The Oxford English Dictionary defines intimidation as: to render timid; to inspire fear; to discourage; or, suppress by threatening.
Like other strongholds people battle intimidations, however most do not confront the source of it or even realize that there is actually a source. Some battle intimidations by going to counselors and learning to cope and function with their intimidations. If they are “lucky” they will find a psychologist that will prescribe some sort of happy pill. They don’t have to learn anything, just take a pill and their issues go away. While others withdraw into isolations. The bottom line the church, as a body, and as an institution, suffers from those who are living in intimidation. Things aren’t getting done because of it.
Tonight, I want to share how intimidation comes about and the consequences of those who yield to it.
Let’s look at now how does intimidation come about. There are 4 basic ways intimidation happens.
ONE. Through WORD CURSES. Word curses are something spoken over you by someone. There was a saying when I was in elementary that I am sure everyone has heard, “Sticks and stones can break your bones, but words will never hurt you.” In actuality, they can. Depending who says them, become word curses. Especially someone in significant – like a mother or father or a teacher or spouse. Even your peers.
Second basic intimidation occurs is THROUGH YOUR OWN PERCEPTION ON YOUR SELF. I’ve learned three secrets to overcoming low self-esteem. Want to know what they are? The first one is, to stop the negative self-talk. Even though, word curses and rejection can play a large row in low self-esteem, it is what you say and speak into your own life can do just as much damage. You too, can bring forth word curses on your life, just like someone else can.
If you would have told me a year or six months ago that I would be up in front of you, I probably would think you were crazy.
The Bible is full of scriptures of who you are in Christ. Start memorizing them, but more importantly mediate on them. Get them from your head to your heart. John 1:12 Says, “Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave us the right to become children of God.” Roman 8:11: “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”
Think about it for a moment. The God of most high accepts us as His own child without any condemnation because the price that Jesus paid on the cross for our sins. I challenge everyone to get a good Bible Concordance or do a search on the Internet for the “Who you are in Christ” Bible verses and take each one of them and spend time memorizing them and letting them sink in your heart. The key again, is not to just memorizing them, but accepting them as truth as face value as a word from God to you. The scripture doesn’t mean anything unless you believe and speak them in your life.
The second secret I have learned about overcoming self-esteem is to like your self. Do a soul search and honestly ask yourself, “Do you really like your self?” Of course, it is easy to say you do, but take a look deeper down into yourself. When you look in the mirror do you like your self from the physical and internally. Jesus told us to love neighbors like we love ourselves. If you don’t like yourself, how can you expect to like anyone else and you are also opening yourself up to a whole can of demons.
The third secret I have learned is to stop measuring my God given talents and abilities to others. In reality, yes, there will always be someone better than me by experience. That does not minimize the talents and gifts have bestowed onto me. But, I can’t think it is realistic to think that someone that has been doing something longer and poured their life into doing something that I can learn it through Cliff notes version and overnight and be at the same place they are now. It doesn’t work that way. Even though Spiritual Gifts are from God they still need to be mastered and polished. God will only give you what you can handle.
When I was 15, I was given my first car before I knew how to drive.. But, before getting it, my mom decided that she would be the one to teach me to drive in one of their cars. A word of advice, do not decide to teach someone how to drive in a standard transmission car on a slightly uphill surface, especially when the house is the prime target below. Then, tell them to turn to key and put it in reverse. Well, that was my mother did. I did something wrong and the car died and started rolling towards the house. My mom screamed in panic for me to push the break. Well, I kept pushing, but it wasn’t the break. It was the clutch. The car ended up rolling into the house. I only hit the side of the house. Not much damage to the car or the house. I can remember my dad running outside to see what happen. After that, my parents enrolled me into Driver’s Education and told me that before I was able to drive my own car, I need to get my driver’s permit and took the responsibility of teaching me how to drive and place it on someone else that had a break on the passenger side of the car.
God wont give you more than he knows you can’t handle. His main agenda isn’t to see you fail, but to succeed.
The third way intimidation comes about is through being THREATENED. I want to share with you a story found in I King about Elijah and how he was intimidated through being threaten and he was not able to complete his assignment from God.
Elijah the prophet operated in tremendous power. He stood boldly before a wicked king, named Ahab, who had no fear of God. Elijah wasn’t afraid of this Godless king.
