Walk of faith

I will be with you

When descending the Grand Canyon, often times a person has to travel on narrow ledges that have only enough room for a mule to get a foothold. The ribbons of rock that run along the edges of these towering cliffs overlook vertical precipices that descend hundreds of feet to the valley below. When one must make use of these stony paths, the safest course is to let the mule find his own way; for the slightest touch on the bridle may easily throw both the animal and his rider over the cliff to sudden death.

Today we will be talking about the Walk of Faith.

Joshua 2:1–4 NKJV

1 Now Joshua the son of Nun sent out two men from Acacia Grove to spy secretly, saying, “Go, view the land, especially Jericho.” So they went, and came to the house of a harlot named Rahab, and lodged there. 2 And it was told the king of Jericho, saying, “Behold, men have come here tonight from the children of Israel to search out the country.” 3 So the king of Jericho sent to Rahab, saying, “Bring out the men who have come to you, who have entered your house, for they have come to search out all the country.” 4 Then the woman took the two men and hid them. So she said, “Yes, the men came to me, but I did not know where they were from.

Go to vs

Joshua 2:9–11 NKJV

9 and said to the men: “I know that the Lord has given you the land, that the terror of you has fallen on us, and that all the inhabitants of the land are fainthearted because of you. 10 For we have heard how the Lord dried up the water of the Red Sea for you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to the two kings of the Amorites who were on the other side of the Jordan, Sihon and Og, whom you utterly destroyed. 11 And as soon as we heard these things, our hearts melted; neither did there remain any more courage in anyone because of you, for the Lord your God, He is God in heaven above and on earth beneath.

Everyone knew what kind of people they were

Sometimes you don’t have to say your a Christian, they can know just by looking at you

Joshua 2:12–14 NKJV

12 Now therefore, I beg you, swear to me by the Lord, since I have shown you kindness, that you also will show kindness to my father’s house, and give me a true token, 13 and spare my father, my mother, my brothers, my sisters, and all that they have, and deliver our lives from death.” 14 So the men answered her, “Our lives for yours, if none of you tell this business of ours. And it shall be, when the Lord has given us the land, that we will deal kindly and truly with you.”

When you believe and serve God your home can be a refuge for others.

The spies have reported back

Joshua 3:1–4 NKJV

1 Then Joshua rose early in the morning; and they set out from Acacia Grove and came to the Jordan, he and all the children of Israel, and lodged there before they crossed over. 2 So it was, after three days, that the officers went through the camp; 3 and they commanded the people, saying, “When you see the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God, and the priests, the Levites, bearing it, then you shall set out from your place and go after it. 4 Yet there shall be a space between you and it, about two thousand cubits by measure. Do not come near it, that you may know the way by which you must go, for you have not passed this way before.”

You shall go after the ark

God needs to take the lead in order for you to prosper.

There will be places he will need to take you but you just don’t know the way.

Joshua 3:14–17 NKJV

14 So it was, when the people set out from their camp to cross over the Jordan, with the priests bearing the ark of the covenant before the people, 15 and as those who bore the ark came to the Jordan, and the feet of the priests who bore the ark dipped in the edge of the water (for the Jordan overflows all its banks during the whole time of harvest), 16 that the waters which came down from upstream stood still, and rose in a heap very far away at Adam, the city that is beside Zaretan. So the waters that went down into the Sea of the Arabah, the Salt Sea, failed, and were cut off; and the people crossed over opposite Jericho. 17 Then the priests who bore the ark of the covenant of the Lord stood firm on dry ground in the midst of the Jordan; and all Israel crossed over on dry ground, until all the people had crossed completely over the Jordan.

When the spies were sent out they had to struggle to cross the Jordan river. But now because God was taking the lead they walked across on dry land

Walk of Faith (Memorial of blessings)

Joshua 4:4–7 NKJV

4 Then Joshua called the twelve men whom he had appointed from the children of Israel, one man from every tribe; 5 and Joshua said to them: “Cross over before the ark of the Lord your God into the midst of the Jordan, and each one of you take up a stone on his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of the children of Israel, 6 that this may be a sign among you when your children ask in time to come, saying, ‘What do these stones mean to you?’ 7 Then you shall answer them that the waters of the Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the Lord; when it crossed over the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. And these stones shall be for a memorial to the children of Israel forever.”

How many of us have a blessing this year that you know it was the hand of God? And when was last time you took the time to

When you have been delivered and given the victory over certain things in your life. you should have a way to remember those blessings and victories

Crossing the Jordan for you is entering into a deeper relationship with Jesus. YOU CAN’T AND SHOULD NOT WANT TO GO BACK!

After they are finished crossing, the priest are told to come out

Joshua 4:15–18 NKJV

15 Then the Lord spoke to Joshua, saying, 16 “Command the priests who bear the ark of the Testimony to come up from the Jordan.” 17 Joshua therefore commanded the priests, saying, “Come up from the Jordan.” 18 And it came to pass, when the priests who bore the ark of the covenant of the Lord had come from the midst of the Jordan, and the soles of the priests’ feet touched the dry land, that the waters of the Jordan returned to their place and overflowed all its banks as before.

