Daniel Van Gelderen: Take your Bibles, please. Joshua chapter 7, please.

Joshua chapter 7. Lord, put something in my heart a few weeks ago, and I just want to be a blessing this morning, this afternoon.

To you, each one of you, Joshua 7 will be in both 7 and 8 in just a few minutes. How many of you have ever been around, I'm going to put this in quotation marks, a winner? You know, I'm talking about that person who always gets good grades, and you don't.

Can play sports really well. All of the sports. Even the board games.

All the board games. Could be all comers in ping pong and foosball. They would beat you in Hungry Hungry Hippo if they pulled it out.

And you can't even win chutes and ladders with your six-year-old brother. You know that person that always has it together while you're fumbling life? That person that's always cool?

Crowds of teenagers are around them and you can't talk to a person. They have money, you've got none. They're good looking, handsome, pretty.

You fell off the back of the wagon somehow in life and you did not get that gene.

They have the latest technology, the latest gadget, the latest clothes. You know, are you still using a beat up flip phone? That person has it all together.

They never seem to fail. That never seemed to have a problem, and it just makes you feel amazing, doesn't it? Right?

You ever those moments in your life where you just fail? I was the kind of guy growing up that I had all the sad stories. Okay?

If it happened, it happened to me. Okay? And I have pulled this, done this.

You know, we were out skiing, and my dad was a skier, and I didn't go skiing until later in life. And I remember going, we were going skiing. It was not a good day for skiing.

It was slick. And we went out there, and I went on the training hill because I wanted to make sure I got it down. And I was an athlete.

This is, you know, not long after college is out and not feeling good about myself. And everybody's got their skis. And they don't go to the training hill, right?

They're not. They didn't need that. I go to the training hill.

I said, this can't be too hard. It's in my blood. My dad's from Colorado, you know.

We got this. You ever done the skiing when you can't ski? And you're crawling up that training hill, and you're like, what is wrong with me?

And then you go down that first run after you do the training hill and you feel not so great about yourself. And you know what I mean when I say a yard sale? How many skiers that I'm talking about with a yard sale?

Yard sale means you fall and every single piece of your equipment goes flying every direction. There's nothing more humbling than face planting with your skis flying, your poles flying, everything flying off, and you're a full-grown adult male down the hill.

Multiple times, I'll add, okay? And what are you supposed to do? Like, get it all back on.

You're sitting there going, I like to be done by now, but you're halfway down. You're not all at the bottom. And those things happened to me.

I remember one time I was at, I don't remember where I was, what I was doing, and something as simple as getting into a hammock.

Remember getting in the hammock? Boom, I'm on my face. That's the kind of, some of you, that's never happened to you.

You always have been too cool for that. Somehow it's always avoided you. And then some of you in here go, that's me.

That's what I'm talking about, okay? I'm the kind of guy, I was going for home plate. This is after I graduated from college and was getting more and more out of shape.

And I was going for home plate. I had smashed a big one in softball. And I was coming close to a home run, coming in home plate.

And I was like two steps from home plate and pulled my hamstring. Kind of like skidded over and fell over home plate. I think I scored.

I actually don't remember. Pulled my hamstring. That was an amazing moment, okay?

But you know, there's so many times in my life I look back and some of you don't understand what I'm saying. You just like, ah, man, fail, fail, right? And we can laugh about it.

There's things we can laugh about. And you feel like an idiot in these circumstances.

But unfortunately, in all seriousness, many of us understand this feeling in our life all too well.

Just feel like a failure. Feel like a loser. Some of you come to this conference with your face planted firmly in the dirt.

You've fallen. You've failed. You're a failure, and you know it.

It's not that you're just not a winner. You really are struggling in your life with sin and unbelief right now.

It's not that you're not measuring up. You're really struggling. You're discouraged badly.

And you're desperate for some answers. Well, that's happy for you. There's somebody in the Bible that's feeling the same way you are right now.

Joshua 7, verse number 6. We'll go into the context in just a minute. But look at this.

