Warring Essentials

So, you know, today is June 21, and what does it mean? Longest day of the year. And I think

you can expect the longest sermon today. How about that? You know, we have lots of time.

It's just five, you know. So you can expect the longest sermon today. So I think it was a couple

of months ago I did a teaching on crossover, right? The crossing of Jordan and how the Israelites

were able to enter the Promised Land. So, you know, today's teaching is a continuation of that.

Last week, Jacob talked about, you know, okupai, right? Okupai. That was the key word, right? And

so then after the Israelites were able to enter the Promised Land, what happened, right? What

happened? What unfolded after they did the crossover? So we're going to talk about after

entering the Promised Land, right? But I remember sharing this story, you know, when I was teaching

it was a really fascinating sight. Here are the priests, right, who are carrying the ark. And I

mentioned about how these people who are carrying the ark is the very presence of God, right? And

so when the moment, when they came to the Red Sea moment, and then they were stuck, they had nowhere

to go, right? And the enemies were chasing after them. And now they cannot return, nor can they

proceed. But it was at that juncture, the moment the feet of the priests who were carrying the ark

touched the edge of the water, the moment they stepped on the water, the water parted. And then

they were able to go on the dry ground and then they were able to cross over, right? And so the

priests who were carrying the ark stood in the middle when the water parted. They stood in the

middle and then everyone got a chance to cross on the other side of Jordan. And then, so the priests

waited for that. They collected the 12 stones. There was a memorial that they collected, like

representing the 12 tribes, they collected 12 stones, right? And then the priests who were carrying

the ark allowed the people to go first, right? And everyone crossed over. And then the priests also

stepped out of that water. And here's this fascinating sight. The moment the priests who were

carrying the ark stepped their feet on the dry ground, the water came back to its normal place

again, right? It was such a beautiful sight. So it would have been amazing to witness that sight,

right? It was a miraculous experience that God had done for them. But then, what unfolded after

they did the crossover? Yeah? What happened? The ark of the covenant led the way, like I mentioned.

The priests stood in the riverbed. Everyone crossed over. 12 stones were collected as a

memorial. God was faithful. Everyone knew that it was a miracle. It was undeniable. But then,

what happened was warfare awaits them. Yeah, warfare awaits them. And that's our focus, right?

You know, a lot of things happen after they cross over. There was circumcision, right? There was the

renewal of the covenant. They distributed the lands, and then there was land allocations,

and there was this renewal of the covenant, and so on. But those are the things I'm not going to

touch today. But one thing that I really want to focus today is after they crossed over,

the warfare began. Yeah? And so, don't think of this as, oh, I don't know about spiritual warfare.

You know, I don't know about warfare. I'm not interested in warfare. This is too complicated

for me. These are, you know, something unknown to me. Don't think of that. Because why? Why you say

this is because whether you like it or not, whether you're familiar or not, you get engaged in this.

You get drawn in this. Why? Because you are part of God's kingdom. When you say you are part of

God's kingdom, that means it implies warfare. If you are part of one kingdom, there's another

kingdom that's going to wage war against you whether you like it or not. Yeah? And so, don't

think that this is, you know, spiritual warfare. This is not for me. I know this is not a topic

that has been taught in most of the churches. And so, it may be a little strange to you for some who

is not used to this language. But I'm saying that it's going to be critical for us. Because every

time God had spoken to you, say, God has given you a promise. Yeah? Or say, you receive a prophetic

word from someone. Or there are certain things that God had shown you in a dream. Or God had

given you a vision. So, if God had said something that he's going to do in your life, know for sure

that it's going to be contested. Yeah? Know for sure that it's going to be contested. Why? Because

when God promised, we assume that it's going to happen effortlessly. Yeah? God said so. So, it's

going to happen. And then, so that's one assumption. The second part is, if God is truly sovereign,

if God is the one true God, then don't think that there's going to be without resistance. Yeah? So,

the second part is, there's going to be resistance. And then the third one is that just because you

had stepped into your promised land, just because you had crossed a new threshold and had stepped

into a new season, that doesn't mean the Satan is going to just step aside and let you take over.

No, it's going to happen. It's not going to happen. Yeah? So, those three things are going to happen,

right? One is, it's not going to happen effortlessly. There's going to be resistance,

and the enemy is not going to step aside and let you just take over. Yeah? Does that make sense so

far? This applies individually and corporately. Yeah? We have been talking about Richmond. There

are certain things that have been spoken over this church. There are certain promises that God had

spoken over this church. That's your inheritance. That's my inheritance. And I'm saying that whether

it's corporate or whether it's individual, these are things, if God had spoken over your life,

know that it's going to be contested. Yeah? So, they crossed over. Jericho stood, right? The gates

were barred. The walls were ticked. The soldiers were ready for war. The people of Ai, the Ai people

were ready, right? And then the Amorite kings, they collaborated, right? There was a coalition

of these kings forming against Israel, right? So, the northern kingdom, they formed a coalition,

and then now they march against Israel. So, just because God promised doesn't mean it's going to be

a smooth ride. Because God promised there's going to be warfare. Warfare is inevitable,

and that's the central idea that we're going to explore today.

What God promised, He will provide. Yeah? But what He provides, we need to possess.

Hear me again. What God promised, He will provide resources. But what He provides,

you have to possess. You know, Jacob, you often used to say, we have to dispossess first in order

to possess, right? Dispossess first in order to possess. You know, and when there is possession,

there's going to be conflict. So, when you think of the life of Joshua, Joshua is, no, just a great

leader of Israel. When you look at his life, you will see a really good textbook manual, so to say,

how to wage spiritual warfare. Yeah? When you look at the life of Joshua,

here's the beauty about the Old Testament. In the New Testament, we say that our battle is not

against flesh and blood, but against principalities and powers of the darkness, right? So, in the New

Testament, here we're talking about spiritual warfare here, about principalities and powers.

But the beauty about the Old Testament is that these spiritual forces are personified. Personified.

