25. Fighting Battles for the Next Generation — Denny Kenaston

Fighting Battles for the Next Generation

All right, the Lord has led me in my heart to Bring a message entitled fighting battles for the next generation. Fighting battles for the next generation. I want us to read. We've read the verse already this week, but I want us to read it again in Numbers chapter 14 and Verse 24 you want to turn there with me?

Numbers chapter 14 and verse 24 words that God said about Caleb. But my servant Caleb. Because he had another spirit with him and hath followed me fully. Him will I bring into the land Where into he went and his seed shall possess it.

I Wonder this evening. How many of you in this room are first generation Christians? Let me see your hands of you parents first generation Christians. Very good. How many of you are? Second-generation Christians, but you would say you're crutching along pretty much as the second generation Christian.

Let me see your hands. Okay. Very good. Sometime ago. I was meditating upon this verse here and Caleb is one of my heroes. So I enjoy Parking on these verses in the Old Testament. Joshua and Caleb as they were the two men who stood the test When they were sent into the promised land.

But I was meditating upon this verse and the life of Caleb and it dawned on me in the middle of my meditations. What God was saying about Caleb's children? I knew that Caleb fought many battles to take Mount Hebron in fact Mount Hebron was covered with Giants and Caleb fought many battles to take Mount Hebron.

But I realized that his children would inherit what he fought for and immediately. The connection was made in my own heart in my own mind. Now the land of Canaan is an Old Testament type of the New Testament abundant Christian life.

We know that the Christian life is full of battles victories and peaceable fruit that come after the battles and the victories. As I think of all the things that we have heard thus far this week. It seems fitting to me this evening to take a look at the task ahead with an attitude of faith and Confidence and belief in God that God surely will do for us.

Exceedingly abundantly what we would even ask or think I? Agree with David when he was about to slay the giant for the glory of God and some of his brothers Criticized him. He simply said these words.

Is there not a cause and this evening my dear? Parents, I would say the same words to you. Is there not a cause to rise up and fight the battles? That are that lie ahead of us for the sake of the next generation.

I Believe there is a cause the children shall possess. What the parents have fought for in the Christian life? I'll explain what that means as we move through the message looking again in numbers. I want you to notice that we this verse we're breaking into the middle of a conversation between Moses and God and Moses is trying to convince God to not forsake the children of Israel to pardon them for the things that they've done wrong because they just fell in unbelief and didn't go into the promised land.

Moses Intercedes for Israel's Unbelief

In verse 17 we we enter into the middle of that conversation and Moses says to God and now I beseech thee let the power of my Lord be great. According as thou has spoken saying the Lord is long-suffering and of great mercy forgiving iniquity and transgressions and by no means clearing the guilty.

Visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children under the third and fourth generation. Pardon, I beseech thee because you do visit please pardon. I beseech thee the iniquity of this thy people.

According unto the greatness of thy mercy and as thou has forgiven this people from Egypt even until now. And the Lord said I have pardoned according to thy word. But as truly as I live all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the Lord.

Now you may wonder now Why did he throw a verse like that in there in the middle of this conversation between God and Moses? I believe this is the reason God God's heart came out there. God's heart was oh that the whole earth would be filled with my glory with my knowledge.

Oh that my people would believe me that would go in and enjoy the blessings that I provided for them. I believe that's what God's heart is saying here. Because all those which have seen my glory and my miracles.

Which I did in Egypt and in the wilderness and have tempted me now these ten times and have not hearkened to my voice. Surely, they shall not see the land which I swear unto their fathers neither shall they any of them that provoked me see it, but My servant Caleb and then we get into the verse which we've read already.

Caleb's Spirit of Faith and Conquest

I See in this verse a Spirit-of-faith and victory. I see in this man Caleb the spirit of a pioneer. Caleb has a fighting spirit. We'll read a little bit later toward the end of the message what kind of a heart and attitude he had.

I mean when he spoke those words those famous words that people have written songs about where he said I want that mountain. He was 85 years old when he said those words. He wasn't a spring chicken. He wasn't a 25 year old Enthusiast dreaming a bunch of dreams.

This is an old man 85 years old and he was full of grit and he was full of the grace of God when he was 85 years old and he Said that mountain that I saw that God promised to Moses for me. I Want it and I'm gonna have it.

