Conquering Shadows

By Josh Wilbanks

How long have you been sitting in the shadows of the Goliaths in your life? Are you waiting on God to come and rescue you? What if I told you that action is required; that it is God's will for you to be involved in the process? Come along with me as I take you through steps to remove the "giants" standing in

• Language: English
• Publisher: Josh Wilbanks
• Release date: May 1, 2023
• ISBN: 9781088120705

Book preview

Foreword

There are some books that should never be put on a shelf to be forgotten, but rather left close by to read over and over. These are the books that shape your life, stir your heart, and even propel you into your destiny. The book that you now hold, Conquering Shadows, is one of those books! Regardless of where you are in your walk with God, you will be awakened to a new destiny. My dear friend, pastor Josh Wilbanks, has written a masterpiece of hope and freedom in his new book, Conquering Shadows. You will not only hear his story, but Josh teaches us that God has called you to conquer your fear, face your giants, and step into supernatural faith.

My respect and honor for Josh goes back well over twenty years. I had the honor of being Josh’s youth pastor, and I knew that even in his teenage years Josh possessed a fortitude and passion for the hurting like very few I had ever seen. Over the years, I have seen him used mightily by Jesus to help not only shape a generation, but also to personally rise above his own fears and limitations. Josh is an overcomer! He is proof that regardless of what the enemy sends your way, you too can be a rag in the hand of God used to clean up the messes.

Are you ready to conquer your shadows? If you are, then the day of excuses is over. Here is a promise for each of us: Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows (James 1:17 NIV). This scripture lets us know that God rises above our own shadows. We know that God is light and in Him there is no darkness (see 1 John 1:5). I am reminded of an old children’s song about letting our lights shine. It is time to shine like bright and shining stars for God. The apostle Paul told us in Philippians 2:15-16 (NIV), So that you may become blameless and pure, ‘children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation.’ Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky as you hold firmly to the word of life. And then I will be able to boast on the day of Christ that I did not run or labor in vain.

We must conquer the shadows of our past failures and future fears so we can be a star for God. No more looking over at your shoulder at your past—it is time to dive headlong into the future that God has planned out for you! How? It all starts with a personal conversation with God.

Jeremiah 33:3 (NIV) declares, Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know. God has an amazing adventure awaiting you. The wind of God is blowing, and He is empowering those others would never choose. This is your now! Now is the time for this generation to realize that God doesn’t always call the qualified, but He will most assuredly qualify the called. We are living in a day when it will not be enough to just be bold, but we must make up our minds that we will never bow to what did not die for us. It is time to make your life count. Jesus paid for you and me with His blood!

Fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God (Hebrews 12:2 NIV).

If Jesus can do all of this for us, then the very least that we can do is live our lives out of the shadows and in the light. How do we do that? We must allow God to inhabit every part of our being and trust His unlimited power. Romans 8:37 (NIV) says, In all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. We must get to heaven with nothing left to do! As Josh teaches us in this powerful book, sometimes all it takes is "twenty seconds of insane courage. This book is a road map to victory!

—Pat Schatzline

Evangelist and Author, Remnant Ministries International

Introduction: Use the Force

I’m a closet nerd.

Growing up I had aspirations to become the next Michael Jordan or Joe Montana, but then I saw my first sci-fi movie. Although my love for sports is very strong, I was hooked! I could see myself exploring unknown galaxies, fighting evil. I would need discipline, compassion, integrity, and one of those cool light-up swords. In this movie, what separated the good from the great was their faith in something bigger and stronger than themselves—something known as force. What? That’s it? Yes, it gave hope to ordinary people like me that somehow I could make a difference.

Life didn’t deal me an easy hand. My dad was a drug addict. My mother battled alcoholism and through that I suffered verbal abuse. My childhood consisted of watching my dad beat my mother, visiting my father in prison, and enduring my mom getting drunk to deal with the pain. God has healed much of the trauma from my childhood, but still today there are certain sounds, smells, and actions that bring me back as if it were yesterday. One night in particular, I remember my dad came home drunk and doped up and my mother started in on him. Before I knew it they were fighting. They always fought, but usually I could sense when things were going to get bad—and they did. The fight escalated quickly. I saw my dad smash my mom’s head into our wooden coffee table. I ran and grabbed a bat, trying my best to protect my mom, but really, what could a little twelve-year-old do against that level of violence? After the cops were called and my mom refused to press charges yet again, I found my refuge in the woods behind my house. It was in those woods where I would scream at the top of my lungs and cry out to God.

What I didn’t realize then is that when you cry out for God He responds immediately. He will give you instruction and direction and an impartatrion of Him that you need for the journey.

Eventually, what you submit to is what you become.

It’s stronger than gravity. It’s more powerful than any army. This force is life-altering. It eliminates depression. It destroys addiction. It releases love for others. We are all subject to the forces at work around us in one way or another. Eventually, what you submit to is what you become. I made up my mind a long time ago that I want everything Jesus has to offer!

Chapter One: Marked

Understanding yourself and the powerful force that works within you is a great deal of work every child of God must come to terms with. Once you receive Jesus into your life, there is much that transforms within you and a lot of things take on a new dimension. Your life is no longer the property of the enemy, but a treasure to God. Once you are a child of God you instantly inherit all the blessings and promises of God. This doesn’t mean you are not subject to difficult times, it means that even though the difficult times come, you won’t compromise. You might say that you already know this, but truthfully, almost everybody knows this. Saints and sinners—and even the enemy—are equipped with this knowledge. However, the question is: As a child of God, do you have intellectual knowledge of this, or do you have heart knowledge so that it can manifest in your life?

Recognizing the powerful force at work within you is a necessity. Without it, it is impossible for you to fully harness all the blessing and promises God has for you.

Recognizing the powerful force at work within you is a necessity. Without it, it is impossible for you to fully harness all the blessing and promises God has for you.

The purpose of this book is to help you understand the force within you so you will know that with God by your side you are indeed a force to be reckoned with.

The reason we all have this force of God within us is because there are some circumstances and situations that won’t submit to anything but the use of violent force.

Let’s take a look at Luke 1:39-45:

Mary didn’t waste a minute. She got up and traveled to a town in Judah in the hill country, straight to Zachariah’s house, and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby in her womb leaped. She was filled with the Holy Spirit, and sang out exuberantly, You’re so blessed among women, and the babe in your womb, also blessed! And why am I so blessed that the mother of my Lord visits me? The moment the sound of your greeting entered my ears, the babe in my womb skipped like a lamb for sheer joy. Blessed woman, who believed what God said, believed every word would come true!

Here we witness a miracle, established by force that runs against