And so, when you are reading these stories in the Old Testament, you can draw so many

truths and principles about spiritual warfare. Yeah? So, here, when you look at the life of Joshua,

it's a story about the people of God, how to advance, how to fight, how to occupy,

how to dispossess, and rest under the leadership of a God who is a divine warrior. Yeah?

So, Jesus said, the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force.

That's from Matthew 11-12, right? That doesn't mean that it's a call to physical aggression.

That's not the point. The point is not to have physical aggression. But it's a declaration that

the kingdom advances, the kingdom of God, it advances through, it requires forceful, determined,

spirit-empowered pursuit. Yeah? The kingdom of God does not advance just like, it doesn't just drift

on our lap like in autumn leaves, you know? It doesn't just fall on our lap, guys. Yeah? It is

pressed on with prayer, with faith, with warfare. And if you take a couple of verses here, you know,

Brendan, if you can pull up, if you can. Great. Ephesians 6, verse 10 and 11. Let me quickly read

Ephesians 6:10

two verses here. Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor

of God so that you can take your stand against the evil, the devil's schemes.

Read that line. You can take your stand against, right? It's inviting you to take a stance, right?

It's not passive. And then go to the next one. Second Corinthians 10, verses three to five.

For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with

are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds,

right? So here we see that we are not supposed to fight passively. But there's a stance that you and

I need to take. And so let's go to the book of Joshua. And you know, today we're going to explore

the entire book of Joshua. And we're going to explore one by one about some of the principles

that we can draw from, right? And I know there are more, but I'm just going to touch seven points

here. Yeah? So there will be seven points for this teaching. And point number one is that

there is no inheritance without warfare. There is no inheritance without warfare. And you know,

the farthest limits that you can go will be your inheritance. Yeah? Hear me again. There is no

warfare without inheritance. And the farthest you go will be your inheritance. When it comes

to spiritual warfare, it's like that. Yeah? So warfare is not a proof that God is absent,

or you have missed God. But sometimes when there is warfare, it's evidence that you are in the

right place. Yeah? Say for example, you know, someone had spoken over your life. There's a

prophetic word that's been spoken over your life, or something that God has revealed to you, and you

know it's from God. Yeah? And then you know what unfolds is the exact opposite. Yeah? God said he's

going to open doors for you. New job, new opportunities, new businesses. There will be

like new opportunities. You have received these prophetic words, and you know your experience was

that every door has been shut. Yeah? And then you might be wondering, why Lord? God, you said you

will do this for me. You said you will do this for me, right? These are the promises you received.

And then now your experience is the exact opposite. And I'm saying that that might be a very good

evidence that you are in your promised land. Yeah? Because, just because God promised a land

flowing with milk and honey, the promised land doesn't mean it's going to be easy peasy.

They were already in the promised land, and then war awaits them. Yeah? So sometimes you may be

stepping in your promised land. You're already stepping in your promised land. There are certain

things that God had spoken, and you are at that threshold. Now you are facing Goliath.

But you know what? The Red Sea Mormon was a trap for the enemy.

The Israelites thought it was a trap for them. It was a trap for the enemy.

Even in the promised land, you may have entered your promised land, and you're only facing giants

of the giants. And I'm saying that oftentimes it looks like that. Yeah? So hear this. Joshua 1,

Joshua 1:2

verse 2 and 3. Now then, you and all these people get ready to cross Jordan River into the land

I'm about to give them to the Israelites. I will give you every place where you set your foot,

as I promised Moses. Yeah? I will give you every place where you set your foot. Crazy,

eh? The proportion is crazy. It's like, as far as you can go, that's your inheritance.

That's always the proportion that God rewards for those who engage in spiritual warfare. Yeah?

The farthest you can go, that's your inheritance. That principle is always there. Cross the river,

take the land, take every place your foot touches. That's the staggering proportion of God's promise.

And you know what? Here's the problem. Here's the problem. It was not an easy, smooth ride.

It was not a flat road where they can walk as far as they can without a position. No, right?

So on one hand, they encountered a miracle. The crossover was a miracle, like water,

parting, and it was a miracle. They stepped on the miracle, and then when they stepped on the other

side, what they experienced was from miracle to obstacle. Yeah? They were entering the promised

land. Why obstacle after the crossover happened? They just experienced an extraordinary miracle

of God. And now they're facing Jericho. The walls were fortified. Yeah? That is what awaits them.

And this is one of the primary principles of spiritual warfare in the Bible. You'll often see

this pattern. When Jesus began his ministry, he was immediately led into the wilderness by the

Holy Spirit, tempted for 40 days, 40 nights, and he returned in the power of the Spirit. David,

after he was anointed as king, you know what awaits him? Running away from someone who was trying to

kill him. Right? Promise was real, but warfare was also really real. Right? How about Paul?

On the road to Damascus, he was encountered, he encountered Christ. He had an extraordinary

experience. What followed? Blindness. He was blind. Yeah? Followed by persecution,

shipwreck, being jailed, beaten in prison. Yeah? And most of his letters came when he was in prison.

Yeah? How about the early church? The early church was born in a Pentecostal fire.

It was an extraordinary experience. And you know what happened? The next few chapters you read on,

Stephen was stoned. Yeah? Peter was in prison. The believers were scattered. And you know when the

believers were scattered, expansion began there. So this is why warfare is always very immediate,

very intense. Yeah? And you may be thinking like, why is this happening in my life? Why is this

happening in my life? And I'm saying that we're not trying to find warfare in every bush or say

any problem that you're facing. I'm not saying it has spiritual roots, but I'm saying that many of

our problems, many of our struggles have spiritual roots. Yeah? So in our present day context,

so in our present day context, many believers, they find it quite discouraged when they receive

the prophetic word and then they launch their business, they launch the ministry, they launch

into a new job. They're excited for a new calling, a new season that God has for them. And then,

you know what? Resistance, right? Resistance from our own families, misunderstood. Prayer becomes a

battle, you know? Money becomes tight. Your team, there's disunity. Yeah? And the enemy seems to be

louder. And now you struggle. Reading the Bible becomes very challenging. It becomes dull, right?

