DON’T CHANGE GOD’S SUCCESS FORMULA
Joshua 5-7
God dried up the flooded Jordan River and allow the Israelites
Under Joshua direction to cross over to the other side facing the
City of Jericho. Assurance was given to the Israelites that Jerico
Would fall and all the nations in the promised land would be driven out.
THE ASSURANCE OF SUCCESS
Joshua 3:9-14 Joshua said to the Israelites, “Come here and listen to the words of the Lord your God. 10 This is how you will know that the living God is among you and that he will certainly drive out before you the Canaanites, Hittites, Hivites, Perizzites, Girgashites, Amorites and Jebusites. 11 See, the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth will go into the Jordan ahead of you. 12 Now then, choose twelve men from the tribes of Israel, one from each tribe. 13 And as soon as the priests who carry the ark of the Lord-the Lord of all the earth — set foot in the Jordan, its waters flowing downstream will be cut off and stand up in a heap.”
There are several points we can gain from God’s promise
Study and meditate daily on God’s Word
God plans your victory before the battle
His promises are true in our obedience
God will make known His presence to you
The evidence is what He does to your enemy
God blessing in your life will be complete
God makes away out of no way.
Seven is the number of completion. Notice there were seven nations inhabiting the promised land that God would drive out depending on
The obedience of Israel.
REVERENCE THE LORD
Joshua 4:8-9 So the Israelites did as Joshua commanded them. They took twelve stones from the middle of the Jordan, according to the number of the tribes of the Israelites, as the Lord had told Joshua; and they carried them over with them to their camp, where they put them down. 9 Joshua set up the twelve stones that had been in the middle of the Jordan at the spot where the priests who carried the ark of the covenant had stood. And they are there to this day.
God has planned every step of your journey with Him in this life.
We must be careful to give Him credit. We can do nothing on our own.
God commanded Israel to bring 12 stone out of Jordan
One stone for each tribe (sons of Jacob) Joshua 4:10
Build a memorial in your heart for the goodness of God
Never forget what God has done for you and your forefathers
You stand on the promises God made before you were born
Never take credit for who you are and what you have
Israel was commanded to rest by the memorial
You and I must put our trust in the Lord going forward
WORSHIP THE LORD
BE MINDFUL OF THE COVENANT RELATIONSHIP YOU HAVE WITH JESUS
Joshua 5:1-3 Now when all the Amorite kings west of the Jordan and all the Canaanite kings along the coast heard how the Lord had dried up the Jordan before the Israelites until we had crossed over, their hearts melted and they no longer had the courage to face the Israelites.
2 At that time the Lord said to Joshua, “Make flint knives and circumcise the Israelites again.”
Joshua 5:4-5 All those who came out of Egypt — all the men of military age — died in the desert on the way after leaving Egypt. but all the people born in the desert during the journey from Egypt had not.
Because the Israelites who came out Egypt did not believe they could
Take the promised land, they wandered in the desert for 40 years. The
Covenant relationship with Lord was suspended.
The physical operation on the body was a symbol of the spiritual operation in the heart. It represented the repentance for sin and the turning to God for help
The Israelites celebrated the passover eating food from the promised land. Manna from Lord stopped
This represented the milk and honey in the promised land
God has prepared a place for believers with all provisions
Believers must be mindful that we have a covenant relationship with Jesus established by our confession of faith and our acceptance of Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. That covenant relationship means we worship only the one true living God.
RECOGNIZING AND GIVING GOD THE GLORY
Joshua 5:9 Then the Lord said to Joshua, “Today I have rolled away the reproach of Egypt from you.” So the place has been called Gilgal to this day.
The disgrace and the shame of slavery was done away with by God.
Israel was recognized as a nation under God by the surrounding inhabitants of the land.
The surrounding nations remembered the what God did at the Red Sea and they witness the dying up of the Jordan River
They knew Israel was a nation to be feared
When you and I stand with confidence and faith in the Lord in the midst of troubling times, people will come to know we serve a mighty God. When we are not moved or worried by the evil in the world but give God the glory, others will be drawn to Him.
JESUS IS THE COMMANDER OF THE LORD’S ARMY
Joshua 5:13-15 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?”
14 “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?” 15 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.
