Sun Stand Still - Week 1

Well, welcome today to all of our Life Churches, all of our Network Churches, and those of you who are joining us from countries around the world at Church Online. My name is Craig Groeschel, and I am so thankful that you are with us today. We have a guest speaker who, I'm telling you, is one of the finest communicators of the Bible in the world today. He is a very close friend of mine. He is the founding and Senior Pastor of Elevation Church, a church that believe it or not is only five years old and ministering to well over 8,000 people, which technically should be impossible, but when you see the way God's hand is on this young man, you'll say, "Oh, I see why God is doing so much there!" It's my honor today to introduce to you the Author of Sun Stand Still; to me, one of my favorite books that's been written. I personally asked him to come and share this message with all of you, because I promise you, it will build your faith and you will never be the same. I want to introduce to you today my very good friend, a great man of God, Pastor Steven Furtick. Well thank you! I want to say what a privilege it is to be preaching at the greatest church in America! That's hard for me to say because I love my church, but you are the church we look to when we consider what God wants to do through us and in us. You really are our big-brother, big-sister church. Pastor Craig is the best big brother that any pastor could ask for and he takes really good care of me! I can't tell you how many times on a Thursday afternoon I've been discouraged or uncertain about my message for that weekend, or a decision I had to make and I will get a phone call and when it says "Craig Groeschel" on caller ID, I always know that I'm going to be built up and encouraged and he's going to have something wise to share with me. I just really count it an honor that I can invest into this church today a word of encouragement. Every Monday, I go to church at Life Church on my computer. It's the first stop I make to refill myself. I know you have speakers from all over the world come in and tell you how great you are and that's because it's true; you're phenomenal, and we need you in the Body of Christ. I was thinking about like, what could I say that would actually sound sincere, that wouldn't just sound like the typical guest speaker flattery; you're awesome, you're pastor's great, and you will really know that I meant it. And a lot of things came to mind, but then I thought maybe I should just share an analogy. So, today I am going to share with you from Joshua, Chapter 10:7-14, one of the greatest miracles in the Bible. It's obscure, a lot of people don't preach about it, a lot of people never heard of it, but it's phenomenal, and you will see that in just a moment. God's going to begin to do magnificent, phenomenal, magnanimous, unforgettable, unthinkable things in your life today too. But this church really is a Sun Stand Still church. You don't understand what that means right now, you will in just a moment. This church is a church that, over and over again has seen God do miraculous, outstanding, incomprehensible things, but you can get used to that. And here's the analogy that came to my mind okay, flow with me here. When I was like 12-years-old, I grew up in South Carolina, so in the Southern United States of America. And my friend asked me to help him with his fireworks stand. We have firework stands all over in the United States and you can come up and buy bottle rockets and explosives. It's awesome, but working at a firework stand in the low country of South Carolina, you meet some people, you meet some interesting characters. You see, and this won't make sense to some of our viewers, but see if this vibes with you. You see every conceivable variety of mullet, every conceivable variety of NASCAR t-shirt! And the thing about it is, I was like this 12 or 13-year-old kid working at the firework stand. And so, these people with mullets and NASCAR t-shirts, they come up to the fireworks stand you know, over and over again throughout the day. Now, you would think that for a 12 or 13-year-old boy working at a firework stand would be the ideal job, that would be like the dream situation selling explosives, because what 12 or 13-year-old doesn't love fireworks? But here's the deal, after you've had dozens if not hundreds of people with mullets and NASCAR t-shirts walk up to you all day long and they all want to know the same thing when they walk up to the fireworks stand. They will point to the fireworks; point to one, then point to the other and then point to the other, and they will say over and over again, some variety of this: 'What does that one do? What does that one do?' And after a little while of that you just want to scream back, "They all blow up! They go up in the air! They make colors and they blow up! It's a firework stand, that's all anything does!" So listen, I don't know why you are clapping because it's actually a terrible thing and it scarred me for life! I hate fireworks! Every time my kids want to buy fireworks, I hate fireworks! Why? I got familiar with the fireworks and something that should