FACING STRONGHOLDS IN OUR LIFE

Pastor Jerry Rockwell

 

FACING STRONGHOLDS IN OUR LIFE

 

Joshua 6:1-5

Introduction: The book of Joshua is a fascinating story of Israel’s entry into the land of promise and the battles they faced in securing their inheritance. It is clearly related to Ephesians of the New Testament which chronicles the battles believers have with our enemy Satan. Joshua 6 starts the story of Israel entering the land of promise. This passage tells the story of entering the land and overcoming the enemies they needed to drive out to be where God wanted them and to the place God had prepared for them. If you follow the narrative of Joshua you find that just before they engaged the city of Jericho they did an important thing, they celebrated the Passover according to Joshua 5:10-11 (KJV) 10 And the children of Israel encamped in Gilgal, and kept the passover on the fourteenth day of the month at even in the plains of Jericho. 11 And they did eat of the old corn of the land on the morrow after the passover, unleavened cakes, and parched corn in the selfsame day. This event of the Passover was designed to be observed at the beginning of each year and was a reminder of what God had done for the nation to set them free from the bondage of Egypt. Maybe we could borrow from that and use the New Year to make a dedication of our life to the Lord and commit to serving Him and engaging in the battles we face.

There was a day in the history of the U.S. when it was necessary to build “forts” where the military was housed, and the people supporting the military lived as well. It was built with strong walls and easily defended. The purpose was to repel any enemy threatening the inhabitants. 

Jericho had one of the strongest walls of protection of any city of its day. The walls were formidable and considered impenetrable by many. A double-wall system protected the city. The outer wall was six ft. thick, and the inner wall was 12 ft. thick. This city was not defeated by any known enemy before Joshua, according to historians. Israel knew about Jericho because the phrase “Jordan by Jericho” (five times) or “Jordan near Jericho” (eight times), appears at least 13 times in the Bible. It stood as a substantial barrier to the people of Israel, keeping them from getting to the land of promise. They had to go through Jericho to get there. Now here is the principle that God wants us to understand. “There is no victory in Christian living without conflict and suffering.” We are followers of Jesus Christ, who secured salvation for us by the crucifixion. God uses conflict and trials in our lives to strengthen in us His word. Look at Psalms 119:71 It is good for me that I have been afflicted; that I might learn thy statutes. This is how it works. James 1:3-4 (KJV) 3 Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. 4 But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing. God does not set in heaven and say, “How can I mess up Jerry’s life so I can perfect him?” Sin has infected this world. There is hate, killing, war, etc. These are the result of man’s sin. God does not have to invent trials; there are plenty that God can use to rescue us and get us to where we need to be. 

Here is Israel. They know what God has promised them, and directly in the path is this incredible stronghold, Jericho. We all have strongholds in our lives from time to time. The church I was pastor of in Louisiana conducted a ministry of helping people with addictions to drugs and alcohol. The material used had a book with a subtitle, “Stronghold Study Course.” It said, “STRONGHOLD: n. a fortified place; a place of security.” There are strongholds everywhere. They may be a physical problem like an addiction, or it may be a mental habit. The only road to the promised land leads right through Jericho. The only road to victory for you and me leads through some stronghold we have in our life. 

Jericho was not a large city, but it was strategic. There was only one road through the range of mountains that led to the central valley. It was the only pass that would allow access to the place Israel needed to be — and God wanted them to be —and it went straight through Jericho. The city had to be conquered. The only road to blessing for you and me is through some stronghold. It may be blocking you from the blessing of God. 

Note with me in Joshua 6:1 (KJV) Now Jericho was straitly shut up because of the children of Israel: none went out, and none came in. The phrase “straitly shut up” is significant. The phrase “shut up” occurs six times in the book of Leviticus, and each time it refers to the plague of Leprosy. A person with leprosy was “shut up” and kept from matriculation with the outside world. They were stopped from any activity with others. Leprosy is a type of sin, and sin does that to us. It shuts us up to its lure. There is a curious verse in Job 41:15 about a creature named Leviathan. He is said to be one with pride, and his scales are his pride, “shut up together with a close seal.” What a picture we have of what pride does for us. Pride will shut us up from the things of God. WHAT IS THE JERICHO IN YOUR LIFE? What is keeping you from the fullness of the blessing of God in your life? Unless you get past your Jericho, you will never get past anything else. => 2 Corinthians 10:3-6 (KJV) 3 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: 4 (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) 5 Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ; 6 And having in a readiness to revenge all disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled. 