Whenever we go before the Lord in prayer, the place is Holy ground
The Lord is here to fight your battles. The battle in never yours
Reverence the Lord in His presence with confidence that He is in control
The Lord is armed with a sword to fight. The Lord as an unknown number of angels ready to fight for us
You are never alone when you stand with the Lord
Humble yourself before you go out. You are His servant, and He is your God.
Imagine the Lord standing in front of You
FOLLOW GOD’S INSTRUCTIONS, NOT YOURS
Joshua 6:1-5 Now Jericho was tightly shut up because of the Israelites. No one went out and no one came in.
2 Then the Lord said to Joshua, “See, I have delivered Jericho into your hands, along with its king and its fighting men. 3 March around the city once with all the armed men. Do this for six days. 4 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. 5 When you hear them sound a long blast on the trumpets, have all the people give a loud shout; then the wall of the city will collapse and the people will go up, every man straight in.”
There are instruction in the Bible for you
God’s got a Word of direction for every situation you will ever face. There is nothing new under the sun
Search the Word of God before you act and He will lead you to victory. The Holy Spirit will guide you to the right verse.
It’s up to you to believe and be obedient
God’s ways are not yours, Don’t improvise
SERVE GOD IN PEACE AND SEE HIS GLORY
Joshua 6:15-17
On the seventh day, they got up at daybreak and marched around the city seven times in the same manner, except that on that day they circled the city seven times. 16 The seventh time around, when the priests sounded the trumpet blast, Joshua commanded the people, “Shout! For the Lord has given you the city! 17 The city and all that is in it are to be devoted to the Lord.
Joshua 6:20-21 When the trumpets sounded, the people shouted, and at the sound of the trumpet, when the people gave a loud shout, the wall collapsed; so every man charged straight in, and they took the city. 21 They devoted the city to the Lord and destroyed with the sword every living thing in it — men and women, young and old, cattle, sheep and donkeys.
We are not told what destabilized the the wall of Jericho
We are not told if there was resistance or the people died without a fight
What we know is that the captain of the Lord’s army was there
What we know is God did what He said without lost to Israel
What we know is it took faith to march through the walls
It took obedience to kill all the inhabitants of Jericho.
DON’T CHANGE GOD’S FORMULA FOR SUCCESS
Joshua 7:2-6 Now Joshua sent men from Jericho to Ai, which is near Beth Aven to the east of Bethel, and told them, “Go up and spy out the region.” So the men went up and spied out Ai. 3 When they returned to Joshua, they said, “Not all the people will have to go up against Ai. Send two or three thousand men to take it and do not weary all the people, for only a few men are there.” 4 So about three thousand men went up; but they were routed by the men of Ai, 5 who killed about thirty-six of them. They chased the Israelites from the city gate as far as the stone quarries and struck them down on the slopes. At this the hearts of the people melted and became like water.
Joshua 7:7-8 And Joshua said, “Ah, Sovereign Lord, why did you ever bring this people across the Jordan to deliver us into the hands of the Amorites to destroy us? If only we had been content to stay on the other side of the Jordan!
Joshua 7:10-12 The Lord said to Joshua, “Stand up! What are you doing down on your face? 11 Israel has sinned; they have violated my covenant, which I commanded them to keep. They have taken some of the devoted things; they have stolen, they have lied, they have put them with their own possessions. 12 That is why the Israelites cannot stand against their enemies; they turn their backs and run because they have been made liable to destruction.
Joshua didn’t follow the same procedure God used for Jericho
Joshua listened to the wrong voice, failed to pray, failed to consecrate the soldiers,
Joshua assumed that all the soldiers were honest and obedient to God’s command
Joshua failed to get advice from the Lord. Joshua didn’t go with men in battle
Joshua unknowingly sent the men in battle with sin in their hearts
When we take short cuts to God’s plan we lose the blessings
SUMMARY: PUT ON THE FULL ARMOR OF GOD
GIVE GOD THE GLORY FOR YOUR BEING
WORSHIP THE LORD
REESTABLISH YOUR COVENANT RELATIONSHIP WITH THE LORD
GIVE GOD PRAISE FOR BEING PRESENCE IN YOUR LIFE
PUT ON THE FULL ARMOR OF GOD Ephesians 6:3
FOLLOW GOD’S INSTRUCTIONS
NEVER ACT BEFORE PRAYER AND MEDITATION WITH THE LORD
CHANGING GOD’S PLAN LEADS TO FAILURE
DON’T CHANGE GOD’S SUCCESS FORMULA
Joshua 5-7
God dried up the flooded Jordan River and allow the Israelites
Under Joshua direction to cross over to the other side facing the
City of Jericho. Assurance was given to the Israelites that Jerico
Would fall and all the nations in the promised land would be driven out.
