We have been considering keys to obtaining our promises in Jesus by looking at the Book of Joshua as they finally entered Canaan to obtain the promises for them that were first spoken to Abraham.  In my last blog we looked at the fall of Jericho and keys for obtaining promises related to that conquest.  I want to consider one more element of obtaining and maintaining promises as we end this little series.

After the great victory at Jericho, Israel was full of confidence for the battles ahead.  Jericho had been the first, the greatest, and the most significant city in Joshua’s campaign  to take the Promised Land from the foreign tribes that were living there.  As a kind of “first fruits” of battle and the promises to come, God had instructed them to dedicate Jericho to him.  They were to take no plunder and no slaves but to destroy and burn every part of the city.  They would be allowed to take plunder from the remaining battles, but this first one was to be given to God as an acknowledgement that he was the one who gave them victory and as judgment on the false god’s the inhabitants of Jericho had worshipped for hundreds of years. They indeed destroyed the city, except for Rahab and her family, and prepared for their next conquest – the city of Ai.

Ai was a much smaller city with inferior defenses. Joshua sent men to scout out the city that was to be eliminated next and they came back suggesting that Joshua send only two to three thousand men to Ai.  After the way God had given Jericho into their hands they thought Ai would be a picnic.  The text says that Joshua sent three thousand men, but they were routed by the smaller forces in Ai and thirty-six were killed. The people of Israel were devastated by the defeat.

“ Then Joshua tore his clothes and fell facedown to the ground before the ark of the Lord…And Joshua said, ‘Ah sovereign Lord, why did you even bring the people across the Jordan to deliver us into the hands of the Amorites to destroy us?’ … The Lord said to Joshua, ‘Stand up. What are you doing down on your face? Israel has sinned; they have violated my covenant.’”  In the ensuing verses, Joshua discovers that a man named Achan had taken gold, silver, and clothing from Jericho and had hidden the plunder in his tent.  Because of his sin, God had removed his hand of protection from Israel so that they were defeated in battle.  In addition to that, Joshua had not first inquired of the Lord to see if they should attack Ai.  The Lord would have told him then that the covenant had been broken and they would be defeated.

There are several lessons in this for us. First of all, many promises of God are conditional.  Under the new covenant, faith and faithfulness are required to receive most of the promises.  In the New Testament, we see in the Parable of the Talents that financial success and favor are given when we have been good stewards of what God has already given us. Healing comes to those who have faith to receive it and the gift is given to those who believe God for it.  Peter could walk on water as long as he did not take his eyes off of Jesus and his faith did not waiver.   James tells us that we have not because we ask not or because we ask with selfish motives. We do not have to have perfect faith but we have to continue to pursue our relationship with God or the manifestation of the promise may be withdrawn.

Sometimes we are faithful until we receive what we wanted and then begin to act independently of the Lord as Joshua did when he attacked Ai without inquiring. When we begin to “maintain” the promise in our own strength, then the blessing of God may be withdrawn.  However, we also see in Joshua 7-8, that once the sin was discovered and dealt with, the promise still stood and God once again began to give them victories.

The principle is that sin can hinder the promises of God being fulfilled – our own sin or the sin of others we are associated with. The sins of leaders in nations, businesses, churches, or families can limit blessings that could have otherwise come to those they lead.   The sin of a spouse can hinder the fulfillment of God’s promises in the lives of family members. There is a way back to the promise through repentance but only if the sin is dealt with and repentance is genuine.  Paul tells us that we must not be yoked together with unbelievers (2 Cor. 6) in marriage, treaties, and business covenants. Our salvation may not be affected by those relationships but our blessings, answers to prayers, and fulfillment of promises may well be hindered.

