By Any Means Necessary

Dictionary of the Old Testament: Historical Books 3. Jericho in the Historical Books

Jericho is a part of the symbolism that speaks of the transition of the tribes from wilderness refugees to possessors of a land of their own as an inheritance from God.

Learning Life Principles From the Women of the Bible: Book One Day Three: A Conquered Kingdom

THE WALLS OF JERICHO

Archaeological excavations have discovered that Jericho actually had two walls about thirty feet high. The outer wall was six feet thick, and the inner twelve feet, with a twelve to fifteen foot space between them. The city itself was relatively small, and, as it became crowded, people built their houses between the walls. Rahab’s house was obviously one of these, with a window on the outside wall. The excavated walls and city show signs of violent destruction.

Joshua is one of the greatest examples of a disciple thats committed to following leadership, Its documented that Moses had two sons prior to returning to Egypt, these sons had great pedigree with grand father Jethro and pops Moses.. But as much as it might make sense to have a family member take over in ministry thats not always what God wants.

Many ministries are suffering today because they didn’t allow God to choose the next top leader..

7 But the Lord said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the †outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart.

7 But the Lord said unto Samuel, Look not on mhis countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the †outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the nheart.

† Heb. eyes.

n . . . & 17:10. & 20:12. See .

The Holy Bible: King James Version. (2009). (Electronic Edition of the 1900 Authorized Version., ). Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.

When

It’s not a surprise to me when i see babies like Kortney & Zariah watching me, and toddlers like Mel-mel and Mekalya & Gabrial loving on me.. It’s that pure heart.. And one of them could be the next leader of this ministry…But who and how would we be able to determine??

When you study great leaders in the bible David, Elisha, Joshua, Joseph, Peter & Paul the thing that stands out the most is they where great followers...

So Joshua is chosen by God to be the next leader, and so far he has done a wonderful job leading the people to the promise.. I want to pull from a few chapters some nuggets to prepare us for whats next.. You ready to walk with me?

First Let Me Point This Out: Leadership in the wrong hands is like a child handling a hand gun. There will be many casualties

We left at the manna ceasing, to one of the greatest experiences/encounters as the leader he has is

We left at the manna ceasing, Now we are at one of the greatest experiences/encounters Joshua has as the leader..

 And it came to pass, when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted up his eyes and looked, and, behold, there stood a man over against him with his sword drawn in his hand: and Joshua went unto him, and said unto him, Art thou for us, or for our adversaries? 14 And he said, Nay; but as ||captain of the host of the Lord am I now come. And Joshua fell on his face to the earth, and did worship, and said unto him, What saith my lord unto his servant? 15 And the captain of the Lord’s host said unto Joshua, Loose thy shoe from off thy foot; for the place whereon thou standest is holy. And Joshua did so.

13 And it came to pass, when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted up his eyes and looked, and, behold, there stood qa man over against him rwith his sword drawn in his hand: and Joshua went unto him, and said unto him, Art thou for us, or for our adversaries? 14 And he said, Nay; but as ||captain of the host of the Lord am I now come. And Joshua sfell on his face to the earth, and did worship, and said unto him, What saith my lord unto his servant? 15 And the captain of the Lord’s host said unto Joshua, tLoose thy shoe from off thy foot; for the place whereon thou standest is holy. And Joshua did so.

The Only Side You Should Be On Is the Lord’s

r .

|| Or, prince. , , . & 12:1.

What we see in this text is that it was 3 sides, Josh Side, his enemies side and the Lords side.

s .

Saul thought when he was persecuting the Christians he was right in doing so, Jesus stopped him and told him he was wrong.. But had the Christians tried to fight back at Saul they would have been just as wrong.. (So who’s Side are you On) See there are three sides to every story.. Your Side, there side and the truth!!

t . .

Josh is no stranger to visitations from the Lord he was always near Moses when the Lord showed up, but this is different Moses is dead and he is in charge.. And the Captain of the Lord Of Host arrives

King James Version Chapter 5

And Joshua sfell on his face to the earth, and did worship, and said unto him, What saith my lord unto his servant?

The Holy Bible: King James Version. (2009). (Electronic Edition of the 1900 Authorized Version., ). Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.

I. And Joshua fell on his face to the earth, and did worship, and said unto him, what saith my Lord.

In every texted you read men who encounter angles and when they attempt to worship them, they are quickly told to get up!! Because Only God is to be worshiped.

