If you have your Bibles, I wonder if you can turn with me to Joshua chapter 7. Joshua is a leader who takes Israel into the promised land after the previous generation has come out of Egypt. And as they go in, it's harder than they would expect. How many of you know that sometimes following God is harder than you would expect? And in that place, he leads them.

But here's what it says in Joshua 7:2. It says, "Now Joshua sent men from Jericho to Ai." Some people like to say "A.I." AI was here in the Bible. People think things are new. It's not new. It's right here — "which was near Beth Aven, to the east of Bethel. And he told them, 'Go up and spy out the region.' So the men went and they spied it out." And when they returned to Joshua, they said, "Man, this army isn't even that big. Send two or three thousand men and we'll take them out. Don't even send the whole army. Let's not wear them out." They're like, "Man, God has told us to possess this land, and this city is kind of small, so let's just send a couple of people."

So they sent about 3,000. And they were routed by the men of Ai, who killed about 36 of them, and they chased the Israelites from the city gate as far as the stone quarries and struck them down on the slopes. At this, the hearts of the people melted in fear and became like water. And Joshua tore his clothes and he fell face down to the ground before the ark of the Lord, remaining there until evening. And the elders did the same. And Joshua said, "Alas, Sovereign Lord, why did you even bring us across the Jordan to deliver us into the hands of the Amorites to destroy us? If only we had been content to stay on the other side. If only we had been content to stay on the other side. Pardon your servant, Lord. What can I say, now that Israel has been routed by its enemies? The Canaanites, the people of this country, will hear that we have been surrounded, and wipe us out. What then will you do for your own great name?"

Don't go back

If you're taking notes, I want to preach, teach, encourage, exhort from this title today: Don't Go Back. Don't go back. In fact, will you help me preach today? Will you turn to your neighbor and say, "Don't go back." Can you turn to your other neighbor — because the other one might be a little bougie — and just say, "Don't go back." Don't go back. Don't go back.

God, I want to pray that You'll give us the ability today, the courage today, to step into everything that You have for us. We love You. We praise You, in Jesus' name. And everybody said, "Amen." Amen and amen. You can go ahead and grab your seats. Don't go back. Don't go back. Don't go back.

Stuck in the middle seat

I got a question for you guys. How many of you would be honest enough to be in the room and you would say that you do not like traveling? Anyone does not like traveling? You do not like the airports. You do not like going places. I don't know if you've noticed this in this series on waiting, but I got major beef with the airport. I do not like going to the airport. I do not like traveling. Now, I'll be honest — I love arriving at destinations. Like, man, I love getting there, smelling the crisp air when I walk out of the plane, saying aloha. I love that. I just do not like the process of traveling.

You know, I'll talk to people and they'll say, "Man, you know, I'm a Christian. I follow Christ. Like, I'm really patient." Okay — that's easy to say when you come out of a Bible study. That's really hard when you spend six hours in the airport. How many of you know TSA lines can do something to you? Like, it can do something to you. Or when you get to the front of security, and then the person realizes that they've had the laptop in their bag this entire time, and now they're holding up everything because they need to take it out. I do not like the airports. Nothing about it. I believe that airports are God's greatest sanctification stations. They're just there to work on your sanctification.

Because there's things that happen that you just aren't going to understand. There's things when I'm taking off that I don't understand. There's things about taxi, takeoff, and landing that I don't understand. Here's one of them. I'll be working on my computer, and a flight attendant will come and say, "Sir, I need you to put your computer away." And I'm like, "What? How is it my computer is a dangerous projectile, but my iPad is fine?" Anyone? Or like another one: "Sir, I need your seat in the upright position." Upright. Like, I'll be sleeping — and I get great sleep on a plane. I've got two kids. So when I'm sleeping on the plane, I'm like, "This is blessed." And they're like, "Sir. Sir." And I'm like, "We going down?" And they're like, "No, no, no. I just need your seat in the upright position." And I'm like, how — it's not a La-Z-Boy. Like, how is this safe, but this ain't safe? This is safe, but this ain't safe? They're like, "No, no. I need you to put it in the upright position."