THE ASSURANCE OF SUCCESS
Joshua 3:9-14 Joshua said to the Israelites, “Come here and listen to the words of the Lord your God. 10 This is how you will know that the living God is among you and that he will certainly drive out before you the Canaanites, Hittites, Hivites, Perizzites, Girgashites, Amorites and Jebusites. 11 See, the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth will go into the Jordan ahead of you. 12 Now then, choose twelve men from the tribes of Israel, one from each tribe. 13 And as soon as the priests who carry the ark of the Lord-the Lord of all the earth — set foot in the Jordan, its waters flowing downstream will be cut off and stand up in a heap.”
There are several points we can gain from God’s promise
Study and meditate daily on God’s Word
God plans your victory before the battle
His promises are true in our obedience
God will make known His presence to you
The evidence is what He does to your enemy
God blessing in your life will be complete
God makes away out of no way.
Seven is the number of completion. Notice there were seven nations inhabiting the promised land that God would drive out depending on
The obedience of Israel.
REVERENCE THE LORD
Joshua 4:8-9 So the Israelites did as Joshua commanded them. They took twelve stones from the middle of the Jordan, according to the number of the tribes of the Israelites, as the Lord had told Joshua; and they carried them over with them to their camp, where they put them down. 9 Joshua set up the twelve stones that had been in the middle of the Jordan at the spot where the priests who carried the ark of the covenant had stood. And they are there to this day.
God has planned every step of your journey with Him in this life.
We must be careful to give Him credit. We can do nothing on our own.
God commanded Israel to bring 12 stone out of Jordan
One stone for each tribe (sons of Jacob) Joshua 4:10
Build a memorial in your heart for the goodness of God
Never forget what God has done for you and your forefathers
You stand on the promises God made before you were born
Never take credit for who you are and what you have
Israel was commanded to rest by the memorial
You and I must put our trust in the Lord going forward
WORSHIP THE LORD
BE MINDFUL OF THE COVENANT RELATIONSHIP YOU HAVE WITH JESUS
Joshua 5:1-3 Now when all the Amorite kings west of the Jordan and all the Canaanite kings along the coast heard how the Lord had dried up the Jordan before the Israelites until we had crossed over, their hearts melted and they no longer had the courage to face the Israelites.
2 At that time the Lord said to Joshua, “Make flint knives and circumcise the Israelites again.”
Joshua 5:4-5 All those who came out of Egypt — all the men of military age — died in the desert on the way after leaving Egypt. but all the people born in the desert during the journey from Egypt had not.
Because the Israelites who came out Egypt did not believe they could
Take the promised land, they wandered in the desert for 40 years. The
Covenant relationship with Lord was suspended.
The physical operation on the body was a symbol of the spiritual operation in the heart. It represented the repentance for sin and the turning to God for help
The Israelites celebrated the passover eating food from the promised land. Manna from Lord stopped
This represented the milk and honey in the promised land
God has prepared a place for believers with all provisions
Believers must be mindful that we have a covenant relationship with Jesus established by our confession of faith and our acceptance of Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. That covenant relationship means we worship only the one true living God.
RECOGNIZING AND GIVING GOD THE GLORY
Joshua 5:9 Then the Lord said to Joshua, “Today I have rolled away the reproach of Egypt from you.” So the place has been called Gilgal to this day.
The disgrace and the shame of slavery was done away with by God.
Israel was recognized as a nation under God by the surrounding inhabitants of the land.
The surrounding nations remembered the what God did at the Red Sea and they witness the dying up of the Jordan River
They knew Israel was a nation to be feared
When you and I stand with confidence and faith in the Lord in the midst of troubling times, people will come to know we serve a mighty God. When we are not moved or worried by the evil in the world but give God the glory, others will be drawn to Him.
JESUS IS THE COMMANDER OF THE LORD’S ARMY
Joshua 5:13-15 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?”
14 “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?” 15 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.