So why did the Captain allow him to worship him???

Also The Captain instructs him to take his shoes off.. ( play the clip)

How we come before a Holy God is important!!

The writer of Joshua doesn’t tell us what the Captain said, we just jump to chapter 6..

Following The Directions Is Mandatory For Success

What ever you do don’t become drunk with success

Luke 10:17–20 NLT

When the seventy-two disciples returned, they joyfully reported to him, “Lord, even the demons obey us when we use your name!” “Yes,” he told them, “I saw Satan fall from heaven like lightning! Look, I have given you authority over all the power of the enemy, and you can walk among snakes and scorpions and crush them. Nothing will injure you. But don’t rejoice because evil spirits obey you; rejoice because your names are registered in heaven.”

Lk 10:17-

King James Version Chapter 10

17 And ythe seventy returned again with joy, saying, Lord, zeven the devils are subject unto us through thy name. 18 And he said unto them, aI beheld Satan as lightning bfall from heaven. 19 Behold, I give unto you power cto tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you. 20 Notwithstanding in this rejoice not, dthat the spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice, because eyour names are written in heaven.

So Jericho was straitly shut up because of the children of Israel (the place was under seige)

The Lord had given into the hand of Joshua: Jericho, the king, the mighty men of valour.

But instructions where given and needed to be followed.. Now remember Josh got the instructions and was required to honor them..

These are the instructions:

ALL the soldiers march around the city once a day for 6 days , seven priest will carry rams horns ahead of the ark, But the seventh day they must march around the city seven times while the priest blow their horns . When they hear a Long blast on the horn, all the troops must shout very loudly. The Wall around the city will collapse. Then the troops must charge straight ahead into the City.”

10 verse States Joshua ordered the troops, Don’t shout, make any noise, or let one word come out your mouth until i tell you to shout.

Can i tell you that God has no respect of persons who he blesses. But the one that honor’s instruction you will see favor & blessing seeping in every area of their lives..

Our Obedience, Faith & Sacrifice will propel us into the next dimension..

I think This is Good Time To Look Back Over our lives just this last six months to see how good God has been. He has seiged up the enemy, he has stopped, blocked & rebuked the devour for our sakes.. And i just wonder is their anybody up in here can praise God on gp… general principles. just cause... 1. He woke you up this morning, 2. just cause he woke me up this morning, 3. just Because he woke me Up This Morning. 4. Because he has given us the City.... I need everyone one that lives on the level of Faith, Obedience & Sacrifice on the count of 3 give God your best praise.. so if you have to loose your wig, loosen your belt, take your shoes off, put your baby down, throw your tablet in the seat.. Because this praise is for The Wall of resistance in your life.. The wall of resistance in this Church, this praise is an indicator that by any means necessary Im going to get whats mine from God.....

Wait did you realize the law of first fruit & tithing are strongly connected to this Chapter?

GOD’S WORD Translation Jericho Is Destroyed

Joshua said to the troops, “Shout, because the LORD has given you the city! 17 The city has been claimed by the LORD. Everything in it belongs to the LORD.

King James Version Chapter 6

17 And the city shall be ||accursed, even it, and all that are therein, to the LORD:

Anything that belongs to God but is used for other purpose’s is accursed..

So that fruit Eve ate was God’s/what happen curse…

Only Rehab the harlot shall live, she and all that are in her house, because she hid the spies.

So we see first fruits, Tithing and Now Covenant

Joshua 2:18–21 NLT

When we come into the land, you must leave this scarlet rope hanging from the window through which you let us down. And all your family members—your father, mother, brothers, and all your relatives—must be here inside the house. If they go out into the street and are killed, it will not be our fault. But if anyone lays a hand on people inside this house, we will accept the responsibility for their death. If you betray us, however, we are not bound by this oath in any way.” “I accept your terms,” she replied. And she sent them on their way, leaving the scarlet rope hanging from the window.

King James Version Chapter 6

23 And the young men that were spies went in, and brought out Rahab, nand her father, and her mother, and her brethren, and all that she had; and they brought out all her †kindred, and left them without the camp of Israel. 24 And they burnt the city with fire, and all that was therein:

Making The Tuff Call:

As a father & husband & Supervisor and Now Pastor.. I have had to make the tuff call.. that’s the decision that won’t make you popular..

