Faith and family values go hand-in-hand. This month you’ll learn to put your values in action while bringing your family to faith! In this message, Pastor Jentezen delivers three lessons from Rahab’s story that will help your home stand against the enemy’s attack. Watch it now and request your Foundations box set for teachings that will give your family a lasting legacy!

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today I want to tie this message of

Joshua chapter 2 to our lives and I want

to speak to you on the power of the

scarlet cord because it’s so powerful

when you understand what is taking place

here and how it affects us today I want

to give you three things I’ve just got

three points quick easy points that I

want to give you about the story but you

know the only thing standing between our

families and destruction is the blood of

Jesus Christ that scarlet cord it was a

simple little scarlet cord tied in the

window and yet when destruction came

when problem when the enemy wanted to

destroy their home because there was a

scarlet cord that house stood I was

thinking about how that the greatest

threat to our home is not what happens

in Washington DC

I hear people ranting and raving and

certainly we need to be praying and we

need to vote and all of that for four

things of our convictions and the Word

of God and always stand with the word of

God but there is nothing that Washington

DC has done that can affect my home the

greatest danger to my home is not what

Washington DC does the greatest danger

to my home is not what Hollywood does

the greatest danger to my home is what

goes on in my home Hollywood cannot

invade my home I have to invite them in

filth cannot invade my home all that

stuff going on out there it really can’t

get in my home unless I invite it into

my home so the greatest danger is not

what they do

it’s what I do and what we do in our

homes and this story is amazing you see

the battle today is the battle over our

spiritual legacy which is our families

when you say that you’ve been married 26

years like Charisse and I on you and you

have five children and they all love God

and they all serve God and they all are

unashamed and have been filled with the

Holy Spirit people look at you like you

have three

yours or something they can’t believe

that you can raise a Christian family

and all of your children love God and

serve God just like you did for

generation after generation but he can

be done our children are worth the fight

our grandchildren are worth the fight

our marriages are worth the fight our

families are worth the fight so fight

the fight it’s worth it

it is our spiritual legacy our families

the setting is one of Jericho Jericho

with its impregnable walls the walls

were so thick that chariots could race

on the top for entertainment of the

inhabitants of Jericho and God said that

it would be the first city that they

would take when they conquered the

Promised Land so Joshua was sent in two

spies to spy out the city and they tried

to be unnoticed but someone noticed that

there were strangers in the city and

reported it to the king and when they

when they reported it they noticed that

they had slipped in to the house of

rehab the harlot and so soldiers were

sent to arrest and soldiers were sent to

capture these spies and take them back

to the king but when they got there the

scripture said that Rahab

hid them not just under her roof but in

the roof in stalks of flax she made them

ill and covered them in the material

that made her roof and so when the

soldier searched the house they could

not find these two men and she made up a

story and she said they they went out

the gate they were here but they went

out the gate as the gate was closing and

they went that direction and if your

hurry you can catch them in the in the

end the soldier scurried out and there

she was with these two spies and they

said help us escape and they go to the

window that was on the house that was on

the wall and they opened a window and

she begins to let them down through with

a cord but the Bible said that she said

something before she agreed to help them

she said I want one thing from you

she could she could have asked for a lot

of things she could have asked for gold

because they had it they had just come

out of Egypt and they had all the gold

that they had been given she could have

asked for a big estate because they were

about to take land that that hat that

was flowing with milk and honey and she

could have been set up but she said if I

can only have one thing this is the one

thing that I asked of you I want my

family to be saved more than I want

house more than I want land more than I

want money more than I want anything

this whole world can offer I love this

this woman Rahab the harlot because

something in her loved her family enough

to say out of all of the things that I

could ask for the most important thing

that I can get from you is I want my

family to be saved what a powerful

powerful word to get our family saying

she took a scarlet cord I’m sure it was

a thick rope but it was a red rope a

scarlet cord and she hung it out the

window and I’m just using this little

prompt but she hung it out the window

and they climbed down and then when they

climbed down the man said leave it in

the window bind it notice the orders

bind it upon your window and get your

