Happy New Month and Happy Sunday guys! This month I am starting a Sunday Series on Spirituality and we will be tackling different aspects of spirituality from the Word.

This Sunday, I decided to discuss the walls of Jericho.

Today’s teaching will be based on two passages from the same Chapter of the Word: Joshua.

Joshua 6:1-7: (NIV)

6 Now the gates of Jericho were securely barred because of the Israelites. No one went out and no one came in.

2 Then the Lord said to Joshua, “See, I have delivered Jericho into your hands, along with its king and its fighting men. 3 March around the city once with all the armed men. Do this for six days. 4 Have seven priests carry trumpets of rams’ horns in front of the ark. On the seventh day, march around the city seven times, with the priests blowing the trumpets. 5 When you hear them sound a long blast on the trumpets, have the whole army give a loud shout; then the wall of the city will collapse and the army will go up, everyone straight in.”

6 So Joshua son of Nun called the priests and said to them, “Take up the ark of the covenant of the Lord and have seven priests carry trumpets in front of it.” 7 And he ordered the army, “Advance! March around the city, with an armed guard going ahead of the ark of the Lord.”

And:

Joshua 6:12-16 (NIV):

12 Joshua got up early the next morning and the priests took up the ark of the Lord. 13 The seven priests carrying the seven trumpets went forward, marching before the ark of the Lord and blowing the trumpets. The armed men went ahead of them and the rear guard followed the ark of the Lord, while the trumpets kept sounding. 14 So on the second day they marched around the city once and returned to the camp. They did this for six days.

15 On the seventh day, they got up at daybreak and marched around the city seven times in the same manner, except that on that day they circled the city seven times. 16 The seventh time around, when the priests sounded the trumpet blast, Joshua commanded the army, “Shout! For the Lord has given you the city!

The Word here is so powerful-the gates of Jericho were securely barred because of the Israelites-hence there was an intentional blockage of advancement against the people of God. Now apply that to your life-have you ever felt like as a child of God-you come against particular opposition that is targeted solely at you because you are a child of God? For instance, academically you find a course more challenging than your peers? Or you are having more difficulty securing a job-that is because spiritually speaking there is a secure bar against your identity as an Israelite-a child of God.

And here there is a spiritual principle-because the bar is against your identity as a child of God-you fight as a child of God. This is what happens here-the ways of the world do not work for us as children of God because we are not of the world (John 17:16).

And then the Word says no one went out and no one came in. Hence the bar was secure both ways-there was no natural way around it. Even here there lies a spiritual principle-where you are facing opposition in the flesh-the solution is in His Spirit.

And this is why the LORD spoke-what has the LORD told you about that problem. Listen to His instruction-His ways are not our ways (Isaiah 55:8-9) what may seem trivial in the flesh is a spiritual breakthrough waiting to be released-only you can open that key because your agreement is required to unlock your destiny!

And the LORD speaks according to the Spirit because He is Spirit-hence what happens in the flesh has already taken place in the Spirit which is why He addressed Joshua from a spiritual perspective-here Joshua was facing a barred city-there you are facing challenges adjusting to your new environment/relationships/location-and the LORD spoke that the city was delivered into his hands-what has God placed in your hands? What talent has He placed? What opportunity has He given you?

God delivered Jericho in the Spirit to Joshua but he had to take hold of it in the flesh. Have you taken hold of your breakthrough in the flesh? How you may ask? By following the LORD’s instruction-and He is always specific.

Here He gave Joshua a particular set of instructions-to march around the city with armed men-this is a spiritual battle-are you armed and adorned with the tools to fight? (read Ephesians 6:12-18).

The LORD instructed Joshua what to do each step of the way. Have you taken a detour from His instruction? Did He tell you to apply for a certain position? Or did He tell you to trust Him and be still? What has He told you to do? Do it according to each step He has revealed to you.

That is what Joshua did. The LORD instructed Joshua to march round the city seven times on the seventh day-there is order where the LORD is-He will not lead you into confusion. So if you are confused-it is not of God. (1 Corinthians 14:33).

Joshua received an instruction in the Spirit and carried it out in the flesh-He called the priests and said to them what the LORD had instructed-have you called those God has instructed you to call for your breakthrough? You do not call simply by speaking-He may have instructed you to position yourself in a particular location-that in itself is a call-it is spiritual agreement.

And Joshua instructed the army accordingly as well.

Hence there was order in his obedience-is there order in your obedience or discord?

Joshua exercised discipline-he got up early the next morning-are you diligent in what you have been entrusted while you wait for your breakthrough? Or are you sloppy? Diligence births progress-Joshua woke up early and hence was able to begin to carry out the process for his breakthrough sooner than if he had waited. So are you waiting? As soon as Joshua got up-the priests took up the ark-this is correlation. Once you rise to the task, there is a spiritual resonance that will reflect your actions and breakthrough responds.

They carried out their activities for 6 days-this is important. The LORD may have given you an instruction today that requires diligence for 6 days/months/years-and consistency has to be exercised. Do not walk in doubt-walk in faith: Hebrews 10:38.

On the seventh day, the day of breakthrough-your seventh day will come if you keep exercising patience and diligence in the place of obedience-they carried out their activities on this day in the same manner-except that day they circled the city seven times. The Spirit of the LORD leads His children and will prompt you to change your routine when it is time-and they shouted in praise and anticipation and what happened?

Joshua 6:20-21 (NIV):

20 When the trumpets sounded, the army shouted, and at the sound of the trumpet, when the men gave a loud shout, the wall collapsed; so everyone charged straight in, and they took the city. 21 They devoted the city to the Lord and destroyed with the sword every living thing in it—men and women, young and old, cattle, sheep and donkeys.

Breakthrough! There is power in praise-that is increased and charged through obedience! The LORD did not give this instruction for any day but the 7^th but preparation was key to leading up to this powerful praise-when you exercise patience and diligence in waiting on the LORD, you charge up your praise-your connection to your breakthrough is increased because your connection to the LORD is thriving.

And as the trumpets sounded, and the army shouted, the wall collapsed-the same way that delay will collapse, that opportunity will suddenly present itself, that breakthrough will be delivered-this is a spiritual exercise not a physical one. So are you blowing your spiritual trumpet?

When we follow the LORD, we move in accordance with His Spirit and are not exhausted physically because we shall run and not be weary, we shall walk and shall not faint (Isaiah 40:31).

And it is this river of hope, birthed in the place of trusting the LORD through obedience that led to the collapse of Jericho and will lead to the collapse of your own Jericho-but then finally, it is important to dedicate and devote this success to the LORD and destroy everything that is not of Him within that opportunity-hence we must maintain our separation in the LORD-when He delivers to you that opportunity, that blessing-devote it to God and this will enable you to destroy any contrary force of evil within it ie pride, arrogance etc. This is why Joshua and the people, devoted before they destroyed-because we need His strength in our weakness (2 Corinthians 12:9).