Joshua 7, verse number 6. And Joshua rent his clothes and fell to the earth upon his face before the ark of the Lord until the eventide. He and the elders of Israel and put dust upon their heads.

And Joshua said, Alas, O Lord God, wherefore hast thou at all brought this people over Jordan to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites to destroy us. Listen to what he says. Would to God we had been content and dwelt on the other side of Jordan.

Joshua, what are you saying? O Lord, what should I say when Israel turned their backs before their enemies? For the Canaanites and all the inhabitants of the land shall hear of it and shall environ us around and cut us off our name from the earth.

And what wilt thou do unto thy great name? Ooh. This is Joshua, the man who believed God with Caleb with 10 other spies said, no way.

This is the man who led the children of Israel after Moses. This is the man who took those people across the Jordan River. This is the man who led the children of Israel into the city of Jericho, that same incredible leader.

We now see him flat on his face in the dirt. Not just flat on his face, he's complaining to God and getting dangerously close to blaming God for his present problems.

What in the world's going on? Well, we know the story.

Early chapter 7 they go to Ai this is not artificial intelligence I have to say that in 2026 okay this is the city of Ai capital A little I okay that's the way it was okay they go to this little town and they had just experienced a spectacular victory at Jericho imagine watching those walls come flying down a massive massive walls and just seeing God work.

And what happens? They go to this little city, send a couple of thousand men, and they get beat soundly. Look at Joshua chapter 7, verse 4 and 5.

We went up hither, a few of the people, about 3,000 men, a small group compared to the millions in their country. And they fled before the men of Ai. And the men of Ai smote to them about 30 and six men, for they chased them from before the gate even to Shebarim and smote them in the going down, wherefore the hearts of the people melted and became as water.

Not only did they get beat, they got chased from the city. Think about this in the context of the last two events for the children of Israel. They just went across the Jordan River, a dry land, millions of them.

Not a creek, a massive river. And stopped. God did it.

And they put a marking, they put a memorial to what God did. Then they go to Jericho, where they're quaking in their boots up there on the wall. And they walk around the walls seven days.

God drops the walls. And then little Ai, this puny little city, whips them like a whipped puppy dog.

Well, no wonder Joshua's discouraged. He feels like a failure. His nation's been defeated.

People died on his watch. And he's flat on his face. And I will tell you this afternoon, young people, he's hopeless.

He feels it's over for his nation. So what is he supposed to do? What would you do?

Maybe you are in that space. You are flat on your face in the dirt and defeat and failure. What do you do?

Young people, this afternoon, I'm going to look at four very simple points to help us understand how we can turn city of Ai defeats into promised land victories.

Lord I. Pray you'd help us this afternoon. Give grace. Give strength, give clarity.

Pray that your Holy Spirit would work. Lord it's not about me. Not about us, but Lord it's about what you want to do In and through our lives.

Help us to get out of the way Pray you'd help us to let you work in Jesus name, amen. First point this afternoon Is get up. Get up.

So these are going to be. Two words. That's all it is.

Remember it, the junior hires will for sure remember these points Two words, get up.

All right, here we go. What is the first step to getting back to a life that is consistent in promised land victories? Get up.

And God is the one who tells us this. Look with me, please, at this next verse. Okay, verse number 10.

And the Lord said unto Joshua, get thee up. Wherefore liest thou upon thy face? God wastes no time and no words with Joshua.

Here's Joshua. He's discouraged and depressed and humanly. That is totally and completely understandable.

But God says, get up. And then he asked that question, why are you lying there?

Do you know God knew the answer to the question? He was trying to jar Joshua's way of thinking. Joshua and the Israelites saw this defeat at Ai and almost immediately collapsed.

The people's heart became as water. They collapsed. They didn't know what to do.

They were all over. And Joshua, even as a good man, his first reaction was to complain and start questioning God. And what does God say?

Get up. God knew that Joshua couldn't take care of any of the problems or get moving for God when he was lying flat on his face. Now, I have to say this.

We have to appreciate the fact that Joshua goes to his face before God immediately after the defeat. He rends his clothes and he falls down before God. But young person, listen, he blames God immediately.