God said I'm gonna have it and I'm gonna have it. Oh my dear brothers and sisters God said you're gonna have it and if you'll rise up and say I'm gonna have it you'll have it. You will that's the word of the Lord.

God liked the heart of Caleb a heart that holy Followed God. God still likes hearts like that too, by the way you know, we have a choice to make with all that we've been listening to all these many many sessions and My you must be about full by now all these words that have been given to you.

But we have a choice to make what we're going to do with all that we're hearing. We have a choice to make and I believe what God is saying to us is that our heart should rise up in faith and Seize the promises that God has been giving to us and with a with a heart like Caleb say I see that Mountain and I'm going to have it and guess what if you'll rise up and do that your children shall possess What you were willing to fight for but my dear fathers and mothers the other is also true.

That if we do not fight for that piece of land our children probably won't get any. If we drop in on Hebron in the days of Caleb's possession. It's a very interesting scene you'll find war on Mount Hebron in the days of Caleb.

You'll hear the noise of battle. You hear the strong cries of men crying out to God and women crying out to God. You'll hear and see the strain of the reality of a war that's going on. You'll see Giants all over the mountainside of Mount Hebron.

But if you drop into Mount Hebron 20 years after that You will see a very very different scene. You'll see houses. You'll see vineyards. You'll see sheep on the hillsides. You'll see children running and playing by the side of the house.

You'll see a garden over here and mom and the older children are working in it. You'll see a field out there and dad's out there with the older boys, and he's working in it. There's fences up. There's all there's olive trees growing and everything's beautiful.

And there's a house over here and another house over here, and you could stand back and look at it and say my this looks Beautiful, it's hard to imagine that somebody fought the Giants around here 20 years ago.

But the fact in the rail and the reality is exactly that. Because Caleb was willing to rise up and believe God and believe God's promise and go after that Mountain and face the battles and face those Giants and deal with them the way they needed to be dealt with.

Because Caleb was willing to do that he wholly followed the Lord and he wholly believed the Lord. There sits all of Caleb's children there on the mountainsides and all these houses and they just simply Inherited this beautiful mountain called Hebron to live on.

They didn't have to fight a lick for it. Sheila. There's something very stirring. That goes on inside of my heart when I begin to think about fighting the battles for the next generation. Something challenging that stirs inside of me something Adventuresome, you know for first-generation Christians, there's something stirring about reading an account like this and Realizing that if I will in fact chart a course.

Inheriting the Abundant Christian Life

My children will inherit some things that I never had all you first-generation Christians pay attention. Now Canaan is a picture of the abundant Christian life and the abundant Christian life dear brothers and sisters.

Has meat on it. It's not just a good feeling. It has meat on it. The abundant Christian life is a life of victory. The abundant Christian life is a life of Prosperity as we live by the principles of the Word of God.

The abundant Christian life is a happy marriage. The abundant Christian life is a joyful home. The abundant Christian life is a life of service for God. The abundant Christian life is all of those things and yay much more.

That is the land. Mom and I we started with nothing 30 years ago. We started with nothing. We are first-generation Christians and we came from the bottom of the barrel. No teaching no light no understanding no example whatsoever.

Just a couple hippies sitting on the floor smoking marijuana. But God had mercy upon us. But 30 years ago We didn't have very much land. I'll tell you that but you know what? We did 30 years ago. We stood together and we gazed out over the land and we said oh Look at that one over there.

Look at that nice hillside over there. Wouldn't that be a blessing? Oh, yes, we would like that. Yes, we would like that a happy marriage. Yes. We don't know what we're doing. We don't know how to do this marriage thing, but do you see that beautiful piece of land over there?

Let's go for that one, honey. Let's go for that one we stood on the good side of the River Jordan and gazed out over the land and desired many beautiful plots and and we started to Move in that direction now when we started we were pretty insecure.

We were pretty ignorant. I was pretty introverted. But somehow God stirred our hearts to believe that even somebody like us could inherit some of that land and you know. It took a few years for us to get a grasp on the reality.

That as we gained those pieces of land It would also fall upon our children as a blessing that we never had and you know. Though at times, you know It's a little difficult to see the children enjoying the blessings that you never had.