have been extraordinary, something that should have been uncommon, something that should have been awe-inspiring became so commonplace to me, that I actually started to despise it! You know the same thing can happen in a church like Lifechurch.tv? The same thing can happen in your Network Church, the same thing can happen as you go on Church Online and from somewhere in the world every single week, you can log in and have meaningful community and connect to the Body of Christ. And at first, it's awe-inspiring, and you're like, "Oh, that's amazing, this is incredible, and finally a church I can bring my friends to, and where I can serve and give and make a difference." But, after a while you can get familiar with the fireworks, and what used to make you say ooh and awe, can become so common to you, that if I'm honest, some of you have gotten way too complacent in this miraculous move of God. So, one of the things that I asked the Lord if He would help me do today, is just to help you stand back and see the fireworks for what they really are. To see this awesome move of God at Lifechurch.tv. To see your Pastor's, Pastor Craig and Amy; and by the way, on behalf of my wife, Amy is no slouch herself! My wife so looks up to Amy and I just think that you are positioned wherever you are today, in one of the most phenomenal churches in our country, and really I would say in the history of Christianity in our nation and in our world. So, you ought to thank God for it, and never get familiar with the fireworks! Turn to the person next to you at all of our locations and say, "Don't get familiar with the fireworks!" I really wanted you to do that! Turn to the person next to you at all of our locations and say, "Don't get too familiar with the fireworks!" It's good to have a reminder. I really hope you follow instructions better than that in the rest of our time together! It was a bad start, we'll start over! Joshua, Chapter 10:7-14; I think I love this passage of Scripture because in so many ways, it's the story of my life, it's the story of your pastor's life, it's the story of this church, it's the story of our church. I believe that it is intended to be the story of every follower of Christ. I believe that the kind of faith I am going to talk to you about today, the kind of prayers that I'm going to challenge you to pray today in your life regarding your family, your career, your health, your ministry, I believe that it's not reserved for some super-Christianity elitist A-list. I believe that every single follower of Christ can experience the kind of supernatural move of God that I'm going to describe to you today from Joshua, Chapter 10:7-14. I'm going to read it to you and then I'll fill in the context, so don't get too uncomfortable if you don't understand everything yet, I'll back-fill it, and then I have a strong application for your life over these next two weeks. Before I read this passage, I want you to really engage your mind, your heart and your spirit in what I'm about to share. I want you to get the need, the objective, the goal in your mind, that God is calling you to reach for, to pray for, to believe for, but that seems impossible for you right now. And for some of you, that's concerning a job. For some of you, that's concerning reconciliation in your family. For some of you, that's concerning a sense of purpose or an emotional lift that you need. Some of you have been in a depression for the past two years and you need the joy of the Lord to supernaturally come into your life today. And what I've been praying, isn't that I would just be able to preach a good sermon to you this weekend, but that I would be able to be a catalyst that God would use to inspire you to believe God for the impossible in your life. I don't believe that Jesus saved us to survive this world, I believe He saved us to change it for His glory! I see too many believers, I see too many Christians, I see too many people who love God, who have settled into comfortable complacency and have been lulled into low expectation; but the kind of faith I'm going to talk to you about today, Sun Stand Still faith, believes God for the impossible as an ordinary way of life, and I believe it's available to you. Let's read in Joshua, Chapter 10:7, the Bible says: So, Joshua marched up from Gilgal with his entire army, including all the best fighting men. The Lord said to Joshua, "Do not be afraid of them; I have given them into your hand. Not one of them will be able to withstand you." I want to point out before I move on, this has nothing to do with the actual body of the message, but it's worth stopping for. When God said that in verse eight, He speaks in past tense; "I have given them into your hand." But the battle hasn't even started yet from Joshua's perspective. You serve a God, and I want you to know this today, who speaks about the battles that you're presently fighting in the past tense, because from His vantage point they are already won because Jesus is already victorious. I just thought that was a good side note to throw in! And if you like that, that's the appetizer man, wait till you see what God does next! That's just the