Transcription
Our series built for this. Um, I want us to look at now how it is that we can learn the word of God in Joshua chapter 6. We're going to learn the sound of obedience. The sound of obedience.
I'm going to be in Joshua chapter 6. But the sound of obedience. The sound of obedience. The sound of obedience.
In life, there are certain obstacles that we will face. Some obstacles we just overcome. Some obstacles don't cause any anxiety. Some of the things we face in life, we would say for the most part, they're just normal circumstances. Every once in a while, we are faced with certain obstacles that are just about impossible to overcome.
As we begin to read scripture, we're going to learn that this was the same thing that was happening in Israel as they faced Jericho. In Joshua chapter 6, Joshua now records the people of God having to face what most scholars would say was impossible to overcome. This is the first military encounter that Israel is going to have having crossed the Jordan River. They've crossed this Jordan River.
And in Joshua's chapter 3 and 4, we learn two primary things as Israel has crossed over the Jordan. First thing we've learned is that God is renewing his covenant with them. So, it's almost, some scholars would say, it's a covenant renewal. They have gone through and crossed the Jordan River. Um, many of those who were with them have passed. They've spent about years, so a generation can pass. Now they're going to lead into, and the word of God has, um, them as a sign of a covenant, begin now, uh, the process of circumcision. And we see this happen in this covenant renewal.
But not only is there this moment of covenant renewal, there's this moment where God begins his commissioning. So, we have a covenant renewal, but then we have Joshua being commissioned by God to go through Jericho. Are you with me?
And so, now we get to chapter 5 and the word of God reveals to us that in order for them to do this, they must move through the promised land. But they cannot get through it without overcoming a massive obstacle that is almost impossible, and that is the wall of Jericho.
What, what obstacles are you facing? What, what appears to you in this very moment is impossible? So many of us are going through things. We're praising the Lord. We're shouting. We're raising our hands in praise and worship because we honor, we revere, and we love God. But while my hands are lifted in praise and worship, my mind is trying its hardest to focus on God while I know I have some impossible things that I'm trying to overcome.
And so, I'm trying to, I'm trying to focus my attention on God, but I have some problems. All right? In fact, the reason I'm here today is because I actually do believe God can do it. He just hasn't done it yet. And so, they're, they're realizing there are some moments in life where we'll experience something that's just impossible for me to do by myself.
Sometimes God will send you a friend. Sometimes God will will cause your life to cross with somebody that can help you overcome. Sometimes God will have a stranger you didn't even know. Sometimes God will have your enemy bless you. All right? Can I get an amen? Can I get an amen?
But sometimes there are there are specific obstacles. It's just you and God. That's right. It's just you and God. Your friend ain't going to help you. Your family can't help you. Your coworker can't help you. Your, your, your business partner can't help you. It's God. He would, he will intentionally. He's God. He knows everything. Lead us to a moment where it's just you and him. You can't be self-reliant and you can't phone a friend. You, you have to learn how, how do I now trust God and activate or operate or move in faith that's not attached to anybody else but me and my relationship with God. Amen.
And anybody who's saying thank you and come on knows you would not have the level of faith or the relationship you have with God right now had it not just been you and God. Can I help you? It's painful when you're in it. But Lord have mercy when you get out of it and you have seen the sovereign hand of God move and blow your mind. I don't even know how I got, but God did it. Have you ever had a moment where I don't even know how I made it through it, but God did it. I can't even tell you what time he showed up, but he showed up and I, and I'm out of it. Anybody got a testimony?
I didn't know what trouble looked like until I was in this mess. You, you, have you ever thought you've had trouble and you find yourself, "Oh, no. This is, no. I ain't never had trouble before. This is, this, this is really trouble." Only to see God do the impossible because you trusted him to do what only he can do. And now today, the second Sunday of 2026, you've got memory. You've got a testimony. And you needed it because anytime you face something else next time, God brings your mind back to when he did the impossible. And now you can't even give up because you know God is able to do things you didn't even expect him to do. Why? Because he's God and he needs no one else. He is God all by himself.
