Wrap Your Strongholds in Prayer

Maybe instead of tolerating the stronghold in a pluralistic society.

We want to just let everybody do their thing and have their thing in and it's time you and I refuse to be politically correct and we just get tough on the stronghold. Nice freedom somebody salvation may depend on welcome to living in the light with Bible teacher and grandma message today is from Joshua chapter 7 the warning that sin is dangerous not only in our life but in the life of others around her challenge to us is to wrap our strongholds are soon in prayer. Here's an when it comes to strong, we acknowledge our dependence upon God as we wrap and wrap it and wrap it and wrap it and wrap it in prayer and you know is Joshua didn't do this by himself. He couldn't walk around the city and taken it by himself and involved every body and maybe you going to have to get your whole family together to pray. Maybe the whole prayer group at church to pray. Maybe ask your friends to pray. Just maybe one other person but sometimes this requires more than just your prayers for yourself, but other press point. The prayers of other people are more powerful sometimes than our prayers for ourselves because the prayers of other people for us are unselfish and motivation and so sometimes when it comes to stronghold you need to ask somebody to march around with you and pray with you about that stronghold when you prayed about the stronghold and prayed and prayed and prayed and prayed and just in prayer, Joshua claimed victory over Jericho. Through his obedience into his dependence and through his perseverance in verse 14 it says on the second day they marched around the city once and returned to the camp and they did this for six days and nowhere in this passage and I read it carefully, knowing this passage does everything that Joshua told the people how long the March it was like the first day so I'm going to go out and going to march around the city once and were going to have the soldiers go first in seven priests of the rams horns and Ark of the covenant.

Everybody else don't say a word we all march around to go home next door. This do it again. You know to go out and they walk around the same thing go back to the dance third day, I must do it again and they got this yesterday when Joshua's income I'm going to do it again. What you think somebody would say Joshua this really isn't working. We haven't seen a crack. We haven't seen the stone come lose, you know, nothing is changed but they just person thing every day doing exactly as they were told in perseverance is just the billions and come down and they just kept on keeping sometimes that's a real struggle in prayer is that we pray and pray and pray and pray and we don't see any impact of our prayers at all. And the temptation is just a quick to write that person God still puts them on your hearts you keep pray whatever the stronghold is in your life.

You just keep pray you persevere.

Strongholds don't come down quickly. Jericho didn't fall in a day. I was reminded of the story of Mammon do memory in the Old Testament, the Syrian general who develop leprosy and he had a little Jewish slave girl in his home and she said I know a prophet in Israel who can cure leprosy, so she told him about Elisha and he took the long journey he went to Israel in the knocked on Elisha's door and Elisha's and hazy on his servant to the door and the general told him what his problem was and gazing gave him Elisha's message. He says go dip in the Jordan seven and Mammon. The Syrian general left and 1/2. He was a friend he felt totally put out because he was as great Syrian general and Israelite profit would even come in the door when you speak. Time is ages that he was going to go home. They had better rivers in Syria than the Jordan River that muddy opening and said Mammon. If Elisha had asked to do something complicated, something really hard. The simple thing some names that are so they parked beside the Jordan River anyway. Muddy Jordan River down the first time nothing happened. Second time nothing third time 4056 Tammy came about that warmest extent just as much leprosy one more time obedience dependent on there's nothing in the Jordan River. The sky wash away leprosy and perseverance just doing until he came up the seventh and his skin was like a baby's leprosy was you claim the victory through your obedience, your dependence, your perseverance, keep on persevering, listen to me don't make peace with your stronghold. Don't tolerate it. Don't accommodate it in your life you just get tough on that stronghold in your life through your obedience, your dependence, your perseverance, fourthly, are expectant. The seventh day was different. Joshua told everybody they were to march around seven total silence the armed men going first.

