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13 When Joshua was near Jericho, he looked up and saw a man
standing in front of him. The man had a sword in his hand. Joshua went to the
man and asked, “Are you a friend to our people or are you one of our
enemies?”14 The man answered, “I am not an enemy. I am the
commander of the Lord’s army. I
have just now come to you. "Then Joshua bowed his face to the ground to show
respect and said, “I am your servant. Does my master have a command for me?”15 The
commander of the Lord’s army
answered, “Take off your sandals. The place where you are standing is holy.”
So Joshua obeyed him.6The
gates of the city of Jericho were closed. The people in the city were afraid
because the Israelites were near. No one went into the city, and no one came
out.2 Then the Lord said to Joshua, “Look, I will let you
defeat the city of Jericho. You will defeat the king and all the fighting men
in the city.
3 March
around the city with your army once every day for six days. 4 Tell seven of the priests to carry trumpets made
from the horns of male sheep and to march in front of the priests who are
carrying the Holy Box. On the seventh day march around the city seven times
and tell the priests to blow the trumpets while they march. 5 They will make one loud noise from the trumpets.
When you hear that noise, tell all the people to begin shouting. When you do
this, the walls of the city will fall down and your people will be able to go
straight into the city.”6 So Joshua son of Nun called the
priests together and said to them, “Carry the Holy Box of the Lord. Tell seven priests to carry the trumpets and march in front of
it.”7 Then Joshua ordered the people, “Now go! March around
the city. The soldiers with weapons will march in front of the Holy Box of
the Lord.”
8 After Joshua finished speaking to the
people, the seven priests with the trumpets began marching before the Lord, blowing the trumpets as they marched.
The priests carrying the Lord’s Holy Box followed them. 9 The soldiers with
weapons marched in front of the priests who were blowing the horns. And the
rest of the men walked behind the Holy Box, marching and blowing their
trumpets. 10 Joshua had told the
people not to give a war cry. He said, “Don’t shout. Don’t say a word until
the day I tell you. Then you will shout.”11 So Joshua made
the priests carry the Holy Box of the Lord around
the city one time. Then they went back to the camp and spent the night there.12 Early
the next morning Joshua got up, and the priests carried the Lord’s Holy Box again.
13 The seven priests with the trumpets
marched in front of the Lord’s Holy Box, blowing their trumpets. The
soldiers with weapons marched in front of them. The rest of the people
marched behind the Lord’s Holy Box. During the whole time they
marched, the priests were blowing the trumpets. 14 On the second
day, they all marched around the city one time. And then they went back to
the camp. They continued to do this every day for six days. 15 On
the seventh day, they got up at dawn and marched around the city seven times.
They marched in the same way they had marched on the days before, but on that
day they marched around the city seven times. 16 The
seventh time they marched around the city, the priests blew their trumpets.
Then Joshua gave the command: “Now, shout! The Lord is giving
you this city!
17 The city
and everything is to be destroyed as an offering to the Lord. Only Rahab the prostitute and everyone in her house will be left
alive. These people must not be killed because she helped the two spies.
18 Remember, we must destroy everything
else. Don’t take anything. If you take anything and bring it into our camp,
you yourselves will be destroyed, and you will cause trouble for the rest of
our people. 19 All the things made
from silver, gold, bronze, and iron belong to the Lord. They must be put in the Lord’s
treasury.” (Joshua 5:13-15, 6:1-19, ERV)
When you
know that what you are asking for is in line with God’s will, it gives you
the right frame of mind to encircle that request in confidence and reverence. (See Joshua 5:13-15 above)
·
Start by praising God for what He’s already promised to
do. Fall before Him (See Joshua 6:1-2
above)
Pray in the Spirit at all times. Pray with all kinds of
prayers, and ask for everything you need. To do this you must always be
ready. Never give up. Always pray for all of God’s people. (Ephesians 6:18, ERV)
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·
Keep
encircling His promises until God delivers. Trust God’s timing (See Joshua 6:3-16 above)
God is not a man; he
will not lie. God is not a human being; his decisions will not change. If he
says he will do something, then he will do it. If he makes a promise, then he
will do what he promised. (Numbers 23:19 ERV)
·
When
the answer finally comes (in His timing), give God the glory. (See
Joshua 6:18-19 above)
As you battle your Jericho’s, devote yourself to God. Invite others in because we cannot fight this battle of life alone.
24 We should think about
each other to see how we can encourage each other to show love and do good
works. 25 We must not quit meeting together, as some are doing.
No, we need to keep on encouraging each other. This becomes more and more
important as you see the Day getting closer. (Hebrews 10:24-25 ERV)
“You need to circle the goals God wants you to
go after. The promises God wants you to claim, and the dreams God wants you to
pursue. And once you spell Jericho, you need to circle it in prayer. Then you
need to keep circling until the walls come tumbling down.” (Mark Batterson)[i]
[i] Inspired by the sermon “Pray
Around: ASK-Ask Seek Knock, “(installment one) Sunday
August 18, 2019, Pastor Dave Jansen, CenterPoint Gahanna Church Gahanna, OH.
Also inspired by the sermon “Pray Around: ASK-Ask Seek Knock, “(installment one) Sunday August 18, 2019, Josh Boyer, CenterPoint Lewis Center Lewis Center, OH.
Also inspired by the sermon “Pray Around: ASK-Ask Seek Knock, “(installment one) Sunday August 18, 2019, Josh Boyer, CenterPoint Lewis Center Lewis Center, OH.
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