This is what I learned. I'm about to bless somebody. We about to go home right now. God's promises are greater than the obstacle we see. I think I got to say that twice. Somebody said, "I'm going to brunch." Listen to me. God's promises are bigger than the obstacles we see. What do you see? What's in front of you? What causes tension? What causes fear? Listen to me. God's promises are greater than the obstacles that we see. Thank you, Holy Spirit. God's promises are greater. Somebody had to type online. Greater in capital letters. Greater than the obstacles we see. What do you see? What's in front of you? What are you wondering? Oh, I don't know about this one. What, what are you saying? How are we going to do this? God's promises are greater than the obstacles we see.
Y'all don't believe me. Now I got to go to the Bible so you know it ain't Babel. I told you to go to chapter six already, right? I'm in verse one. We going to read today. "Now the gates of Jericho were securely barred because of the Israelites. No one went out and no one came in. Then the Lord said to Joshua, 'See, I have delivered Jericho into your hands along with its kings and its fighting men. March around the city once with all the armed men. Do this for six days. Have seven priests carry the trumpets of rams of rams horns in front of the ark. On the seventh day, march around the city seven times with the priests blowing the trumpet. When you hear them sound a long blast of the trumpet, 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.'"
God's promises are bigger than the obstacles we see. Somebody's already getting a blessing.
Now, in this particular passage of scripture, Jericho has been sealed shut. And the word of God reveals to us that Jericho has been sealed shut because of the Israelites. Strange. The word of God says Jericho has been sealed shut. They're barred in. They can't get out. Then the word of God specifically said, "Ain't nobody coming out and ain't nobody getting in." Sealed, it's shut. All right?
But the word of God says, "Because of the Israelites." Now, if you read Joshua chapter 2, you will note that Joshua sends out two spies. The word of God says they came from, uh, Shittim. I'm not cussing. Somebody did this. I'm not cussing. It's in your Bible. Read chapter 2. I did not cuss. We got the first day of the fast. Pastor cussing. I'm not cussing. That's what the Bible says.
And what if God says he sends them out and they're spying in the land? They're surveying the land. Yes. And they, they encounter a woman named Rahab. Now, when they encounter Rahab, they go to her house. And then the king finds out that there are spies in the land and so happens to go to Rahab's house. Now, the word of God says Rahab hides the two spies.
And Rahab reveals to us in, in, I'm in, I'm in chapter 2. I'm in verse 8 now. Reveals to us why the Israelites caused so much fear that they had this sealed shut Jericho. And verse 8 says this. It says, "Before the spies laid down for the night, they went up to the roof." She's hiding them now so they can't get, so, so that the enemy, the, the king and his army can't get to these two spies.
Then the word of God says, uh, and he, he said to them, "I know that the Lord has given this land to you, and that great fear, watch this, has fallen on us." Why? "So that all who live in this country have melted with fear because of you." Why so much fear? Verse 10 says this. It says, "For we have heard. We have heard how the Lord dried up the water of the Red Sea for you when you came out of Egypt."
Watch this, and go down to verse 11. Verse 11. Verse 11 is about to bless you. Verse 11 says, "When, when we heard of it, our hearts melted in fear and everyone's courage failed because of you. For the Lord your God is the God in heaven and the earth below."
So, Rahab reveals to us that the city of Jericho has been sealed shut, completely shut because of they feared the Israelites. But stay with me. They didn't really fear the Israelites. To walk away with a conclusion that they were afraid of the Israelites in and of themselves wouldn't make sense because every time they mentioned their fear for the Israelites, they couldn't mention their fear for the Israelites without mentioning God. And Rahab said, "Oh, we heard, we, we heard what your God can do. We, we heard what your God did in, in, in Egypt. We, we heard how your man, your God dried up the whole Red Sea so y'all can walk through it. We, we've heard. We, we know how you crossed the Jordan. We, we, we, we know how you defeated the kings that were in the east after you crossed the Jordan. He says, we, we, now our courage has failed. We had courage and we found out it was you and your God. And now the word of God says our courage has failed and we, we have no courage."