salad, push that out of the way, here comes the steak! The Bible says in verse nine: After an all-night march from Gilgal, Joshua took them by surprise. The Lord threw them into confusion before Israel, who defeated them in a great victory at Gibeon. Israel pursued them along the road going up to Beth Horon and cut them down all the way to Azekah and Makkedah. As they fled before Israel on the road down from Beth Horon to Azekah, the Lord hurled large hailstones down on them from the sky..., I love the Bible! People say the Bible's boring; the Bible's not boring, you're boring! Read it! That's in the Bible and that's great! ...and more of them died from the hailstones than were killed by the swords of the Israelites. God can do more in a moment through favor, than you can do in a lifetime of trying to do it your own way! In verse 12, here's the verse that really sums up the way I want to live my life. And the prayer that I'm going to lead you to pray over the next two weeks and the kind of miracles that God wants this church, and all of the Network Churches, and everybody participating in this experience today, to know firsthand. Joshua 10:12: On the day the Lord gave the Amorites over to Israel, Joshua said to the Lord in the presence of Israel:.... And this is my verse you all! "O sun, stand still over Gibeon, O moon, over the Valley of Aijalon." Only thirteen words, but they had cosmic consequence. Not a very long prayer, but watch what God did in response to the faith of one man named Joshua: So the sun stood still, and the moon stopped, till the nation avenged itself on its enemies, as it is written in the Book of Jashar. The sun stopped in the middle of the sky and delayed going down about a full day. There has never been a day like it before or since, a day when the Lord listened to a man. Surely the Lord was fighting for Israel! And I read that sentiment in verse 14, and although I know that the sun has never stood still like that before, it never happened since, its never happened; but, I believe that the same God who made the sun stand still for Joshua, the same God who had the capability and capacity to raise His only Son from the dead, longs to show Himself strong in the life of every man, woman, boy and girl, anywhere in the world, who will call on His name and believe Him boldly to do the impossible so that He can receive glory through your life. I believe not only did that happened one time, I believe it happens everyday all around the world, where a believer is bold enough to say, "God, I want to live my life in such a way that it leaves no doubt that you are fighting for me." I want people to look at my life and say, Joshua 10:14, surely the lord was fighting for Furtick. That's what God calls me, because that's my last name! I want God to do such enormous things through my life and your life, my church and your church, wherever you are and whatever your situation looks like, that when people size up your situation and compare it to what your situation should be based on your natural ability, they have nobody to blame but God for the supernatural results that He creates in your life. And see, I guess the reason I'm so passionate about this, I'm a little fired up about it, is because I've seen the sun stand still. I haven't physically seen this phenomenon, but when I was 16-years-old, God told me that one day I was going to start a church in a major city somewhere in the United States of America to reach people far from God. We just celebrated our five year anniversary just recently; in fact, it was a year ago that Pastor Craig came to preach for me on my four year anniversary, which is also my 30th birthday. He preached so good, we just showed the message to our staff again, that he preached last year, for this year's anniversary, and it was better the second time! And I'm standing before you as an example of someone that was very ordinary. I grew up in a town called Moncks Corner, South Carolina. I knew nothing about big cities, knew nothing about starting a church. And yet, I've seen over 11,000 people give their lives to Jesus in the last five years since we started our church. I've seen the sun stand still. I mean, you can sit there and be skeptical about whether or not God can really use somebody if you want to, but you can't argue with my experience. I've seen the sun stand still. And if you've been a part of this church for any length of time, you've seen the sun stand still. I mean, it happens weekly! In fact, you know how the Bible said that there's never been a day like it before or since, a day when the Lord listened to a man, that was true at this point and time. There had never been a day like it before or since, but this was not the last time that the sun stood still in Scripture, because the Bible says that on the day that Jesus died, the sky grew black as he breathed His last breathe, and He cried out, 'My God, why have you forsaken me?' And the God of the universe intervened and He stepped through time and space and made salvation possible to everyone who would believe on His name. So, if you've been saved by the grace of God and you've received forgiveness of your sins