And you know what? There's always spiritual resistance.

People can go for a movie for three hours. Yeah? Watch a soccer game for three hours.

Hike for five hours. Yeah? Hang out for hours and hours. One hour of church seems long.

Yeah? One hour of teaching seems long. And I'm saying that of all the books in the world,

the book that is most resistant is the Bible. Yeah? Like think of one nation. You can take any book in

the Bible, any book in the world and go to that country. But they will not allow you to bring your

Bible. Yeah? And I know friends who can read novels pages after pages. Bible, one page is so hard to

read. Yeah? Did you notice yourself? I sometimes struggle to read consistently. Why? Why is because

there is a spiritual element to this, guys. Yeah? When you really want to advance in the kingdom of

God, know that there is resistance from the enemy. And that's why I'm saying that we often wait

spiritual warfare even without us noticing. And I'm saying that the enemy does not spare ignorance.

Satan doesn't say, oh, no, this poor guy, he has no idea about spiritual warfare. Let's leave him

alone. No, no. Yeah? He just comes and takes advantage. Yeah? He ravages family. Yeah?

The enemy spares no one. And this is why we have to think of this story in Joshua. That what Joshua

is teaching us here is that we do not interpret warfare as failure. Just because there's a warfare

going on doesn't mean you're failing. No. Just because there is a position doesn't mean God has

abandoned you. No. Yeah? And sometimes resistance actually confirms that God's plan is working in

your life. Yeah? When there is resistance happening in your life, know that the plan of God is working.

And that's why the enemy is resisting. Yeah? Because he came to kill, steal, and destroy.

And so, like I said, there's no warfare. There's no inheritance without warfare.

And so, if you come to the end of Joshua's life, he's getting old. Yeah? He's about 110 years old.

And if you go to Joshua 13, let me read from verse 1. When Joshua had grown old, the Lord said to him,

you are now very old. And there are still very large areas of land to be taken over. Yeah? Just

imagine God telling you, you are old. Yeah? To me, you are old. You know? Like you're old.

Just imagine God telling Joshua, you are old. You know? And there's still so many lands to be taken.

Right? And you know what? When you look at the life of Joshua, Joshua had conquered already like 31

kings. That's not easy. Not one king, not two kings, not three kings. Joshua had conquered

31 kings. And if you go to Joshua chapter 12, there's a long list. Right? Joshua, you know,

Joshua 12 · chapter mention

conquered this king, this king, this king, this king. You will see the number of kings

Joshua had conquered. And in a lifetime where the Israelites are just a small tribe,

where they're able to conquer these big nations, big cities, one after another,

here's this long list. And yet, God said, there's still so many more lands to be taken.

That's not a rebuke, guys. Yeah? But that's a reality check, so to say. Because not every

land promise, not every land promise is fulfilled in one generation. Yeah? Not every stronghold

falls in one campaign. The horizon, right? The horizon of God's kingdom is that the advancement

of God's kingdom never happens with one person alone, one generation alone, one church alone.

No. It always passes on from one church to another, one generation to another, one man to another.

That's why God said, the harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few.

Yeah? Are we following so far? I hope I'm not going too fast.

And you know, when it comes to this, when you come to Joshua, chapter 17, here's a very fascinating

Joshua 17 · chapter mention

event, so to say. The tribe from Joseph, Ephraim and Manasseh, they came to their leader Joshua

and said, hey, we are a numerous people, we are powerful, there are lots of us. And so the land

that has been allotted to us is not enough, right? So they came with a complaint, not enough for us.

And so will you be able to give us more, right? And so the answer of Joshua is quite interesting.

He said like this in Joshua 17 verse 15, if you are so numerous, go up into the forest and clear

Joshua 17:15

land for yourself, there in the land of Perizzites and Raphites, right? That's what Joshua said.

And he goes on to say, Brendan, can you please pull this up, Joshua 17 and 18?

You are numerous and very powerful. You will have not only one allotment, but the forest's

hill country as well. Clear it and its father's limits will be yours. Though the Canaanites have

iron chariots, and though they are strong, you can drive them out. Did you notice there?

Notice what Joshua did here. Joshua did not simply give them more land.

Joshua tells them to go and take it. Joshua says the enemy is strong. Joshua is not denying that

these Canaanites don't have iron chariots. Joshua is not denying that the enemy is strong.

He's saying, yes, they have chariots. They have iron chariots. They are powerful. They are strong.

But he said, you guys can take them. You guys can drive them out. Yeah? He insists, the father's

limits you go will be yours. And I'm saying that's the same principle that God tells you and tells me.

Why do some of us, some people in the history, do mighty, mighty exploits for the king and the

kingdom? Why every Christian don't have the same capacity? Why every believer does not operate at

the same level? I'm telling you that the father's limits you go will be your portion. Yeah? If one

is faithful with five, God gives them five more. If one is faithful with two, God gives them two more.

God is being fair. Yeah? Why would God give five to one person and two to one person? He is being

fair. He's not being unfair, right? But God always allocates resources based on who you are, who I am,

and the capacity that you can handle. It's always like that, guys. Yeah? And you know, this principle

has enormous spiritual implications. So when God has something, when God has a plan, when God has

an inheritance for you, he'll often give you in a seed form. Yeah? He'll give you in a seed form,

in a potential form, in a very small, subtle, you know, doors and opportunities he'll give you.

A door, a possibility, a portion, and that will require your engagement. And your engagement

will actually activate and actualize that one. It's always, guys, it's always like that. Yeah?

Whenever God has an inheritance for you, he'll often give you in a seed form, a potential, a door,

an opportunity, and then he'll invite you to engage in that. And once you engage in that,

it'll activate that, and it will actually, you know, actualize it, and it'll come to a realization.