Why? Because the, the people know that in Jericho, that they, they said, "Look, I'm, I'm, I'm back in chapter two, that we know that this is your land. And the only thing in between you and the promise is us. So, our courage has failed." That's why you have to remember that God's promise is greater than the obstacle you see. Are you with me?
Now, what's, what's interesting, the word of God says that they're terrified because they know what Israel is capable, capable of doing with God. Who is afraid of you? Because they know what you're capable of doing with God on your side. Look now. Oh, you still with me? Who? Who? Who's? Oh. Oh, here she comes again. I ain't messing with her. She got Jesus. I ain't messing with her. Oh, here he comes again. Be careful. Don't mess with that brother over there. He got the Holy Ghost. The, the anointing of God is on him. Be careful.
And then, you know, you know, you can go to work. People talk, talk about people. Hey, do me a favor. Hey, you could talk about everybody you want to. Them, those two over there, them's God's children. All right. All right. Be careful how you handle them. God don't play about his. Are you with me?
So, so the word of God says, listen, that the walls were shut. This is very interesting. Now, if you, if you've studied, uh, archaeology or, or just the history of Jericho, Jericho was a fortified city. It, it, literally, the way it was designed, its architectural design was deliberate that it could, it was fortified in such a way that when the word of God says nobody can come in and nobody can come out, if you seal that place shut, nobody's coming and nobody's coming out.
So for Israel to see Joshua, the leader of the, of the truth, to see that, wait a minute, God, you, you, Jericho, it's impossible. It is just about humanly impossible for Joshua and the Israelites to get through Jericho if it's sealed shut. And it's sealed shut. It is fortified. You, no one's coming in. Nobody's coming out. And what if God says to them that I'm, I'm going to give it to you.
Now, what's important is now Joshua has to make a decision, just like we do. When God tells you something, are you going to operate by faith or by sight? I'm, I'm about to get in trouble now. You, there are moments in life where what Joshua is going to have to make a decision. God said it. Now you have to make a choice. Joshua, what are you going to operate by faith or you going to operate by sight? Y'all don't believe me. Y'all looking at me crazy. I'm in chapter 6, verse two now. Look at me real crazy. That's right. Look at me real crazy because verse one says, "The gates of Jericho were securely bought." Ain't nobody getting in. That's bad English, but it's going to be good theology. Ain't nobody getting out. Are you with me?
Verse two blessed my whole life. Because verse two says, "Then the Lord said, after it's been declared, it's sealed shut." Verse two says, "Then the Lord said to Joshua, 'See, I have delivered Jericho into your hands along with its king and its fighting men.'" Y'all missed it. Now it's sealed shut. What you going to do? He knows in his humanity it's impossible once it's sealed shut. And the next words God says is, "See, I have given Jericho into your hands." Now Joshua has to make a decision because his eyes realize it's been sealed shut. But God said, "See, I've delivered it into your hands."
If I'm Joshua, I'm confused. Because when I look at it with my natural eyes, I'm about to start preaching. I can see that it's been sealed shut. Naturally, nobody can go in and naturally nobody can come out. With all my troops and armies, I still cannot get in. Why? Because the walls have been fortified. But God says, "See, I'm looking. It's sealed shut. Nobody can get in and nobody can get out." But God says, "See, I've delivered it into your hands."