He spent the next few years living in the miraculous. First, ravens fed him; then a widow whose meal and oil would not run out through famine sustained him while starvation was all around them. This widow’s son suddenly died, and God heard the prayer of Elijah, raising the boy form the dead. This was a man with a powerful ministry.
After a long period of time he again stood before King Ahab. The king blamed Elijah for the hardship and suffering from the drought and greeted him with, I King 18:17 “ Is that, you, O troubler of Israel?” I King 18:18, Elijah replied, “I have not troubled Israel, but you and your father’s house have, in that you have forsaken the commandments of the Lord and followed Baals”. Then he commanded the king to gather up the 850 prophets of Baal and Asherah and take them to Mt. Carmel – along with the entire nation of Israel.
On the day of the confrontation all of Israel assembled to see who was the true God! Elijah boldly challenged the prophets of Baal and Asherah to offer a sacrifice to their gods at the same time he offered one to the Lord. I Kings 18:25 tells us that Elijah declared that the God who answers by fire, He is God.
The Lord God answered by fire, and the people of Israel fell on their faces and turned back to God. Then, under the order of Elijah, they killed all 850 false prophets.
Next, Elijah proclaimed an end of the long drought. He prayed to God. There were no sign of rain. In minutes the sky became black, and heavy rain fell. As King Ahab fled to his palace the hand of God came upon Elijah, and he outran Ahab’s chariot.
This was just one day in the life of Elijah. The nation turned back to God; the false prophets were slain; the long drought was over. Elijah could clearly hear the voice of God, act on it and see the miracles. Amen!!
But, on the very same day, King Ahab’s wife, Jezebel, heard what was done to her 850 prophets and sent a message to Elijah. Please turn with me in your Bibles to I Kings 19:2. (PAUSE) It says “So let the gods do to me, and more also, if I do note your life as the life of one them by tomorrow about this time.”
Now lets continue reading I Kings 19: 3-4 to see how Elijah responded:
And when he saw that, he arose and ran for his life, and went to Beersheba, which belongs to Judah, and left his servant there. But he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness, and came and at down under a broom tree. And he prayed that he might die, and said, “It is enough! Now, Lord, take my life, for I am no better than my fathers!”
The same day he won such a great battle, he ran for his life. He was so intimidated and discouraged by Jezebel that he wanted to die. The purpose of her intimidation was to prevent Elijah from completing God’s purpose.. She wanted to reverse his influence over the nation of Israel. She wanted him destroy and out of the way. Even though she couldn’t kill him; she still accomplished one goal and that was by terrifying him into running away and wishing for his own death. Unwittingly, he was cooperating with her plan.
Let’s now look at some consequences that happen to Elijah because of being intimidated by Jezebel.
First he was now out of his AUTHORITY. As a result, his
ministry gift to the nation of Israel was suppressed, and then he ran
in the opposite direction God intended him to be. I’m sure he looked like quite a different man as he ran away crowdedly as just earlier that day he did so much for God. He headed in the opposite direction, dropping off his servant and running 40 days and nights to Mount Horeb.. The thing he hear God say upon arriving was, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”
Can you imagine? He is discouraged to the point of death, exhausted from running for 40 days and nights and in an a state of depression. And God asks, “Why are you here? “ Was God saying, “Why did you run from your post to hide here?”
You might be thinking, Well, God sent the angel who gave Elijah the two cakes so he could run for 40 days and nights. Why would God ask, “What are you doing here?”
God knew Elijah was determined to run. When a person has it in the heart to do something, God will often let him do it even if it is not His perfect will. However, God’s desire for Elijah was to go back and confront Jezebel as he had done so with the prophets of Baal. That would complete what was begun on Mount Carmel. But Elijah did not want to face her. He wanted out of the pressure he was under. So, God sent an angel to him to give him the necessary food for his journey.
See, the work God had begun through Elijah could not be completed until Jezebel was confronted. She was at the very root of Israel’s problem. The Bible says in I King 21:25, “But there was no one like King Ahab who sold himself to do wickedness in the sight of the Lord, because Jezebel his wife stirred him up.” The Lord would have been with Elijah had he not fled, just as He had been with him on Mount Carmel. But he was intimidated by Jezebel and was knocked out of authority.
The second consequence is IF THE SPIRITUAL GIFT ISN’T USED IT WILL LIE DORMENT OR BE TAKEN AWAY. IF THERE IS SOMETHING THAT GOD WANTS DONE, HE WILL SEND SOMEONE ELSE TO DO IT.