King James Version Chapter 7

7 But the children of Israel committed a trespass in the accursed thing: for a||Achan, the son of Carmi, the son of ||Zabdi, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took of the accursed thing: and the anger of the LORD was kindled against the children of Israel.

Notice The Children where effected by One child

All it takes is One bad apple, one bad member, one bad christian, one bad leader, one bad first lady one bad Pastor and the entire Kingdom is effected..

See as a leader when i have been tempted to do something stupid, Yea i am tempted to, but i always ask myself… How will this effect how people see God

How will this effect my wife and children

How will this effect the people God has given me charge to lead?

See when we are out of his will things begin to break down,

King James Version Chapter 7

3 And they returned to Joshua, and said unto him, Let not all the people go up; but let †about two or three thousand men go up and smite Ai; and make not all the people to labour thither; for they are but few.

Joshua 7:4–5 NLT

So approximately 3,000 warriors were sent, but they were soundly defeated. The men of Ai chased the Israelites from the town gate as far as the quarries, and they killed about thirty-six who were retreating down the slope. The Israelites were paralyzed with fear at this turn of events, and their courage melted away.

Joshua 7:4-

See AI was small in comparison to Jericho, But the only reason why they supernaturally took down a wall was because they obeyed Gods directive.. But Know after taking down giants they struggle with Midgets.. (that wasn’t politically correct) small people..

See AI was small in comparison to Jericho, But the only reason why they supernaturally took down a wall was because of they obeyed Gods directive.. But Know after taking down giants they struggle with Midgets.. (that wasn’t politically correct) small people..

What about you, have you ever struggled with a spirt that you should have overcome but it overcomes you?

Are you a slave to debt?

Are you a member of the unforgivness club?

Do you have a hard time with sexual vices, porn, relationships, attractions

Do you have a glutny spirt, is their anything thats really small but its big in your situation..

And its a matter of repenting but wait what if you still want it!!!

This is when it really gets good to me.. Question::::: How Do You Handle Failure?? the poet Mr. Carter aka Jay Z said a loss isn’t a loss it’s a lesson..

Let’s learn from Joshua, we are at 6 And Joshua rent his clothes, and fell to the earth upon his face before the ark of the Lord until the eventide, he and the elders of Israel, and put dust upon their heads. 7 And Joshua said, Alas, O Lord God, wherefore hast thou at all brought this people over Jordan, to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites, to destroy us? would to God we had been content, and dwelt on the other side Jordan! 8 O Lord, what shall I say, when Israel turneth their †backs before their enemies! 9 For the Canaanites and all the inhabitants of the land shall hear of it, and shall environ us round, and cut off our name from the earth: and what wilt thou do unto thy great name?

6 And Joshua frent his clothes, and fell to the earth upon his face before the ark of the Lord until the eventide, he and the elders of Israel, and gput dust upon their heads. 7 And Joshua said, Alas, O Lord God, hwherefore hast thou at all brought this people over Jordan, to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites, to destroy us? would to God we had been content, and dwelt on the other side Jordan! 8 O Lord, what shall I say, when Israel turneth their †backs before their enemies! 9 For the Canaanites and all the inhabitants of the land shall hear of it, and shall environ us round, and icut off our name from the earth: and jwhat wilt thou do unto thy great name?

So Josh is in prayer taking no responsibility to what has happen, surly its the Lords fault..

g . Sam. 4:12. . & 13:19. & 15:32. . .

h Comp. . .

† Heb. necks. So ver. 12. See marg.

i So .

j Comp. .

The Holy Bible: King James Version. (2009). (Electronic Edition of the 1900 Authorized Version., ). Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.

Have you ever found yourself operating in disobedience & things not working the way they should but you blame God?

Josh is laying it on thick with God at this point..

You have stay with me on this!!

7. 10 But the Lord said to Joshua, “Get up! Why are you lying on your face like this? 11 Israel has sinned and broken my covenant! They have stolen some of the things that I commanded must be set apart for me. And they have not only stolen them but have lied about it and hidden the things among their own belongings. 12 That is why the Israelites are running from their enemies in defeat.

10 But the Lord said to Joshua, “Get up! Why are you lying on your face like this? 11 Israel has sinned and broken my covenant! They have stolen some of the things that I commanded must be set apart for me. And they have not only stolen them but have lied about it and hidden the things among their own belongings. 12 That is why the Israelites are running from their enemies in defeat.