See, because in my natural eye, it is impossible for me to go through those walls. But in my spiritual eyes, if I would trust God, even though naturally it's impossible, spiritually it's already been declared, I got the victory and I haven't even started the fight. Who am I talking to this morning? Because naturally it is impossible. Naturally you have hit a wall. Naturally you cannot make it. Naturally it is over. Naturally you ain't going past. You're not passing Go and collecting $200. It ain't happening. It's done. But that's because I'm looking with my natural eyes. But in the spirit, God says, "Look at that wall that can't come down. I've already given it into your hands." Somebody ought to help me praise God. It looks like it's impossible with man, but with God, oh, I feel like preaching. All things are possible.
What are you facing today? What are you trusting God for today? It may look impossible to you, but I declare to you, stop using your natural eyes and start looking at it with your spiritual eyes. Start looking at it through the word of God. Start looking at it through the promise of God. Start looking at it through what God has told you. Let me help you out. If God said he was going to do it, the devil in hell cannot stop God from doing what he said he would do in your life.
But, but pastor, but pastor, my, my, my career, they, it's been sealed shut. You're looking with the wrong eyes. But, pastor, my dream is over. My, my, my dream's over. You're, it's sealed shut. You're looking with the wrong eyes. But, pastor, my relationship, my marriage, it's over. Whose eyes are you looking with? Are you going to look with natural eyes or you going to look with spiritual eyes? But the doctor told me my body's sick. What eyes are you? I heard that I'm by his stripes I have been healed. He can raise the dead. He can heal the leper. He, leper, he can heal the crippled. He can heal the lame. I believe if he can still heal, then I serve a God who can still serve. Now, are you going to look at it with your natural eyes or you trust God with your spiritual eyes?
He said, "This blessed me. I could have went home after just preaching this." Two verses. Two verses. Verse one says, "It's impossible." Verse two says, "It's possible." Pastor, pastor, Wise, it's verses. Now, it's verses. Which report you going to believe? Verse one, it's impossible. Sealed shut. It's a done deal. Can't do it. Verse two, see, it's been delivered into your hands. What are you facing?
Look, Joshua has to make a decision. Man, do I just, do I go back and tell the people, "Just, we got here too late. It's still shut." Some of y'all telling yourself that my, my windows closed. It's too late. We got here too late. It's sealed shut. Or does Joshua go back and say, "Hey, listen. I just heard from God, and I know that they sealed it shut, and naturally we're out of luck. But I heard from God. And God said, 'I don't care if it's sealed shut. I don't care if it looks impossible. I'm about to tear these walls down if you have enough faith to believe that God can tear down walls that are sealed.'" Are you still with me?
So, the first thing I have to learn, I feel like going to brunch right now. I feel like I'm done. He said, "Not yet. Not yet, preacher. Not yet." That's why you got to write in your notes. God's promise is greater than the obstacle I can see. Do me a favor, if you're writing notes. God's promise is bigger than the obstacle I can see. I want you to change your notes right now. I want you to change your notes. We're going to change, turn this into a fill in the blank. God's promise is greater than the, fill it in. Come on and fill it in. That I see. What's your obstacle? What's your obstacle? Trust God. God's, God's promise is greater than the obstacle that I see.
But not only is God's power greater than the obstacle that I see, God's presence produces victory. I think I'm teaching real good right now. I think, I think I'm about to bless somebody. At least, at least two people. I heard an amen. Keep going on this side. All right. All right.
Verse six. You with me? Verse six. "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.' And he ordered the army, 'Advance, march around the city with an armed guard going ahead of the ark of the Lord.'" Verse eight. "Then Joshua had spoken to the people, the seven priests carrying the seven trumpets before the Lord went forward blowing their trumpets, and the ark of the covenant of the Lord followed them. The armed guard marched ahead of the priests who blew the trumpet, and a rear guard followed the ark. All this time the trumpet was sounding. But Joshua had commanded the army, 'Do not give a war cry. Do not raise your voices. Do not say a word until I tell you to shout.' Then shout."