But here's the truth. I can handle TSA. I can handle the security lines. I can put my seat in the upright position. I can do all of that — as long as you don't put me in one seat. Like, I can do all of that stuff, y'all. Where are my aisle people at? Man, I love the aisle seat. I can stretch out my legs into that little walkway, until the cart hits it and you're like, "Oh, my bad. My bad." But if I want to go to the bathroom — that's the real one. Y'all know that. That's the real one. I love the aisle seat.

I'm actually okay with the window seat. I don't mind the window seat. Now, I'm not going to ask him to move to go to the bathroom, because I'm saved. So I'm just going to hold it the entire time. But I love the window seat. I can stare out at God's creation, take photos. I can sleep on that wall. That's clutch. I can handle the aisle. I can handle the window seat. As long as you don't put me in the middle.

And the team is being really kind, because y'all know it's actually like this. This is actually what it's like. It's like purgatory in this moment. And you know, when you're in the middle seat, there's not much you can do. Like, these armrests — they're theirs. So you don't get to sit like you have a throne. It doesn't work like that. You sit like this. And inevitably, this person is a talker, and they want to know your entire life story and what you do for work. And then you're like, "Am I going to tell them that I'm actually a pastor?" Because then they're going to be like, "What?" And they're going to ask me 3,000 questions. And I'm like, "Oh, what am I?" So I'm just in this place, and I'm in the middle, and I don't like it, and it's uncomfortable, and it's not the way that it needs to be, and I'm afraid.

The uncomfortable middle

Most of life is spent in the uncomfortable middle. Most of your life is spent like that. Is anyone willing to admit that most of your life is here? Most of my life isn't spent when I'm just getting started on what God has for me. Like, okay, I got saved — this is awesome. I'm starting to read my Bible — this is awesome. I'm starting to do some stuff, but I'm not quite where God wants me yet. I can see the horizon, but I can't quite see the horizon. I'm not there. And I thank God I'm not where I used to be. But I know that I'm not where I'm supposed to be. And most of my life is spent in the uncomfortable middle.

And we don't like the middle, because the middle always requires a process. Say process. The middle is always going to require a process. And we don't like that.

You see, I like the idea of losing weight. I just don't like going on a diet. I like the idea of being jacked. I just don't like going to the gym. I like the idea of a great marriage, but I don't want to do what it takes to allow people to come into my life, to get into community, to allow myself to be sharpened — because I'd rather just stay away from that. I like the idea, college students, of having a six-figure job — but we're not even being faithful at the Starbucks that we're at right now. And we're like, how is God going to bless us in the big things if we won't even do the little things? I like the idea of having incredible finances, but I don't like the idea of actually running a budget. I want the blessing, but I don't want the budget. I want that blessing, but not that budget.

We want the fruit without being rooted. We want the harvest without being planted. We want to experience something great, but not build something great. We want the promise without the process. We want promotion without the pain. We want success without sacrifice. We want all the blessings of God. But we need to know that to receive the promise of God, you have to go through the process of God. And the process of God is often spent in the middle.

On the edge of the promise

You see, the text that we're reading today — let me give you some context on this text. The people of God, the people of Israel, have just crossed over the Jordan. They have defeated Jericho, and now they're trying to take on Ai. But before that, the people of Israel — they got let out of Egypt. They are enslaved. God frees them. They cross through the Red Sea. The waters part, and get this — they walk through on dry land, and their enemies drown in the thing that God used to deliver them. That's like a sermon by itself. They're in that place. God gives them the Ten Commandments. They create the tabernacle, and then they walk to the promised land.

And they are on the edge of the promised land, about to step into the thing that God has for them — they're in the middle, but they're about to step in. And they send twelve spies. And then they come back. And Joshua — who we just read about, who wrote the book of Joshua — Joshua and Caleb come back, and they're like, "We can take that land. God is with us." But then ten come back and they say, "We can't take that land. There are giants in that land." And they say, "We look like grasshoppers in our own eyes, and we look the same to them." And the people start hearing this.