That's always the case. That's why when you have received a prophetic word, it's always a starting

point. A starting point. When you receive a prophetic word, it's not a fulfillment. It's a

starting point. Now you begin to position yourselves towards that. You begin to believe that.

You begin to receive that. You begin to engage in that. You begin to activate the words that were

spoken over your life. And now you begin to see God fulfill it in your life. It's like that, guys. Yeah?

James 4 verse 7 says, submit yourselves then to God, resist the devil,

James 4:7

and he will flee from you. Right? That's a very, very common verse that we often read. But I'm

saying that there are two movements there. Two movements. One is submission. The other is

resistance. Submission, resistance. You know, submission without resistance is spiritual

passivity. Submission without resistance is spiritual passivity. You know, what do I mean by

that? Is that you are submitting to God, but then you will not resist the devil. Right? So you are

submitting to God. God, you take care of me. Lord, I believe in you. But you are waiting for God to remove

these schemes of the enemy or trickery of the enemy, strongholds in your life.

That's spiritual passivity. Right? You're submitted to God, but you will not resist the devil. And then,

and then resisting the devil without submission is spiritual arrogance.

Spiritual arrogance. Why? Because you and I cannot drive out demons on our own. We don't have the

authority. And that's why I trying to, you know, conquer or speak against the enemies in my own name

would be spiritual arrogance. That's why both are required. I need to be submitted to God on one hand.

I surrender my life to under the authority of God. And now, coming under that authority of my Lord,

I now begin to resist the devil. Right? So here, submit to God, resist the devil, and he'll flee

from you. There are two steps there. Yeah? Both submission to God is important, and then resisting

the devil is important. If you read Mark 11 23, very clear there. Yeah? Jesus said, if you speak

to the mountains, go throw yourself into the sea and believe in your heart that it'll be done,

that it'll be done for that person. Right? Jesus did not say, I will speak to your mountains.

Right? I will remove your mountains. I will speak to your mountains. You just wait for me and

I'll make it happen. No, he didn't say that. He said, speak to your mountains. Right? And mountains

are anything that is physically, humanly impossible. That begins to stand your way. And so now, if there

are certain things in your life that's been a hindrance for ages and ages, submit to God.

Now speak to that. Right? There's power in speaking, guys. Yeah? Jesus rebuked fever.

Yeah? Jesus commands the storm to be quiet. This is why it's so important for us to understand

these principle, guys. Yeah? Because the believer's authority is not a mere spectator kind of

authority, but it is extremely participatory. Extremely participatory. God can do it by himself,

but he'll allow you to participate. That's how the Genesis started. Right? He could easily take

care of the Garden of Eden, but he would invite you to participate in his grand plan and purpose.

That's always, even when it comes to warfare. Yeah? He could have drive out, but he wants you to say it.

He wants you to speak it. He wants you to rebuke it. Yeah? And that's why, guys, the limit of your

possession, how much you gain spiritual territory, the limit of your possession

is the extent of your willingness to advance. Your willingness to advance. For those who are

in pursuit of God, who will continue the extra mile, who will continue to pursue, you will see

their spiritual jurisdiction increase. Yeah? Any questions? Any thoughts so far?

Can you explain what the example is? Which one? Mountains.

Mountains. So, like just a simple example in my life. During March, April, when it's a little windy

during the springtime, I have this eye infection. That will always come, like the pollen and the eye

infection. Every year, I can expect, like, oh, this year, yeah, this season, it always comes.

I get used to it. Like, I know that my eye is going to get infection, you know, during this,

you know, pollen season. Every year, I am already expecting. And, you know, what my wife did was,

I began to rebuke that, I began to speak, and then to take command and begin to take authority in

that. And, you know what? It's been six, seven years now. I have not experienced that at all.

Right? So, these are just little, little things. But I'm saying that these are things that God

allows you to take authority. And it's so important for us to speak into these things, right?

Yeah. This is why God said, I'm authorizing you to go and make disciples, right?

To proclaim the goodness. And, you know, he backs us up. I'm always amazed. Yeah? Whenever I obey,

God does wonders. And he allows us to participate in what he's already doing. And so, sometimes,

you share the gospel. Sometimes, you invite a friend. Just, hey, just come to church kind of

thing. And it wasn't a big deal for you. But that invitation changed the trajectory of someone's

life, right? For the first time, they come to church, they come to know God, and life never

stays the same. And so, oftentimes, we underestimate how little things, little words we use and how God

multiplies that, magnifies that. And so, that's really important for us. Yeah? So, that's point

number one. I think I'm going quite slow here. Yeah. But, Derek, the sun stood still. And I'm

going to preach until, you know, it gets dark. Yeah? Cool. Point number two is that God decides

victory even before the battle begins. I love that. God decides victory even before the battle

begins. Right? See, here's the beauty about warfare. You know, warfare is for Christians,

it's not something that you engage in warfare and you try to win the battle. That's not the point.

Yeah? It's very different from how we understand of modern-day warfare. Yeah? When two nations are

warring, we don't know which country will win. But for Christians, it's completely different.

When you are engaging in a warfare, we fight from a place of victory. Yeah? Because Christ has

finished the work. The cross and the resurrection is the ultimate, right? He has dispossessed,

disarmed principalities and powers stripped of their authority. Right? So then, when I am

waging spiritual warfare, when you are waging warfare, it's like reinforcing the victory that

has been won by Christ. Right? So then, you now begin to cover anything that is dark with the

light of Christ, with the word of Christ, with the blood of Christ. Now you begin to speak into

darkness because of what Christ has done. That's very different, guys. You know, when you read the

book of Joshua, you know, I was reading this book, you know, for the last few days over and over

again. And the pattern that you begin to see is very, very interesting. God often decides victory

even before the Israelites go to battlefield. Yeah? Don't be afraid of these guys. I have already

delivered them into your hands. That line is very, very common for God. Yeah? There was one time,

even for David, David was unsure. So, because the Philistines are marching up to fight against him

and he's like, Lord, should I go and fight the Philistines? That's his first question. Should I

go and fight the Philistines? And the second question was, will you deliver them into my hands?