When you are walking with the lord and you let him truly lead there is not going back

Jesus said in Luke that,

Luke 9:62 NKJV

62 But Jesus said to him, “No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.”

Jesus says

Matthew 12:43–45 NKJV

43 “When an unclean spirit goes out of a man, he goes through dry places, seeking rest, and finds none. 44 Then he says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ And when he comes, he finds it empty, swept, and put in order. 45 Then he goes and takes with him seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter and dwell there; and the last state of that man is worse than the first. So shall it also be with this wicked generation.”

We must be sober and vigilant

1 Peter 5:8–9 NKJV

8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. 9 Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world.

We have to keep our eyes forward

Getting back to Jericho

Joshua 6:1–5 NKJV

1 Now Jericho was securely shut up because of the children of Israel; none went out, and none came in. 2 And the Lord said to Joshua: “See! I have given Jericho into your hand, its king, and the mighty men of valor. 3 You shall march around the city, all you men of war; you shall go all around the city once. This you shall do six days. 4 And seven priests shall bear seven trumpets of rams’ horns before the ark. But the seventh day you shall march around the city seven times, and the priests shall blow the trumpets. 5 It shall come to pass, when they make a long blast with the ram’s horn, and when you hear the sound of the trumpet, that all the people shall shout with a great shout; then the wall of the city will fall down flat. And the people shall go up every man straight before him.”

Jericho was locked up tight

They were to walk around city and not make a sound

Sometimes what God will ask you to do will look strange to other people, but what they don’t know is, he is leading you to a victory

Joshua 6:14–16 NKJV

14 And the second day they marched around the city once and returned to the camp. So they did six days. 15 But it came to pass on the seventh day that they rose early, about the dawning of the day, and marched around the city seven times in the same manner. On that day only they marched around the city seven times. 16 And the seventh time it happened, when the priests blew the trumpets, that Joshua said to the people: “Shout, for the Lord has given you the city!

Shout for the Lord has given you that, new job, that freedom from sin, that courage to stand for Him.

We have to learn to give God his praise or the benches and rocks will do it.

Luke 19:40 NKJV

40 But He answered and said to them, “I tell you that if these should keep silent, the stones would immediately cry out.”

Walking in faith

Hebrews 11:30 NKJV

30 By faith the walls of Jericho fell down after they were encircled for seven days.

This was the second time for them. They were here before and didn’t believe.

When they had evidence of what God was going to do they didn’t believe

Deuteronomy 1:25–27 NKJV

25 They also took some of the fruit of the land in their hands and brought it down to us; and they brought back word to us, saying, ‘It is a good land which the Lord our God is giving us.’ 26 “Nevertheless you would not go up, but rebelled against the command of the Lord your God; 27 and you complained in your tents, and said, ‘Because the Lord hates us, He has brought us out of the land of Egypt to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites, to destroy us.

Disbelief will cause you to wander in your own wilderness

That’s why Paul says we walk by faith

2 Corinthians 5:7 NKJV

7 For we walk by faith, not by sight.

Jesus is saying let me take the lead, i have something better for you but you have to trust me.

Revelation 7:17 NKJV

17 for the Lamb who is in the midst of the throne will shepherd them and lead them to living fountains of waters. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”

He wants to take to you to a place where there is a living fountain of water

A place where there will be no more tears

A place where the sun will never set

A place flowing with milk and honey

Let’s look at that place in case you have forgotten

Revelation 21:1–4 NKJV

1 Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea. 2 Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. 4 And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.”

Do you want to be there? you can only get there if you allow him like the children of Israel to take the lead.

Do you think it was by coincidence that they had a cloud to lead them in the day and a pillar of fire by night. God knew where they need to go and at what speed, the place he want to take us now is not over in to Canaan, but to heaven and it’s going to require a lot of obedience on our part to make it.

The fall of Jericho took seven days, how long do you think it will to make it to heaven? I don’t know, only the father knows. But what I do know is the only way to make it there will require that same obedience to God’s word and His leading.

Hebrews 3:16–19 NKJV

16 For who, having heard, rebelled? Indeed, was it not all who came out of Egypt, led by Moses? 17 Now with whom was He angry forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose corpses fell in the wilderness? 18 And to whom did He swear that they would not enter His rest, but to those who did not obey? 19 So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief.

Don’t let today pass you by as Paul said “Today, if you will hear His voice, Do not harden your hearts.

Hebrews 4:7 NKJV

7 again He designates a certain day, saying in David, “Today,” after such a long time, as it has been said: “Today, if you will hear His voice, Do not harden your hearts.”

God wants to lead you on a better path to a better life. let him lead because he knows the correct way. Won’t you let the savior take the lead in you life today? Just come to him and say as the man did, Lord I believe help my unbelief. There is only one thing that can separate you from God and that is you. External this can influence you only if you let them. when you invite the Holy Spirit into your life His presence drives those things away. WALK THE WALK OF FAITH WITH GOD, STARTING TODAY AND WALKING INTO THE KINGDOM.