It shows his whole attitude and his whole focus was self-focused. Even though he went before God, he was focused on himself. And God gave him no time to think.

There was no, hey, Joshua, you know, hey. No, it's get up now. We're going to see what God tells Joshua.

But I want to realize a couple of important things first. Number one, God can't help us take care of issues in our life if we are sprawled out in defeat.

Figuratively or for real. Okay. Now, my kids, I'll give a few illustrations for my family.

I'll leave the names out because two of them are in the room. My kids, and this is any kids, if you know what I'm saying, younger kids. When they lay on the ground, you ever seen them?

I can't do it. I'm done. Okay.

I'll be very clear. I'm talking about my male offspring, okay? I've got a female, one female offspring.

My daughter, this is not what she does, okay? So all three of my male offspring have done this at one time or another, okay? The younger ones especially doing it a lot more.

But they'll lay on the ground and be like, I can't do it. I can't. And life's over, right?

What's the first thing I tell them? Get up. Maybe with some more compassion.

But here's the point.

I can't talk to them when they're laying on the floor. Here's the point. I'm also going to say I'm not going to talk to them when they're on the floor.

I mean if they hurt themselves or tripped and fell or broke but that's not what they're doing. I need you to do and they're sprawled out and everything's now about that. I'm not going to get their attention.

They're not going to listen to me. Nothing's going to happen until they get up. I asked my older son Junior, I said, hey, what do I tell you when you're sprawled out on the ground, you boys on the ground?

And he goes, well, he said, get up. I asked him this morning. I was in my office.

He said, you told me to get up. And I said, okay, why? He goes, so I can obey you.

Young person, you're not going to hear God's voice if you're laying down. When you're down for the count, the wallowing in the personal pity party becomes easier than having to face up to the reality of what you have to do.

And you know what? Sometimes that wallowing becomes kind of your identity. I just can't.

I don't know how my life stinks, man. I'm feeling so down today. You know what?

You might have a horrible life. But, man, you're almost reveling in the pity party of it and actually the problem of it. Does that make sense?

And you're laying their face on the ground, I can't do it, and your youth pastor and your parents come and you're praying, I can't, you know. Like, I'm trying to help you. I don't want to.

Yeah, you can see I'm a dad of actual boys, okay. It becomes about you. Can I give a sidebar application, not the point of this message, but let me say this.

Many times I see teens and young people with genuine issues, but the focus quickly becomes very much feelings and discouragement. God wants to speak to them, and he is speaking to them, but they're rolling around in their sadness and discouragement, and it quickly becomes all about that and not about God.

I'm not going to keep going into this application, but listen, if that's you this morning, it's time to get up.

We said God can't help us to hear the issues if we are on the ground. Number two, you can't listen to the commands of Scripture unless you're in the position to hear them. I'm all about prayer and getting a hold of God.

But this prayer meeting went south really fast. And it shut off all chances of hearing from God. And God said, get up.

God had so many things in store for Joshua. And by the way, as you'll find out, this wasn't Joshua's fault ultimately. But he was the leader.

And God was saying, hey, get up. Get up. Listen to me.

And God's not lacking compassion, young person, by the way, in what he's saying here. I think he's showing compassion to Joshua by saying, get up. I want to help you help these people to see victory.

But I can't when you're blaming me on the ground. Psalm 37, 23, and 24 say this, the steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord. He delighteth in his way.

Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down, for the Lord upholdeth him in his hand. Psalm 145, 14, the Lord upholdeth all that fall and raiseth up all that be bowed down. Young person, recognize who your God is.

This is where it starts. You know, your life could really honestly be the worst ever right now, humanly. You could have every reason to be discouraged.

I think another illustration, maybe other dads in the room can understand. You know, when you're playing with your kids and you're wrestling with them, and all of a sudden you just find yourself on the ground, you're like, you know what, I think I'm just gonna stand on here.

It's just easier. And sometimes it's, you know, you know there's gonna be steps to take. You know there's gonna be hardships.