Yeah? That's the second question. And then God said, I will. Now, David is going to the battlefield

knowing that victory has been decided, even before going to the battlefield. It's just a formality.

Now warfare becomes a formality, right? It's like, Joshua, you have cleared all your exams,

you have got all your grades. Now you're just waiting for your graduation ceremony, you know,

right? It's just a formality, right? Now, because you've cleared all your exams, you have got all

your grades. Now you're just waiting for your ceremony to come. It's like that for spiritual

warfare. Hear this. Joshua chapter 6 verse 2, now the gates of Jericho were securely barred

Joshua 6:2

because of the Israelites. No one went out, no one came in. Then the Lord said to Joshua,

see, I have delivered Jericho into your hands, along with its king and its fighting men.

Did you notice there? Don't rush there. It says, I have delivered pastons.

God did not say, I am going to. No, he said, I have delivered. It's a pastons there. Yeah?

So before a single army, before a single soldier marched out, before the single trumpet was blown,

before the single wall falls down, this is the economy of God's economy is that victory is

already settled in the heavenly realm before it begins to happen in the physical. It's always

like that, guys. Yeah? You'll see that over and over again. The text says that the gates were

securely barred because of the Israelites. That's remarkable because God had already barred the gates

from the inside. Now, the king of Jericho thinks that he is protecting his people because no one

can go in, no one can come out. He is thinking of protection. Whereas, God is setting them up.

For a damnation. They're doomed. They can't go anywhere now. Right?

And this is the pattern that you will see again. Do not be afraid of them. I have given them into

your hand. None of them will be able to withstand you. That's Joshua 10 verse 8 again. You go

Joshua 10:8

further again, 11. These are different episodes that I'm reading here. Yeah? Joshua 11. Do not

be afraid of them. Because of this time, tomorrow, I will hand all of them slain over to Israel.

Yeah? This is why it's so important for us to understand the place where you fight from.

The position where you fight from. Guys, we're not trying to win the battle.

You fight from a place of victory. Because there's this divine warrior who is fighting on your side.

Oftentimes, we wage wars unsure whether victory is going to come.

And I'm saying that's not how you and I are supposed to wage war. Yeah?

This changes how you pray. This will completely change how you pray. When you are fighting from

that place, how you pray will change. Your attitude will change. Your expectations will change.

Yeah? It's completely different. When you know that you're going to win,

it is completely different. When you know that you're going to win, it's completely different.

It is completely different, guys. Yeah?

You know, God doesn't win some and lose some. That's not God. We have never read of that.

We've never heard that God sometimes loses. He lets Satan win sometimes. And then he wins sometimes.

No, he doesn't do that. So that means when God is fighting on your side, know that victory is already guaranteed.

So when you are fighting your battles, fight from that place, guys. Yeah?

If you are battling depression, fight from that place of victory. You have no room in my life.

Because if Christ isn't me, how can I even be depressed? Now you begin to rebuke that spirit of

depression in your life. Yeah? If there is sickness in your life, if there is lack in your life,

if there is no joy in your life, you begin to rebuke those things. Yeah? You know,

begin to declare God's truth over your life because you fight from a place of victory.

Completely different, guys. I just don't understand why Christians can be depressed.

Because of what Christ has done, he offers his salvation. He loves you. He would die for you.

And he said, no one loves me. Come on. It's absurd, man, guys. We have to know the word.

We have to know what God has said, what God has done for you and for me.

That's the place you and I operate from. Yeah? Third, long-term victory. If you want to continue

in victory, if you want to win from victory after victory, if you want to progress in this warfare,

it requires complete obedience and complete devotion. If you want to win from victory after

in this warfare, it requires complete obedience and complete devotion. Yeah? Complete obedience

and complete devotion rather than our own brilliance. Israel never won because of their

brilliance, because of their smart strategy they won. No. Yeah? You know, there was a time when

God said, march around the city. Can you please pull that out? March around the city

once with all armed men. Do this for six days. Have seven priests carry trumpets of ram horns

in front of the ark. On the seventh day, march around the city seven times with the priests

blowing the trumpets. When you hear them sound a long blast of the trumpets, have the whole

army give a loud shout, then the wall of the city will collapse. Did you notice that kingdom

warfare has an order? God is telling them to march. He's not requesting them. Yeah? Kingdom has order,

guys. And if you are the commander of an army, you're not going to request your troops. Hey,

guys, if you can, can you please? No, you don't, right? If you are the commander of an army,

you command. So, sometimes a soldier doesn't fully understand the big picture,

but what a soldier understands is his role, what he's supposed to do.

They're trained for what they're supposed to do. Yeah? And so it's important, guys,

sometimes because the strategy doesn't make sense. Any warfare strategy when it comes to

this wall of Jericho, here is this fortified wall, and then they're not trying to bomb the wall.

Yeah? They're not trying to uproot all the pillars. No, they're simply marching.

And then just imagine being a soldier, and then you're trying to bring down that wall,

and then three, four days you are circling that wall silently. Yeah? Nothing's happening,

nothing to show. Yeah? But that was the command. Sometimes when God had said something to you and

to me, sometimes I find it so odd, like, doesn't make sense. The strategy is not just odd, but it

becomes so irrelevant here. Yeah? Nobody brings down a wall by just circling. But here's an

interesting thing. This is consistently God's way. I'm saying this, this is consistently God's way.

Yeah? Naaman, Naaman the leper, he was asked to wash seven times in the pool of Jordan. Yeah? He

didn't believe it. He was like, in Aaron there are better pools. Right? It was too easy, right? To

wash and dip seven times and to get healed. Didn't make sense. Yeah? You know, Elisha,

he threw salt in a contaminated water, and it was cleansed. Didn't make sense, right? Salt water

to do with cleansing of a spring. Yeah? Jesus used mud and saliva. Who has heard of that? Yeah? The

doctors would have laughed at. Yeah? To use mud and saliva to heal a blind man. Crazy, guys. Yeah?

