Preparing Believers for Spiritual Victory

Story by Jim Culhane
Photos by Keith Durflinger

Earlier this year, many gathered at the Calvary Chapel Association's Los Angeles Pastors + Leaders Regional Conference at Calvary Chapel Downey, CA. The theme of the two-day event was “Strong & Courageous”, based on Joshua 1:9: “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.”

                  

Here we present a summation of Tuvai Faatai's teaching on Joshua 5, in which he urges us to trust God as we fight our spiritual battles, offering five steps to help us prepare to do well and spiritually conquer. Tuvai is senior pastor of Lifted Fellowship, a Calvary Chapel in Wilmington, CA.

Pastor Tuvai Faatai (center) of Lifted Fellowship in Wilmington, CA, receives prayer before his teaching at the CCA Los Angeles Pastors + Leaders Regional Conference earlier this year. Chris Hammond (left) and men from the Calvary Chapel Downey, CA, prayer ministry encourage him in this special way.

Tuvai Faatai Teaches: Joshua 5
Senior Pastor of Lifted Fellowship, Wilmington, CA

Pastor Tuvai titled his teaching “Preparation to Enter and Conquer”. He recalled that the church has been going through so much these past two years—we have been fearful, we have been hiding. We need not be fearful but continue to fight the spiritual battle we are in.

Joshua and the people of Israel didn’t conquer the land in the normal sense. The heathen peoples in Canaan saw how God brought Israel through the Jordan on dry land, so the Canaanites were disheartened. You would think that this would be a perfect time for Joshua to lead his people forward in an attack, but God had them stay in Gilgal and prepare in different ways that seemed very strange. There are times in our own lives when we question the will of God and what He is doing. But the prophet Isaiah reminds us that God’s ways are not our ways in Isaiah 55:8. If we expect to fight in these spiritual battles and do well, we must trust God and make the right kind of spiritual preparation.

Pastor Tuvai’s teaching, “Preparation to Enter and Conquer”, reminds the audience that to do well in spiritual battle, they must trust God and make the right kind of spiritual preparation. He stated, “We need to recognize that God is always in control, not us. Amen?”

There are five things that help us to prepare to spiritually conquer.

First, renew your covenant with the Lord. Israel renewed their covenant with the Lord. Joshua had to circumcise the younger sons of Israel who had not been circumcised during the 40 years in the wilderness. Israel hadn’t obeyed the voice of the Lord. Isn’t that us sometimes? God will bring us out of our misery for quite some time and then we forget to obey the voice of the Lord. The people of the Lord must renew their covenant with Him if they want His blessing.

Secondly, reaffirm your confidence in the Lord. How many times do you and I need to reaffirm our confidence in the Lord and believe that He is going to go before us in everything we do? Israel’s faith in God was the secret to their success. The Israelite men had to learn that their battles would not be won by their military might. “These men knew that if they ever saw victory, it would be because God gave it to them,” stated Tuvai. As we go through life, we face times of testing just like the men of Israel experienced. Remember that God can and will take care of His people. This spiritual truth is taught repeatedly in the Word of God. When His people are not able to take care of themselves, God is more than able.

Also, notice a few instances in God’s Word where faith in the Lord pays amazing dividends. Noah was protected in the ark while the rest of humanity was wiped out. The firstborn children of Israel were saved while those of Egypt died. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego were saved from the fiery furnace. Daniel was saved from the hungry lions. When we have faith in God, He will meet every need we have. But even in the good times, are we thankful to the Lord?

                  

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Many believers gathered throughout the two-day conference to enjoy fellowship and pray confidently in the Spirit.

Thirdly, stop going backwards; realize that all you did in the past was rolled away because you gave your life to Jesus Christ. So why do we look to the past?

Then the LORD said to Joshua, “This day I have rolled away the reproach of Egypt from you.” Joshua 5:9a

Israel had twice done things that won the reproach of God. They made a golden calf and worshipped it as God, and when at Kadesh Barnea they refused to enter the Promised Land because of fear. When they obeyed the voice of the Lord and circumcised the males who had not been circumcised during the 40-year journey, God rolled away their reproach. It was a new day for Israel.

Fourthly, remember the commitment of the Lord to us and our commitment to the Lord. When we have a relationship with the Lord, when we see the commitment of the Lord in our lives, we are able to enjoy the blessings of God in our lives.

In Joshua 5:10-12, Israel was having the Passover meal right in front of the wall of Jericho. There is no evidence that they had celebrated Passover in 40 years. The next day, they ate from the produce of the land and the manna ceased. Israel is to remember the things God did for them in bringing them out of Egypt, the land of bondage, and for providing for them along the way. Israel was provided with manna from the sky for 40 years.

CC Downey Worship Director Matt Garcia leads the audience into the presence of the Lord.

Fifthly, we need to recognize that we are not in control—God is. Israel recognized that God is in control.

And it came to pass, when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted his eyes and looked, and behold, a Man stood opposite him with His sword drawn in His hand. And Joshua went to Him and said to Him, “Are You for us or for our adversaries?” So He said, “No, but as Commander of the army of the LORD I have now come.” Joshua 5:13-14a

Pastor Tuvai noted that he loves how Joshua didn’t hold back. He wanted to know who this "Man" was. And when commanded to take off his sandals, because the place where he stood was holy ground, Joshua did so (verse 15). Are you willing to submit to the will of God? As God’s servants, we must obey and follow to the letter what He says and commands. We should not be discouraged, because God is with us. We get tangled in a battle we fight every single day. We begin to think, It’s my battle. But it’s not your battle—it’s God’s battle. As recorded in 1 Samuel 17:47b, David told Goliath, “The battle is the LORD’s.” That hasn’t changed because God doesn’t change. Tuvai concluded, “We need to recognize that God is always in control, not us. Amen?”

Attendees lift voices and hands as sweet incense to the Lord during worship at the conference.

                  

Visit the website of Pastor Tuvai Faatai's church: Lifted Fellowship, Wilmington, CA
Watch Tuvai Faatai's teaching on Joshua Chapter 5 in its entirety at: Tuvai Faatai / CCA LA Conference 2022

                  

Follow summaries of pastors' teachings at the 2022 LA Pastors + Leaders Conference:
Jeff Johnson, senior pastor of Calvary Chapel Downey, CA
Art Reyes, teaching pastor at Calvary Chapel Downey, CA
Jerel Hagerman, senior pastor of Joshua Springs Calvary Chapel in Yucca Valley, CA
Ray Loo, senior pastor of Calvary Chapel Santa Fe Springs, CA
David Trujillo, senior pastor of Calvary Chapel South Los Angeles (SOLA), CA

                  

(To learn more about Calvary Chapel University, visit their website or read our past coverage on the school)

                  

 

 

All verses above are quoted from the New King James Version, unless otherwise noted.

© 2022 Calvary Chapel Magazine (CCM). All rights reserved. Articles or photographs may not be reproduced without the written permission of CCM. All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.® Used by permission.