You know there's something ahead of you. So you just stay down. But I'm telling you, young person, even though when you're down and it's dark and discouraging and it's irritating and it's frustrating and it's smelly and you're staring at the dirt of your life, realize who you are.

You are a child of God and God upholds you in his hands. He's there to pick you up like a loving father over and over and over again, helping their children. So infinitely more God is there.

And he's saying, get up, but he's not just yelling at you. He's telling you, hey, get up, son. I want to help you.

So if you're going to turn a city of Ai defeat into a promised land victory young person, first of all, you got to get up. And you got to be in a position where you can listen. And number two, you got to clean up.

So you got to get up. Then you have to clean up. Right after God tells Joshua to get up, and we assume, by the way, Joshua obeyed.

We don't know otherwise that he did. Didn't do that. God has some very specific things to say.

For time's sake, we won't go through all the verses, but Joshua 7, verse 11, what does he say? Israel hath sinned, and they have also transgressed my covenant which I commanded them. They have taken up the accursed thing, and they have also stolen, and dissembled also, and have put it even among their own stuff.

And who is he talking about? Achan. Can I ask you a question?

Why does he just say Israel? He didn't blame Achan here. He didn't tell Joshua who it was.

He said Israel has sinned. It's just interesting that he implicated the whole nation at this point. There's a whole different message and focus.

But it upset the whole nation. It affected the whole nation. I think that's why he said that.

So what happened? Achan took of the accursed thing. The things in Jericho were given to God.

They were not to be taken. They were a curse to the people of Israel. Every other city they went to, they were able to plunder the city.

But they couldn't touch Jericho, and he did. He stole it, and he hid it. He assembled it.

He put it in his own stuff. And God was very specific with Joshua. I want you to get that hidden stuff.

I want you to uncover it. And I want you to destroy it now. Or I'm not going to be with you in Israel anymore.

Look at what he says there. Look at that, the end of, I apologize there. He says, sanctify yourself.

I lost my place for a second, and we'll come back to that. Okay, but he says, I will not be with you anymore. Young person, that's a pretty scary thing to listen to.

If you were Joshua and God said, hey, do this, do this, do this, clean up the problem, clean up the sin, or I'm not going to be with you. I can't be with your people. I can't bless you.

And God's not beating you in the bush with Joshua here. We see that God's commands for the cleanup were very specific. He said, split the people up by tribes and then by families.

I want you to find the person who did it and when you do, burn everything and everyone with fire.

Whew. So guess what? Joshua did.

Joshua's cleanup, young person, was thorough and all-encompassing. He split up the tribes and then the families. He found the person who did it.

He and Israel stoned them and their family, and all the stuff in the family was burned. Joshua left nothing. It was gone except for a memorial of what he had done.

Now, first let me ask you this afternoon, what are some problems and failures that have driven you to the ground in failure?

Let's get specific for a second, can we?

Dishonesty. Somebody here you lie. You've done it so much your parents can't tell the little telltale signs.

They think you're telling the truth or if they don't know you're telling the truth they kind of have given up. But you lie. And the problem is you lied so much you had to lie to cover a lie to cover a lie to cover a lie.

And now the threads if one got pulled the whole thing would just go. It's real quiet in here young person. And I was a young person.

I lied. Oh I tried. I remember being in my parents bedroom I was in 9th grade.

I'm not sure if my dad remembers this. I was in 9th grade and I was sitting there and I was getting grilled about a problem. I had done it.

But I was denying it. And I had close to snookered possibly my dad possibly fully believing me.

But he couldn't get me to do it, so it was kind of an impasse. Couldn't get me to admit it, so it was kind of an impasse.

And my mom looked directly at me and said, he's lying. And I was like, yeah, I'm lying.

Hands up in the air, I'm getting me. I remember that moment. I remember sitting there, and I thought maybe I got there.

And I remember she looked at me, And it was the Holy Spirit, but man, it was not. It was with a mother's love, but it was the toughest mother's love I've ever seen. You're lying.

And I will tell you, young person, that saved me from a lot of hardship.