Now if stories about God in the bible has never intrigued, this one has too..

I mean God is Godster on this not gansta Godster..

When God tells someone that’s on their face praying to him to GETUP!!

Stop praying, why are you lying around like this?? YoU Know what happen.. Israel Sinned and you will never defeat your enemies operating in sin.. remove these things from you..

Come on tell your neighbor by any means necessary!!

See when it’s already clear what God has called for you to do, but you can’t move till you pray on it. Your procrastinating..

New Living Translation Chapter 7

13 “Get up! Command the people to purify themselves in preparation for tomorrow. For this is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: Hidden among you, O Israel, are things set apart for the LORD. You will never defeat your enemies until you remove these things from among you.

You can’t concur what you can’t confront!!

New Living Translation Chapter 7

14 “In the morning you must present yourselves by tribes, and the LORD will point out the tribe to which the guilty man belongs. That tribe must come forward with its clans, and the LORD will point out the guilty clan. That clan will then come forward, and the LORD will point out the guilty family. Finally, each member of the guilty family must come forward one by one. 15 The one who has stolen what was set apart for destruction will himself be burned with fire, along with everything he has, for he has broken the covenant of the LORD and has done a horrible thing in Israel.”

16 Early the next morning Joshua brought the tribes of Israel before the LORD, and the tribe of Judah was singled out. 17 Then the clans of Judah came forward, and the clan of Zerah was singled out. Then the families of Zerah came forward, and the family of Zimri was singled out. 18 Every member of Zimri’s family was brought forward person by person, and Achan was singled out.

And God is going to point out the guilty man or women.. and what would you do if you found out someone in your family is blocking the blessing of God?

See the interesting thing is Achan had an opportunity to repent!! the moment he seen AI kick their butt, he knew it it’s me?

The news came out what the Lord was going to do in the morning he still didn’t say a word, Its crazy to know your wrong and it could cause your entire family to suffer but your pride will not allow you to repent…

New Living Translation Chapter 7

18 Every member of Zimri’s family was brought forward person by person, and Achan was singled out.

19 Then Joshua said to Achan, “My son, give glory to the LORD, the God of Israel, by telling the truth. Make your confession and tell me what you have done. Don’t hide it from me.”

New Living Translation Chapter 7

20 Achan replied, “It is true! I have sinned against the LORD, the God of Israel. 21 Among the plunder I saw a beautiful robe from Babylon,* 200 silver coins,* and a bar of gold weighing more than a pound.* I wanted them so much that I took them. They are hidden in the ground beneath my tent, with the silver buried deeper than the rest.”

Beware of covetous people..

Could we just stop right here and lift up your hands and your heart!! and lets do a inventory!! If there is anything hidden Lord in the tent of my heart buried deeper than the rest. God i Repent.. Lord please forgive me.. its been buried too long i forgot i hid it..

Come on don’t play with me.. Many of us in here should be much further in the Lord than where we are.. Is it because of AI? something small we can’t concur..Is AI hindering your marriage? Is AI hindering your peace and Joy?

New Living Translation Chapter 7

24 Then Joshua and all the Israelites took Achan, the silver, the robe, the bar of gold, his sons, daughters, cattle, donkeys, sheep, goats, tent, and everything he had, and they brought them to the valley of Achor. 25 Then Joshua said to Achan, “Why have you brought trouble on us? The LORD will now bring trouble on you.” And all the Israelites stoned Achan and his family and burned their bodies. 26 They piled a great heap of stones over Achan, which remains to this day. That is why the place has been called the Valley of Trouble* ever since. So the LORD was no longer angry.

They had to kill off the cancer that had infected the entire body.

What I Love about God is once we honor the covenant it’s back to business.

New Living Translation Chapter 8

Do not be afraid or discouraged

Haven’t heard that in a Long time..

New Living Translation Chapter 8

Take all your fighting men and attack Ai, for I have given you the king of Ai, his people, his town, and his land. 2 You will destroy them as you destroyed Jericho and its king. But this time you may keep the plunder and the livestock for yourselves. Set an ambush behind the town.”

See I have made some mistakes that God should have never forgiving me. But im so glad he did, But this time i am getting everything he promised me.. he said i’m given you King AI, his people, his town & his land .. This time you may keep the plunder and the livestock for yoursleves..