I am convinced that many of our prayers go unanswered and the power of God is not displayed because our churches have little regard for holiness. We live in the age of compromise and tolerance.  Many of us have begun to tolerate in our own lives, our own churches,  and society things that God’s word calls sin. When there is “sin in the camp,” everyone is affected.  As individualistic Americans, we tend to view that principle as unfair.  Why should the sin of others cost us?   We need to remember that God makes the rules, not us.  When we tolerate sin in our own lives or in our church, it may well cost us. There is wisdom in that dynamic, however, because if I know someone else’s sin will cost me or my family, I will encourage them to live for the Lord and seek holiness…for their benefit as well as my own.  Of course, we have to guard against legalism and self-righteousness but Jesus was perfectly holy without being either of those. He accepted people where they were but did not leave them there. He was very gracious with the woman caught in adultery, but in the end instructed her to go and sin no more.

God has made many promises to his people and Paul tells us that in Jesus Christ every promise is “Yes” and “Amen.”  He wants to fulfill those promises for us. When there is a problem in the fulfillment of a promise, the problem is not on his end.  Of course, some promises are simply put on hold because of timing but we do need to examine ourselves to see if we are failing in one of the conditions of that promise.  Ask the Holy Spirit to show you if there is something lacking or if sin is blocking the way. If there is, then repent and deal with the sin. If not, then keep seeking, asking, and knocking. Our God is a generous God who loves to give to his children and who loves to fulfill his promises. It is to his glory to do so.

We have been exploring the Book of Joshua to discover keys to obtaining the promises that God has laid aside for us in Christ.  One of the most famous episodes in the life of Joshua and in the entire Bible is the fall of Jericho.  We want to consider that section of scripture now as we look at obtaining our promises. As a reminder, God lead Israel out of Egypt with his powerful hand.  The Israelites did nothing other than believe enough to leave their captivity behind. Egypt is always a “type” of bondage or captivity in scripture.  It is a picture of Jesus leading us out of our bondage to sin.  Our salvation comes to us freely through the sacrifice of Jesus. We simply need to believe and receive.

For Israel, the first part was obtaining salvation and freedom from slavery.  The second part was taking hold of the promises that God had set aside for them in Canaan.  To obtain the promises of a land flowing with “milk and honey,” Israel would have to cross the Jordon at flood stage and face their enemies in battle, clearing out the land one battle at a time.  Of course, God would go ahead of them and fight for them but they had to partner with God in obtaining these promises and engage the enemy with him. They had to wield a sword, summon faith, get sweaty and dirty, and risk their own safety each time they took new ground. There may be any number of promises for which we will need to contend in the Spirit and war against the enemy in order to obtain a breakthrough for healing, relationships, the salvation of a loved on, or for the future of a nation.  Many of the promises in scripture are not just handed to us.

The first thing we need to be aware of is that Jericho stood in the way of Israel’s conquest.  It was an impressive, walled city that housed several thousand people at the time of Joshua.  Archeologists tells us that it had an outer wall that was about 15 feet high and an inner wall six feet thick and about 45 feet high above the surrounding plain. Inside the city was a fresh spring and the harvest was nearly over.  Those inside the city could have withstood a very long siege.  However, the siege would last only seven days.

The truth is that Israel could not have taken Jericho in their own strength.  They had no military technology or experience for facing walled cities and actually had little experience in battle of any kind.  In the face of that, God gave them a strategy that seemed ridiculous to the wise and experienced in warfare.  God instructed Joshua to have the priests to take up the ark of the covenant and to march around the city one time each day for six days with seven priests marching before the ark blowing on trumpets. An armed guard marched ahead of the priests and behind the priests but were silent along with all the people of Israel. They did that for six days.  On the seventh day, Israel arose at daybreak. The priests carried the ark again with seven priests marching ahead of the ark and blowing trumpets but on the seventh day they marched around the city seven times. On the seventh lap, when the priests blew the trumpets the people shouted and the walls of the city collapsed. Joshua and the fighting men swarmed into the city and destroyed it.

Neither Joshua nor any of his commanders would have ever plotted out that strategy to take Jericho.  Except for faith in God, the whole enterprise would have seemed foolish and futile up to the last moment. It might have even been embarrassing as they walked around the city each day silently while those within Jericho most likely stood on the walls and jeered at them.