family in the house and everybody who is

in the house will be saying what a good

word all of them will be saved we ought

to claim that this morning all of them

come on let’s just let’s just make a

powerful confession all of my family

will be safe

I feel joy in my soul all of my family

all of my children my grandchildren my

great great grandchildren I’m preaching

now but thirty forty years from now the

blood cord can-can weave its way all the

way for generations and tie up my kids

and my kids kids and my kids kids kids

hallelujah now I want to give you

quickly three quick lessons number one

and once you get excited over this point

I’m telling you in advance so you will

get excited because it’s a powerful

point even though it’s simple this story

teaches me these three lessons number

lesson number one your family can be

saved no matter what your background is

she was a harlot she was morally unfit

she was socially bankrupt she was not

running a motel 6 on the wall she was

running a brothel she was a prostitute

and God did not say I’m sorry you’ve

asked me to save your family but you

have so much baggage that there’s no way

I can do that nope

he said come on in the family sis I know

you’ve got baggage and I know you’ve got

a pass but if you just get a hold of

that scarlet cord that represents the

blood of Jesus Christ it does not matter

about your background and how bad you

messed up I can still save your children

some of you have such guilt some of you

have such shame some of you almost have

accepted I’m reaping what I sowed

because I leave this stuff and now my

children and my children’s children that

is not in the Word of God the blood of

Jesus has caused you to become a new

creation in Christ and your family can

be saved regardless of your background I

need somebody to shout if you believe

I’m preaching truth

God honored the cry of her heart even

with a horrible background and saved her

whole family no matter what road you

took to get to Calvary if any man be in

Christ he is a new creation the old

things have passed away and behold all

things are new and listen to this I

wrote this down on the airplane there is

nothing in your past stronger than the

blood of Jesus Christ

the devil can’t reach in my past and

condemn me and say my children are going

to be lost because I was in the things

and did things because I’m a new

creation in Christ that Old Testament

Tabernacle had the Ark of the Covenant

it was the God box and in it were three

things there was the pot of manna they

took some of the manner that God fed

them within the wilderness and put it in

a pot and put it down in that box they

took the rod that budded supernaturally

a dead stick that came to life and they

put it into that box and they took the

tables of stone that Moses brought down

off of the mountain that God with his

own finger wrote the Ten Commandments

with and they took those and put them in

that box then they took a covering and

they put it it was called the mercy seat

and then they took blood and they would

sprinkle the blood seven times a day on

the mercy seat and I’ve heard people say

well that was God’s museum box it was

supposed to be a testimony to the

children of Israel of God’s faithfulness

and that could be seen that way but

really if it was a testimony box nobody

ever got to hear the testimony because

it was in the Holy of Holies and only

one man on one day out of all the people

of Israel got to go in and could

actually see the table of stone and the

and the budding rod in the and the and

the pot of manna no none of the other

people it was inaccessible they could

not get to it

so why did God put that in that box and

then put a mercy seat on top of it and

covered in blood because all three of

those things were rooted in the worst

failures of Israel the only reason that

the tables of stone were broken and put

in the box was because when Moses came

down off of the mountain the children of

Israel were dancing around idols dancing

before the golden calf and he got mad

and threw the stones down and broke them

and they picked them up and put them

inside

the box but it was rooted in their

failure in their idolatry the only

reason that there was a bloody dead

stick that came alive and began to

produce almonds was because a woman and

a man named Cora enter and enter and the

children of Israel rose up and they

tried to they tried to usurp authority

over Moses in the leadership and God

said I’ll tell you who my leader is he

said tell all of the children of Israel

the leaders to bring their dead stick

and the one that comes alive would be

the one that I choose to be my leader

and the only reason that it was there

was because they were full of rebellion

and tried to do things their way and God

slew fifteen thousand of them and Cora

had leprosy and the only reason that the

pot of manna was there and God gave man

it was because they complained and

whined and said we don’t like the food

and God said I’ll just send the same

thing for 40 days for 40 years and you

eat it morning noon and night if you

complain about my cooking here take this

and the only reason it was in there

listen to me carefully was all three of

those items were deeply rooted in the

failures of Israel and God took their

worst failures put it in the Box put a

thing called mercy overtop of them