Moses stretched out his staff towards the Red Sea. The Red Sea parted. What has that to do with

Moses' staff? Crazy, guys. Yeah? Paul's preaching, he said, my preaching, he's like with fear and

trembling, he came. And you know what? It turned the ancient world upside down.

See, these are God's methods that always defies human logic.

Because they are designed to make one thing very obvious, and that is the power is God's,

not ours. The glory is his, not ours. So that you and I cannot take credit for that, right?

Just imagine if Jericho had been sieged and the wall has been breached by their own military,

you know, strategies and all, then they would take credit for their engineers, for the ones who had

who had planned that, right? But it has nothing to do with human strategy here. They simply obey

the command of the divine warrior who is fighting on their behalf. And that was all it takes, right?

So you know, sometimes this has direct implication for our spiritual warfare too.

Sometimes certain things that God expects of you, God will prompt you. Sometimes it is giving away

money in the middle of when you are, you yourself are struggling. Yeah? Sometimes it's going the

extra distance for someone. Sometimes it's giving something to the most undeserving person

on your friend's list. Yeah? Sometimes when God wants to bring a breakthrough in your life,

sometimes he invites you to do something that is so unlike you. Yeah? And you know what?

Victory. Victory always, I would say, often hides in obedience. Yeah? The wall did not

fall down because of their great insight. The wall fell because the commander said it.

I think I have to rush a little more here.

Yeah. You know, and you know, Joshua made it very clear. You know, Joshua is coming to the end of

his life. And now, you know, towards the end of Joshua 23, 24, he summoned all the leaders,

the elders, the teachers, and all the key people. And he is saying, do not walk away from God.

Yeah? Have nothing to do with your foreign gods. Do not engage in any kind of

foreign gods. Do not intermarry. Right? You know, there was this clear instruction that's been given.

Right? Beautifully laid out. Yeah? And then the next verse, which is the next chapter,

and one of the verses that is very famous is, as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.

Right? He gives them a choice. And he said that's what he's going to do. And you know,

the people said, we're going to serve the Lord too. Right? And the covenant was established.

And they seem to be fully on board. And you know what? Now that's the end of Joshua.

And then chapter one of the next book, Judges, when you read some of those lines, it's heart

breaking, I tell you. Yeah? Yesterday, I was reading this and I was breaking down.

And Brendan, can you please pull that up? Judges 1, 27 to 33. I just, you know, copy pasted here and there.

Yeah. But Manasseh did not drive out the people of Bet-shan or Tanak or Dor or Epleum or Megiddo

and their surrounding settlements. Nor did Ephraim drive out the Canaanites living in Gezer.

Nor did Asher drive out those living in Akkoh or Sidon or Alab or Aqzip or Helba or Afek

or Rehob. Neither did Naphtali drive out those living in Bet-shamesh or Bet-anath.

Crazy, hey? I just took here and there. But the instruction was so clear.

Do not intermarry. These are pagans. They don't know. If you intermarry, their gods will be snares for you.

God has clearly instructed them. Joshua had summoned all the leaders and had instructed them.

They followed God. They obeyed. Even after Joshua died, there were victories.

There were victories that they were continuing to win. And then came this point. Compromise.

They began to start compromising. Yeah. It's one of the most heartbreaking sequences in the Bible.

When God said complete dispossession, they tolerated. They allowed it to remain.

And you know, what they refused to confront, this began to eventually shape them.

Yeah. Shape them. Shape their children. Shape their identity. Shape their gods. Shape their culture.

Shape everything, guys. It's tragic, guys. God's instructions are always so clear.

See, when it comes to warfare, you don't tolerate. You don't say part of this life,

Satan, you can have it, but the rest belongs to God. No, it doesn't work like that, guys.

That's why the Bible says, do not give the devil a foothold.

All he requires is a little opening. That's enough.

You know, in our present day, we don't negotiate with Satan.

We don't negotiate. Yeah. And this is why it applies to our sometimes personal habits.

Relationships. Relationships that pull us toward the values of the world.

Habitual sins, where you should have renounced it, but you cannot tolerate.

You try to manage it in the hidden. And you know, media consumption, right?

That begins to shape our imagination. Yeah.

Our desires. And then the philosophies of the world.

Where truth is made relative, now you begin to doubt what the authority of the scripture.

Yeah. And then now, you know, unforgiveness begins to develop from within.

Small, small compromises. And it's just a matter of time where these

small compromises become strongholds in our lives.

It's crazy, guys. Yeah. Next one. Presence comes before strategy. Presence always comes before

strategy. Yeah. One thing that really separates the Israelites from the rest of the other kingdoms

is God's presence. You know, when Joshua, in chapter five, when he encounters this commander

of the Lord's army, you know, Joshua said, you know, I'm going to be the commander of the Lord's army.

When he encounters this commander of the Lord's army, you know, Joshua said,

you know, are you on our side or are you on their side? Yeah. And then the commander of the Lord's

army said, neither. Neither. Yeah. It's a, it's an interesting encounter. Right. But here's the thing.

This commander's response reframes everything.

You and I don't decide whether God is on my side or God is on your side.

Yeah. Here, the commander is saying neither. Meaning, this is God's battle. He decides. So,

we have to say whether I am on God's side or not. Yeah. It's not like I decide whether God is on my

side or not. It's quite different, guys. Yeah. So, Joshua's job is not to, not to recruit God into

his mission, you know. Yeah. But his job is to align with God's mission. That's completely different.

Yeah. So, here's the thing. In Joshua 5, this commander of the Lord's army

came and then Joshua encounters him. And you know, that was where Joshua is able to submit

to this commander. He was able to bow down. Yeah. And then, chapter 6, the victory at Jericho happens.