That year I was struggling, big time. And I struggled in my high school years. But I don't think if I would have gotten caught and pulled back at that moment, I would have been in real trouble.

Young person, what are you lying about? To your parents. Are you lying to your friends?

Have you lied about stuff you've done just to make yourself look better? That's still lying. Well, it doesn't affect anybody.

Yeah, it does. It's called lying. It's not true.

Do you cheat? Have you cheated? Homeschoolers, have you cheated?

I don't know how easy it is. I was never homeschooled, but I've heard things. Both Christian school, public school, homeschool, it's easy to cheat if you want to.

Have you cheated? That's lying. You're lying about what people said you did.

Disobedience. Some of you in here are just disobedient to your parents. If we were in your home, we would all be hiding our faces and covering our ears because the parents would tell you something and you'd go, not doing that, sorry, nope, not.

Not happening in my house. You're disobedient and you're disrespectful. You know, your preacher's up here, you know, imitating you with the eye roll and the slam of the door.

It's not cute, young person, at all. You know what that means? If you're disrespectful, disobedient to your parents, you don't care what God says, at all.

You, I've taken up the accursed thing, hid it in your stuff, so to speak, and you are hurting your family because you don't care.

That's pretty basic. That's the number one commandment, you know, honor thy father and mother. I guarantee you there is a massive part of this group that doesn't do that on a regular basis.

I was an arguer growing up. I got paid back. I have a few in my house that argue.

The sins of the father had come back to haunt me, and it's true, by the way. But I argued. Oh, I argued.

I don't even know why I argued. There were some times I knew my parents were right or other people were right. I just argued for the arguing of it.

That's so dumb. It was also very disrespectful and disobedient. And I had a lot of conversations with my father about those.

Conversations with my father. All right. It helped me.

But listen, I'm telling you folks, maybe your parents, some of you, you don't get dealt with. You know why? Because your parents are weary.

Like, I don't get dealt with about it. I don't have a big deal with my parents. You know why?

They probably cry in their room when the door is closed. They're probably praying with tears running on their face saying, God, please help my rebellious son. I'm not rebellious.

I'm only 15. I'm just being a little bit funny with my parents. No, if you have a disrespectful, disobedient heart, young person, you are a rebel.

And not just to your parents, to an almighty, holy God who placed you where you are. You say, you don't know my parents. I know God and know what he said in his word.

And if you have an incredibly difficult situation, then you should be reaching out for counsel for somebody from your pastor, from your youth pastor. Get help, but you need to respond like God has commanded you to respond.

Pride. Just not admitting that you're wrong. Man you're the best guy around.

It's really just insecurity in your life. Impurity we talked about that already this morning. Sexual sin, pornography entertaining lustful thoughts, inappropriate messages.

Folks so many of you have this. Obviously the pornography and the entertainment and all that stuff is a problem. But how many of you have sent stuff to people that you shouldn't have sent.

How much communication is happening. And then even the physical impurity. You say it's no big deal.

Everybody likes you. People hold hands and everything else. You know what.

I don't care what the world says or even the Christian world says. Stay away from impurity in any sense. Young people physical, emotional stay away.

You say well my parents would never allow it anyways. I'm good. But if it's in your heart and your thoughts you're on the trail there.

And you're hiding it in your tent. Gossip and slander and cruelty. You say, what do you mean?

Bullying. Some of you just, you live and you're insecure and you're hurting inside, but man, you just lash out at people. And you make fun of people.

Your whole life is built around that. You have bitterness, you have anger, you just explode, man. If you're touched the wrong way, bam, you lash out at your family.

You lash out at people in your youth group. You lash out at authorities. You lash out.

You can't stand it, and no one can tell you otherwise. I got angry a lot, especially in sports, not in anything else really, but in sports. Whoo.

God gave me victory in college over that, but man, oh, man, that hurt me.

Wrongful entertainment choices, music, movies. What if we had your Spotify account, young person? What would be on it?

You cannot tell me, young person, that there's anything at all redeemable or Christian or godly or holy about any pop singer on the planet. Don't even try. I've been told by young people.