And I want you to get that. They have just been released from slavery. But because of the middle, I want you to watch what happens. Numbers 14:2, it says this: "If only we had died in Egypt, or even in the wilderness," they complained. "Why is the Lord taking us out of this country to die here in battle? Our wives and our little ones will be carried off as plunder. Wouldn't it have been better for us to return to Egypt?" And they plotted among themselves, and they said, "Let us choose a new leader and go back to Egypt."

Turn to your neighbor and say, "Don't go back." Say, "Don't go back. Don't go back. Don't go back."

You see, they're on the edge of the promise, and they're going to step in to possess it. The challenge is they get so afraid in the uncomfortable middle that they decide to go back to the thing that they were delivered from. Question: what would make you go back to the very thing you complained to be delivered from? And what happens is, now our praise report has become our prayer request again. You complained — you're like, "God, deliver me from that toxic relationship." And He did. And now you're like, it's Friday night and I'm lonely. What would make someone go back to the thing that they prayed to get out of? You're so thankful that God delivered you from that pornography addiction, from that alcohol addiction, from that substance abuse. But now life is getting hard. And what we'll say is, "No, I'm going to go back to the thing that God once delivered me from." And we'll convince ourselves — but it's different, because it's not as bad as it once was, and I'm not as addicted as I once was. And we're going back to the thing because we're in the uncomfortable middle. The middle is hard. Say the middle is hard. The middle is hard.

And God gets so frustrated by the complaining that He gets them to wander. Forty years in the desert. One year for every day they spent scouting. After forty years, they enter.

The middle is harder than you expect

But then eventually Joshua, he leads them into the promised land. They have this amazing victory at Jericho. And now Ai takes them out. So Joshua says, "Alas, Sovereign Lord, why did you bring us here? Why did you bring us across the Jordan to deliver us into their hands? If only we had been content to stay on the other side of the Jordan." If only we never came. If only we didn't obey, we wouldn't be experiencing this hardship.

And now Joshua — the one who was told, "Be strong and courageous," not only by God, not only by people, not only by Moses; he didn't only hear it one time, two times, six times — the dude who took them over the Jordan, the dude who God used to defeat Jericho, now has experienced one loss, and he wants to go back. Because the middle is harder than he expected. Sometimes when you're following God, the middle is going to be harder than you expect.

You see, I relate to Joshua, because I think so often in my life, I've been on the edge of stepping into the very thing that God has called me to step into. And what's crazy about God is, in a moment, God can do something. Do you agree? Like, in a moment, you can step into something. Like, you're praying, and in a moment you can become pregnant. In a moment, you can step into that job. In a moment, you can become saved. In a moment, something can happen. But just because God allows you to step into something in a moment, it doesn't save you from having to go through the process.

You see, I remember this when we moved to Phoenix. Seven years praying, "God, when is this going to happen?" And then eventually it happened, and it happened in a moment, and we arrived, and we unpacked everything, and it was awesome. And then once we unpacked, we looked at each other, and we're like, "Now what?" It happened in a moment, but the second we arrived, then the hard work started. I think sometimes we think that if we step into the thing that we're praying about, that everything is going to be fine. No, no, no. They stepped into the promised land, and then the hard work started.

And the challenge is, sometimes when we're experiencing the hard things, we think that because I'm experiencing hard, it must mean God's not in it. No — hard was always part of the plan. So you're doubting God because what you're experiencing now is hard? It was always supposed to be hard. Jesus never promised that things would be easy. He promised that it would be challenging. "In this life, you will have trouble. But take heart, for I have overcome the world." That's what it says.

So God has given them a land, but He still needed them to possess it. Joshua 6:2 — get this. "The Lord said to Joshua, 'See, I have delivered'" — past tense — "'Jericho into your hands, along with its king and its fighting men.'" Watch this. God delivered it, but they still had to possess it. And often we think that if God says it, it's going to be easy. He brought us together — it's going to be easy. This marriage is God-ordained — it's going to be easy. He told me to start this business — it's going to be easy. I wanted this miracle baby — it's going to be easy. And then when it's not easy, we think we misheard God. But God didn't promise that it would be easy. He promised it would be theirs — provided they keep walking and they do not quit. Turn to your neighbor and say, "Don't go back."

