Faith Breaks the Ungodly Cycles
Main Scripture
Joshua 2:1–14
The story of Rahab, a woman trapped in a lifelong cycle of prostitution, who stepped into a new identity by welcoming the Israelite spies and acting in faith. Her willingness to break her cycle became the catalyst for her transformation.
Key Themes and Lessons
1. Cycles Keep Us Shipwrecked
Pastor Bryant opened by explaining that many believers remain in chaos not because of the devil alone, but because of cycles they have embraced.
We say we want change but behave in ways that keep us bound.
The enemy studies our patterns. What we repeatedly fail in becomes the place he confidently attacks.
2. What You Seek Is What You Attract
The sermon emphasized that our prayers don’t align with our actions.
We pray for deliverance while entertaining the very thing we asked God to remove.
Faith without works is dead—faith must fuel decisions, boundaries, and obedience.
3. Rahab: Breaking the Cycle
Rahab is introduced not by her name, but by her cycle—“the prostitute.”
Her lifestyle was habitual, known, and deeply ingrained.
Yet God began transforming her the moment she welcomed the spies—an act that symbolized welcoming God into her cycle.
She risked her life for a future she hadn’t seen yet. That one act of courage, rooted in a small measure of faith, initiated her deliverance.
4. God Works With You Where You Are
Rahab lied because deception was part of her old nature.
Pastor Bryant taught:
God meets you at the level of your cycle.
He uses even your broken tendencies to usher you into transformation.
But transformation begins when you desire something different.
5. Your Cycle Is What’s In You
Pastor Bryant explained that cycles persist because we enjoy, tolerate, or depend on them.
“If it’s in you, it will show up.”
Whether lying, manipulation, lust, addiction, anger, or mistrust—cycles reveal internal heart posture.
6. Faith Is the Remedy to Cycles
God has given each person a measure of faith (Romans 12:3).
That measure—no matter how small—is enough to start the process of change.
Faith must be exercised like a muscle through tests and trials.
Rahab used her measure of faith to believe God could rewrite her story.
7. Don’t Return to What God Delivered You From
Pastor Bryant testified of his own deliverance from addiction and how returning to it made the bondage seven times stronger.
Scripture teaches that when a spirit leaves a person, it returns with seven others if the “house” is empty.
Returning to old cycles makes the next deliverance harder.
8. God Can Restore You After You’ve Fallen
He shared the testimony of a woman who walked away from God after decades of being saved—and how God restored her when she began to seek Him diligently again.
Even when God turns someone over to themselves, persistent faith can open the door for restoration.
9. Faith Must Govern Every Area—Even Finances
Pastor Bryant taught that some are in cycles financially because they only give God the bare minimum.
Tithing is returning what already belongs to God, not sacrificial giving.
The law of reciprocity means that what you want to get out determines what you put in.
God will lead believers even in stewardship if they allow Him.
Conclusion
The sermon concludes with a call to confront and break ungodly cycles through intentional faith, obedience, and a willingness to do something different. Just as Rahab aligned with God and stepped out of everything she had known, believers must choose to welcome God into the areas they have allowed to remain unchanged. Cycles break not by wishing, but by believing, obeying, and acting through the measure of faith God has already given.
Key Takeaway
Your cycle will continue until your faith interrupts it.
When you welcome God into the places you’ve been repeating the same behaviors, He gives you the strength, strategy, and courage to break free. Faith breaks cycles that feelings, habits, and willpower cannot.