and you're raised to life with Christ, you've seen the sun stand still as well! And you are a living example that God can do anything, I mean, don't even argue with me about whether or not God can make the sun stand still. If you are a part of lifechurch.tv, or one of the Network Churches, it happens every single day! Every single week! If Pastor Craig sneezes, 30 people get saved in India! You have seen the sun stand still! You've seen God do so much in such a short time. I want to spend the remainder of our time together today making this very personal for you. I want to give you a few practical applications and I hope that you are going to make it a priority to be in church next weekend as well, because I'm going to address some of the objections that you're raising right now about your particular situation, because it's a lot easier to believe that the sun could stand still for a guest preacher, or for Joshua, who fought the battle of Jericho and the walls came tumbling down and he was Moses' protege. It's easier to believe that the sun would stand still for Pastor Craig who is in the full-time ministry, than it is to believe that God can make the sun stand still when you are trying to raise middle school kids. Say amen somebody! I mean, there are some of you that are in a situation right now where you don't see how God could do it and I've learned this about the Lord just in my short time of living. You may be kind of writing me off because I'm young and you don't think there's any way that a guy who is 31-years-old could tell you anything about believing God for impossible situations in your life. And that's why I don't come to you on my own authority, I come to you on the authority of the Word of God and the Word of God says that God is able to do immeasurably more than you could ever ask or imagine in Ephesians 3:20. So let me tell you what I've learned about God. If the size of the need that you have in your life seems too big for you, it's just the right size for God. So, if you're in a situation today and you say, the only way this can happen is if God does it, you are in God's wheel house, He specializes in those kinds of scenarios. Let me set this Joshua 10 passage up a little bit more because some context would be helpful. Essentially, Joshua got himself into trouble. Joshua made a mistake. He mad an unwise alliance with some people that he should have destroyed. And so now he finds himself needing God to get him out of a situation that he got himself into. Have any of you at any of our campuses ever needed God to get you out of a situation that you got yourself into? "God, I racked up this debt, but I really want to get my life in order so that I can be generous and do this your way." "God, I married him!" Don't look at him right now, that would really be bad. Just keep your eyes on the screen and we'll get do this together! "But God, now I need you to bless my marriage...and it's not going so well." "God, maybe I haven't been the parent I needed to be, but now my kids are far from you and I need you to bring them back!" "God, I pursued money for a long time, but now I'm realizing that money can't bring meaning. But God, I need you to come in my life in a powerful, undeniable way." And so, if you've ever gotten yourself into a situation that you needed God to get you out of, you can relate to Joshua, because our God is able to turn your mistake into a miracle. I'm so grateful that I serve a God, who just like He fought for Joshua even though Joshua had no business fighting this battle to begin with, God delivered him in the midst of the battle that he shouldn't have even been fighting if he would have done it God's way the first time around. So now, Joshua is fighting this enemy to defend this group, and you are going to have to read all of Joshua ten to get the entire story and even go back to Joshua, Chapter nine. It's fascinating; but essentially, Joshua, even though he's out numbered sees God show up in a great way. But just about as he's about to finish off his adversaries, the sun starts sinking. And if the sun goes all the way down, the enemy is going to get away. Joshua remembers this promise from God that not one of his enemies is supposed to stand against him, that he's supposed to occupy this entire promised land. And so Joshua, in what I'm sure had to be a moment of desperation, prays something that he's never prayed before, that he's never seen anyone pray before. But what other choice does he have? So, out loud he says this, in the presence of the whole nation. If this would have been me, I would have mumbled that sucker under my breathe just to make sure man, because if it comes through, I'll share it as a praise report, if I don't it's between me and God! But, he puts the whole thing on the line okay, cuz if this doesn't work out, we are not reading the Book of Joshua, we're reading the Book of Joshua's nephew who took over after his uncle started barking at the sun in the middle of the sky one day, 'Sun stand still, sun stand still.' And God does it, and he responds! Here's what I love about this miracle, okay? We now know scientifically, that this isn't even the correct