Many of the promises of God are fulfilled through unusual, unorthodox, unexpected, and seemingly foolish ways. Otherwise, we would assume the promise came through our own strength and wisdom or simply by coincidence. Paul tells is that God chooses the foolish, weak, and the lowly things and people in this world through whom to accomplish his will so that he gets the glory (1 Cor. 1:27).  When we are seeking a promise or needing a breakthrough in our lives, it is best to ask God how he wants us to pray or what our part should be in the breakthrough.  There were times when God told his people to fight.  Other times, he told them to worship.  Other times, he told them to watch.  Other times, he gave them seemingly foolish things to do that seemed like a waste of time. Why march around the city for six days instead of taking it in one?

We often think promises are not being fulfilled in our lives because God is withholding.  We forget that there is demonic resistance that stands against the promises.  Sometimes that resistance is significant. Much of what God would ask us to do is aimed at breaking down walls in the unseen realm. Jericho had been a center for idol worship for centuries before the days of Joshua.  God told Moses and then Joshua that he would give them every place they set their feet for conquest.  I believe that each day the ark was carried around the city with priests blowing trumpets was a prophetic declaration of victory over the demonic powers of Jericho and each day the unseen walls were weakened by that declaration.  What may have seemed foolish and a waste of time was essential.

You may be praying for the fulfillment of a promise in your life.  God is faithful and his promises are sure, but we must sometimes contend for those promises with prayer, with declarations, and with faith.  We should also ask God how to pray for that promise. We should ask if we should be taking any action or waiting on his timing and we should be willing to look foolish, at times, if he directs to so something that makes no earthly sense. God has made promises to his people. He did not make those promises so that he could withhold them.  But, in battle we grow strong and we grow closer to him.  Those things are probably more important than promise we are seeking … but keep seeking.  If you do, the day will come when the walls will crumble and you will have your promise,

We have been looking at the Book of Joshua to find keys for obtaining the promises of God in our own lives.  The Promise Land of Canaan has always been a “type” of salvation and the promises of God that are stored up for his people.  God had promised Israel the land of Canaan in his covenant with Abraham as he promised the land not only to Abraham but to his descendants.  The promises were sure, but had to be obtained by faith and at times through warfare.  Victory was assured…but only by faith and faithfulness to Jehovah.

We need to remember that salvation comes to us through no works of our own but only through faith in Jesus.  Promises, however, are often conditional.  As children of God, we will receive what we need no matter what, but we will have to put in effort for what we want or desire beyond the basics of our spiritual lives.  There are times we have to contend for promises, persist in prayer, take steps of faith, and so forth.  Because of that, I want us to continue to look for keys to obtaining promises that God for us.

In chapters 3 & 4, we are told of the actual crossing of the Jordan.  If you have seen the Jordan River today, it does not look like a formidable barrier for an army or a nation to cross. Much of it has been depleted by irrigation and increased population. However, at the time of Joshua, we are told that the Jordan could be over a mile wide at the time of harvest, which is the time that God chose to send his people across.  It could also be ten to twelve feet deep in places so it was a very formidable barrier at the time.  Once again, without the intervention of God, Israel could not enter the Promised Land. He could have chosen an easier time of the year, but a miracle here would give them faith for the battles ahead. On the morning of the invasion, the Israelites were told that the priests, carrying the ark of the covenant, would lead them across the river.  They were to stay 1000 yards behind the ark and God would show them amazing things (Josh.3:5).

Remember, the entire nation of Israel was crossing.  That would be some two million people including women and children, old and young, plus livestock. This would be an impossibility without the supernatural intervention of God.  They were to keep their distance so that all could spread out and see the ark, which represented the presence of God.  Keeping your eyes on God is essential for receiving your promise.  The writer of Hebrews instructs us to fix our eyes of Jesus. Our focus must be on him more than the promise.  He is the source of blessing and power and he directs our steps. Going our own way or running head of God will not get us to where we need to be. God must lead and we must follow.  He picks the place for us to cross the Jordan and he leads the way.

