Must not see the world (physical problems) as it is - something beneath is stealing our faith in god, and diverting us away from His truth so that we feel lukewarm . We feel it this way but this is not true.
Live as a set apart Christians --> you will really face spiritual battles in your life
- Spiritual - unseen, influencing you directly, and can only be detected by your spirit, your enemy is not that of flesh or seen, but the unseen. All these steal our concerns away from god's kingdom --> so that the world looks real to us and we get absorbed to it
Spiritual battle is essential for evangelism to take place.
- Satan is stopping us from saving souls
- You won't have meaningful spiritual battles if evangelism is not ur concern.
- Evangelism must be the ultimate purpose of a set apart life. Only then, meaningful spiritual battle will come
- Is ur concern at work having the gospel saving other people.
- If not you will be just like any ordinary people, who do not have conviction
- Acts 1:8 enjoy HS deeply through experiencing world evangelism taking place in your life
- Your weakness to testify god to others
- Don't be safe Christians, but powerful Christians (liberate others from satan)
Because there is strong FOD attacking you, make you feel lost(confuse your spirit), you need to follow the instructions of Lord
- Spiritual battle cannot be fought with your own courage
- He gives you daily instructions to finish the work = prayer
- Where is the constant instruction of The Lord? This is get through prayers
- Commander is always there giving you instruction, just go back to him see he never leaves you
Now when Joshua was near Jericho, he looked up and saw a man standing in front of him with a drawn sword in his hand. Joshua went up to him and asked, “Are you for us or for our enemies?” “Neither,” he replied, “but as commander of the army of the Lord I have now come.” Then Joshua fell facedown to the ground in reverence, and asked him, “What message does my Lord have for his servant?” The commander of the Lord ’s army replied, “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy.” And Joshua did so. (Joshua
5:13-15 NIV)
- Take off your sandals =Set apart yourselves, for you are listening to the holy one
Then the Lord said to Joshua, “See, I have delivered Jericho into your hands, along with its king and its fighting men. March around the city once with all the armed men. Do this for six days. 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. 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.” But Joshua had commanded the army, “Do not give a war cry, do not raise your voices, do not say a word until the day I tell you to shout. Then shout!” 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. (Joshua 6:2-5, 10, 20 NIV)
Trumpet = sound of warning to the people! sound of victory to the people of god
Right after Joshua set apart (circumcised), Joshua met the commander of the army. god is someone who reveals himself. It is not that god doesn't answer - it is that you are not set apart yet, not in sync with the truth.
- What is instructions of The Lord?
- We are always concerned with "how.. What... The future"
- But god said. " I have delivered (present) - he is always there, he is always present. I am your fortress. I am
- God is in the spiritual realm, when he sits there, be in sync with the promise of God first
A) believe in the promise of god first (we fight satan by being reminded with the promise of god first). Don't anxious first, what is your spirit orientation first? Before you serve, god says I am the one who put you here, I will get glory through your service. Hear what The Lord says - I have prepared all you need. Hear the promise first. Then you will hear careful instructions from The Lord
B) pastoral message - a message that is set apart from the world = FULL gospel
Not prosperity gospel (what people needs), it is one that helps people to understand god in full to experience the HS.
- If you do not live a pulpit centred life, you will not get the instruction of The Lord
C) follow carefully -- god wants precise obedience
- There are many ways god can solve a matter eg Jericho wall - many ways. But god did it that way.
- God has precise instruction
- Why have we not heard The Lord? After we pray, we didn't go on to acknowledge The Lord carefully in our life's.
2. Principle of conquering Jericho
- Perfect timetable - lord is not slow in his fulfilling his promise and he has time for everything
- We often get distracted by things that do not go our ways
- Can we wait upon The Lord? Can we see what god is doing right now?
- Discover the Very next thing To obey while waiting for his timetable
- God has his reason for not giving you
- Straighten your direction first
- What is the thing now? Be equipped in the world and experience it
- Don't be discouraged. If you know the timetable and what you can do now, you will be discouraged but we often lose it
3. Be consistent
- Church attendings
- In your prayers - live by the will of god
- Work - pray for workplace evangelism
- Live out your joy as a Christian, let HS lead you on
- Consistent faith
4. Acceleration (intense prayer)
- For real breakthroughs in your life - work, ministry
5. Move as one to conquer (evangelise)!
- People need to hear genuine testimony
3. Understand prayers
- Christ finished work on the cross = basis of prayer
- Not that you are worthy, it is because of god's fulfillment on the cross
- Because we seek him he will answer you
- Not because of your conditions and feelings
- To know him through prayers
- God changes things while answering your prayer
- He wants you to hear and know him through your prayers
- Not to ask help, he is already helping you
- Go into prayer to know his power and resurrection -- have you known god enough? The reason why we are always shaken.
- Develop an instinct to hear him
- You will know when is time to quiet down, you want to go into prayer
- Instinct makes you know what to do rig that now, and knowing what God is doing
- Acknowledge him in all your ways.
- Grow in intimacy with god. (Love)
- Cannot be learnt
- How can you learn to be intimate with God when your thoughts and concerns are not aligned? (Your heart is my heart)
- With love, you will not fear