thing to ask God to do. The earth revolves around the sun. He didn't even get the prayer right! But, according to what he understood about God, the fact is, God loves it! Now, He's not insulted by our big request, He's insulted by our small ones! You can't intimidate God! But we pray dumb stuff! Any of you ever pray any dumb prayers? And I know that God just, he wants to hear our heart and I know that God sees what we really mean; but, I realized a few years back that the prayers I was praying were actually so sterile and I don't want to say they were wrong, but just things like this, maybe you've never done this before, you probably haven't, you're part of lifechurch.tv, but you know! People at other churches that I've been to before, and at my church back home, we pray stuff like this, this is how we will open our prayer, this will be the some total and substance of our prayer sometimes: "God, just be with me today." I mean, that's great, whatever. You're like telling God you want His blessings and I know what you mean and all of that. But, one time I prayed that and I felt like God challenged me just in my heart, like, 'Is that all? Just be with you today? First of all, I wasn't aware that we planned to be separated today. I mean, because last time I checked I fill all of time and space and you know, every square foot of this earth belongs to me, but okay, I'll be with you today! I'm the creator of heaven and earth, I wasn't aware that I needed your permission to join you today as you inhabit my planet. But cool, I will be with you today!' That's fine, that's a fine starting place but some of us, that's as far as we ever get, 'God, just be with me today!' Other things too, we'll pray these prayers right, and I think our heart is good. I think what we are trying to do is be humble, but we'll pray this prayer, we'll say, 'God, I need you to heal this area of my life. God, I need you to provide in this way.' And then, we will say the whole prayer and then at the end of the prayer; maybe you've never done this before if you don't come from a church back round, but I grew up in the church and we would say stuff like this: 'If it be thy will!' And like, it's as if we think that God needs a cop-out clause in the contract in case He doesn't want to do it! 'If it be thy will,' now 'God, I need you to do this, but if you don't want to it's cool!' And God's like, 'Oh, thank you! Whew! Because I didn't really want to do it, but I was going to have to! But now that you've given me that in the prayer, thank you so much! Whew! That was going to be tough, I'm glad we worked that out, I'm glad you gave me that option, if it be thy will!' And if what we mean by that is, 'God, not my will but yours be done, like Jesus prayed in the garden, that's awesome! Let's always pray according to God's will. But, shouldn't we get to the point in our Christian life that we are in step with God like Joshua was in step with God? God didn't make the sun stand still because Joshua said, 'Be with me!' God didn't make the sun stand still because Joshua said, 'If it be thy will.' Find it, it's not in there! Joshua doesn't say, 'Sun stand still if it be thy will!' He got bold enough to say, 'Lord, I know your promises, I know you promised me that nobody is supposed to be able to stand up against your people. And according to your promise that you made me when I started out as the leader of this nation, I need you to do something right now, and I'm going to pray it boldly!' And the greatest humility that you can demonstrate is to put yourself in a position where, if God doesn't come through, your going to look stupid. That's the humblest thing you can do is to say, 'God, only you can do it! Would you make the sun stand still?' I'm wondering if you'll finally be bold enough today to surface that need in your heart, in your family, in your finances, and say to God; 'God, only you can do it!' I'm wondering if today would be the day, and I know some of you, you're 53-years-old, you've been around the block a few times, you've made some New Year's resolutions, you've tried this before and maybe your shell-shocked, because last time it didn't work. I don't know if maybe you've grown a little bit numb to sermons like this, where someone gets up and fires you up and inspires you, but I'm telling you that God sent me here today to speak into your life that He wants to do something so big in your life. Listen, here's the way I say it to our people back home, I say, "If the size of your vision for your life isn't intimidating to you, there's a good chance it's insulting to God." If there's nothing your believing God for that's big enough in your life, there's a good chance that the God of the universe is insulted. Because, what you ask God for is a direct reflection of what you believe about His capability, His capacity, His character and His nature. So I'm wondering, what is the sun stand still prayer that you need to pray today? I'm wondering what the impossible thing is that God wants to do through your life? I'm wondering if you'll be bold enough to pray it? Thirteen words and it affected the cosmos! Thirteen sun stand still! Now, we can't abuse