Those things are wicked, they're filthy, and you know it. If you can't control your Spotify, delete the app. Get a CD player.

And check your CDs by your parents. If you don't have a great home, by your pastor. But stop flooding your mind with garbage.

Get it out of the tent. Selfishness, hypocrisy, laziness, just so many things. Young person, listen very carefully.

Well, you didn't name my sin. God did. And you know what it is.

How long are you going to hurt the people around you by your sin? What are you going to do about it? You know, it doesn't, praise the Lord, we don't do stonings and burnings these days.

But we do need to get serious about it. And it's time to call it what it is. Psalm 139, search me, oh God, and know my heart.

Search me. I tell this to the college students, but we'll sing that song sometimes. And I really didn't like that song growing up.

Because I knew if I started singing, search me, I don't want to pray that. I don't want you to search me because I know I'm bad off right now.

Search me oh God that's step one and know my heart try me and see if there may be any wicked way in me psalm 51 I acknowledge my transgression hey I did it I admit my sin is ever before me confess except against thee and the only have I sinned and done this evil in my sight first john 1 9 if we confess our sins psalm 32 5 I acknowledge my sin unto thee and my iniquity have I not hid.

I will confess my transgressions. Psalm 28, 13, he had covered the sins shall not prosper, but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy. James 4, 8, draw nigh unto God, and he will draw nigh to you.

Cleanse your hands and purify your hearts. That's what you have to do to be clean. You know, if you saw somebody that was out in the mud, and you said, get clean, and they came back and they were just wet, [unclear] and slimed everywhere.

You would say, you're not clean. Oh, I cleaned up. You know, what does it mean?

Cleanse your heart, your hands, purify. It means get it all off. Young person, I remember the time.

I was partial victory throughout my high school years, but I remember the time, my senior year, when I was able to finally dump the whole dump truck.

I felt like I was untethered like a hot air balloon. I didn't know what I had been missing so many years, folks. You think, on the outside, you portray, young person, that everything's together, everything's good, I'm cool, I'm good.

But we all know that are older, that went through it, that you're not good. You're miserable. You're hurting.

Your insides right now are churning and turning like crazy. That's the Holy Spirit telling you, I still love you. I will always love you.

And I'm going to act as your conscience and tell you that you need to get right with God.

It's time young person to be honest with God about your problems. Don't avoid them. Hit them dead on.

Be honest with your parents. Be honest with your pastor. And then instead of sitting with our face in the mess let's allow God to clean up the messes we have made in our relationships and our families and our personal lives.

You know you just remember you and I can't clean anything up. You know I'll tell my son Sammy. He's not here my little three-year-old.

And he'll be around I think later today. He's a little firecracker. Okay Full speed.

But he'll spill. He eats cereal like a, I don't know, like he doesn't have a spoon.

And I was FaceTiming him. I was gone a couple days ago. And I was FaceTiming him.

I was literally watching just like cups of milk just come off his chin onto the table. And every day I'll come to the table and typically there's milk covering his spot with the cereal. And I don't ask him at this point because we've worked with him.

But if I ask him, hey, Sammy, could you clean it up? Somehow the mess gets bigger.

You know that's what happens when you try to clean up yourself. The mess just gets bigger. It's huge.

It's all. It can't. But some.

Young person some of you in here are saying. I can't do it. I can't get it right.

I can't talk to my parents. I can't go to the school. I can't go to my youth pastor.

I just can't. Well guess what. I know.

But God can. His grace is sufficient for thee. His strength is made perfect in the weakness that you have right now Young person, Romans 6 talks about sin does not have dominion over you.

It has no power over you. Young person, you don't have to stay in the dirt this morning, this afternoon. You don't have to let it control.

You are a child of God. And you can, by God's strength, clean it up. Young person, you are a blood-bought, spirit-indwelt child of God if you're saved this afternoon.

So how do you get from city of Ai defeats to promised land victories? First of all, you get up and you listen. Second of all, you clean up the sin.

And third of all, you look up. Look up. As soon as Achan's sin was taken care of, God commands in chapter 8, Joshua would go back to the spot of defeat and look and see.