So he had the ark of the Lord, the ark of the Lord carrying, carried around the city, circling it once. Then the army returned to the camp. What are we doing? And spent the night there. Verse 12. "Joshua got up early the next morning and the priests took the ark of the Lord. The seven priests carrying the seven trumpets went forward marching before the ark of the Lord and blowing the trumpet. The armed men went ahead of them and the rear guard follow guard followed the ark the Lord the of the Lord while the trumpets kept sounding. So on the second day they marched around the city once and returned to the camp. They did this for six days."
Ah, help me Jesus. So God has in verse 6 to 15 given Joshua specific instructions. The instructions he gave. Now I want you to pay attention to this. Now Joshua, as their leader, is instructing them as the Lord has given him instructions. All right? This is obedience. So now they're following the instructions from Joshua. But Joshua is following the instructions he received from the Lord.
Now they're going out, and God has said, "I delivered this city, these to your hands. This wall is going to fall." Now I was with God. I really was. I was with him. You know what I'm saying? This, this city is yours. It's going to collapse. You going to get the king and find and all the men. I'm like, "Let's go. What do we do next?" "Put your weapons away." "What?" "You don't need a sword. You don't need no arrows. You don't need a spear. You don't need a javelin. You don't need any of those things. Just go ahead and find some instruments. We going to praise. Find some instruments, we going to worship." God, I got, I hear you, Lord. This makes no sense.
So, he commands Israel, watch this, to get the ark of the covenant, to have seven priests with trumpets blowing their trumpet. So, we have a, a front guard. Watch this. We have a front guard, uh, leading the people, and then we have the, the ark of the covenant of the Lord here, and, and, and then we have a real guard and the people. So, in the center of this initiative, the people are surrounding the presence of God. Are you with me? So, the ark of the covenant represents the, the presence of God. Now the battle is not led by weapons. Are you with me? But this battle is being led by God himself.
Now the word, this blessed me, because the word of God says that the ark of the covenant was pretty much centered. It was leading them. They were following the ark of the covenant. Now the ark of the covenant represented, if you, if you know Old Testament, uh, uh, literature, theology, the presence of God. So you see the ark of the covenant, you know, and they crossed the Jordan River with it. The presence of God has gone ahead of them.
So now the people of God are walking with the presence of God. But it dawned on me. Not only is the ark of the covenant the presence of God, but what is inside the ark of the covenant? If you open the ark of the covenant, the ark of the covenant has two tablets, two stone tablets in it. The, the, the stone tablets are the commandments.
Now, not only does it have the two tablets that have the commandments or the word of God in it, it also has a jar of manna. Now, this jar of manna was a container that had manna that that reminded them, I feel like shouting, of the miraculous power of God to provide for his people when they were in the wilderness. Are you still with me?
Now, the third, the third item that was in the ark of the covenant was, was Aaron's rod that was budded. You with me? Now, this signified or symbolized that he was chosen. There was a chosen priesthood. And when I use my homiletical, exegetical imagination, I said, "Hold on a minute." They didn't need weapons. They needed faith and obedience.
Why? Because as they're, they're, they're journeying. Now, um, I, I, I try, I was, I was preaching. I was meditating. I was studying. I was meditating. I was meditating. I was like, I, then I tried to like insert myself in the story. Now, I have to be honest. I'm, I'm, I'm, I'm not an objective observer because I already know how the story ends. You with me? But I inserted myself in the text. I said, "Wait a minute. Wait a minute. Wait a minute. You mean to tell me that the ark of the, they were following the ark of the covenant and it circled the walls of Jericho one time, then they went back to the camp. Then the second day, they're following, they're watching the presence of God, the ark of the covenant, and they're going around a second day. Then now it dawned, I said, 'Wait, wait a minute. Wait a minute. Wait a minute. You mean every day they got up? Every day the trumpet was sounding? Every day that the priests were, were worshiping? That you mean to tell me that before them was the fact that the word of God was with them? The, the, the mira, the miraculous power of God was in the ark of the covenant. I, I have to remember that the power of God, he is able to do miracles. So I'm walking around the, the wall needing a miracle, but in the ark of the covenant signifies that God is able to do miracles. Then they're, they're marching around. They have Aaron's, Aaron's rod that was budded that shows you've been chosen. The favor of God rests upon you. Then I realized it wasn't just some object going around the walls multiple times. That every time I look at the ark of the covenant, I have to remember that the word of God has gone with me and the miraculous power of God has gone with me and the favor of God has gone before me. Now, if I have the word of God that never fails, if I have the miraculous power of God that reminds me, he's still able to do miracles, and I know that I have the favor of God resting upon me, this wall is coming down. I don't care if I got to go around this wall seven times or 21 times, but I'm following the presence of God until these walls fall down. Anybody willing to follow the presence of God and the power of God?