this. You can't just pick anything in your life that you'd like to have or see or do and pray, yet the Bible says that if we ask anything according to God's will, then He hears us and He answers. It's not like we can just run around wildly, telling the stars and the sun and the moon what to do, but I do believe that right here, right now, there's somebody engaging with this message and the Word of the Lord is coming to you to stir up your hope and your belief, because at one time you believed God was able to do things like this. At one time, you were going to do great things for Him. At one time, you were going to be generous. At one time, you were really going to raise your family to make a difference in the world, but you've settled into spiritual survival mode and the suns going down and the opportunities are getting away. And God brought me here today to tell you that our God is still able to make the sun stand still. But notice something, before you get too happy about a God who can just make the sun stand still, a God who has a galactic DVR TiVo, and He can just pause the world. Notice that although God gave the victory, Joshua still had to fight the battle. This is what I love about Pastor Craig's teaching, and it's why I listen to him every single weekend. In fact, my wife grew up in a Baptist Pastor's home and she traveled on a team where they had to go to church six nights a week when she was in high school. And so, she hates every preacher except for me, her Dad, and Pastor Craig Groeschel! The only three preachers that she will listen to! I mean, she loves the Lord, but she just doesn't like preachers that much! But she'll listen to Pastor Craig, man she loves to hear Pastor Craig. Sometimes I'd be like, "Hey, why don't you turn him off and put me on? I've got a podcast too!" It's good, I mean, it's good! He got that from me, I told him that line right there! Just saying! But you know, what was I saying about that? Oh, how your Pastor is so practical! Don't you love that? When you come to church, you're not just hearing a bunch of hype about, "God can do anything!" And I was listening to the "I Quit" series. I love the "I Quit" series. If you didn't watch it, you need to go back in the archives. Thank God for a church that puts everything online for free by the way! I appreciate it, I can go to church anytime I want to! Starting in the year like, 2003! I was listening to the "I Quit" series, and what I love about that is, it's not just, "God can break your addiction!" And some of you need an addiction broken in your life, but you know what, there's practicality to this too. Because the Bible says that not only did Joshua pray that the sun would stand still, but that he was willing to march all night to fight the battle. Mark this, if you're going to pray that God would make the sun stand still, you'd better be ready to march all night. Not so that you can earn God's love, you could never earn His love. Not so that you can merit His favor or grace in your life, there's nothing you could accomplish that would achieve that end. But God always involves your faith and your works before He supernaturally brings His grace into your situation. It's the way He's chosen to do it. Let me close with a story of a time that I saw the sun stand still, that I hope will be very meaningful for some of you today. When I gave my life to Christ at age 16, it was a radical transformation. Not in the sense that I had a drug addiction, not in the sense that I was very sexually promiscuous, but just that I really wanted to live for God with all of my heart. I didn't know anything about sun stand still prayers, I had never read this passage before. I read through my New Testament in the space of about two and a half months. I would literally go in my closet where I kept my dirty clothes in my house, and pray in my closet because I read where Jesus said that you should go in your closet when you pray and I took it literally. I would go in there and pray for lost people, I had a list of over 50 of my friends and I would share the Gospel with them and I would pray for them, but at the top of my list was my Dad. My Dad is a big guy, he's six-two, he had a very rough life. My Father's Father killed himself on my Dad's eighth birthday. That was my Dad's eighth birthday present, he woke up and found his own Father dead. I always thought that was about the saddest thing that could happen to a little boy, but my Dad has actually told me, "No, it was a really happy day because he was such an abusive and mean man, we were all very glad to see him go." And so, my Dad dropped out of school in the eighth grade to help support the family and went through two marriages before he met my Mom. And then he messed up and married a woman who didn't believe in divorce. And so, my Mom started praying for my Dad. And although I'm talking about my Dad and I'm talking about a very specific situation, at this point in the message, I want you to bring back that need to your mind. That thing you need God to do that you believe is His will, that only He can do. There may be someone in your life that you want to see come into a relationship with