Bringing Down The Walls

                                                                 The Fall of Jericho
Text Joshua chapter 6 (read verse 1-5, advise the men to read the rest during their own study)
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Jos 6:1  Now Jericho was straitly shut up because of the children of Israel: none went out, and none came in. 
Jos 6:2  And the LORD said unto Joshua, See, I have given into thine hand Jericho, and the king thereof, and the mighty men of valour. 
Jos 6:3  And ye shall compass the city, all ye men of war, and go round about the city once. Thus shalt thou do six days. 
Jos 6:4  And seven priests shall bear before the ark seven trumpets of rams' horns: and the seventh day ye shall compass the city seven times, and the priests shall blow with the trumpets. 
Jos 6:5  And it shall come to pass, that when they make a long blast with the ram's horn, and when ye hear the sound of the trumpet, all the people shall shout with a great shout; and the wall of the city shall fall down flat, and the people shall ascend up every man straight before him. 

                                                                         Teaching
As I read of the account of the fall of Jericho, I made several observations that we can apply to our "walls of opposition" today.

1. Their faith: No doubt they were mocked, laughed at and scorned by the people of Jericho during the six days they marched carrying the ark, blowing their shofars, in silence.  But, they did as Joshua commanded, they did not voice unbelief, even if they were thinking it. They marched on, and blew those shofars into the atmosphere, declaring to the demonic forces that they had to bow to God Almighty. They were in enemy territory, and every move and decision they made meant life or death, they meant business with God, and the enemy. Following God is not a social activity, or a business, it is our walk of faith, in this world and the next. Satan wants one thing, to totally destroy you, because he hates Jesus Christ, and his people.

A. The Word says: "The earth is the Lord's, and the fullness thereof." (psalm 24) and "Every Knee shall bow, and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." (Php. 2:10) This is the foundation of our warfare in this life.

B. In Matt. 28:18, after his resurrection, Jesus said "All power has been given to me in heaven and in earth." In our times of battle and opposition we know that if he suffered in this life, we will too, but he also told us "be of good cheer, I've overcome the world". We are not promised a life of ease, but that He would be with us, and in us through each battle, till we make it home to be with him.

2. Obedience: The people in one accord did as Joshua commanded, regardless of their feelings. There will be times in our lives when God will clearly show us His will, and we are left to make up our minds whether we will do it or not. He will not force us to obey, and at times the thing we are asked to do makes no sense in the natural. In my own life, every time I've chosen to obey even when it seemed foolish to do so, God has proven himself true, and I've seen some amazing answers to prayer at these times. I've learned, and am still learning to put away my rationalization, and cling to the Word of God, and when He speaks to me to do something, just do it.

Going on further in this area, we may be asked to do something in a prophetic sense that seems crazy, and as some of the prophets in the old testament found, sometimes the fulfillment of what we are asked to do, and pray for, may take years to see come to pass. I've had situations like this in my life-and this is another level of obedience, that many get stuck on, and some lose the benefit of seeing miraculous answers to prayer, because they aren't willing to take the risks, and it's true, sometimes this level of obedience is taking a great risk-you have to be willing to look like a fool to the world. Prophets such as Jeremiah and Ezekiel knew what that meant.

A: Heb. 11:6 says "without faith it is impossible to please God, for he who comes to him must believe that he exists, and is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him." And, in John 15:5 and 7 Jesus says "I am the vine, you are the branches: He that abides in me, and I in Him, the same brings forth much fruit: for without me you can do nothing. If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, you shall ask what you will, and it shall be done unto you."
These people knew they had no power of their own to take the walls down. Their dependence was on God alone. 

B. A similar corresponding reference can be seen in the story in 2Chronicles when the Moabites and Ammonites came against Jehoshaphat. In his prayer he speaks of their helplessness in the situation:
2Ch 20:11  Behold, I say, how they reward us, to come to cast us out of thy possession, which thou hast given us to inherit. 
2Ch 20:12  O our God, wilt thou not judge them? for we have no might against this great company that cometh against us; neither know we what to do: but our eyes are upon thee. 

I strongly advise you to spend time on this entire chapter of 2 Chronicles chapter 20 and Jehoshaphat's prayer. I know if you do, you will come away being shown by God some very important points on effective warfare prayer, and prayer of intercession, and how to approach God in prayer, with reverence, and honesty-which are vital. If there is any dishonesty, or pretense in us, we will find this a great hindrance to receiving any answers to prayer.
​Pro 15:29  The LORD is far from the wicked: but he heareth the prayer of the righteous. 
Psa 66:18  If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me: 
1Pe 3:12  For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers: but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil. 

3. Worship from the heart. You may ask, where was the worship? There was no music, dancing, or singing...it was every step they took in obedience: this was worship, that got God's attention, and brought results.

We face the same dilemma's today in our situations.  In Ephesians we are told of Christ being seated now far above all principalities and powers, and dominions.

Eph 1:20  Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places, 
Eph 1:21  Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come: 
Eph 1:22  And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church, 
Eph 1:23  Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all. 

It's there where He is seated that we must focus our minds and hearts, and worship Him for who He is, not a god we may create in our own thinking.

The word of God tells us when we become born again, and are redeemed, we are seated with Christ in the heavenlies, this is a mindboggling truth-but one that will raise your faith when the Holy Spirit in you opens your eyes to this revelation:

Eph 2:6  And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: 

If we truly desire to know Him, and seek him with our whole hearts, we will find Him. And when we truly connect with him by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, we will be as Isaiah when he saw Him on His throne, and he said "Woe is me, for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts."

When we open our hearts to Jesus for salvation, the Holy Spirit comes in, and the more we study His word, the more our eyes are opened to the truth of who Jesus is, who we are now as saved people of God, and what our privileges, authority, and responsibilities are in the kingdom of God. When these truths take root in our lives, and we walk them out day by day, we begin to see victories in our battles of life, and answers to prayer. As our faith increases, God will open the doors for greater service in His kingdom-which has no end.
Lorna Couillard
2008 Teaching for Teen Challenge