GOD WILL MAKE A WAY: Facing Life s Challenges With Confidence

Transcription

1 GOD WILL MAKE A WAY: Facing Life s Challenges With Confidence

2 WHEN FOLLOWING GOD LEADS YOU TO A BRICK WALL: MAINTAIN THE RIGHT FOCUS Joshua 5:13-6:5

3 Introduction Beginning a new series God Will Make a Way: Facing Life s Challenges With Confidence Just finished our study about connecting with God through prayer This often leads to a renewed faith in God and His ways What happens when it gets too hard?

4 Face them with confidence Introduction Life is full of challenges or obstacles Some are just a part of life Others are spiritual in nature What do we do with them? Give up and run away? Try everything we know and can do; then run away?

5 Introduction Facing these challenges with confidence will be the aim of our study over the next several weeks We will look at the lessons from Jericho We will look at the lessons from David and Goliath We want to experience God and find victory as we face life s challenges

6 Joshua 5:13-6:5 And it came to pass, when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted his eyes and looked, and behold, a Man stood opposite him with His sword drawn in His hand. And Joshua went to Him and said to Him, Are You for us or for our adversaries? So He said, No, but as Commander of the army of the Lord I have now come. And Joshua fell on

7 Joshua 5:13-6:5 his face to the earth and worshiped, and said to Him, What does my Lord say to His servant? Then the Commander of the Lord S army said to Joshua, Take your sandal off your foot, for the place where you stand is holy. And Joshua did so. Now Jericho was securely shut up because of the children of Israel; none went out, and

8 Joshua 5:13-6:5 none came in. And the Lord said to Joshua: See! I have given Jericho into your hand, its king, and the mighty men of valor. You shall march around the city, all you men of war; you shall go all around the city once. This you shall do six days. And seven priests shall bear seven trumpets of rams horns before the ark. But the seventh

9 Joshua 5:13-6:5 day you shall march around the city seven times, and the priests shall blow the trumpets. It shall come to pass, when they make a long blast with the ram s horn, and when you hear the sound of the trumpet, that all the people shall shout with a great shout; then the wall of the city will fall down flat. And the people shall go up every

10 Joshua 5:13-6:5 man straight before him.

11 Background First, let s look at Jericho Jericho was one of the oldest cities in civilization It was one of the greatest challenges Joshua and the people would face Jericho was also well fortified 8 to 9 acres in size with not one, but two sets of protective walls around it

12 Background First, let s look at Jericho Built upon a mound with a wall that was 20 to 30 feet high and almost as thick around it At the bottom of the bank, another wall had been built for added protection From the ground, estimates range from 50 to 90 feet

13 Background First, let s look at Jericho Not only an impenetrable fortress Fierce and valiant army to protect it They had defeated every enemy that had dare to challenge them From just about any perspective, Jericho was a brick wall, an impossible obstacle

14 REALITY CHECK

15 Lessons from impossible obstacles They are places where God often leads His people They are used to accomplish His purposes They are often used to test His people They are places where sometimes His people fail They are places to learn more about God

16 Yes REMEMBER

17 Lessons from Jericho God has purposefully brought them here This will surely be a test of the trust of His people to follow It appears to be the worst obstacle they could imagine This will be a teachable moment of the greatest magnitude God will show His faithfulness and power

18 Lessons from Jericho Contrast the people of Jericho with the Children of Israel People of Jericho are scared, but trusting their walls and army to keep them safe Children of Israel scared or questioning Key difference from their parents not choosing to go back Both will learn more about God

19 Lessons from Jericho Focus of Jericho inhabitants The enemy the problem Their ability Focus of Children of Israel God, their deliverer and provider This ultimately leads to victory They would learn

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21 Importance of focus when facing obstacles Impossibilities or Opportunities? Struggle for most We tend to focus first on the problem We size it up based on our own evaluation of the situation and our resources to overcome it Then, we want it gone

22 Importance of focus when facing obstacles Then, we want it gone We tackle what we can We ask God to remove it We run away We return to the wilderness God wants us to focus on Him

23 Isaiah 41:10 Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.

24 For us We will all face challenges in this life What is your Jericho today? Relationship Health Finances Vocation Other

25 or Remove it For us We will all face challenges in this life We must remember that there is no challenge to difficult for God We trust Him, keeping our focus on Him He will make a way Through it Around it

26 GOD WILL MAKE A WAY

27 REMEMBER