You see, God delivering it doesn't take you off the hook of you possessing it. And just because it's hard doesn't mean that God's not in it. But the enemy will often want to confuse you, and he will get you to romanticize the past so you don't step into what God has in the future. You'll start thinking about all the great things that used to be. "Man, it was so easy when I wasn't a Christian." And we'll romanticize what was, because what we realize is that following God is actually hard.

In Deuteronomy 7:22, it says this — I want you to watch this. "The Lord your God will drive out those nations before you, little" — say little — "little by little. You will not be allowed to eliminate them all at once, or wild animals will multiply around you." God is saying, "We're going to do this little by little, because you're not ready for all of it." And sometimes we're so frustrated because we're not getting all of what God promised. You need to understand this: the delay is not punishment. It's actually the strategy. Over here, it was the strategy. God was saying, "No, you're not ready yet. I need you to just trust me. I need you to keep walking."

And here I am today to talk to anyone who is in this place, and you're experiencing hard. You're walking in something hard. You're trying to follow God, and it's hard. It's more difficult than you expected. You feel like you're stuck in the middle, and you're waiting, and you're trying to do all the things, and you're like, "Why is this so hard?" Following Jesus — let me be the one to tell you the truth — it's hard. Reading your Bible: it's hard. Praying every day: it's hard. Building community when someone rejects you: it's hard. It's so hard. And anyone that the enemy is convincing to go back to what is familiar, to step back into what was comfortable, to step back into what is easy — I'm here to say, don't go back.

When we started our very first week in this series, we talked about what to do when you're waiting on God and you're not able to bring about the fruit, you're not able to bring about the result. And we said, when you're waiting on God, what you have to do is you have to work the wait. Last week, what we talked about is sometimes we're waiting on God, but we're not actually waiting on God — God is waiting on us. Because He has actually spoken to us, and we're delaying because we're not being obedient. Today, I'm here to talk to anyone who — you've been obedient. You're walking. You're doing the thing, and it's hard, and the enemy is convincing you to try to go back. I need you to know this: it might feel like a wrong turn, but it's actually just a hard road. Sometimes walking with God is hard.

And what I want to do is I want to give you three encouragements here today. Three encouragements, if you're taking notes, and you're experiencing the hard of being stuck in the middle. I pray that this encourages you.

Three encouragements for the hard middle

1. Hard is not a sign that you misheard God

The first thing is this: hard is not a sign that you misheard God. Sometimes when we start following God, we think that things are going to get easier — but it doesn't. Actually, it gets harder. And some of you, you said yes. You stepped into the thing that God has called you to do, and now you've experienced your own Ai. And the enemy is whispering, and he's saying, "Man, you missed God. You missed God. He's not going to come through for you." I need you to know this: hard is not God's way of telling you that you made a mistake. Hard is just sometimes the terrain of the promised land. Hard is not God's way of telling you that you made a mistake. Sometimes hard is just the terrain of the promised land.

That's exactly what happened to Joshua. He crosses over. He goes to Jericho — victory. Second battle, he goes to Ai — defeat. And then he's like, "God, why? Why am I in this?" And my man is ready to un-cross the Jordan. In that moment, he's like, "God, this is hard. I'm out. I missed You. This doesn't make any sense." You feel that? You get married. You switch jobs. God calls you to move, to step into community, to lean into something, to break up with something — and then it gets hard. So what happens is, the enemy is saying, "God's not in it. You misheard."

Know this — I wrote this: hard seasons after obedience do not automatically mean you misheard God. They may just mean you're in the middle of possessing something that was always going to require a fight. You're in the middle of something that was always going to require a fight. No one said it was going to be easy. It was going to be a process. Say process. It is a process to possess everything that God has for you.

I'll prove it. These Israelites — they come out of Egypt, and they're going through the wilderness. And in that moment, things get hard. So what they say is, "God, please take me back." You need to know this. The second they came through the Red Sea, their status changed. They were now free. Do you agree? The second you get saved, your status changed. Agree? But just because they were out of Egypt doesn't mean Egypt was out of them. And my status is changed in a second — but it takes a process for my behavior to line up with my status. It takes a while for that to actually come out of me.