We can get to the point of “casting down imaginations” only one way. You may say, “I’ll cast down strongholds in my life.” NO! You do, and God is left out of the process. If you can do it yourself, you don’t need God. Do you remember last week when we saw Joshua meet the “Captain of the Lord’s host?” Here is how we do this. There is a strategy we need to follow. It is found in Joshua 6:1-5.

  1. SEE THE STRONGHOLD FOR WHAT IT IS, Joshua 6:1-2. If you note vs. 1, you find that Jericho was “straightly shut up” and “no one went out, and none came in.” In other words, they were “quarantined,” and COVID had not been invented yet. Also, notice with me the little word “see.” God is saying, “Here is what I want you to do, “SEE!” You have to see the stronghold for what it is. To “see” in this verse is more than we consider it to be. We often say, “see” and actually want the person being addressed is to comprehend what is going on. That is what God is saying to Joshua. “See” with your understanding, not just for an aesthetic sense. God is going to give Joshua some instructions that defy human reasoning. What do you (Joshua) see when you look at Jericho? That which stands in the way of your getting to the blessing God holds for you. 

We can learn a lesson here about our walk as Christians. You must be honest with yourself and with God. You must admit that it is an obstacle in your life. It may be a failed marriage, a problem, an addiction, a hobby, a sport, etc. Seeing the challenges and trusting God’s word about how that can be overcome, you learn to trust God. There is an interesting passage that illustrates this.  in 2 Kings 6:15-17 (p. 553) 15 And when the servant of the man of God was risen early, and gone forth, behold, an host compassed the city both with horses and chariots. And his servant said unto him, Alas, my master! how shall we do? 16 And he answered, Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they that be with them. 17 And Elisha prayed, and said, Lord, I pray thee, open his eyes, that he may see. And the Lord opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw: and, behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha. Elisha was in Dothan (not Alabama) and he and his servant is surrounded by the Assyrian Army. The servant is about to have an anxiety seizure seeing the massive army and asks Elisha, “What shall we do?” Then Elisha prays that God would open the eyes of the servant and the servant was able to see the horses and chariots of fire. We need our eyes opened and to see things the way God sees them. Go to Ephesians 1:18 The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints. If we are ever to get to the place of blessing mentioned here, you need your “eyes of understanding enlightened.” You must see that the same power that raised Jesus from the dead is available to you. It can address any stronghold in your life. Yet, we often say, “Oh, how good it is that I don’t have an addiction to drugs, alcohol, or something like some of those people. You see, I am not addicted.” REALLY? If you open your eyes of understanding, maybe you would see that you are addicted to gossip, or complaining, a bad attitude, or bitterness. You may be “grumpy.” We have to see what it is. We need to see the stronghold in our lives that keeps us from the place of blessing. Do you see your stronghold? There is more, though. We need to SEE THE STRONGHOLD FOR WHAT IT IS, we also need to:

  1. SECURE THE PROMISE OF BLESSING, Joshua 6:2. Look at this passage again. Do not overlook that this is told to Joshua and the people in the “past” tense. God said, “I have given.” From God’s perspective, it is an accomplished fact. All you have to do is accept it. Folks, we are in a spiritual battle according to Ephesians 6:12. There are demonic forces that use the weakness of the flesh. Look at 2 Peter 1:3 3 According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue. [Emphasis added.] God has given us “all things” that pertain to life and godliness. We like to divide our life between spiritual things and physical. We call the physical the “real world.” Look at 2 Peter 1:4 (KJV) Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. [Emphasis added.] God has already given us the victory. We have a book filled with promises that pertain to every area of life. God “hath given” (there is that past tense verb again) us all things that pertain to life and godliness. All we have to do is “secure or seize” (take it). We need to develop a “Bible Perspective.” 
  2. SENSE HOW STRONG THE FORTRESS IS, Joshua 6:3. God gives some unusual instructions here. For six days, they march around the city once each day. Then on the seventh day, they march around it seven times, a total of thirteen times. According to Joshua 6:26, this city is cursed, and anyone who tries to rebuild it is cursed. There is only one other city in the Bible that is cursed: Babylon, the city that seduced the world away from God. The word “seven” occurs fourteen times in Joshua 6. This is the number of a perfect witness. Seven is the number of completions. Why did God give these unusual instructions? How does this help us with sin or an addiction? Why travel thirteen times around the city? We will admit that we are not very good at waiting on God. We want a solution right now. God wants us to look at it repeatedly. Have you ever heard an alcoholic say, “I can walk away from it any time?” Yeah, right! GET A SENSE OF HOW STRONG THAT CITY IS AND WHAT GOD IS GOING TO DO. You need to see that you cannot do this on your own. Don’t get in a hurry. Let God do it in His timing. Don’t get impulsive. Wait on God. That is the message here. God does things in series of sevens. God is reminding us how complete His work is going to be on our behalf.
  3. SOUND THE TRUMPET, Joshua 6:4-5. Now it gets a little strange. God tells them that the seven priests are to bear their trumpets before the Ark and blow the trumpet. This is not the only time a trumpet has been used to fight a battle. Gideon in Judges 7 used 300 men to defeat the Midianite army with pitchers and trumpets. In Numbers 10, Israel is instructed to blow silver trumpets and trumpets of “rams’ horns.” These were used to gather the people. Do you remember when Moses went to the Mt. Sinai to receive the Law? There, trumpets were sounded to cause the people to be in awe of the power of God. There were also trumpets used to inspire “awe” in the people according to Isaiah 18:3 (KJV) All ye inhabitants of the world, and dwellers on the earth, see ye, when he lifteth up an ensign on the mountains; and when he bloweth a trumpet, hear ye. The same is in Joel 2:1 (KJV) Blow ye the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm in my holy mountain: let all the inhabitants of the land tremble: for the day of the Lord cometh, for it is nigh at hand. There was an element of the sounding of the trumpet that would cause fear in the people as well as gathering. The “ram’s horn” trumpet used in Numbers 10 is an interesting use. The word used for trumpet is also translated “jubilee.” Do you know what the “Jubilee” was? It was the time when there was a proclamation of liberty throughout the land. The servants who had sold themselves into servitude were set free. Liberty was declared in the land. Can you imagine when the trumpets sounded that Rahab thought “liberty” while the people in the city thought danger, or “fear”, or judgment? Did you know that trumpets will sound for us as well, according to 1 Corinthians 15:52 (KJV). In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. Also, 1 Thessalonians 4:16 (KJV) For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first. We will respond, “liberty” while the world will think there is a terrible disaster coming. Somewhere in the path of victory, there is a proclamation of what God is about to do. That is what we call a “profession of faith.” When you announce what God has done for you, then the people know who gets the credit. Please go to Hebrews 11:30 (p. 1725) By faith the walls of Jericho fell down, after they were compassed about seven days. We need to see it was “faith” that brought the walls down, not an army. The victory was not the brilliance of General Joshua and his military strategy, nor the strength of Israel’s massive army. The victory came by believing God by faith. Look at Hebrews 11:13 (KJV) These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. We find all of the elements we have just studied in this passage. 

There are four steps here: A. Having seen, they saw. B. Persuaded, they were convinced that God would do what He promised. C. Embraced, they took hold of what God had said. D. Confessed, they proclaimed with the trumpet and the shout.

God has given the victory, and you cannot see it. You have  
allowed the flesh to blot out the power of God. If you do it by yourself, it will not last. If God does it, it is eternal. We need 

to see as God does. What is amazing is that there are also four steps in the acquisition of salvation.

  1. You see your sin and what it has done. You cannot solve your sin problem; only God can do that.
  2. Be persuaded that God can save you from the consequences of sin.
  3. Embrace it by faith, believe what God has said.
  4. Confess it with your mouth.

Conclusion: What is the stronghold in your life? The huge obstacle in Christian’s lives is that they cannot see the strongholds in their life. They see those in everyone’s else’s life, but not in theirs. Do you see it? Are you persuaded it is keeping you from the blessing God has for you? Are you willing to embrace God’s promise? Will you confess it? That is the path to victory. It leads straight through that stronghold in your life. Will you believe God?