Before strategy comes presence. Before conquest comes worship. It's so important, guys.

Yeah. Joshua fell face down to the ground in reverence and asked him, what message does my Lord

have for his servant? That's worship there. That's reverence there. That's submission there.

Yeah. You know, whenever the Israelites, they go to war or they're crossing, you know,

thresholds, they always carry the ark. That's the presence of God. And the enemy fears them

because of one thing, and that is the presence of God. Right? This is why presence always comes

before strategy. Because the presence is the strategy, actually. Yeah. You know, one time,

you know, Jacob and I met a man who wanted how to learn deliverance. Yeah. How to cast out demons.

He really wants to learn deliverance. And what I'm trying to say here is that many, many believers

want to learn strategies, skills, skills of our strategies or formulas of how to do ministry,

how to do deliverance, how to pray, certain techniques, certain protocols. And I'm saying

those things fall short. When you're intimate with God, when you begin to grow in intimacy with him,

your authority begins to increase. Yeah. So that's point number four. Five is the promised land

cannot be fully yours while Jericho's gold is buried under your tent. Yeah.

Hear me again. The promised land cannot be fully yours while Jericho's gold is buried under your

tent. Meaning hidden compromise, hidden compromise always produces defeat. Yeah. When you begin to

compromise, when I begin to compromise, it results in defeat. Yeah. One time they had this amazing

experience at Jericho. And you know what? The next war was with a people group called AI, not

artificial intelligence, but AI. Right. And so, so, you know, Joshua sent spies to, to spy this group

of people. And you know, there are just a tiny group of people. So the spies came back and said,

we don't need to bring the entire army, you know, just send a couple of thousands or

two, 2000 to 3000. Yeah. Don't, you know, no need to bother the entire army. So they kind of,

on one hand, they underestimated them, but on the other hand, they went to fight and then they were

badly defeated. Yeah. Some of their men were killed. They ran for their life. They returned

in fear. They melted in fear. That's what the Bible says. Yeah. And then Joshua fell

face down and he began to ask the Lord, what's happening here. And you know what happened?

There was one guy, you know, Akkan, right? A C H A N Akkan, who helped himself with gold,

who stole when they defeated Jericho. One man's sin affected the entire community.

That's why Paul is writing, no, if one member of the body suffers, everyone suffers.

You know, there is an impact of one member suffering in the body. Yeah.

Private compromise, it always produces a public defeat.

So we don't have to, you know, this is not a license for kind of like spiritual accusation.

And then trying to hunt who is the culprit in our midst, you know, that's not the point, right?

But it's a serious call for us to be able to have this like zero foothold in our lives

when it comes to warfare. Yeah. Because a little compromise always produces defeat.

And so on one hand, Akkan is burying, you know, Jericho's gold under his tent.

And now trying to win the next inheritance, it doesn't work. Yeah. There are certain things

where God is not allocating it to you, because there are certain things that are unsolved in your life.

You know, I'm not saying that every promise has worked that way. I'm not saying that. Yeah.

There are certain things where, because God is good, because God is gracious,

out of his goodness, out of his mercy, he still allows you to experience.

But I'm saying there are certain things where if you don't learn step one,

God does not allow you to go to step two. Yeah. And second last one.

Every territory requires a different strategy. Every territory requires a different strategy.

God is always speaking, right? If you look at the two stories that I just mentioned,

the first two stories in Joshua, one is the fall of Jericho and the defeat of AI. Right?

There are two completely different methods. The first one is so unconventional, right?

The first one is so unconventional, right? Here's the fortified walls of Jericho.

They had to simply march, right? The strategy was so unconventional. But if you look at the next

battle, which is the battle against AI, it's a classic, conventional, tactical brilliance.

Yeah. Beautifully laid out. Yeah. Joshua had a plan. Yeah. So the first group are going to go

and entice them so that they'll chase after them. They'll bring out from their fortified cities,

right? And then there'll be a group who will be hiding, then they'll go and burn their city.

Right? And so now they went and they entice and every man from the AI group, they chased after

them. And you know, one group of the Israelites, they went and burned their city. And now the ones

who had burned their city now came chasing after them. And then the ones who were hiding now,

then the AI people were caught in the middle. And you know, that day, none escaped.

Brilliant strategy, right? But if you look at the strategy at Jericho and here, it's completely

different, right? Same God, different strategies. Joshua, this is why Joshua is so good at this.

If you see the life of Joshua and the wars that he had fought, almost all are unique.

He never recycles formula. Right? Oh, this time, I mean, God spoke this way last time. Now let's

do the same thing. No, right? One time he did a mistake. It was a terrible mistake.

Okay. There's a tribe called the Gibeonites. They are neighboring neighbors. Yeah, they are

people groups who are their neighbors. And they pretended that they have come from a very far

place. Yeah. They put on sandals that have worn out. They have put on a sack that's been old

and bread that is moldy. And they said, hey, I've come from a very far place. And then we've come

to make a treaty with you. Right? And because we have heard of what God has done to your enemies,

we really want to make a treaty with you. And, you know, Brendan, I don't know if you have that

verse, but

okay. Yeah. The men of Israel sampled their provisions, but did not inquire of the Lord.

Crazy. Some versions say they examined their food, but did not inquire of the Lord.

All these times, Joshua has been inquiring of the Lord. Yeah. They were winning battle after battle.

And then on this one occasion, Joshua did not inquire of the Lord. They sampled their food.

Yeah, it looks authentic. Now, like, let's make a treaty. Now with his leaders, they made a treaty.

Later found out that these are not people who had come from afar. Now they have made their vow.

They're unable to attack them.

Right here, you see a very seasoned man of God, a very seasoned man of God who took for granted

because it had worked in the past. And I'm saying that even if you have been walking with the Lord

for years, I'm saying that as you continue to walk with God, every battle is unique, is different.