Whenever we go before the Lord in prayer, the place is Holy ground
The Lord is here to fight your battles. The battle in never yours
Reverence the Lord in His presence with confidence that He is in control
The Lord is armed with a sword to fight. The Lord as an unknown number of angels ready to fight for us
You are never alone when you stand with the Lord
Humble yourself before you go out. You are His servant, and He is your God.
Imagine the Lord standing in front of You
FOLLOW GOD’S INSTRUCTIONS, NOT YOURS
Joshua 6:1-5 Now Jericho was tightly shut up because of the Israelites. No one went out and no one came in.
2 Then the Lord said to Joshua, “See, I have delivered Jericho into your hands, along with its king and its fighting men. 3 March around the city once with all the armed men. Do this for six days. 4 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. 5 When you hear them sound a long blast on the trumpets, have all the people give a loud shout; then the wall of the city will collapse and the people will go up, every man straight in.”
There are instruction in the Bible for you
God’s got a Word of direction for every situation you will ever face. There is nothing new under the sun
Search the Word of God before you act and He will lead you to victory. The Holy Spirit will guide you to the right verse.
It’s up to you to believe and be obedient
God’s ways are not yours, Don’t improvise
SERVE GOD IN PEACE AND SEE HIS GLORY
Joshua 6:15-17
On the seventh day, they got up at daybreak and marched around the city seven times in the same manner, except that on that day they circled the city seven times. 16 The seventh time around, when the priests sounded the trumpet blast, Joshua commanded the people, “Shout! For the Lord has given you the city! 17 The city and all that is in it are to be devoted to the Lord.
Joshua 6:20-21 When the trumpets sounded, the people shouted, and at the sound of the trumpet, when the people gave a loud shout, the wall collapsed; so every man charged straight in, and they took the city. 21 They devoted the city to the Lord and destroyed with the sword every living thing in it — men and women, young and old, cattle, sheep and donkeys.
We are not told what destabilized the the wall of Jericho
We are not told if there was resistance or the people died without a fight
What we know is that the captain of the Lord’s army was there
What we know is God did what He said without lost to Israel
What we know is it took faith to march through the walls
It took obedience to kill all the inhabitants of Jericho.
DON’T CHANGE GOD’S FORMULA FOR SUCCESS
Joshua 7:2-6 Now Joshua sent men from Jericho to Ai, which is near Beth Aven to the east of Bethel, and told them, “Go up and spy out the region.” So the men went up and spied out Ai. 3 When they returned to Joshua, they said, “Not all the people will have to go up against Ai. Send two or three thousand men to take it and do not weary all the people, for only a few men are there.” 4 So about three thousand men went up; but they were routed by the men of Ai, 5 who killed about thirty-six of them. They chased the Israelites from the city gate as far as the stone quarries and struck them down on the slopes. At this the hearts of the people melted and became like water.
Joshua 7:7-8 And Joshua said, “Ah, Sovereign Lord, why did you ever bring this people across the Jordan to deliver us into the hands of the Amorites to destroy us? If only we had been content to stay on the other side of the Jordan!
Joshua 7:10-12 The Lord said to Joshua, “Stand up! What are you doing down on your face? 11 Israel has sinned; they have violated my covenant, which I commanded them to keep. They have taken some of the devoted things; they have stolen, they have lied, they have put them with their own possessions. 12 That is why the Israelites cannot stand against their enemies; they turn their backs and run because they have been made liable to destruction.
Joshua didn’t follow the same procedure God used for Jericho
Joshua listened to the wrong voice, failed to pray, failed to consecrate the soldiers,
Joshua assumed that all the soldiers were honest and obedient to God’s command
Joshua failed to get advice from the Lord. Joshua didn’t go with men in battle
Joshua unknowingly sent the men in battle with sin in their hearts
When we take short cuts to God’s plan we lose the blessings
SUMMARY: PUT ON THE FULL ARMOR OF GOD
GIVE GOD THE GLORY FOR YOUR BEING
WORSHIP THE LORD
REESTABLISH YOUR COVENANT RELATIONSHIP WITH THE LORD
GIVE GOD PRAISE FOR BEING PRESENCE IN YOUR LIFE
PUT ON THE FULL ARMOR OF GOD Ephesians 6:3
FOLLOW GOD’S INSTRUCTIONS
NEVER ACT BEFORE PRAYER AND MEDITATION WITH THE LORD
CHANGING GOD’S PLAN LEADS TO FAILURE
DON’T CHANGE GOD’S SUCCESS FORMULA
Joshua 5-7
God dried up the flooded Jordan River and allow the Israelites
Under Joshua direction to cross over to the other side facing the
City of Jericho. Assurance was given to the Israelites that Jerico
Would fall and all the nations in the promised land would be driven out.