But you know, I wouldn't change it not one bit at all. I wouldn't change it for my dear children who are possessing things that we fought to get. We said to the Lord Oh Lord, we see some of it and God we want these things.

The Spiritual Battles of Humility, Prayer, and Faith

Now when I say we had a fight for everything we get this is what I mean by fight. We had the fight of humility. Facing the needs the many needs which kept coming up again and again and again in our uneducated Christian lives we had the fight of prayer and Wrestling on our knees over our failures and the things that we wanted God to do in our lives.

We had the fight of faith of Rising up and believing that even God would do such a thing for us in our lives. We had the fight of not giving up at times when things didn't go too. Well, and we were tempted to give up and just throw the whole thing.

We fought our way through those things because we saw a piece of land that we wanted to have and we wanted our children to enjoy it in ways that we Never did all you first-generation Christians in this room.

That's where your attitude should be tonight. I want that mountain. Oh God for my children. I Want them to live in that nice little house over there with a fence around it and I'm not talking about a physical one.

Bless God. With a white picket fence around it. We had the fight of joining hands and engaging the enemy as we realized this fella is set to destroy Us in any way he can we will not let him do it. That's the fight I'm talking about.

We came into the Christian life me. I'm speaking personally about me very Undisciplined and lazy marriage. It didn't go too. Well children. We didn't do that very well. We had a lot to learn leadership.

I didn't know much about leadership. I had sergeant Denny kind of leadership mentality in my mind when we entered into this whole thing. Fellowship mama didn't understand very much about that finances.

We struggled quite a long. How long of a list do you want? But we looked at all that and We looked at the land and we said That land is for us. God promised us that land and we're gonna go get it for our children.

That's what we said. Think about it the children. The children are literally possessing what we fought for. You think about it? I was a lazy man. When I got converted I was lazy. No doubt about it. That was part of my character.

That's the way I was. But I faced my laziness. I went through the humiliation of facing my laziness. I sat in the office and let the fella at UPS. Sit me down and tell me a thing or two and tell me that if you don't straighten out boy.

You're gonna lose your job. I suffered the humanly humiliation of that. I went through many things. I wept tears. I cried out to God. I said God changed me. I don't want to be a lazy man. Even the boss told me I'm lazy.

I don't want to be lazy. It doesn't glorify you. You've got to change me Lord. I don't want to be a lazy man. Guess what? I am NOT a lazy man. Hallelujah. God gave me victory. Guess what? My boys, they just inherited that piece of land.

It's never been a big struggle to them. They don't hardly know the difference between the one or the other. Because they're around a Papa who's full of diligence and full of energy and full of things to do and they just pick all of that Up and it's an inheritance to them.

They don't have to work for it. They don't have to fight for it. I mean it's handed to them on a silver platter because mom and dad fought for it. That's what I'm talking about tonight dear fathers and mothers fighting Battles that our children may inherit things that we Really had to fight for and they just get them.

They just get them. See that's not fair. Oh, hang on a while. Hang on a while. It's worth it. It's worth it. Before I got converted I hate I hated children. Now I love children and guess what all my children love children.

They never even passed their mind to hate them before I was converted. I hated old people. Guess what now I love them and respect them and my children love and respect old people. They never faced one little battle about old folks one time in their life.

Hallelujah. That's what I'm talking about before I was converted. I was full of insecurity and I was a very very negative man. Ah. When it rained I wished it was sun was shining and when the sun was shining I wished it would rain.

My children dwell in an atmosphere of faith and confidence at our house. Why? Because we were willing to face the issues in our life before God and Recognize that part of the abundant Christian life part of a spirit-filled life is for God by his grace to come in and change us.

That's the Sanctification process in the Christian life and God comes in and changes us and guess what the children? Just grow up in a totally different atmosphere than what we had before them. We fight for it and they just possess it.

Just as simple as that. Oh Dad Caleb marched up that mountain and dealt with those Giants and after he passed off the scene all the children and the children's children of Caleb. Just dwell peaceably on Mount Hebron as if there was never a giant there before.

That's what I'm talking about. Mm-hmm. Paul spoke of these very this very principle as he was encouraging Timothy in 1st Timothy chapter 4. He said these words let no man despise thy youth Timothy. But be thou an example of the believers in word conversation in charity in spirit in faith and in purity.

