May 08, 2022

“STANDING ON THE PROMISES OF GOD”                       

“DEFENDING YOURSELF AGAINST THE ENEMY”

(SPIRITUAL WARFARE) 

JOSHUA 9:1-15

Do you ever feel that when you want to draw close to God people get in the way?

Satans attacks sometimes like a lion and sometimes like a serpent.

Are there areas in your life that you seem to mess up over and over again? Are there mistakes that get you again and again?

How To Stop Making The Same Mistakes Over And Over Again:

Ways To Defend Yourself:

1.   Realize You Are At War

James 4:1 “Where do wars and fights come from among you? Do they not come from your desires for pleasure that war in your members?”

We have hope! Jesus Christ is the answer and we can have victory in Jesus.

*We are at war on three fronts:

Ephesians 2:2-3 “In which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, 3among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others.”

• “The course of this world”-the world
• “The prince of the power of the air”-the devil, satan
• “The lust of our flesh”- the flesh

Joshua 9:14-15 “Then the men of Israel took some of their provisions; but they did not ask counsel of the Lord. 15So Joshua made peace with them, and made a covenant with them to let them live; and the rulers of the congregation swore to them.” 

2.   Know Your Enemy

2 Corinthians 2:11 “Lest Satan should take advantage of us; for we are not ignorant of his devices.”

Joshua failed because he did not investigate who the Gibeonites were.

Joshua 9:7 “Then the men of Israel said to the Hivites, “Perhaps you dwell among us; so how can we make a covenant with you?”

Your enemies have many disguises, terrorists do not wear uniforms to identify themselves.

Joshua 9:4 “they worked craftily”

Joshua 9:12 “This bread of ours we took hot for our provision from our houses on the day we departed to come to you. But now look, it is dry and moldy.”

Ephesians 4:22 “That you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts.”

You need to know the spiritual terrorists-know their profiles, know what to watch out for.

*Joshua and Israel let their guards down, they did not check out the facts, they did not understand with who they were dealing and the consequences were terrible.

Here is what Israel missed because of their decision:

Joshua 9:4 “They worked craftily, and went and pretended to be ambassadors. And they took old sacks on their donkeys, old wineskins torn and mended.”

We need to check people and things out before we make an agreement with them.

*You can’t be a spiritual terrorist and committed to God’s mission at the same time.

Acts 20:27-38- Paul warned of those who infiltrated from within and without.  vs.29-31 “For I know this, that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock. 30Also from among yourselves men will rise up, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after themselves. 31Therefore watch, and remember that for three years I did not cease to warn everyone night and day with tears.”

*Check out their inner joy- vs.4 “old wineskins torn and mended.”

*Check out their walk- vs.5 “old and patched sandals on their feet”- Those that carry the Gospel have beautiful feet. 

*Check out their dress- vs.5 “and old garments on themselves”- a picture of the rags of their sin.

*Check out their relationship with God in the Bible- vs.5 “all the bread of their provision was dry and moldy”

What is your devotional walk with God like? Have you spent time with God today?

*Check out their citizenship- vs.6 “We have come from a far country”

Philippians 3:20 “For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.”

Is your citizenship in heaven? If not you need to take care of that today.

Ephesians 4:11-14 “And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, 12for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, 13till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; 14that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting.”

We need to watch out: 1 Peter 5:8

We don’t seek God’s will like customers who look for options but like servants who listen for orders.

Joshua 9:8 “But they said to Joshua, “We are your servants.”

And Joshua said to them, “Who are you, and where do you come from?”

Joshua asks two good questions: 1. “Who are you?” And 2. “Where do you come from.”

*Joshua asked the right questions but he just didn’t follow through.

The mistake:

Joshua 9:14 “Then the men of Israel took some of their provisions; but they did not ask counsel of the Lord.”

They did not consult the Lord.

Deuteronomy 7:1-2 “When the Lord your God brings you into the land which you go to possess, and has cast out many nations before you, the Hittites and the Girgashites and the Amorites and the Canaanites and the Perizzites and the Hivites and the Jebusites, seven nations greater and mightier than you, 2and when the Lord your God delivers them over to you, you shall conquer them and utterly destroy them. You shall make no covenant with them nor show mercy to them.”

Have you checked out what you believe with God’s Word? Or are you going to base your eternity on hear say?

Are you walking in the power of the Holy Spirit on your life? Or are you just busy doing church?