Finishing Powerfully Part 5 by Pastor Jerry Eze: MP3 Download & Sermon Notes

God Intends You to Finish Well

It is the plan of God, the desire of God, the program of God, and the intention of God to ensure that every believer finishes powerfully. There is no gainsaying about it — He says, "I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end." Your end is not an event, and your end is not a situation. Your end is God. Because there is no shadow, neither variableness in Him, the Bible says we have all sufficiency because all grace has been made to abound toward us, that we may abound unto every good work. Surely there is an end, and the expectation of the righteous shall not be cut short.

Apostle Paul said, "I have run the race. I have finished the course." Not one thing the Lord has ordained will slip from your hands.

Joshua and the Captain of the Lord's Host

Joshua 5:12 — "And the manna ceased on the morrow after they had eaten of the old corn of the land. Neither had the children of Israel manna any more, but they did eat of the fruit of the land of Canaan that year." The season of supernatural provision through manna had shifted. They were now in Canaan, eating its fruit — but a new challenge stood before them.

Joshua 5:13-15 — while Joshua was by Jericho, still wrestling with how to approach it, he lifted his eyes and saw a man standing with his sword drawn in his hand. Joshua approached him and said, "Art thou for us, or for our adversaries?" The man replied, "Nay, but as captain of the host of the Lord am I now come." Joshua fell on his face and worshipped.

Notice the order: before the scripture described Jericho in detail — before the locked gates and the massive walls — it showed us the captain of the Lord's host. God wanted Joshua to see Him before he saw the wall.

The Wall Is Producing an Encounter

Joshua had been winning battles. He had conquered cities. But this one was different — the gates strictly shut, none going out, none coming in. He was sitting by Jericho, wondering, "What do I do?" And what he did not realize was this: it was this difficult because God wanted to show Joshua a side of Himself he had never seen before.

"Most of what you know about Me, Joshua, was what Moses told you. But now I want to give you your own copyright revelation. I want to trademark My encounter with you so you can boldly say, 'I saw Him.' The vehicle that was going to bring you to see Me in this way — was the wall."

If the enemy was wise, it would not have brought the challenge you are currently facing — because that challenge is producing an encounter with God. That wall is not a dead end; it is producing a new season. It is producing access. It is producing a breakthrough. It is producing a turnaround. There are some walls you need to go and thank. If you were never there, he would not have shown up in this dimension.

There Is a Third Party You Are Not Seeing

Joshua asked the captain: "Are you for us, or for our adversaries?" The captain's answer was significant: he had divided it into two — us and them. But the captain said, "You divided it wrongly. There are not two parties. There is a third." Only one was visible to Joshua — but the captain said, "I am captain of the Lord's host." That means there is an entire army you cannot see.

It is not your strength versus the enemy's strength. It is not your weakness versus their power. There is He who sits in the circle of the earth and beholds the inhabitants as grasshoppers. Once the Lord has spoken, twice have I heard that all power belongs to God. Pharaoh looked at Israel and said, "The wilderness has shut them in." He saw two parties. He did not see the One whose dread was about to fall on the whole earth.

What Do You Say, Lord?

Joshua met the captain and asked a remarkable question: not "What will You do?" but "What saith my Lord unto His servant?" Joshua understood that the victory was not primarily in God's actions — it was in His words. The issue was not even the strategy; the issue was hearing the rhema word for this season.

If I leave You now, I will say the wrong thing. If I leave You now, I will use the wrong strategy. I will connect with the wrong people and make the wrong call. But what do You say? Every word for your season. Every word for what is remaining.

Take Off the Shoe First

Before the captain gave Joshua any instruction about Jericho, he said, "Loose thy shoe from off thy foot, for the place where thou standest is holy." Joshua, I know your desire is to win Jericho — but let me fix you first. Let me speak to your faith, your passion, your consecration, your focus, your intimacy with Me, your sanctification. It is not just about the situation. I brought this situation to make you see Me.

Before an instruction about the wall comes a demand for consecration. Before strategy comes surrender. Loose your shoe — your own footing, your own independence — and stand before Him.

See What You Cannot See

Joshua 6:1-2 — "Now Jericho was strictly shut up. None went out and none came in. And the Lord said unto Joshua, 'See, I have given into thine hand Jericho, and the king thereof, and the mighty men of valor.'" There was still a wall. You could not see inside. And yet God said, "See, I have given..." He was giving Joshua description of what is inside the city — even while the wall was still standing.

That is how authentic your word from God is: even when you cannot see it yet, He gives you specifics. Not a general promise, but detail — the king is yours, the mighty men of valor are yours. Your mind renewed by the Word, full of prayer every morning — thoughts begin to come that feel like daydreaming. They are not daydreams. God is giving you description of what is already yours before the wall comes down.

Choose to see what you cannot yet see. Talk like what you have seen. Pray like what you have seen. Declare like what you have seen. Prophesy like what you have seen.

Jericho's wall — nobody pushed it. It fell. They marched, they shouted, and it fell. If you stop looking at the wall and start seeing the God who already gave you the inside, that wall will fall on its own.