Demolishing Strongholds

A message from Joshua 5:13-6:20 by John Hills on 01/06/08
John is from Falmouth Cornwall where he works with Ambassadors for Christ.

To listen to John's message click here mp3

Introduction
Example of Andrea an outwardly normal church housewife and Jack an outwardly normal church family man, good business two kids etc.   However, they carry a couple of things around with them hidden - Andrea envy and jealousy of others' material goods, Jack a weakness for internet porn. One Sunday in church the preacher anounces his text: Romans 6:14 Sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law, but under grace.
In their hearts they cry out , "IF ONLY!"   

Do we ever feel, "If only this problem wasn't there!" Such strongholds nullify the good we seek to do for the Lord and lead to a sense of powerlessness and frustration in our lives. But we keep the lid on it and smile and no-one knows what is going on deep in our hearts.

Paul reminds us in 2 Cor 10:14 that in Christ and in Christ alone we have the power to demolish strongholds so that our spirits can be set free. If any of us find ourselves in such a situation, as we look at these verses the Lord will lead us to a point of victory. For these strongholds can be demolished through the power of Christ. Everything that makes us think "If only!"

So what has Joshua and the battle of Jericho got to do with me in 2008? Everything! The Word of God has been give to edify us, encourage us, teach us, correct us and challenge us. When we bring our lives in line with the Word of God and what we read there, we find the stories in Scripture speaking into our situation. We see in this story God leading his people on to overcome in His Name. So we will look at four episodes from this account.

1. The problem of Jericho
•  It stood in the way of all that God had for them (do you have a Jericho in your life? Did it jump to mind when the first two examples were given? We know our Jerichos already!)
•  Victory is impossible without God
•  We need to know and acknowledge that God is leading us through this problem - God could have removed Jericho weeks before but didn't, nor did he lead them on another route avoiding Jericho altogether. The Lord wants us to face our Jericho's and by his power overcome them. We have to face them, it is the only way through.
•  Demolishing our Jericho 's will help us in our own ministry; we can then help others with their battles.

2. Scent of Victory
•  God wants to give us HOPE - imagine life without a dominating 'habit'. Picture it!
•  Joshua spoke to God - we are not fighting this battle on our own. God is with us and he is for us. He sets before us a way of escape.
1 Cor 10:13 No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.
Eph 6:11 put on the full armour of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes.

3 . Plan of Action
2 Cor 10:4 The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds.
•  They must have though Joshua 'was having a laugh' but Joshua obeyed God's instructions and the walls came down.  
•  After walking around the walls 13 times they knew without a shadow of a doubt that they could never bring such huge strong wall down in their own strength. It had to be God. We can struggle with internal problems that we are powerless to overcome. It has to be God!

4 . Triumph of Obedience
•  Confession and faith. "He breaks the power of cancelled sin, He sets the prisoner free> His blood can make the foulest clean, His blood availed for me." Victory in Christ. The people obeyed the word of the Lord and the stronghold came down. The ark of the covenant had been there in the centre of this victory, for us it is a picture of the cross of Christ. His was the ultimate triumph of obedience. We have to walk the way of the cross if we want to see our strongholds demolished. We have to confess and believe: thanks be to God who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ.
• There are not only personal Jerichos, but also things as a local church we have to together come against and through pray and faith see demolished.
• This is a message of hope and encouragement. You do not fight alone. Could it be that this Jericho that stands before you is an appointment with God? Maybe this morning as you call upon the Lord he will set you free and that stronghold will crumble.
•  The beginning of the end comes when we are bold enought to tell another brother or sister what had really been going on in our lives. When we confess our sins to one another and pray for one another that we may be healed.

Jos 6:2 A promise to claim: "See I have delivered Jericho into your hands" May this be the word of the Lord to you and may he bless you and encourage you and give you hope.

Group Questions
Would anyone like to share a Jericho they have seen demolished in their own life?  
Do you have a Jericho that stands in the way of you inheriting your promised land?   Is it something you could share with someone in the group?  
Have we tried demolishing the walls on our own to try and lead the life God wants us to?
What keys did John give us to see such walls come down by God's power?

•If you would like to find out more about to how we can practically deal with such strongholds in our lives, come along to the Setting People Free Course on Friday 27th and Saturday 28th June (including an overnight stay) It is open to anyone and everyone. Book it in your diary and ask Phil R to add your name to the list. There is no charge.