And I would know this, because y'all, I'm a United States citizen. I don't know if you know this — I talk a little funny, but I'm a United States citizen. And I remember coming here, and I was a South African citizen, and I had to go through the process, and I took the test, and I did the thing, and I pledged the allegiance, and I did all of that. And in a second, my status changed. I am an American citizen. But how many of you know, just because my status changed didn't mean I acted like an American. I still say things funny. I still do things funny. Like, I remember going through all of our national holidays, and someone would come up to me and they would say, "What do they do in South Africa for the Fourth of July?" And I was like, "Man, I need to tell you this. South Africa is really excited about America's independence, but we're kind of more excited about our own independence. So we celebrate our independence, and we just give you a little hand clap on the Fourth of July." Like, we don't celebrate all the things that you celebrate. Memorial Day — I had to learn what all of these things were. Thanksgiving — man, I did it so wrong. And y'all, now, Fourth of July? Oh, I celebrate it. You bet. I do it right. Pool, grill out, Top Gun — the whole thing. Top Gun: Maverick. Let me reintroduce myself: my name is Brad, and I'm a United States citizen.

It took a second for my behavior to line up with my status. It's the same when you start following God. You are freed in a moment. And sometimes we become so defeated, because we feel like we're not acting out of our status. It takes time. We need to allow the Holy Spirit to continue to work in us. Just because it's hard doesn't mean that you misheard God.

But I think one element of that that's important is this: it may not mean that you misheard God, but it may be a sign that there's unrepentant sin. You see, because the reason they actually lost this battle — if you look at Joshua 7:10-12 — the reason they lost this battle was because someone in the army had actually stolen gold and silver and a robe, and he put it under their tent. And because there was sin in the camp, they lost the battle. And I think so often, yes, sometimes things are hard because they're hard. But sometimes things are hard because of the sin that exists in our lives.

And my question for you today is this: what is under your tent? Like Achan, who hid a bunch of stuff under his tent — what have we hidden? And can we come to a place where that secret shame, that sin, that addiction, that thing that we're struggling with — can we bring it out of the tent and bring it into the light? Because the thing that I love about God is, just because there was sin in the camp, God didn't say, "You're out." He didn't say, "You're done." What He said was, "No, no, no, no. Bring it to me. Get up, repent of that thing, and keep moving forward — because there's still a promise that I have for you." Just because we make a mistake, just because we sin, it doesn't mean that we are no longer in the grace of God. We need to repent and keep going. Just because it's hard doesn't mean that you misheard God.

2. Hard doesn't mean that God left you

The second thing is this: hard doesn't mean that God left you. Hard doesn't mean that God left you. When life gets hard, when we're waiting, often we can feel like we're so alone, and we're like, "Man, I just don't feel like God is with me." Anyone ever had a bad day? Anyone ever had a bad year? And often, when things get hard, you have these moments where you're like, "Man, God's not in this. God's not with me."

I remember a couple years back, I was working in Houston, and I was driving. Now, something you need to know about Houston is Houston has the spiritual gift of traffic. Houston's traffic is crazy. We lived off the Katy Freeway, which was 26 lanes wide. And we would often drive to work, and we would get on the HOV lane. Paige and I would be working together — we're like, "Okay, cool. We're doing the thing. We're getting on the HOV lane." And it became a habit. And I remember one day, Paige wasn't with me, and I did my thing, and I got on that HOV lane. Now, it's not like the HOV lanes here in Phoenix. They are barricaded. So if you get on that HOV lane, you are stuck.

And in that moment, I'm on that HOV lane, and y'all, I am interceding. I'm like, "Oh, Lord, help me. Lord, may there not be a cop. Father, forgive me. I do not know what I do. I didn't mean to do this. Lord, I just need You to show up." And then I'm like, "Oh my gosh, that's a cop car." I'm like, "God, I know You can make blind eyes see — make seeing eyes blind. Lord, may he please not see me." And he is looking at the car, and the car, and the car. And then he sees me, and he gets into his car, and I'm like, "Oh Lord, may it be the person in front of me. Oh Lord, may it be the person behind me." He pulls right behind me, turns on the light, and I pull up and undo my window, do the whole thing. He walks up. He's like, "Sir, do you know why I stopped you?" "Yes, sir. I'm in an HOV lane." And he said, "You know what that means?" I'm like, "So, I'm not from America, but I do." He says, "It's a high-occupancy vehicle." Like, why do we say it that way? Vehicle. It's a vehicle lane. And he says, "And you are by yourself." And I'm like, "Sir, I'm a pastor. I'm not by myself. Jesus is right here with me."

