the King James Version gives you the name straight away.
This man, the Tachmonite that sat in the seat.
"Josheb-Basshebeth" means "the one who sat in the seat".
The one who sat in the seat will accomplish more than the one who doesn't.
The one who sat in the seat will accomplish much more than the one who doesn't.
And where you find in the Old Testament is killing 800, today the truth is we'll save
800.
One of the ways the devil works in your life is to bring worry, cares, concerns.
When you realize you are full of worry or you are full of care, stop in Jesus name.
Seize.
Be still.
And the word "be still" there is the word Rapha.
Rest.
Rapha is the etymology of the word Raphah for healing.
The root word of Rapha is Raphah with a hei.
And it means rest.
That verse that says: "Be still and know I am God"?
It means rapha.
Rest.
And know, in the midst of all this COVID-19 virus all over the world...
In the midst of all the financial famine looming near, God says: "Be at rest."
Seize.
Be still.
Rapha and know I am God.
Notice it is always "I am".
He's a very present help.
Just like Martha said to Jesus after she pushed Him to the past, she will say: "Lord, I know
that my brother will rise again in the last day."
Now she pushed Jesus to the future.
What did Jesus say?
"I am."
Not I was, not I will be.
I am.
He lives in a timeless zone.
Amen.
I am the resurrection and the life.
Amen?
Don't put Him in the past, don't put Him in the future.
I know I know the Lord did mighty miracles, even healings when He was on earth.
He went about doing good and healing all.
In the future, Pastor Prince, we also know that there will be no sick people in the millennium
and all that.
But NOW!
NOW is where we live!
And NOW is where He lives.
I am that I am, He says.
You know, if you neglect to feed your soul on the Word of God, you're opening yourself
up to an attack.
Give them Exodus 17:8- "Now Amalek came and fought with Israel in Rephidim."
Israel is Rephidim.
I was saying just now.. sometimes, you don't do anything wrong and you still are attacked!
It doesn't mean that people are attacked if they do something wrong.
Listen.
Rephidim means "resting place".
Rephidim means "resting places".
It's in the plural actually.
Israel was in a resting place.
And Amalek came.
Amalek comes from the word "Amal".
Amal means painful stressful labour.
It means stressful labour!
Amal came to attack.
Amen?
Amalek came to attack.
The enemy will come trying to push you into stressful labour.
Nothing wrong with labour.
Paul says: "I laboured more abundantly than they all, YET NOT I BUT THE GRACE OF GOD THAT'S
WITH ME."
But labour should not be painful labour.
Christ redeemed us when He sweat blood in the Garden of Gethsemane.
Alright, He redeemed us from the curse of Eden.
When God said to Adam: "By the sweat of your face, you will eat bread."
And because Jesus sweat blood.
There's a redeeming quality to Jesus' blood.
When His blood was shed, Jesus redeemed us from the curse of human sweat, the curse of
painful labour, stressful labour.
We labour but with no stress.
In Jesus name.
Hallelujah!
Amen.
Praise the Lord.
Now the word "fought" in Exodus 17:8 is the word "lacham".
Let me show you the word "lacham".
Lacham is spelt like this from right to left in Hebrew.
Lamed, chet, mem.
Lacham, say lacham.
It's the word fight.
The enemy comes to fight with you.
Usually in the Hebrew, the word is also the answer.
What's the answer for "fight"?
It's the word "lechem".
Same spelling!
Lechem means bread!
Feed!
Within the problem is the answer!
In the crisis, Christ is!
Amen?
Lacham- fight.
Lechem- feed.
When you feed, you are fighting.
Remember in Psalm 23, what does the Lord do for us?
In the midst of our enemies?
In the face of our enemies?
He prepares a table.
"Thou prepareth a table before me in the presence of my enemies."
Not the absence.
While your symptoms are still attacking your body.
While that financial problem is still staring at you in the face.
While your son is still under that addiction.
While you find yourself struggling with a sinful habit.
And you don't seem to find victory.
God says: "Don't feed only when you have the victory.
Feed in the presence of your enemies."
I prepare a table before you in the presence of your enemies.
One time I was meditating on Psalm 23 and this came to me.
I never realized!
Never heard anyone preach this.
But it came to me that when David spoke about the Lord at first, it was in the 3rd person.
"The Lord is my Shepherd."
Right?
Okay.
If I speak to you, it's in the 2nd person.
Am I right?
I'm the 1st person, 2nd person, 3rd person (when I speak about somebody else).
Notice when David talks about the Lord, He is talking to someone!
David is saying: "The Lord is my Shepherd.
He makes me to lie down in green pastures.
He leads me beside the still waters.
He restores my soul.
He leads in the paths of righteousness for His name's sake."
Now watch this, David is about to go through the valley now.
When a trial is before you.. you are going through a trial right now and you're going
through a valley of darkness.
You're going through a trial.
The whole world is going through a trial now.
I'm talking about you now.
Whatever trials you are going through right now.. notice the prayer changes!
I never realized that!
Never heard anyone preach this.
For years, I never saw that.
Until one day, I was meditating on it.
And the Lord showed me this: When it comes to a trial, you no longer talk to your friend
about Jesus.
You talk to Him straight.
Instead of saying: "He makes me lie down, He restores my soul.", you say this now: "Ye
thou I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil because You
are with me."
Notice now it is the 2nd person.
"Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil.
My cup runs over."
Maybe.
Maybe just for a while, with all these social distancing, we are no longer looking to men.
We are looking to the Lord.
And that's where our answer comes from.
And what does He do?
The very first thing?
"You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil and my cup runs over."
HALLELUJAH!
Amen.
"Surely goodness and mercy will follow me."
Amen?
So when you are going through a trial, talk to Him!
By the way, the word "lecham" means to fight and "lechem" means bread.
We know that this speaks a lot of the Communion.
As we partake, we are also battling.
But also, during this time, the way you fight is to spend more time in the Word.
Listening to the word of God.
Amen.
Tuning in to the podcast.
I don't know if people listen to the podcast anymore but listening online.
Just listen to the Word, amen?
Praise the Lord.
And make sure that it is the word that's based on scripture and is Christ centred.
Amen?
The only way out of this is to eat your way out.
Eat your way out of your trial.
Eat your way out to the other side.
A larger space.
A wealthier place.
A bigger place that God has for you
Can I have a good amen?