And I'm saying that it's important for us to inquire of the Lord. Yeah, because God is always

making new things. And so it's important for us to be in a posture of listening all the time.

Right. And you know, the enemy, what one thing that the enemy does is that the enemy will always

reinforce, right. They'll, they'll form a collision, and then they'll come and attack.

They'll intensify. You know, if you read a few verses here, you'll see that the enemy is

a very strong enemy. And so, you know, I'm going to read a few verses here.

Next one is Joshua 10. When, when Jebin, king of Hazor, heard of this, he sent word to Jobab, king

of Medon, to the king of Shemron and Akshav, and to the northern kings who were in the mountains.

They came out with all their troops and a large number of horses and chariots, a huge army,

Crazy, eh? Throughout the Bible, you'll see this. You'll see this, that whenever the Israelites are

trying to make a progress, the enemy forces will form a collision, and they'll come with greater

force. They'll come against them. Right. Because the enemy does not fight fair. Yeah, the enemy

does not say, okay, you know, there are just five, let's, let's take five of us and then go

and fight. No, the enemy does not fight fair. He does not fight alone. Yeah. So when you are

starting a business, when you're starting a ministry, when you're starting something,

when you're stepping into something that God had spoken over you, the enemy will come

and attack you on all sides. Yeah. Sometimes, sometimes it's like, why, why is this happening?

You know, God spoke about this. And then why is my finances running out quickly? Right. Why am I

stressed? Why am I marriage is falling apart? You know, you know, suddenly, why is my health being

compromised? You know, suddenly you begin to experience frontal attack on every side. Yeah,

the enemy does not fight fair guys. And yet, the intensity of the opposition does not impress God.

He's saying the phrase is like this, as numerous as the sand and the sea. That description, the enemy

is now coming against Israel. Crazy. And then God said, don't be afraid. And he said, tomorrow,

he's going to deliver them into their hands. This is the beauty about God. And then you know,

Joshua goes on to say, not one of God's good promises of Israel failed. Everyone was fulfilled.

Joshua 21 verse 45. Beautiful. Hey guys, not one, not two, every promise that God had said came to

Joshua 21:45

pass. This is the God who fights for you. Last one. Rest is part of warfare. Rest is part of warfare.

They are companions. Rest and warfare, they are companions guys. You know, warfare with the enemy,

when God is fighting on your side, it does not deplete you. It does not exhaust you. Yeah. He

gives you rest. Let's read from Joshua. Yeah. 21 verse 44. The Lord gave them rest on every side.

Just as he had sworn to their forefathers, not one of their enemies withstood them. The Lord handed

all their enemies over to them. Yeah. You know, the book of Joshua, how does it end? It ends in rest.

The book of Joshua ends in rest. After all the campaigns, right? After all the allotments,

after all the cities of refuge and all the Levitical towns were given, after Joshua's

final address, the land had rest from war. God never designed that his people will fight endless

wars, combat after combat, but he brought them through warfare into rest. That's the book of

Joshua. He brought them through warfare into rest. That's the beauty about God.

You know, mature believers learn this rhythm. People who are mature in the Lord, they learn

this rhythm. That there is a season of intense spiritual warfare, spiritual engagement, prayer,

fasting, confrontation, darkness, advancing of God's kingdom. And then there's also a season of

settledness, so to say, receiving the fruit of warfare, enjoying the spoils of war,

consolidating the ground that has been taken, right? And then receiving the inheritance that

God had given them. Yeah. But in our culture, rest is a rarity, which is so unfortunate,

right? And you know, we wear the badge of business. If I am busy, it feels I'm important.

And the hustle culture, it is so devastating, guys. Yeah. You know, just a few days ago,

I saw this on social media. You know, one guy worked like straight eight hours and then

had a quick shower and then got on to another job for another seven straight hours, right?

And then, you know, like, oh, you know, I made some extra bucks. And then comments, you know,

complimenting that guy, right? Hustle, hustle, hustle, you know, that, like, you know,

it's like appreciating, you know, applauding that kind of, you know, busyness, right?

Where rest is a rarity. And I'm saying that in God's economy, I'm not promoting lazy work. No,

that's not my point. But it's a symptom of an orphan spirit, guys. Yeah. There's a time of rest,

a time for work, everything under the heaven, right? But, you know, mature believers learn to

do this, that rest and warfare, they are companions, right? When you engage in this, God,

God begins to go to war and then helps you to enter rest. Yeah. Jesus said, all you who are

weary and burdened, come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.

Take my yoke upon me, learn from me, for I am gentle and humble and hard,

and you will find rest for your souls. Beautiful, guys. Rest and warfare, they are not opposites,

guys. They are companions. You fight from rest, you advance from security. Yeah.

So let's pray.

Some of us might be in a season of Jericho where we are circling around a fortified situation day

after day. You have nothing visible to show. There's no sign of breakthrough. But I'm saying,

march, march, march around the fortified city. The walls will fall for you.

For those who are in high season, something unexpected happened. You feel defeated and

wondering what went wrong. And I'm saying, come back and restore the covenant with God,

and God will help you to return to victory. Some of us may be facing a coalition of enemies on

multiple fronts. Your finances attacked, your peace, your joy, things aren't working. And I'm

saying that the Lord said, by tomorrow, I will deliver your enemies into your hands.

You may be standing before a territory that looks so big, so fortified that the enemy has

iron chariots in the valley, giants in the hills. But God says, go up and clear it,

because the farthest limits you reach will be yours.

So Abba, I pray that you train our hands for war,

because we are your people and one of the team that's been given us as a body is that we are

an army boots on assignment. Train our hands for war, oh God. Whether we like it or not,

kingdom implies warfare. And we know that victory has already been decided. So Abba,

I pray that you give us wisdom, you give us the ability to stand up and fight.

You give us the ability to stand our ground. And the things that we have learned, Abba, I pray

that now we begin to execute it in our everyday lives of God, individually, corporately of God.