The priest bearing the rams horns coming next Ark of the covenant everybody all the mothers and the children in the babies and the father and marching around 7×2 miles each time that along with 14 miles take all day and it was hot and think of their sandaled feet walking on those stones and stones getting the sandals. I think some of them had bloodied feet and the son that was baking those walls in the heat radiating back from those clay walls and it was hard, dusty, dirty work and they did until the end of the seventh rounds. Verse 16 the seventh time around the pre-sound of the trumpet blast.

Joshua commanded the people shout for the Lord has given you now want you to know nothing has changed. The circumstances are. The saying the city is still standing.

There is strong as it's ever been. But Joshua says we have been obedient with independent women persevere. Now I can fix you just shot God's going to give it to because he said he will and from two parched throats come as war rebel yell Civil War used to make the Yankees just scared to death that was compared to this link goes up from these Israelites and has their shopping what they said. Praise the Lord are just the yell suddenly at timber cracks in the stone fell in in the walls just collapse.

In this Israelites rushed in and they took the city. Joshua had claims victory over Jericho through obedience and dependence in perseverance and expect not how you reach that point of expectance when you know you can shout, but I just think God let you know when your hearts that your prayed enough. You've been debating persevere enough for now you can just begin to praising is like Paul and Silas in the Philippian jailer was reading that they went into the jail and what could be worse hindering you from experiencing everything God had for you than a jail and a jailer and guards in chains and I mean they will ban and at midnight Paul and Silas just began to praise the Lord may begin the saying and as they praise the Lord. There was an earthquake and the chains fell off and the doors flew open. The jailer himself came in and was converted. The walls came down when we first got married would been married several years and and we really want a family.

And for whatever reason we couldn't conceive a child and we couldn't have a family and I felt that was a stronghold in our lives because I felt it was keeping us from experiencing everything God would have for us and so my mother took me aside and she said, and if there were more mothers who prayed for their children, like Hannah prayed for her son. When I have more Samuel and Saul began praying every week I set aside one day to pray and fast now that a study of all the women in the Bible who were bare and it's remarkable. By the way, if you're struggling with that in my study the lives of the women who were barren and then the children that God gave them every single one. Almost without exception was a mighty leader for the Lord.

But anyway, I prayed and fasted when they awake for over a year and then I can remember where I was.

I was sitting in my little home and it was like the Lord just let me know and you don't have pray anymore you have to fast anymore you can just begin to shout and that day I just began praising the Lord and it was the next month that I conceived a baby and knew it would be a sign I thought the Lord.

Let me know and you are going to have the son also the pregnancy. I decorated the nursery little boy things. My friends was a tandem to know now. Be careful because it could be a girl and anyway way. I gave birth to my first child.

The doctor held the baby up.

He said Mrs. lots look what you have. You have a son nice and so what else is new know I do know is thrilled, but I do share that with you because it's time and I can give you other times also. But when I prayed and prayed and prayed Lord just let me know if you don't have to pray anymore. I heard your prayer and strongholds going to come down so however he does that for you. You just know in your heart you can praise Joshua told the people to shout in the walls fell down you get tough with strongholds of knowledge and is a far claiming his victory not know exactly how to label this next part may be just liberating.

Those who are in captivity because Rahab didn't have a stronghold in her life she lived inside the stronghold notice thinking in particular of those of you have unsaved friend and unsaved family members and is not stronghold in your life they live in the stronghold of the enemy there held captive by the enemy and Rahab is inside of Jericho. Wonder what she thought when she looked at her window and she saw this Israelites beginning to march around her city. Maybe she could hear her neighbors making fun of them, you know, and catcalling and throwing things down at them and I think maybe they did that at the beginning and after about three days off, but you they got disliked out. Maybe that's why God had them do it for seven days just so that Jericho would be so terrified when the walls came down Israelites could take them. Whatever the reason, I just wonder what she thought she saw the marching around late on the seventh day they marched in the marsh and marsh seven times that you think when she heard that rule must show up her spine, she ran to the window to check her scarlet cord and in the year.