We are told that as the priests who were carrying the ark, stepped in to the river, God stopped the flow of the river some fifteen miles upstream.  How he stopped the river we don’t know, but as the water flowed on south, the people were able to cross over on dry land just as they had crossed the Red Sea with Moses. When God provides a way, he provides a clear way.  If it is not clear, it may not be the way or the time he is showing you.  The priests stood in the middle of the riverbed as God’s people passed over down stream from the ark so that God continued to stand between his people and destruction.

When Israel had finished crossing over the Jordan, God instructed Israel to provide a man from each tribe to hoist a large stone from the riverbed and take it across to stack up as a historical marker to remind the generations of what God had done there.

Remembranceis a very significant thing in the kingdom of God and a key to receiving his promises.  Countless times in scripture, the mighty works of God that he had done for his people are recounted.  Stones are piled up, altars of remembrance are erected, and the story of deliverance from Egypt is recounted every Passover.  As David prepared to face Goliath, he recalled that God had already delivered him from a lion and a bear and he expected no less with the Philistine. Testimony of what God has done is important because each of those testimonies sets a precedent for what he is willing to do again.

We need to remember what God has already done for us. Journals, index cards, testimonies, even Facebook are places where we can recount the faithfulness and goodness of God in our lives.  Too many believers focus on one yet unanswered prayer and forget all the other prayers and blessings God has answered and directed their way.  In doing so, their faith fails for the one prayer that has not yet come to pass.  If God has been good and faithful in the past, why would we expect him to be any different in our present or in our future.  He is unchanging.

Let me encourage you to establish some process for remembrance. It doesn’t have to be a pile of stones as a reminder of what God has already done for you out of his goodness but some kind of record that you can review and that can be passed on to your children, builds faith and endurance for those promises that seem long in coming. Remember to remember.

Right now we are unearthing principles for securing the promises of God in our lives by scanning the Book of Joshua. The Promise Land or Canaan is a type or shadow of our salvation in Christ.  Having been released from Egypt (sin and bondage), the nation of Israel crossed through the Red Sea (baptism) and finally entered the land that had been promised to Abraham and his descendants under the leadership of Joshua.  Within the land, they were to find their rest, their provision, and their destiny. The promises of God waited for them to enter and take possession of the land.  Faith, obedience, and battles would be the keys to possessing those promises.

Another key to possessing the promises of God that is clear in the beginning chapters of Joshua is that no person can succeed in facing the enemy and entering into God’s promises alone. Too many believers don’t understand that there is strategic opposition to their quest for the promises of God in the spiritual realm.  We have an active enemy that works tirelessly to keep us from taking back the territory of blessings, love, relationships, and destiny that he has stolen from us. Because of the opposition we cannot fight our battles alone.

The nation of Israel crossed the Jordon together. The nation fought their battles together. The nation celebrated victories and shared in the spoils of war together.  As Americans, we are enamored with the idea of rugged individualism and self-sufficiency. That is such a core value that many of us find it hard to ask for help when we are facing a challenge.  Even in our spiritual lives we think we should be able to go it alone.  Although the New Testament teaches that we are all parts of the same body and are created to be interdependent on one another, we still tend to view the church as a group of individuals who go their own way, answer to no one, and who live a life unaffected by the actions of others.  That is not a Biblical view.

I grew up in what therapists call a disengagedfamily.  We lived under the same roof, ate meals together, and shared household chores but were never really involved in each other’s lives.  We didn’t have family devotionals or family game nights. We each did our own thing and rarely knew what other family members were facing or going through on a day-to-day basis.  We were very private and didn’t share our hearts with one another about anything.  We may have told our friends, but not our family.  Many believers function that way with their church families.  Other than church services and occasional service projects, they are disengaged.  By the way, that is called a dysfunctionalfamily.

We need spiritual family around us who know us (yes…even the yucky stuff), encourage us, pray for us, fight our battles with us, and sometimes rescue us.  Christianity is not personal.  It is relational.  You will not be able to cross the Jordan alone and win your battles against the enemy without being close to other believers who will stand with you when the battle rages.   If you have not found those people, then ask the Lord to connect you with some authentic believers to do life with you.  You will not and cannot fully enter your Promise Land without them.