Elijah’s gift to finish this task has taken dormant.
Let’s look at what God says to Elijah after asking twice why he was there. Turn to I Kings 19:15-17):
The Lord said to him: “Go return on your way to the Wilderness of Damascus; and when you arrive, anoint Hazel as King over Syria. Also you shall anoint Jehu the son of Nimshi as king over Israel. And Elisha the son Shaphat of Able Meholah you shall anoint as prophet in your place. It shall that whoever escapes the sword of Hazael, Jehu will kill; and whoever escapes the sword of Jehu, Elisha will kill”
Notice, God told Elijah to anoint Eliha as prophet in his place and to anoint Jehu as King over Israel. God had two other men to complete the assignment who would not run from Jezebel, whereas God’s desire was for Elijah.
The work Elijah had begun was put on hold as he ran from Jezebel’s intimidation. Remember, Jezebel was a motivating influence behind the wickedness that had crept into Israel. If the wrong influence of a leader is not confronted and put to a stop, it is only a matter of time before the curses and wickedness filter down to those under their charge.
Thirdly, Their may be consequences for others due to intimidation.
Jesus taught this principle in Mark 3:27 he said, “No one can enter a strong man’s house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man. And then he will plunder his house.”
Some of you might be thinking, “Wait a minute, you said, Ahab was the leader, and Elijah was not afraid of him. Yes that is true Ahab wore the title of leader, King, but he had yielded his authority to his wife, Jezebel. Therefore, in the spirit realm she was the “strong man” over the idolatry in Israel. She was the instigator of the Baal worship. It was her influence that causes the entire nation of Israel, with the exception of the 7000 faithful to God, to depart from the worship of the one-true God. Since she was not directly confronted, her influenced remained.
So, how is Elijah’s story related to us today? God has a calling on all of our lives. Some of you sitting right here has heard God’s still small voice telling you to do something that is beyond what you think is capable of doing for his kingdom or for this church. Someone might have told you that you aren’t good enough to do anything. Then, break those word curses. You might think who am I? There is someone better. Then, stop speaking negative things into your life. Start speaking the truth that God has told us over and over that can be found in the Bible.
I am sure Pastor Bill can agree with me. It isn’t a mistake why you are here tonight. There is a lot of work that is involved in running a church. It takes a lot of manpower to get things done. Pastor Bill and this church need you to break free from the stronghold of intimidation. I challenge each one of you tonight to get involved here. Stop sitting in the chairs and just being a spectator.
If everyone here used their gifts that God has bestowed onto them, this church can grow to reach more lost and hurting people. This church is unique than any other. There is a saying that all Spiritual Freedom Churches are in agreement on and it is “THIS IS A SAFE PLACE”. It is a safe place to get free, stay free and live free. It is a place to come through that door and be real – no playing church. No one is going to pass judgment on you. No one is going to look down on you for what you have done and what happened to you. “IT IS A SAFE PLACE!”
With the dominant talents and gifts that God has given the people in this room, along with those who are using your Gifts already, there is no reason why this time next year this church will grow in double in size. People would be knocking down the doors to come. They want to experience what you are experiencing here. They will want to learn what Jesus did and go out and do it!
Some of you, God is calling you to teach the children. You are thinking well, I can’t commit every Saturday. I totally understand things come up, but if you can do it one Saturday or maybe two that is better than nothing. Someone else can fill in the other two.
Someone here feels they should be up here speaking. Talk to Pastor Bill. But, you are thinking, I hate to even get up and introduce myself. Talk to Pastor Bill about it. He will encourage you exercise your gifts. Let me share a quick story with you. This past January, I went with Bob Larson and a team of DWJD members and leaders to Torreon, Mexico. On one of the day ministry trips there was a trip to a jail. I felt God was telling me to go and speak from the very beginning I was coordinating with the man that was hosting us what the plans were. I thought to myself, “Yeah, what ever..” Then, when we got there, we were told that only three of the team members were going. I made deals with God. If no one speaks up to go then maybe I will. I need to let them have first choice because I was a staff member. The night before the jail trip the question was asked who wanted to go. Two people spoke up and there were a silence. I heard God speaking to me, “How can I trust you to do bigger things for me if you wont do the smallest thing.” So I spoke up and said I wanted to go. I went and spoke and that. I felt I accomplish what God wanted me to do. I didn’t have to walk away feeling in regrets or “wishing what I have done something”. God told me to do something. I did. The task was complete.