But see what? Look at this, please. Verse number one.

Fear not. Neither be thou dismayed. This is the Lord talking to Joshua.

Take all the people of war with thee. They just lost here. And arise.

Go up to Ai. See. Look.

I have given into thy hand the king of Ai and his people and his city and his land.

Folks, I don't even think some of you young people understand what it means to be able to get a vision of what God wants to do. Because you've never known grown up life without sin.

If I asked some of the college students if I asked some of the adults and pastors in ministry if I asked some of them the difference between their earlier life in their 7th grade, 8th grade, 9th grade and then maybe a guy got a whole good life in high school what the difference was it's amazing some of you are like God doesn't want to use me I don't even know how to think that way right?

Because you have so much blocking the way you can't even see correctly but I will tell you a person when you get past that and you clean up the sin and the junk in your life, you can get a God-sized vision for your life. God told Joshua, hey, I'm going to give you all of Ai. I'm going to give you the king, the people, the city, the land.

It's all yours. Go back, and by the way, go get it. Look up, young person.

See what God has done for you. Let's move past the sin. Psalm 25, 4, show me the ways of the Lord.

Teach me thy paths. In Isaiah 6, Isaiah, the coal is taken off the altar, and it cleanses him, and then he's able to listen and hear. He says, here am I, send me.

God is thrilled when you clean up your life and get right. He is, but God wants so much more. He wants to show you what he can do in your life, young person.

Some of you would hear feel like a failure. Your face is in the dirt, and you're kind of wallowing in it. But young person, it's not just about getting up and not just about cleaning up.

It's about looking up and seeing what God is, who God is, and what he wants for your life. He wants you to defeat the enemies of the world, sin and the devil, with your life, with his power. He wants to restore that sense of joy that you had before.

You may feel like a failure, but I will tell you, Psalm 5110, Create in me a clean heart, O God, renew a right spirit within me. Verse 12, Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation, and uphold me with thy free spirit. Young person, let me ask you a question.

Was the last time you had the same joy that you had the day you got saved?

I just had the privilege of leading my little three-year-old son to the Lord, Sammy D.

I will tell you, but God's given me the privilege to lead each one of my kids to the Lord.

Sammy D., I was at the college opening event, and my wife calls and said, he should come home. I think Sammy wants to get saved. Came home, and he looked at me, and he said, Daddy, he was so down on his little face.

He's very, very much dramatic, and he looks down, and he goes, Daddy, let me pray about my sin. I'm very, I mean, he's like, I'm very sad about that right now. For a three-year-old talk, you know.

And I talked to him about it, and I prayed with him about it. And he prayed. And he trusted Jesus Christ for Savior to go to heaven when he died.

And I'll tell you right now, that little face light's up, you ask him now, hey, Sammy, where are you going when you die? I'm going to heaven. His face, I mean, corner to corner, huge, big, massive, toothy smile.

That same day, he has the joy of his salvation. Some of you haven't smiled like that in years.

You feel like a weight's hanging on the end of your mouth, and you can't smile because all that sin's just pulling you down. It's time to remember, young person, that God wants to give you the victory. He wants to give you the city of Ai, so to speak.

He wants to use your life, young person. He wants to. So it's time to buckle up.

How do we see city of Ai defeats turn to promised land victories? We get up, we clean up, we look up, and lastly here, we buckle up. We buckle up.

What do you mean by that? We're about to fly, young people. We're about to see God do some big, big things.

I was in a car with a former police officer, and I had to get from point A to point B at a very quick rate of speed. And I remember getting in that car, and the former police officer looked at me and saying, buckle up. Here we go.

And we're thinking, oh, boy. And I can buckle up. And we, I've never experienced anything like that in my entire life.

Maybe some of you have ever done a drive along with somebody who knows how to drive. Big time engines, big time cars. We were going, I won't say.

We weren't just going fast. We were going quickly from like zero to, you know, that speed. Does that make sense?

That's an experience. Pinned back in your seat, the G-forces, and you're just holding on, thinking, what in the world? You almost feel like you're going to levitate off the ground and take off like an airplane.