Now realize this, this, this strategy makes no sense. It makes, if you don't know, it makes no sense. What do you mean, pastor? We going, we going, we going, we're marching. We're not fighting. We can't shout. We got to be silent and not shout. Some of y'all be in trouble. Them instruments to get you. Shando, he said don't shout. Somebody just, somebody going to get it on the way to brunch.
Now, this what this what got me. This what got me. This what got me. They see no, no, no visible progress. They're, they're, they're marching. Yes. There's, there's no visible progress. Like on day three, can there be like a crack in the wall at least? Shake the earth. Do something. There's no visible progress. There's, there's no, the word of God doesn't say anything about no crack in the wall. The wall starting to shake. Nothing there.
Listen to me, cuz, cuz this, this is some of y'all. Now I got to look up. They're going round and around. And nothing's happening. They look crazy. I mean, on day four or five, some of them like, are we crazy? You know, you start talking to yourself on day five like, hey, you all right? Are we crazy? Have we lost our mind? Is Joshua good? You know the devil going to really show up. Did the Lord really say? Did he really say walk around seven times?
Listen. But the whole time, listen to me. Listen to me. When I was reading and studying that the whole time I said, God must be smiling down. He, nothing's happening. Naturally, they see no progress. But I'm reading this and said, God had to be smiling. Because each day that nothing happened, they remained faithful. Nothing is happening, but they remain faithful. Say, "God has to be smiling."
And someone's in here today and you're, you're going around and around daily, reading the word of God, praying to the Lord, doing your devotional, here in church, in a discipleship group, and when you look out, nothing is happening. You can't see any progress. Listen. And I see God smiling at your faithfulness. You mean when they can't see anything happening in the natural, they're still obeying me? You're, you're, you're reading. You're doing your devotional. I'm done. I'm going in. And I, I still, I'm faithful. I still haven't, I'm still looking for the job. I'm trying my best. Just obeying, but I'm, I'm still waiting on my healing. But nothing seems to be happening. I'm faithful. I'm trusting the Lord. I'm serving. I'm reading the word daily. I'm still single. Help me, Jesus. Help me. Your, your, your light is shining on me and I have the anointing and the appointing and I'm experiencing the disappointing and I'm going faithful as I can. Still don't have the family. Still don't have the home. It's not, nothing's happening.
And if you're honest internally, you're saying, "How long to the promised land? Is this wall ever going to fall?" And the whole time they're faithful. They're faithful. The entire process they choose to be faithful over their frustration. Do you know the mistakes we make, don't we? When we get frustrated. And the whole time they're choosing faithfulness over their frustration. I know you're frustrated. The question is, will you, can you be frustrated and still remain faithful? Can, can you, can I be frustrated that on the outside nothing is happening, but still remain faithful? Amen. Yes, it is. I heard somebody say it's possible.
God's promise is greater than the obstacle that I see. God's presence produces victory. You going to see in a moment. God's power is revealed through obedient faith. I'm back in the Bible. God's power is revealed through obedient faith. Now, if you have your Bible, I'm in verse 15. Y'all with me? Verse 15. It says, "On the seventh day, they got up. At daybreak, they marched around the city seven times in the same manner, except that day they circled the city seven times." You with me? Seven times.