He gave me a ticket. I don't know if I should say that. I don't know if I should say that. I'm respectful. But I had this moment when I'm driving off — it's funny. Sometimes we can feel like God is not with us. You need to know this: God never promised that He was going to get you out of everything. He just promised that He was going to be with you in everything. My man, the cop, did not believe that. But Jesus was in fact with me. Just because it's hard doesn't mean that you are by yourself. Jesus is still with you in that very thing. He promises that. Joshua 1:5: "No one will be able to stand against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will never leave you nor forsake you." Matthew 28:20: "And surely I am with you always" — this is Jesus saying it to us — "I am with you, to the very end of the age."

Hard doesn't mean that God has left you, but it may mean that He is developing you. Hard may mean that He is developing you. Sometimes we think that God is absent, but what it actually is, is His curriculum — getting us to actually trust Him in the hard. You see, the whole process of them taking over the promised land — God wasn't just about getting them into it. He was trying to help them hold on to it. There were people that had never fought in battle. Babylon is right over there. So God was saying, "We're going to do this little by little. We're going to create some systems. I'm going to help you with what you need to withstand the pressure that is going to come, and you will stand." What it actually was, more than anything, was God developing them. That's why James says, "Consider it joy when you face trials of many kinds, because the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let it finish its work, that you can be mature and complete, not lacking anything." This is His development pathway. Hard doesn't mean that you misheard God. Hard doesn't mean that God left you.

3. Hard doesn't mean that it won't happen

And the final thing is this: hard doesn't mean that it won't happen. Hard has a voice. "You misheard. You're stuck. It's always going to be this way. You're never going to be free. It's going to be found out. And because of that, you will always be where you've always been."

I think the thing that I love about God when I read this passage is, we think that God would have changed His mind — but it's not true. He doesn't do that. Joshua 1:2, it says this: "Moses my servant is dead. Therefore, the time has come for you to lead these people into the land, across the Jordan River, into the land I am giving them." Present tense. He's already done it. "I promise you what I promised Moses: wherever you set your foot, you will be on the land I have given you." Past tense. God is saying, "Man, this thing is already done." The promises that I have for your life are yes and amen. If it's in this Word, it is a promise over your life. You just have to keep walking into it.

Hard doesn't mean it won't happen, but it may mean that you need to persevere. Paul understood this. Galatians 6:9, he says, "Let us not grow weary in doing good." He doesn't say that you're not going to get weary. He just says, make sure that you don't allow weariness to make your decisions. Like, I've learned this in my life: when I am tired, it is the wrong time to make a decision. I need to go to bed. I need to eat some food. I need to eat some more food, and some more food. "Let us not grow weary in doing good, for at the proper time" — unfortunately, not your time; His time — "at the proper time, we will reap a harvest if we do not give up." The only way to miss the harvest is to stop before it comes. The only way to guarantee you miss it is to go back. Turn to your neighbor and say, "Don't go back." I know it's hard. Don't go back. I know it's hard to trust God. Don't go back. Keep moving forward in the things that He has for you.

I love how the story ends. Joshua 7:10, it says this: "The Lord said to Joshua, 'Stand up. What are you doing on your face?'" He tells them Israel sinned. And He says this, verse 13: "Get up. Command the people to purify themselves in preparation for tomorrow. For this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: hidden among you, O Israel, are the things set apart for the Lord. You will never defeat your enemies until you remove those things from among you." God's response is not sympathy. He's just saying, "Okay. Get up. Deal with the thing. Say, 'God, forgive me.' And then keep going."

