Seven Circles Away From a Solution
Scripture
Joshua 5:13-6:20
13 When Joshua was by Jericho, he lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, a man was standing before him with his drawn sword in his hand. And Joshua went to him and said to him, “Are you for us, or for our adversaries?” 14 And he said, “No; but I am the commander of the army of the Lord. Now I have come.” And Joshua fell on his face to the earth and worshiped and said to him, “What does my lord say to his servant?” 15 And the commander of the Lord's army said to Joshua, “Take off your sandals from your feet, for the place where you are standing is holy.” And Joshua did so.6 Now Jericho was shut up inside and outside because of the people of Israel. None went out, and none came in. 2 And the Lord said to Joshua, “See, I have given Jericho into your hand, with its king and mighty men of valor. 3 You shall march around the city, all the men of war going around the city once. Thus shall you do for six days. 4 Seven priests shall bear seven trumpets of rams' horns before the ark. On the seventh day you shall march around the city seven times, and the priests shall blow the trumpets. 5 And when they make a long blast with the ram's horn, when you hear the sound of the trumpet, then all the people shall shout with a great shout, and the wall of the city will fall down flat, and the people shall go up, everyone straight before him.” 6 So Joshua the son of Nun called the priests and said to them, “Take up the ark of the covenant and let seven priests bear seven trumpets of rams' horns before the ark of the Lord.” 7 And he said to the people, “Go forward. March around the city and let the armed men pass on before the ark of the Lord.”8 And just as Joshua had commanded the people, the seven priests bearing the seven trumpets of rams' horns before the Lord went forward, blowing the trumpets, with the ark of the covenant of the Lord following them. 9 The armed men were walking before the priests who were blowing the trumpets, and the rear guard was walking after the ark, while the trumpets blew continually. 10 But Joshua commanded the people, “You shall not shout or make your voice heard, neither shall any word go out of your mouth, until the day I tell you to shout. Then you shall shout.” 11 So he caused the ark of the Lord to circle the city, going about it once. And they came into the camp and spent the night in the camp.12 Then Joshua rose early in the morning, and the priests took up the ark of the Lord. 13 And the seven priests bearing the seven trumpets of rams' horns before the ark of the Lord walked on, and they blew the trumpets continually. And the armed men were walking before them, and the rear guard was walking after the ark of the Lord, while the trumpets blew continually. 14 And the second day they marched around the city once, and returned into the camp. So they did for six days.15 On the seventh day they rose early, at the dawn of day, and marched around the city in the same manner seven times. It was only on that day that they marched around the city seven times. 16 And at the seventh time, when the priests had blown the trumpets, Joshua said to the people, “Shout, for the Lord has given you the city. 17 And the city and all that is within it shall be devoted to the Lord for destruction. Only Rahab the prostitute and all who are with her in her house shall live, because she hid the messengers whom we sent. 18 But you, keep yourselves from the things devoted to destruction, lest when you have devoted them you take any of the devoted things and make the camp of Israel a thing for destruction and bring trouble upon it. 19 But all silver and gold, and every vessel of bronze and iron, are holy to the Lord; they shall go into the treasury of the Lord.” 20 So the people shouted, and the trumpets were blown. As soon as the people heard the sound of the trumpet, the people shouted a great shout, and the wall fell down flat, so that the people went up into the city, every man straight before him, and they captured the city. (ESV)Wingman, there is a solution to whatever issue you are facing right now. God, in the Book of Joshua has given us a plan, a process for solving problems.This is the story of the fall of Jericho and how it can apply to where you are today spiritually. Jericho was inhabited by evil people. They were living in a place God had promised for His people, not to them. That was God’s land not the Canaanites. Jericho was standing in the way of victory of conquering the land. When Joshua was near Jericho, he saw a man standing by him with his sword drawn in His hand. The “Captain of the Hosts of the Lord”, was the pre-incarnate Jesus. He came to fight, to win the victory of Joshua. Joshua worshipped the Lord and bowed down in submission and surrender. This was holy ground. Jericho was closed—no one coming in or out. The city had two massive stone walls. The outer wall was 6 feet thick and 20 feet high.Now for the game plan. God’s men of war were to march around the City of Jericho encircling it for 6 days (once a day for 6 days). On the 7th day they were to circle the city 7 times. We don’t have to understand God’s ways, only obey what God tells us to do. The number 7 in Scripture is the number of perfection, God’s number. On the 7th time around, trumpets of ram’s horns were to be blown to announce God’s victory and then they were to shout! Joshua did exactly what the Lord had told him and the people to do. God always blesses obedience. As God promised the walls fell and victory became Joshua’s and the people of God.I want you to think about God’s 7 Circles for conquering your own “Jerichos”—impossible circumstances, difficult situations, unsolvable problems, difficult people, discouraging places.Circle 1: You have to See Your Personal JerichoWrite it down. Circle it. That is the target, the focus. Confront it, and stop denying it, justifying it or ignoring it. Your Jericho is whatever is holding you back from doing all God has for you to do and being all God wants you to be.Circle 2: Surrender Your Jericho to GodSurrender the issue to God. Be willing to obey God in this matter even before you know what God is going to tell you to do. “Surrender” means giving up your right to worry about it, fret over it, or try to solve it on your own.Circle 3: Bombard Heaven With Prayer, Asking God to Show You What to Do NextDon’t take matters into your own hands or rush ahead of God. Ask God, “What is the next step? Please, clearly show me.” Pray for wisdom (James 1:5). Pray for light for the next step.Circle 4: Have Faith That God Already Has the AnswerGod already has the solution for your personal Jericho. As Joshua worshipped, he got a word from God. Begin praising God right now, believing that God has the answer. Find a promise from God and hang onto that promise. God is as good as His Word.Circle 5: Make Sure You Are Living Under AuthorityThese two million people in God’s army marched around the walls of Jericho for six days without saying a word. On the seventh day, they marched around it seven times, then blew the trumpet and shouted. They had submitted to God’s authority and followed God’s man. If you are in rebellion against God’s authority, your personal Jericho will not fall. Identify your authority and submit to it.Circle 6: Reserve at Least 30 Minutes a Day for GodThe distance around the wall of Jericho was about nine acres. It would take approximately 30 minutes for a person to walk around the wall. Spend at least 30 minutes a day in prayer, in seeking God, in listening to the voice of God and reading the Word of God. This is the way to personal victory.Circle 7: Actively Wait on God and Trust His TimingCircle 7 can be the most difficult and that is to wait on God’s timing, to wait on God’s activity, to wait on God’s doing something. Waiting on God doesn’t mean doing nothing; it means doing everything you know God wants you to do in the present and trusting God to reveal Himself in His perfect timing.