THE ASSURANCE OF SUCCESS
Joshua 3:9-14 Joshua said to the Israelites, “Come here and listen to the words of the Lord your God. 10 This is how you will know that the living God is among you and that he will certainly drive out before you the Canaanites, Hittites, Hivites, Perizzites, Girgashites, Amorites and Jebusites. 11 See, the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth will go into the Jordan ahead of you. 12 Now then, choose twelve men from the tribes of Israel, one from each tribe. 13 And as soon as the priests who carry the ark of the Lord-the Lord of all the earth — set foot in the Jordan, its waters flowing downstream will be cut off and stand up in a heap.”
There are several points we can gain from God’s promise
Study and meditate daily on God’s Word
God plans your victory before the battle
His promises are true in our obedience
God will make known His presence to you
The evidence is what He does to your enemy
God blessing in your life will be complete
God makes away out of no way.
Seven is the number of completion. Notice there were seven nations inhabiting the promised land that God would drive out depending on
The obedience of Israel.
REVERENCE THE LORD
Joshua 4:8-9 So the Israelites did as Joshua commanded them. They took twelve stones from the middle of the Jordan, according to the number of the tribes of the Israelites, as the Lord had told Joshua; and they carried them over with them to their camp, where they put them down. 9 Joshua set up the twelve stones that had been in the middle of the Jordan at the spot where the priests who carried the ark of the covenant had stood. And they are there to this day.
God has planned every step of your journey with Him in this life.
We must be careful to give Him credit. We can do nothing on our own.
God commanded Israel to bring 12 stone out of Jordan
One stone for each tribe (sons of Jacob) Joshua 4:10
Build a memorial in your heart for the goodness of God
Never forget what God has done for you and your forefathers
You stand on the promises God made before you were born
Never take credit for who you are and what you have
Israel was commanded to rest by the memorial
You and I must put our trust in the Lord going forward
WORSHIP THE LORD
BE MINDFUL OF THE COVENANT RELATIONSHIP YOU HAVE WITH JESUS
Joshua 5:1-3 Now when all the Amorite kings west of the Jordan and all the Canaanite kings along the coast heard how the Lord had dried up the Jordan before the Israelites until we had crossed over, their hearts melted and they no longer had the courage to face the Israelites.
2 At that time the Lord said to Joshua, “Make flint knives and circumcise the Israelites again.”
Joshua 5:4-5 All those who came out of Egypt — all the men of military age — died in the desert on the way after leaving Egypt. but all the people born in the desert during the journey from Egypt had not.
Because the Israelites who came out Egypt did not believe they could
Take the promised land, they wandered in the desert for 40 years. The
Covenant relationship with Lord was suspended.
The physical operation on the body was a symbol of the spiritual operation in the heart. It represented the repentance for sin and the turning to God for help
The Israelites celebrated the passover eating food from the promised land. Manna from Lord stopped
This represented the milk and honey in the promised land
God has prepared a place for believers with all provisions
Believers must be mindful that we have a covenant relationship with Jesus established by our confession of faith and our acceptance of Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. That covenant relationship means we worship only the one true living God.
RECOGNIZING AND GIVING GOD THE GLORY
Joshua 5:9 Then the Lord said to Joshua, “Today I have rolled away the reproach of Egypt from you.” So the place has been called Gilgal to this day.
The disgrace and the shame of slavery was done away with by God.
Israel was recognized as a nation under God by the surrounding inhabitants of the land.
The surrounding nations remembered the what God did at the Red Sea and they witness the dying up of the Jordan River
They knew Israel was a nation to be feared
When you and I stand with confidence and faith in the Lord in the midst of troubling times, people will come to know we serve a mighty God. When we are not moved or worried by the evil in the world but give God the glory, others will be drawn to Him.
JESUS IS THE COMMANDER OF THE LORD’S ARMY
Joshua 5:13-15 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?”
14 “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?” 15 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.