The crack of the timbers in the rocks that were falling like living for an earthquake, and the whole thing trembling and rocking in a corner, jerking violently and then hanging destiny and land outside of her window when she looked outside the window as far she could see everything on down the section standing with section major rush of the soldiers stayed coming into the city and the cries of people there being put to death. You hear the feet washing up her steps and somebody banging on her door.*Terror. She opened the door to the spa way you are saved from darkness to light and from judgment to salvation, your faith is saying to you and your household in the God salvation.

The woman who'd been a harlot's in Canaan became an honored mother in Israel didn't tell you she's the great-great-grandmother of King David now tell you she's in the ancestry of our Lord Jesus Christ tell you she is Hebrews Chapter 11 F Hall of Fame nearby name captive who set free because the Israelites decided to get past on the stronghold.

Maybe it's time you and instead of tolerating strongholds in a pluralistic society. We want to just let everybody do their thing and have their thing in it is time you and I refuse to be politically correct and we just get tough on the stronghold. Somebody's freedom somebody salvation may depend on and maybe it's our own just setting us free to go forward, setting us free to grow in our Christian faith, setting us free to experience everything that God has for us is time we got tough on the strongholds in this time we got tough on the sin removing the chapter 7 and here is interesting writer for this tremendous victory at Jericho, they suffer a setback in the little town of his amazing little things that trip us up and often the defeat comes after victory.

Have you noticed that in your life as enemies just lurking there. Sometimes we get a little cocky and we feel strong and safe and secure and the devil will just blindside us very often defeat follows the picture and after the victory at Jericho Joshua and the Israelites suffered defeat at because of sin that was concealed in the camp. Let's go back to chapter 6, verse 18. When God was giving them instructions after they took Jericho, he says, but keep away from the devoted things so that you will not bring about your own destruction by taking any of them. Otherwise you will make the camp of Israel liable to destruction and bring disaster on it that God had been just as clear as day and told them they were not to touch the plunder. They were not to take it for themselves. Everybody in Israel you answer chapter 7 verse one the Israelites acted unfaithful in regard to the devoted things taken took some answer the Lord's anger burned against his aching sin was a deliberate act of disobedience. He thought about it and he did it. This wasn't just falling in the sand. This wasn't just a moment. We got blindsided.

This was just a deliberate act of his will to defy and disobey God. Has there been disobedience in your life. Deliberate disobedience, willful disobedience and have you hidden it from everybody. Nobody in your family knows nobody in your church. One of your friends know the striking saying of course, in chapter 7 verse one is that God's anger burned against all of Israel because of the sting of 1 million and we applaud that somewhat nationally and I believe it's a very serious application is something we need to take seriously and we need to really take the God in prayer because the sin of one man as he tries to hide it and sale and rationalize and get by with it can bring disaster on entire nation blood supply even more personally.

This is hidden in your life with disobedience and nobody knows about whatever it is for this unforgiving spirit where there is a deliberate act of disobedience something you've done. It's a habit may be addicted to pornography on the Internet find all over the place and is just getting maybe something else that you're involved in.

Maybe it's an affair of some kind which will affect or maybe it's books or magazines or something is just hidden in your life.

You watch out you can bring disaster on your family. You can bring disaster on your church. Because of that one sin. It was a sin of disobedience that was hidden. It was a sin. Also that I saw in verse two of independence that Joshua sent men from Jericho to which is near Beth Avon to the east of Bethel and told him go up and spied out the region.

Joshua and you think you need to pray about it. Joshua don't you remain outside of Jericho with a drawn sword.

Joshua don't you think you need knowledge God's authority over this and refocus your perspective. Don't concentrate on analyst concentrate on the Lord.