Christ. There may be a very practical need that you have right now that has a dollar amount attached to it. I'm not telling you that the check is going to show up in the mail if you pray this prayer, "Sun stand still, you know, turn around five times and throw your Bible in the air and God will send a bonus check!" But I am telling you that God specifically cares about the needs of His children. He's numbered the hairs on your head and He knows your situation, and He cares about your circumstance. And for me and my family, for so long that was my Dad. God saved my Dad! My Mom would pray, "Save my husband, change my husband!" He had a very brutal alcohol addiction, an addiction to drugs. He would come in a lot of times at two and three in the morning. He was the best Dad he knew how to be, but he didn't have a Dad to show him how to do it, and so he was really out there on his own. And at age 16, I would be in my closet with my dirty clothes, in the closet praying for my Dad. Praying the sun stand still prayer, even though I didn't know that was what it was called, praying that God would save my Dad. And one day, I don't know what came over me. I couldn't tell you to this day. Now I know that it was the Holy Spirit giving me this measure of audacity. I was leaving to go to church. I was putting my tie on and I was going out the door to go to church. My Dad wasn't going to church with the family, he was washing dishes because he would do that every Sunday morning to make himself feel better about not taking us to church. And as I was walking out the door, I spun around and I looked at my Dad and I said at just this volume, not in arrogant way, not to try to put him in his place, but just to share with him. I said, "Dad, God's about to get a hold of your life and everything's going to change. And I just wanted you to know that." And I walked off. I'm standing before you today and I could tell you a lot of stories about what's happened between that when I was 16-years old as a brand new Christian, just full of faith and where my Dad is now. But would it help you to know about your situation, what you need God to do in your life, and your family, and your business, whatever that impossible need seems to be; that my Dad, the eighth-grade drop out, came forward after I preached a sermon, the summer after my freshman year of college, and knelt down at the altar and cried like a little baby and gave his life to Christ. And God has set him free from not only alcoholism, but has set him free from, listen; cancer survivor, liver transplant, you know what he was doing at my house the other day? Memorizing the Book of Ephesians, because he's already memorized Philippians, as well as the entire Sermon on the Mount, from Matthew five, six and seven. An eighth-grade drop out! Don't tell me God can't make the sun stand still! I've seen it, I believe it, God's Word promises it. And whatever you need in your life today, I believe God made this appointment with you so that you could see the sun stand still. I want you to bow your head and close your eyes in an attitude of prayer. At all of our Life Churches, the Network Churches, and at Church Online, all over the world, some of you are in need of the grace of God for your salvation today. You need God to turn your mistake into a miracle. The Bible says that all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God and there is no greater need that you'll ever have in your life than the need to be forgiven of your sins; to have a new life, a new heart, to have a new future, to have a hope of a relationship with God. And in order to see the sun stand still and to receive the salvation of Christ, you must repent of your sins. That means to change your mind and to come into alignment with God's way and receive His grace by faith. And my sun stand still prayer for you today, is that you would begin a relationship with God, that you would experience a moment in time, like my Dad experienced at the altar, like I experienced when I was 16-years-old, that the sun would stand still and that Jesus Christ would become your everything. If that expresses the desire of your heart and you're ready to see the sun stand still, so that the power of Jesus Christ can save you and rescue you from your sins, I want you to pray this prayer with me in your heart: Dear Jesus, I need your salvation. Make the sun stand still over my life. I believe you died on the cross for me and rose from the grave, that I might have life. If you just prayed that prayer with me, what I want you to do right now at all of our locations, as well as our Network Churches, and at Church Online, you can participate too. I want you to indicate your decision to follow Christ. When I count to three, I want you to shoot your hand in the air as a sign that this is the day, this is the moment that God made the sun stand still through Jesus Christ in my life. On three, shoot your hand up, all of our campuses! One, two, three, this is your moment, get your hand in the air! This is the moment! Praise God! Praise God for your decision! Let's clap our hands at all of our campuses today for a God who has made the sun stand still!