Whenever we go before the Lord in prayer, the place is Holy ground
The Lord is here to fight your battles. The battle in never yours
Reverence the Lord in His presence with confidence that He is in control
The Lord is armed with a sword to fight. The Lord as an unknown number of angels ready to fight for us
You are never alone when you stand with the Lord
Humble yourself before you go out. You are His servant, and He is your God.
Imagine the Lord standing in front of You
FOLLOW GOD’S INSTRUCTIONS, NOT YOURS
Joshua 6:1-5 Now Jericho was tightly shut up because of the Israelites. No one went out and no one came in.
2 Then the Lord said to Joshua, “See, I have delivered Jericho into your hands, along with its king and its fighting men. 3 March around the city once with all the armed men. Do this for six days. 4 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. 5 When you hear them sound a long blast on the trumpets, have all the people give a loud shout; then the wall of the city will collapse and the people will go up, every man straight in.”
There are instruction in the Bible for you
God’s got a Word of direction for every situation you will ever face. There is nothing new under the sun
Search the Word of God before you act and He will lead you to victory. The Holy Spirit will guide you to the right verse.
It’s up to you to believe and be obedient
God’s ways are not yours, Don’t improvise
SERVE GOD IN PEACE AND SEE HIS GLORY
Joshua 6:15-17
On the seventh day, they got up at daybreak and marched around the city seven times in the same manner, except that on that day they circled the city seven times. 16 The seventh time around, when the priests sounded the trumpet blast, Joshua commanded the people, “Shout! For the Lord has given you the city! 17 The city and all that is in it are to be devoted to the Lord.
Joshua 6:20-21 When the trumpets sounded, the people shouted, and at the sound of the trumpet, when the people gave a loud shout, the wall collapsed; so every man charged straight in, and they took the city. 21 They devoted the city to the Lord and destroyed with the sword every living thing in it — men and women, young and old, cattle, sheep and donkeys.
We are not told what destabilized the the wall of Jericho
We are not told if there was resistance or the people died without a fight
What we know is that the captain of the Lord’s army was there
What we know is God did what He said without lost to Israel
What we know is it took faith to march through the walls
It took obedience to kill all the inhabitants of Jericho.
DON’T CHANGE GOD’S FORMULA FOR SUCCESS
Joshua 7:2-6 Now Joshua sent men from Jericho to Ai, which is near Beth Aven to the east of Bethel, and told them, “Go up and spy out the region.” So the men went up and spied out Ai. 3 When they returned to Joshua, they said, “Not all the people will have to go up against Ai. Send two or three thousand men to take it and do not weary all the people, for only a few men are there.” 4 So about three thousand men went up; but they were routed by the men of Ai, 5 who killed about thirty-six of them. They chased the Israelites from the city gate as far as the stone quarries and struck them down on the slopes. At this the hearts of the people melted and became like water.
Joshua 7:7-8 And Joshua said, “Ah, Sovereign Lord, why did you ever bring this people across the Jordan to deliver us into the hands of the Amorites to destroy us? If only we had been content to stay on the other side of the Jordan!
Joshua 7:10-12 The Lord said to Joshua, “Stand up! What are you doing down on your face? 11 Israel has sinned; they have violated my covenant, which I commanded them to keep. They have taken some of the devoted things; they have stolen, they have lied, they have put them with their own possessions. 12 That is why the Israelites cannot stand against their enemies; they turn their backs and run because they have been made liable to destruction.
Joshua didn’t follow the same procedure God used for Jericho
Joshua listened to the wrong voice, failed to pray, failed to consecrate the soldiers,
Joshua assumed that all the soldiers were honest and obedient to God’s command
Joshua failed to get advice from the Lord. Joshua didn’t go with men in battle
Joshua unknowingly sent the men in battle with sin in their hearts
When we take short cuts to God’s plan we lose the blessings
SUMMARY: PUT ON THE FULL ARMOR OF GOD
GIVE GOD THE GLORY FOR YOUR BEING
WORSHIP THE LORD
REESTABLISH YOUR COVENANT RELATIONSHIP WITH THE LORD
GIVE GOD PRAISE FOR BEING PRESENCE IN YOUR LIFE
PUT ON THE FULL ARMOR OF GOD Ephesians 6:3
FOLLOW GOD’S INSTRUCTIONS
NEVER ACT BEFORE PRAYER AND MEDITATION WITH THE LORD
CHANGING GOD’S PLAN LEADS TO FAILURE