And I love how this book draws to a close. Joshua 21 — this is towards the end of the book. It says this, verse 43: "So the Lord gave Israel all the land he had sworn to their ancestors, and they took possession of it and settled there. The Lord gave them rest on every side, just as he had sworn to their ancestors. Not one of their enemies withstood them. The Lord gave all their enemies into their hands. Not one of the Lord's good promises to Israel failed. Every one was fulfilled."

Don't go back — keep walking

Hard doesn't mean that you misheard God, but it may mean that there's some unrepentant sin in your life. Hard doesn't mean that God has left you, but it may mean that He is developing you. Hard doesn't mean that it won't happen, but it may mean that you need to persevere. Hard doesn't mean that you need to go back.

Sometimes we want to go back to Egypt because we survived it. Some of us want to go back to the old habits because we knew how to live in them. Let me just say: you cannot possess what is in your past. You can only step into what God has for you in your future. Hard doesn't mean forever — it may mean not yet. Hard doesn't mean it's over — but giving up guarantees it is. Hard doesn't mean that you won't make it — but giving up guarantees you won't. Hard doesn't mean the door is closed — but giving up means you will never find out. Don't go back. Turn to your neighbor, say, "Don't go back."

I was praying for you guys this week, and I didn't know who was going to be in this place, but there's some of you that are struggling as you're walking out into the things that God has for you. And I just want to encourage you: keep walking. Do not grow weary in doing good, for at the proper time, you will reap a harvest if you do not quit. I don't know what kind of waiting season you are in, but God sent this random guy from South Africa, who is now a US citizen, to tell you: don't go back. Don't go back. Will you do that for me? Don't go back. Keep going forward in the things of God. I know it's hard. I know obeying Him is hard. Don't go back. I know forgiving is hard. Don't go back. When you're bitter and they hurt you — don't go back. When you want to turn back to that addiction — don't go back. Get some people around you. Let them speak into you. Join a group. Don't go back.

Lord Jesus, I thank You for every single person who's here. I thank You, Father, for what You're doing in the life of our church. I thank You, God, for the way that You were with Joshua, and the way that You are with us. And God, for every single person that's here, Lord, I pray that we won't romanticize our pasts, that we won't go back. We won't go back to Egypt. We won't go back to where we were enslaved. We won't go back to the wilderness. But we'll just keep following You in everything that You have. Lord, we love You and we praise You, in Jesus' name.

There might be some people here today — and we're talking about some things that can be hidden under our tents. And what I need you to know is that there is a Savior of the world by the name of Jesus, who died on a cross so we don't have to hide those things anymore. Some of you walked into church today, and you were so afraid to come in here, because you thought we're all just going to judge you. And let me just say: you're welcome here at Spirit. There was a man by the name of Jesus who came to this earth. He lived a perfect life. He died on a cross so that every single one of us would not have to experience separation from God. And if you're here and you do not know this Jesus, and you're like, "I want to take a step. I want to start walking with Jesus. I want to be forgiven of my sin. I want the shame to go away. I want this guilt to go away" — no one's looking around. If that's you, I'd love to celebrate that with you. That's awesome.

Pray this after me. Just say, "Dear Jesus, I believe that You're the Son of God and the Savior of the world. I believe You came to this earth. You died on a cross, and You were raised that I can have life. Jesus, right now, I make You my Lord. I make You my Savior. In Jesus' name. In Jesus' name."

Hey church, can you do me a favor? Can you put your hands together for everyone who said that for the first time? We love you so much. And if you are watching and you just said yes to Jesus, congratulations, because this is the best decision you could ever make. But you do have a next step. If you just decided to follow Jesus, we want you to text the word Jesus to 480-485-3405, because our team has a 21-day devotional that we want to get in your hands. It's our gift to you. We don't want you to walk this journey alone.

And also, if this ministry has impacted you in any way, I would love to invite you to pray about two things. First, pray about sharing this message with someone, because you never know how much a simple share could make an impact in someone's life. And two, we would love for you to pray about partnering with what God is doing at Spirit here financially, because your giving enables us to share messages just like this with people all around the world. And to do that, you can go to spiritchurch.co/give. Well, hey, we love you, and we will see you next week — because remember, with God, there is more.