Serious power. It's like a roller coaster or other rides. Some of you are huge roller coaster fans.

I am not a roller coaster fan, okay? But you buckle up, right? You buckle up, and you get ready, and all of a sudden, I remember going to, we went to one down in Missouri there.

I can't remember the name of Blanton Branson in Silver Dollar City, and there's that fast one that shoots you off. I didn't go to Last time we went with our family, but I went way back in the day and didn't really enjoy it. But they pull you up there, and all of a sudden you're kind of sitting there, and you shoot off.

Some of you love that. Okay, fine. Some of you would love to get in a fighter jet on an aircraft carrier with that hook, you know, and bam.

That would just be the greatest thing in the world. I wouldn't have the last month of my suppers left, okay? I'd be gone.

It'd be horrible, okay? It'd be a horrible experience. Listen, that's what God wants to do, though.

You're sitting down there going, I can't, my life stinks. Folks, you get up and you listen to God and you clean up and you look into what God has for you. I want you to buckle up because God has huge things in store for your life.

I don't care if you have a family who doesn't ever say anything good to you. You remember some of you out here? I worked with somebody in the college years back that never one time in their life was he told, I love you.

Or good job. And maybe some of you in here, you've never heard that. You have no idea what it means to be pushed and to give a vision and to have any hope about anything.

And you just said, I'm a failure. I know I stink. I know I have sinned.

There's no chance at all. Young person, I'm telling you, God wants to use you.

He does. Ephesians 3.20, Now unto him that is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask to think, according to the power that worketh in us. Can I ask you a question?

What did God do for the children of Israel after the Ai incident happened? A lot. Did you know in Joshua 12, 9 through 24, it lists 31 kings defeated by Joshua and the children of Israel?

30 of them, including Ai, after Jericho. I won't go through the list. I can't even say all the names.

But it lists them all. You know what I think God was trying to say?

I did it. What I told you I would do, I did it. You cleaned up.

Joshua, you got everybody back on track. I did what I promised I would do. And Joshua 10, 40 and 42 says, Joshua smote all the country of the hills, and of the south, and of the vale, and the springs, and all their kings.

He left none remaining, but utterly destroyed all that breathed as the Lord of God of Israel commanded. Because the Lord of God of Israel fought for Israel. And it keeps happening.

Joshua 11, 23, it talks about that. Joshua 23, 3, the Lord hath done unto all these nations because of you. For the Lord your God is he that hath fought for you.

Joshua 23, 14, behold this day I am going the way of all the earth. And ye know in all your hearts and all your souls that not one thing hath failed of all the good things which the Lord your God spake concerning you. All are come to pass unto you and not one thing hath failed thereof.

Young person, Joshua, or sorry, Proverbs 3, 5, and 6 is true. Trust in the Lord with all thine heart, and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.

Commit thy works unto the Lord, and thy thoughts shall be established. Proverbs 16, 3. Young person, God will fulfill his promises in your life.

He will lead you. He will help you. And you say, you know, I don't know, but I'm open.

Some of you here say, I'm open to do whatever God wants me to do. I'm surrendered. I want my life to be marked by victories.

I want to walk with God. I want to read his word. I want to have a prayer life.

I'm going to be honest and someone people can trust. I want to obey and respect my parents. I want to love my family more.

I'm going to be humble and selfless. I want to stay pure in this impure world. I want to be kind.

I want to learn to forgive. I want to learn to have self-control and good character. I want to be diligent.

I want to have courage to stand up for what's right. I want to be a young person of integrity. I want to tell people about Jesus.

I want to be all in for Jesus at my church. I want to go wherever God wants me to go. I want to impact people for eternity.

How does that sound, young person? Do you want to do that? You can, starting today.

You can turn all of the defeats, all of the horrible past into amazing promised land victories by getting up from discouragement, cleaning up from the sin, looking up to Jesus and buckling up for the great victories that are coming.

Young person, God wants to use you. He wants to use you. But young person, he's just waiting for you to make that first move to him.