Then the word of God says the seven, the seven times around when the priest sounded the trumpet blast, Joshua commanded the army, "Shout, for the Lord has given you the city. The city, uh, uh, has been devoted, has devoted to him." Then the word of God says, "Then the walls collapsed."
Now, this is interesting. So we know that the Lord gave them Jericho. Yes. All right. We know that on the seventh day they followed God's instructions. Are you with me? Completely. But this time on the seventh day, it was different. Now, day one through six, they went around one time, went back to the camp, spent the night, went back out for six days. On the seventh day, the word of God says they went around seven times. Then the, the trumpet sounded, and then, then Joshua says, "Now shout." They shout unto the Lord. And the word of God says, "The walls fell down."
Now, this is what's interesting. As, as they begin to to to walk around the wall seven times, and they begin to shout, we know that they followed God's instructions. Now, what's interesting is they, they, they use the words, the, the, the God word God gives them is seven, seven priests, seven trumpets, seven times. Now, seven biblically is the number of completion. What's interesting is they go and they go around seven times, and God didn't move, one scholar says, until their obedience was complete. He didn't move until their obedience was complete. When their obedience was complete, the walls came down.
Here's my fear. Many of us give up. And some of us have given up on day six. We've gone around six times. Nothing's happened. This is a waste of time. Some of us have have stopped too soon. My fear is we get so frustrated, you stop being faithful right before he could have moved. What wall is in front of you? What obstacle are you facing? Are you willing to trust God to lead you where he said he would take you? You're frustrated. I can be frustrated and faithful to God. I could allow my frustration to lead to disobedience and rebellion. Joshua teaches us the sound of obedience. It, it wasn't about the shout. When they shouted, their obedience was complete.
One of the hardest things to do as a believer in general is to obey God. But when he is leading your life and you're facing an obstacle, our natural inclination is to try to find a way to figure it out without him. And when God tells you to do something, this made no sense. But Joshua remembered what God told him when he first called him. Now I'm in Joshua chapter one. Josh, uh, Moses, my servant, is dead. Then he says to him, "I'm with you." Then he tells him, "Only be bold and courageous." Then he tells Joshua, watch this. "Meditate on my words day and night. Don't turn from them to the left or to the right, and then your way will be prosperous and you will have, come on, help. You will have good success."
Now we're in chapter six. And he knew his success would always be tied to his willingness to be obedient. God said, "Don't turn from it to the left or to the right." And we know this is true because after Jericho, they go to Ai. I ain't talking about chat. The only AI I know is Allen Iverson. Just letting y'all know right now. And, and, and they, this a small, it's literally small group. Small group. I send the mothers, they'll handle him right now. If this mother's going, mother of the church, hey mothers, you go ahead and handle this. AI go handle him. The mothers, mothers will wear them out. But they didn't listen to what God said, and they fell.
Joshua's heart was broken. How God said you would never leave me. What happened? Somebody in your camp trying to help somebody right now. Some of the reason you ain't getting where you're supposed to is you got the wrong person. Somebody in camp, you praying and they prayin'. I'm talking about P.R.E. Come. And the word of God says there was a man by the name of Achan, and his heart was aching. He had to have what he wanted when he wanted. Didn't care what God said. God said, "I ain't blessing y'all. Not until you get this disobedience out the camp."
Some of you know who I'm about to get in trouble. I shouldn't say this, but I'mma say it anyway. Some of you know right now who's holding you back. Go ahead and write their name in your notes. You know, you know, you know her name. You was just texting them. You know, you know exactly who it is. It ain't always got to be romantic. It could be a professional relationship. You think you need them and you're only going to be successful with them, and you forgot who God was. And God told me, listen to me. It matters who's around you. His success was tied to his obedience. And Joshua was willing to get rid of whatever he had to to make sure his life was aligned with God.