because mercy is always over the law and

then he covered it in blood and there

came a time when the box was kidnapped

by the Philistines and they decided they

were going to lift off the mercy and the

blood and reach into the box and pull

out the past failures of Israel and when

they did fifty thousand of them were

slain God was saying don’t you ever when

I put something under the blood and

under the mercy of God don’t you ever

let anybody lift the lid and try to dig

out what I have already covered in my

blood and in my mercy you don’t hear me

don’t you let the enemy tell you that he

has a right to your children if it’s

under the blood he can’t remember

the mercy seat my children are under the

blood come on my children are under the

mercy of God

whoo let’s just take a praise break

everybody thank him that your past is

covered anybody got a pass that you’re

glad can’t curse your children because

the mercy and the blood have covered it

so maybe your dad wasn’t alcoholic but

your children aren’t going to be and

maybe you’ve had a problem but your

children don’t have to today the blood

of Jesus Christ can reach beyond your

background and save and set free the

second thing that I want you to see in

this story is he said Rahab if your

family is going to be saved there’s

going to be work involved on your part

take the cord and bind it in the window

he did not say have the priest do it he

did not say it’s the pastor’s job he did

not say have the youth pastor if you

want your children say tie and bind is

the word the cord in the window no he

said if you want your family saved then

you have to get involved if you want

your family to go to heaven you have to

get involved you have to do something

about it

you take the scarlet cord and you bind

it in the window you put it there you

put it there every time you pray moms

and dads call your children’s names out

and put that cord and bind it there fast

for them pray for them when you get a

burden for them call their name out in

prayer put the cord there mom put the

cord there dad grandparents put the cord

there pray and fast and pray and fast

and believe God for your family you do

something get up every day and

sure that scarlet cord is there I’m sure

if you understood that if the cord was

not there the family would be destroyed

so if something’s not important I’m sure

the last thing she did before she went

to sleep is she went and checked the

cord I’m sure the first thing she did

when she got up in the morning and she

went and she checked the cord have I got

the blood on my children have I got the

blood on my house have I got the blood

because without the blood we can’t

overcome the culture that we’re in it’s

a culture of death but if we’ve got the

blood no matter what’s going on out

there we’ll have victory in here as long

as we’ve got blood check it recheck it

every day every morning keep checking up

making sure your family is safe be sure

be very very sure that cord is there

every day pray for him every day called

her name in prayer every day every day

every day bind it

he didn’t say scotch tape it bind it you

got a nail some things down neither is

our salvation by any other name you must

be born again and you have to sew nail

it down into their spirit that when they

go there no wind of doctrine no faults

wind of doctrine can come along and just

blow it away if it’s bound if you bound

it into their spirits if you’ve taught

it until they understand then then

nothing can remove no wind defaults

doctor and Paul said preach the word be

instant in season out of season for the

time will come when men will not endure

sound doctrine but they’ll be blown away

with every wind the false doctrine but

when you bound it like you’re supposed

to no boyfriend

can take it away no girlfriend no beer

party at college

no no college professor can remove that

cord cause it’s bound it’s not scotch

tape it’s bound and wherever they go

when they go off to school they’re bound

to it and they can’t get away from and

when the college professor gets up and

throws the Bible and says this books a

lie and I’m going to tell you there’s a

cord that they’re wrapped up in that

says even though I may be in a hostile

environment my family has not

scotch-taped me they bound the truth in

my spirit by the truth and sell it not

the scripture said find it find it talk

about it and Deuteronomy 6 said when you

get up in the morning talk about it when

you go to bed talk about it when you’re

driving around talk about it talk about

your bind in it your natan you gotta

nail some things down cuz you can’t keep

them but so long and at some point

they’re gonna go into the world but if

you man I feel like shouting right now

because I’m not just preaching theory

I’ve watched five children and they

tried their best to get away from it

some of them did but glory to God the

cord holds the cord holds the cord is

where it has worked for my family and it

will for yours believe on the Lord Jesus

Christ at 16 you shall be saved in your

house shall my family shall be saved and

give God a shout if you believe it

Oh hallelujah I’d rather have this than

a billion dollars in the bank I’ve got

the cord on my family find it it’s gonna

require effort from you you gonna have

to pray you gonna have to fast you’re

gonna have to stand you’re gonna have to

Oh God

pray for that child right now the

