The Impossible Walls That Crumble

(Say this) In our life we have these battles that feel almost impossible to survive, to thrive in, and to move passed. When these battles of impossibility hit, it also seems that there is an impossibility the Lord is there with us, but I’m here to prove to you and to myself that we are in fact wrong and are simply in need of a new strategy and mindset to move us towards victory no matter how difficult the battle.

(Say this) I believe the key to this new strategy and mindset is found in the story of the walls of Jericho being brought down by the Israelites

Slide #1- Read: Joshua 5:13-15

Joshua 5:13–15 NIV

Now when Joshua was near Jericho, he looked up and saw a man standing in front of him with a drawn sword in his hand. Joshua went up to him and asked, “Are you for us or for our enemies?” “Neither,” he replied, “but as commander of the army of the Lord I have now come.” Then Joshua fell facedown to the ground in reverence, and asked him, “What message does my Lord have for his servant?” The commander of the Lord’s army replied, “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy.” And Joshua did so.

Slide #2: Mindset Shift

Change your mindset that the battle you face is yours and shift it to the battle has been always the Lord’s

Say this: Joshua had every right to believe that the battle was his. I mean he was chosen by the Father in the first place to lead the Israelites why wouldn’t he but, something important to realize is Joshua did not mistake his calling for his ability to fight his own battles he knew from the beginning that the battle was Lord’s by his response to kneel before the angel and ask “ What message does my Lord have for his servant?”

Slide #3 -Read: Joshua 6:1-5

Joshua 6:1–5 NIV

Now the gates of Jericho were securely barred because of the Israelites. No one went out and no one came in. Then the Lord said to Joshua, “See, I have delivered Jericho into your hands, along with its king and its fighting men. March around the city once with all the armed men. Do this for six days. Have seven priests carry trumpets of rams’ horns in front of the ark. On the seventh day, march around the city seven times, with the priests blowing the trumpets. When you hear them sound a long blast on the trumpets, have the whole army give a loud shout; then the wall of the city will collapse and the army will go up, everyone straight in.”

Say this: This passage of scripture has a lot of details so let’s take it piece by piece and discover the strategy of victory within.

In verse 3 of this passage the Lord says to march around the city of Jericho for six days with armed men. The interesting thing about this is later on in verse 8 Joshua tells the armed men to not give a war car or even raise their voices until Joshua gave the word and in verse 9 we learn that the armed men for the first six days were simply supposed to sound off their trumpets

Remember these soldiers were armed they had the weapons they needed in order to stir up war against Jericho but instead the lord had them sound off trumpets for the first six days. Sounds ridiculous right? You have people with weapons but your going to have them sound off a instrument , “I ask to myself Lord what are you doing?” So what makes this sounding of trumpets so significant? (Pause)

These trumpets weren’t just any trumpet they were a trumpet of celebration. The trumpets blown while the Israelites walked around the city of Jericho was a instrument of jubilee often used in festivals or in temple orchestras but it was also used when there was victory. The Lord had the soldiers not use their earthly weapons of war in replacement of the sound of victory. Why?

(Say with Emphasis) Because the victory had already been won before it started.

(Have Everyone say this together)

Slide # 4: Strategy of Victory: I go into battle not for victory but in victory with the Lord

(Add your own spice to this)

(Explain how many times the battle will feel like defeat but in reality with the Lord we have victory that is assured)

Slide #5: Joshua 6:3-4

Joshua 6:3–4 NIV

March around the city once with all the armed men. Do this for six days. Have seven priests carry trumpets of rams’ horns in front of the ark. On the seventh day, march around the city seven times, with the priests blowing the trumpets.

(Say this) In verse 3 and 4 it talks about their being seven priests with seven trumpets in front of the ark and the Israelites were walk around Jericho seven times. This might sound unimportant but there’s a deep significance to this

In the Jewish belief their is a strong meaning to certain numbers in that they describe a certain aspect of God or life but the number seven in specific is used to mean completeness, wholesomeness, holiness, or sanctification (Meaning to be set apart)

The Lord had set seven priests to be ahead of the ark of the covenant in a battle, the Lord was setting the Israelites apart from their enemies by having the priests the ones who are meant to be in the temples, the ones who weren’t even supposed to be near something dead, and the one’s who were meant to be intercessors for the Lord in the midst of battle

Along with this they carried seven trumpets a sigh of completion, again a sigh that the victory had already been won and finally seven days a sigh of holiness that the Lord was with the Israelite army in their midst and that the battle would be completed with the Lord

Say this) Can I be honest with you I believe that Christians to often carry a defeated mindset on their shoulders and not the mindset that the king of kings and Lord of Lords rests upon them

Slide #6 - Mindset Shift: Change I will carry defeat with me to I will carry the meaning of number 7 with me; to be complete, whole, and set apart by the Lord

Slide #7 - Read- Joshua 6:4-5

Joshua 6:4–5 NIV

Have seven priests carry trumpets of rams’ horns in front of the ark. On the seventh day, march around the city seven times, with the priests blowing the trumpets. When you hear them sound a long blast on the trumpets, have the whole army give a loud shout; then the wall of the city will collapse and the army will go up, everyone straight in.”

(Say this) In this verse it talks about the ark of the covenant which in the biblical times was the presence of God in the midst of his people but again it talks about the priests, the intercessors of the Lord who would carry the presence of God into the battle of Jericho , its important to note God called the priests to carry his presence into the battle of Jericho, someone had to carry it

If you are a believer that Jesus is your Lord and saviour he has entrusted you with a important task that only you can decide in the midst of your battles, will you take his presence just as the priests did in the midst of your battles or will you decide to do it in your own strength

Slide #8:

Strategy to Victory: Who or what you take into battle will determine it’s outcome, but the Lord will always ensure victory

(Say this) After all these pieces had been in place the Israelites were now on the seventh day and in Joshua 6:20 it says this,

Joshua 6:20 NIV

When the trumpets sounded, the army shouted, and at the sound of the trumpet, when the men gave a loud shout, the wall collapsed; so everyone charged straight in, and they took the city.

(Say this) In your battles

Change your mindset that the battle you face is yours and shift it to the battle has been always the Lord’s

(Say this) tell yourself this Strategy of Victory: I go into battle not for victory but in victory with the Lord

Mindset Shift: Change I will carry defeat with me to I will carry the meaning of number 7 with me; to be complete, whole, and set apart by the Lord

(Say this) and remember this Strategy to Victory: Who or what you take into battle will determine it’s outcome, but the Lord will always ensure victory

(Say this) I’ll leave you with this, the impossible walls and battles in our lives are meant to be broken by the God of impossibility