Did you know that I once got lost in downtown Los Angeles in the middle of the night? It’s true; I really got lost in the middle of downtown LA! I had just preached a meeting and was being driven into downtown Los Angeles at about midnight when my driver and I got lost. I don’t know how it was possible for us to get lost there, but we did it.
I looked around and saw all these burned-out buildings, and I thought, My God! I’m in the middle of a riot. These two kids came up to the car and asked us if we knew where we were. I told them that I had no idea where we were, and then I asked them if they knew. They didn’t even know where they were.
They said they’d never been there before, but they thought it was where all the riots started. Then I started to look around. I saw all these tough-looking guys dressed up like gang members. They kind of looked like that RCA dog, but with their caps on sideways. My first thought was that they were going to look into my car and see me with this suit on and try to rob me.
Just then my driver said, “Brother Jesse, I don’t know where we are, but I’m going to pull over. You get out of the car and go ask those guys where the airport is.”
Yeah, right! I reminded him who he was talking to. I said, “I’m the guest speaker. I’m not supposed to get killed. There are gangs out there!”
“Yeah,” he said, “but, Jesse, you’ve got more faith than I have.”
“No, I don’t,” I said. “I ain’t going out there and asking them where we are.”
But I asked the Lord what He thought I should do, and I heard Him tell me that I would be okay. So I decided to go ask those tough-looking guys where we were. The first thing I did when I opened that door was to let them know who I was. They noticed me the second I got out of that car. I didn’t wait for them to start saying anything; instead, I just started shouting, “Glory! Hallelujah! Thank You, Jesus. Hallelujah!”
I shouted every kind of praise word I could think of to let them know I was a child of God. I just started saying, “Glory, hallelujah! Where’s the airport?” You have to realize, I was talking to gang members in downtown LA in the middle of the night.
They heard me shouting stuff about Jesus and the airport and just kind of looked at me funny for a minute. Then one of them said, “Yeah, go down that road, turn two blocks later, go a mile and a half and you’ll run into it.”
“God bless you!” I shouted. “So long.”
I got back into the car and looked over my shoulder as we drove off. They were saying something to each other, and I could just imagine what it was. I could almost tell what they were thinking by the looks on their faces. They were going, Why didn’t we steal that car? That man’s got white hair, a briefcase and a suit. He’s got money!
But the Lord protected us. I went into a dangerous place and got out safely. Why did that happen? It happened because God told me I’d be safe and because I came out of the car praising God. I let them know I was a Christian. I didn’t come out of the car and say, “Would you like to meet Jesus Christ as Lord of your life? I’m a Methodist.” If I would’ve said that – boom! – they probably would’ve shot me.
“Hi, I’m a Baptist.”
Boom!
“Hello, I’m a Pentecostal Holiness preacher.”
Boom!
I didn’t say any of those things. I just got out praising God, and I believe it scared them.
That’s what you have to do in dangerous situations. You’ve got to come out blasting praises with both barrels. Fire back at danger with a weapon stronger than any danger you could ever face. Praising God releases His power to protect and shelter you in the middle of any storm you might face.
Do you remember what God’s army, the Israelites, did in their battles? Look at the battle at Jericho, for example. The Israelites didn’t even raise a spear against the enemy. They shot no arrows and used no swords – they used the weapon of praise. After walking in silence six times around that fortified city of Jericho, they started shouting and hollering and praising God. Glory, hallelujah! Every obstacle in their path was totally destroyed by the praises of God.
And God’s given you that same power against any danger you might face. So the next time you’re in trouble, shout praises to God!
Excerpt permission granted by Harrison House Publishers
Jesse Duplantis, minister of the Gospel, motivational speaker, television personality, and best-selling author, has been in full-time ministry since 1976 and is the founder of Jesse Duplantis Ministries, located in the Greater New Orleans area of south Louisiana in the United States of America. With over four decades of sharing his unique blend of humor and faith around the world, generations of believers have been inspired by his messages and countless numbers have come to know Jesus Christ as Savior through his ministry.
Known for his unflinching, status-quo-breaking messages and humorous take on experiences in the life of the believer, Jesse continues to draw large audiences of believers through social media, television, and meetings held around the world. With speaking engagements booked years in advance, Jesse Duplantis continues to keep an intense traveling schedule, flying throughout the United States and the world preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ. With no booking agents pursuing meetings for him and no set fees imposed upon churches for speaking engagements, Jesse chooses his outreach meetings based on the same two criteria he always has: invitations that come in and prayer over each one. This uncommon way of scheduling in today’s world means Jesse’s many followers may find him speaking in some of the largest churches and venues in America and the world, as well as a great many small and growing congregations, too. No church is too big or small for the Holy Spirit, as he says.
Side by side with his wife Cathy Duplantis, the co-founder and chief of staff of Jesse Duplantis Ministries and the senior pastor of Covenant Church in Destrehan, Louisiana, Jesse continues to fulfill his life’s calling by daily taking up the Great Commission of Jesus Christ: “Go ye into all the world, and preach the Gospel to every creature” (Mark 16:15). Through social media, television broadcasts, books, and other ministry products, as well as through many evangelistic meetings, the JDM website, the JDM app, and Voice of the Covenant magazine, Jesse Duplantis continues to see growth in his ministry and expand each year while maintaining his roots. Jesus is the center of his life. The salvation of lost people and the growth of believers is the purpose of his ministry. And for both he and his wife, every day is another day to “Reach People and Change Lives, One Soul at a Time.”