Scarlet thread dictated access to the

home

once that cord was there I don’t think

they use that window for anything else I

think it was so important they knew that

when when judgment comes to the city if

that cord is not seen we’re going to die

like all the other families and so Rahab

probably had some new rules kids I know

you used to go in and out of that window

and climb through it but never again

will you climb through this one – some

things nothing things will not go

through this window again I’m sure there

were times when they pulled up and they

said hey we’re gonna throw the groceries

up and somebody grab them and put them

through the window since you know and

they pull up in the chariot and say

let’s unload kids and I’m sure they put

groceries through that window but once

they put that that scarlet thread in

that window it dictated what had access

to that home and what I’m saying to you

is you have to stand your ground and

guard the window guard the wind to train

up a child in the way that they should

go online posting pictures cell phones

what’s coming into your home satellite

you have to guard your house again

nothing out there can destroy help

Hollywood can’t I have to invite it in

through the internet through through

through stuff I almost did this in the

first service I thought about doing this

but I don’t know how to do it somebody

would lose their cell phone but I

thought about saying to all of the kids

that are 20 and

under all of the youth in here 20 and

under how many of you want to go to

heaven alright if you’re 20 in under you

want to go to heaven raise your hand I

wanna see your hand if you want to go to

heaven raise it and wave at me don’t see

you all over this ring there’s thousands

of thousands of you 20 and under that’s

astonishing

look at the hands wave at me wave at me

I don’t say it 20 and under alright how

cool would this be what watch the joy

just drain right out of the little soul

how cool would this be if I gave an

altar call and I said if you want to go

to heaven

bring me your cell phone and I made them

come and put it on the altar and then I

say go sit down and then I would say

something like this how many of you

parents want your children to go to

heaven raise your hand then I would say

to the parents you come down and look at

what’s on your children’s cell phone

I’m pensive Franklin

what about my privacy

see let me explain some things you get

privacy in my house when you have a

mortgage note as long as you’re living

under my house and under my cord you

don’t have any website you don’t have

any codes you don’t have anything that I

can’t get access to you don’t shut your

door and lock it and say stay out and

don’t go through my room not in my house

and you know why we can do that with

them because any of my kids can take my

cell phone or my computers and they can

track me anytime they want to I don’t

have anything to hide

I’m guarding the windows what have you

got to hide give the code to your wife

give the code to your children if you

hadn’t got nothing on there don’t be

ashamed let the whole world see it

here’s what got me

that cord works so good that that family

that came out of the house shows up in

Matthew chapter 1 in the genealogy of

Jesus Christ regardless of her

background because she bound a scarlet

cord in her window and guarded the

access to her home she and her family

became part of the genealogy the

great-great-great-great grandmother of

Jesus Christ

I believe today’s message has spoke to

your heart I know that there’s nothing

more near and dear to my heart than my

family and to know that there is a

scarlet thread or cord that can secure

our family’s salvation and deliverance

and help the blood of Jesus Christ

cleanses and covers our families what

kind of blessing is that that you

wouldn’t cherish and want for your

family and your children I really want

to encourage you today to make Jesus

Lord of your home in your household pray

this prayer say Lord Jesus I give you my

family I give you my loved ones I want

that blood that scarlet cord to deliver

my home and my family and I receive you

as my savior

I give you my marriage my life my future

my home my children be Lord of our lives

in Jesus name I pray amen and amen I

know I know the power of the blood of

Jesus Christ is working for you it’s for

you right now and for your family and no

weapon formed against you will prosper

is my prayer over your family in Jesus

name no closing moments together I want

to say thank you for helping us with our

outreaches and the ones specifically

that we’re focused on is the work in

Haiti it’s really amazing what God is

doing there we’ve already been able to

send over 300 thousand dollars because

of your generosity to this work we’re

laying the foundation even as I speak on

the twenty plus acres of buildings that

are going to be built there the miracle

marketplace that will provide food for

life for tens of thousands of people

it’s such an exciting project and we

just are now sending another hundred and

ninety thousand on top of that so that’s

almost a half a million dollars that

we’ve been able to send in the last few

months because of your generosity so

open up your heart ask God what he would

have you do we are depending on your

generosity and I thank you for it

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