What does God have to say following your face before. Reassess your plan, get his strategy. Joshua, you're so independent all of a sudden, that's what prayerless this is independence of God. Pride thinking you can do something without God is just a little city just a little thing just a little decision. No big deal yes. The third tenacity which is self-reliance in verse three when he returned to Joshua. They said all the people have to go up against ass and two or 3000 men to take it nowhere. Everybody only a few men are there and is almost as though they are thinking they took Jericho and so you know their military experts and have checked it out and you know you don't need very many managers a few men. They are just, you know, we can take this in one hand tied behind self-reliance somehow thinking that they had brought down Jericho.

They could take. So there was more sin than disobedience concealed in that camp independent self-reliance is there sin in this camp is been concealed.

God sees it. And God saw aching sin and the sin that was concealed crippled Israel and their quest to experience everything God had for them as they sought to advance in progress and claim the promise land.

They were crippled in that because a sin that was concealed in the camp. They were defeated by verse four 3000 men went up, but they were routed by the minute. Who killed about 36 and we totally defeated. I started to label that depressed because so many Christians today are depressed and we go to counseling to reread books and we take Prozac and all of these things, and it may be seen in the camp.

It's been concealed and it may be so long ago. It may be so deeply buried.

You just need to get on your face before God is a God. Would you reveal to me what this is. Sin will cripple you is defeating is depressing. They can soon cost the lives of 36 verse six. At this the hearts of the people melted. They became like war because now they felt totally vulnerable to an Joshua Torres because he fell down on the ground before the Ark any remainder till evening. The owners of the saintly squiggle dust on their heads and Joshua said all sovereign Lord, why did you ever bring this people across the Jordan, the deliverance in the hands of the Amorites to destroy been content to stay on the other side of the Jordan and Joshua just totally demoralized and complaining confuse… Given the victory after victory after victory in some who were scared Jericho announcing manner. No problem, we can take the Israelites that I can do it, and Joshua Marla confuse you just don't know which way is up.

You just don't know which way to go. You know what's wrong with you. Joshua didn't know what was wrong until God told us all we need to go to God in prayer and I know counselors can be wonderful.

But God is the one who knows what's down in your heart he knows what the root cause of something is the best. Counselors are ones will get you into the Scripture and help applied to your life help you open up your life in your heart to God's word that God might reveal to you what's down there. God revealed to Joshua in verse 10 the Lord said to Joshua, stand up, what are you doing on your face.

Here, the sometimes prayer is inappropriate and we can pray and pray and pray and pray as we just need to get up and do something about it. We need to stop confessing our sin and repent of it. Stop talking about you stop doing it. Stop crying over crucified God said Joshua what are you doing on your face. Israel is saying that the problem is this the camp and the note the plural pronouns they have violated my covenant, they have taken some of the devoted things they have stolen and lied, they have put them with their possessions. He was holding him accountable for the sin of one because of your experiencing God's displeasure is because of this in your heart and your life.

Sin is dangerous. God says in verse 12.

I will not be with you anymore unless you destroy whatever money was devoted to destruction now hears and with this final word.

Sin is very serious how seriously do take it, are you serious enough about it to bring it to the cross confessing by name for what it is in God's eyes, then crucified put to death put it out of your life once and for all. Several years ago, God convicted me of sin that I hadn't been aware of was in my life every time I open my Bible reversing the leap up off the page convicting me of another sin for seven days.

I fasted and prayed, wept, confessed, and then I had to repent. Stop toying with the sin tolerating it. I had to turn away from it.

Habits, attitudes, thought patterns as a result, God cleansed me scrub me clean on the inside. Then he filled me with a sense of overwhelming peace and joy.

I went almost overnight from feeling defeated and frustrated to experiencing amazing victory in triumph. Personally, as well as in ministry. So whatever the sin is that even now is coming to your mind, bring it to the cross, confessing and humble, sincere prayer, then repent put to death turn away from you will be glad you did not know you been listening to living in the light and when you go to Engram Lodge.org there are free resources to help you in your study of God's word and's desire is that you embrace a God filled life step-by-step choice by choice living in the light