Until I come give attendance to reading to exhortation and doctrine neglect not the gift. That is in thee which was given thee by prophecy with the laying on of my hands of the presbytery. Meditate upon these things Timothy give thyself holy to them that thy profiting or thy pioneer advance or Every new piece of ground that you gain May appear unto all.

That's what Paul is saying to Timothy right there that word profiting is the word of Advancing forward. That word profiting is a word. It's a positive word of Sanctification in the life of the believer and Paul was telling Timothy look boy.

You're young. You're not an old man yet. Don't let him despise your youth meditate on these things give attendance to reading and every advance you make will appear unto all. They will see it and say look how God is changing that man.

Viewing Christian Growth as Promised Land

That's what we're talking about this evening. We take all these things that God has been doing the things that he's been ministering to us the things that we're learning about our home. The things that we're learning about ourselves, and you know it's a lot of things to sit and listen to for a whole week.

You know you could give yourself over to discouragement sitting you're thinking wow. This is way more than I can ever handle. I want to change the way you look at it. You look at it like a beautiful piece of land sitting over here with green grass on it, and God is saying that is you.

There's such a difference between that attitude and the other one that says oh my what am I going to do? How can we gonna do all these things? I'm overwhelmed by all the things this guy is telling me no.

You're not looking at it, right. That's exactly the way the other ten spies and all the rest of the children of Israel looked at the land of Canaan. They looked at it all and said oh the cities are big and the mountains are big and the people are strong and the Giants are Tall and there's too many things going on in there.

It's too much for me. Well God says to them then just go die in the wilderness you want to but my servant Caleb. My servant Caleb there was another spirit in him he wholly followed the Lord him. I'm gonna give him.

I'm gonna let him have the piece of land that I said he's gonna have and his children will possess it after him. After he's gone. It will be theirs. See we're talking about changing our heritage all us first-generation Christians.

We're talking about changing our heritage this evening. Now we all know what a pioneer is don't we we live in America? There was a day when there were pioneers in America. The pioneers were the ones who said being on the east side of the United States.

I'm going west the pioneers were the first ones that went a pioneer, you know a pioneer they're the ones who Build the first raft so all The rest of the wagons can float over that river when they come to it.

That's what a pioneer is. Picture the pioneer just get a little picture. Dad mom and two little ones. Heading out to go from the east side of the United States to the west side of the United States. That's what God is calling us to do not to go from the east side of the United States to the west.

But God is saying here you are in a certain place. Maybe you don't know very much. Maybe there are lots of needs in your life. Maybe you feel overwhelmed by all the things that you've heard all this week.

I want you to get in that wagon put your little ones in that wagon and set your sights on where you're going God is saying to us this evening. Do not despair believe in me. Do not despair. Believe my promises do not go by the sight of your eye nor by some of the experiences that you may face.

But believe me, I want to give you the land that I've been laying before you all this week. I want to give you a godly home and I will give you one if you will keep on going if you will believe me. If you will trust me if you will take all the things that I'm giving you and rise up and believe them.

With all of your heart and chart a new course for your family. You with your wife and those little ones will make it over to the other side into, California. That's what God is saying to us tonight. Now some are going to make it but some are not going to make it.

Some are going to get discouraged some are going to sit back and say it's too much for me. I can't handle it. Some may pay me a may. Pitch their tent just on this side of the Jordan River and leave all the land sit out there for somebody else and that's up.

To you every single one of us. We all have those decisions we have to make but I just want you to know tonight brothers and sisters. You're making those decisions before a holy God. You're making them before a living God.

You're making them before a God that you will stand before Someday and you'll have to answer for the decisions that you make but God is saying to us tonight. God is ministering to us tonight. God is saying have faith believe in me.

Look at that mountain believe it. I promise you it is yours. I will give it to you. You can have it if you want it. That's what God is saying tonight. Fighting battles for the next generation. The pioneer treads new ground.

He settles a new area. He goes on before before anyone else goes. There's something stirring and adventuresome in me about a pioneer. There's something inside of me that stirs me when I think those kind of thoughts and by the way, it stirred me 30 years ago, too.

Bless God. I looked at all and said hey, man, we're gonna go for it mom. We're not gonna sit over here. We're not gonna live in this pop tent on the edge of the Jordan River. Look at that nice house sitting over there and I'm not talking about the house.

I'm living in. I'm talking about that spiritual house over there. Look at that beautiful piece of land over there. See those cattle out there on a thousand hills over there. Let's go for that mama. Let's do something that'll affect our children and bless our children after us bless God when we're dead and gone.

They'll have something that we never had before. Let's do it mom. Come on, get on this side of this old wagon children hop in the back. We're going. There's something very adventuresome about taking new ground for the sake of the children.

Now I think we ought to take it just for the sake of the glory of God. But it's alright to have a few other motivations in our lives. Amen. It's it's alright and there's something stirs my heart to take new ground for the children for the children's sake.

Family Devotions and a Godly Legacy

You know some time ago we had a healthy exercise in family devotions. Once I spent some time meditating upon this verse and I realized the riches that were in it and I realized. That's exactly what we've been doing.

That's what we've been doing all these years. I sat the family down and we had a little devotion out of this verse and I opened it up for a family discussion. During family devotions and I said to the to the children What do you possess?

That you know that mom and dad fought for now that was an interesting discussion. Very interesting as the children opened up and began to share their mind their memories. They went back and some of the older children.

They went back to struggles in the home that they remembered that they were there. But oh, it was a beautiful exercise that we had it opened up beautiful discussion words of gratitude. Came forth out of the children words of support.

I mean they fueled our fire and said mom and dad the things that we have. Because you were willing to fight keep on going just keep on going don't stop where you are words of encouragement and support came from the children it was very inspiring and They encouraged us to keep on possessing.

More of the beautiful land that God has for us and guess what? We don't plan to stop yet. We're not done. Wait, there's a whole lot more land to possess and we're not done. There's many more things. There are needs in our lives.

We want God to deal with those needs. There's a piece of land over there that I want and God's gonna give it to me and I'm not gonna slow down bless God. There's too many beautiful things out there. Abundant things beautiful things fruitful things in the Christian life that I want to possess yet.

And guess what my children they will get it after me. Very inspiring meditation we had. Some of the observations that I noticed in that discussion. I wrote them down afterwards. I was intrigued the small children.

They didn't know a lot. They just you know, they didn't know a lot some of the discussions that we had they couldn't even relate to it. They just live in a happy home. That's it. You know, what? What are you talking about?

You mean mom and dad used to have words with each other. What are you talking about? They just live in a happy home, but the older children they knew they knew yeah, there's been some struggles. Working through this piece of land over here called a happy marriage, but the little children what what are you talking about?

That's what they said and I looked at it and said yeah, there it is already. They are possessing something. They don't even have a clue how we fought what we did in order to obtain that sweet and happy atmosphere in the home.

The older children they were full of gratitude. They remembered some of the battles for many of the areas of land in our Christian lives that we dealt with and they were full Of gratitude as they looked at him and realized you humbled yourself you dealt with those issues.

You went through some humiliating experiences. You didn't quit you got up again when things didn't go right and now you have something and we just have it. Right here in our own hands. They were filled with gratitude.

Fighting for Marriage, Order, and Discipline

I'm telling you fathers and mothers your children will kiss you. They will bless you. They will love you. They will respect you and honor you if you will rise up by the grace of God and take the bull by the horns.

And deal with some of these issues in your life and get through to God on them. Your children will rise up and bless you for it. I'm telling you they will because what you fight for they shall receive them.

So beautifully they shall be theirs. They won't have anything to worry about. It won't be a big deal to them at all. But they will look at it and realize mom and dad went through the fire. For these and they will rise up and they will bless you for them.

Hallelujah. Worthy as a lamb. Another observation that I had as we were discussing there and he is sharing and listening to the children. This question came to my mind. Have we stopped fighting for more land?

Have we stopped fighting for more land? We don't want to stop fighting for the land. There's much more land to possess yet. We're not going to give up that easy. We're not going to settle down. We're not going to say Okay, we got a few pieces of land here children.

Have a happy marriage have this that's all we're going to have you. Go get the rest yourself. We're done. We decided we're not going to go that way. We're going to keep on moving forward. Another observation that I found which has blessed my heart.

The older children can join in the fight with you they can join in. For the new ground that lies ahead the older children. They the children they rose up. I mean those older children. They just stood beside us and blessed us for all the land that we obtained and they encouraged us and said go.

Get some more. We're with you. We'll help you. We'll pray for you. We'll stand with you. We'll support you go get some more. God bless those older children for that. Maybe some of you older children don't want your mom and dad to go get some more.

I would encourage you don't resist your mom and dad if they're gazing at another piece of land over there. Don't you resist them? They're looking at something that god wants them to have because it's in this book right here.

I don't know what that piece of land may be but i'm telling you There's a lot of lovely pieces of property there in the land of canaan for all who are willing to fight. And believe god and possess them.

And the last observation that I had is we had this discussion was this. You. If you will grasp the vision that i'm giving you right now. You can enlist your whole family in this pursuit. It doesn't have to just be a mom and dad thing.

You can sit your family down and say Okay children. This is the next piece of property that we are going to go after. Let's all go get it together. You can enlist your family to help you in these things.

And join them in the pursuit of more land in your life. Listen to me now just consider. This land is worth fighting for. It's worth fighting for a happy marriage is worth fighting for i'm telling you.

You don't know what you do for your children if you can leave for your children a happy marriage. You don't know what you do for the next generation for the establishment of the homes of your children if you Can gain that piece of land which is called a peaceable happy marriage in the lord.

Jesus christ. Oh what a treasure it is for you if you don't have that if you go after it and get it. It's worth fighting for i'm telling you it's worth it. If you're not there I want to encourage you.

Don't stop. Do not stop until you have a happy marriage. One of the greatest gifts that you can give your children is a happy marriage. Don't stop. Don't stop. An orderly godly home think about that one for a moment.

You bring all these things into place in order the children grow up in the home. What do they see? It's nothing to them. Dad's in his place mom's in her place. There's order there's love. There's direction.

There's devotions. Dad's a leader. The boys pick up dad's leadership. Mom's a follower. The girls pick up mom's Followship. Everything is in order the children just grow up and they inherit the whole thing.

All that beautiful order. Oh. Oh, that's just normal life, yeah dad leads mom follows this that yeah, oh that's just normal life. That's the way it's supposed to be. That's the way it's supposed to be.

They just grow up in the midst of all this beautiful order. And that's just the way it is. And that's the only way they ever knew it and that's the only way they're going to have it. And they start. So far ahead of us you can't imagine.

Often I like to say it this way, you know. Okay, we took the ball and we started running. Maybe we only made it to seven. But we we passed the ball on to the children. Maybe the children will make it to nine because we made it to seven and help them along the way.

That's what we're talking about. It's worth fighting for a disciplined christian life is something that is very much worth fighting for. You you fight for it you bring that thing into your life you bring that into your home.

Ha the children that's the only way it ever was. What what's so wrong? What's so hard about fasting fasting? We've known that ever since we're little fasting's not a big deal. How many days you want to fast three five seven?

No, there's no big deal getting up in the morning. Oh, that's not a big deal getting up in the morning. No big deal at all. You set the alarm you just get up. That's all there is to it. What what's the big deal?

Why is it that way they inherited it? That's why. They didn't have to fight for it. That's just the way it always was. And that is exactly the way god wants it to be. So say so what what are they gonna do then i'm glad you asked.

Raising Children to Advance God's Kingdom

What are they going to do. Instead of taking 20 years to try to get their life all figured out and straightened out guess what they're going to do. They're going to go do damage to satan's kingdom. They're going to blast some some devils on the other side of the world.

They're going to build the kingdom of god. They're going to shoot their arrows into beautiful places that'll do damage to satan's kingdom and glorify the lord. That's what they're going to do. They don't have to mess around for 20 years trying to get the whole thing all straightened out and figured out.

It's already straightened out and it's all figured out. So they're gonna go for the gold. That's what they can do. And that's the will of god. So you may look at it all and say well I want to be a missionary and I want to be this and I want to be that and.

But it just took us too long to get it all together. Hey you get it all together and your children can fulfill some of those wannabes. One of those dreams some of those dreams that you had your children can do for you.