THE UNLIMITED PRAYER POWER OF AN UNCONQUERABLE WARRIOR LEADER

Text: Joshua 10:1-43.

The children of Israel made progress by marching on in the direction that God ordained for them. Our commission is different from that of the children of Israel in that they were to conquer while we are to convert by going into all the world and preaching the gospel of God’s grace and salvation to everyone. Yet, as we read about them, although we are not in warfare as they were and our weapons are not carnal, we must learn from them because the things that were written aforetime were written for our learning. As Joshua, a warrior-leader went to conquer and overcome, Jesus, our Joshua, has overcome for us and because He overcame, we also become unconquerable warrior-leaders. The power we get from heaven comes from supplication, prayer, and intercession. “And Joshua said unto them, Fear not, nor be dismayed, be strong and of good courage: for thus shall the LORD do to all your enemies against whom ye fight.” (Joshua 10:25). We have the same courage that Joshua had. The victory of the past assures us of the victory of the present time and the victory of the time to come. All other powers in the world are limited but the power of prayer, intercession, and making petition before the Lord is unlimited.

1.     THE GODLY FOUNDATION OF FIGHTING FOR VICTORY OVER THE TERRIBLE

Joshua 10:8-11; Isaiah 13:11; 18:2; Jeremiah 15:21.

“And the LORD said unto Joshua, Fear them not: for I have delivered them into thine hand; there shall not a man of them stand before thee. Joshua therefore came unto them suddenly, and went up from Gilgal all night. And the LORD discomfited them before Israel, and slew them with a great slaughter at Gibeon, and chased them along the way that goeth up to Bethhoron, and smote them to Azekah, and unto Makkedah. And it came to pass, as they fled from before Israel, and were in the going down to Bethhoron, that the LORD cast down great stones from heaven upon them unto Azekah, and they died: they were more which died with hailstones than they whom the children of Israel slew with the sword.” (Joshua 10:8-11). God had told Joshua at the foundation of his ministry that no one would be able to stand before him, and He reiterated the promise to him in the presence of the children of Israel. God fought for the children of Israel and granted them victory; He will grant you victory. “And I will deliver thee out of the hand of the wicked, and I will redeem thee out of the hand of the terrible.” (Jeremiah 15:21). When we meditate on the word of God, there is no one under the sun to fear. The terrible people will not determine the course of your life and the terrorisers will not determine the decision of your life. When you stand under the hand of the mighty God of heaven, you will overcome anyone who comes against you.

• God’s Reason for Fighting Against the Canaanites – Genesis 15:16; Deuteronomy 18:9-14; 1 Kings 21:26; Daniel 8:23. “But in the fourth generation they shall come hither again: for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full.” (Genesis 15:16). God had told Abraham that He would judge the Amorites when their iniquities became full. However, they continued in their sins because they thought there would be no repercussions and that they could corrupt themselves over and over. “When thou art come into the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee, thou shalt not learn to do after the abominations of those nations. There shall not be found among you any one that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, or that useth divination, or an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch, Or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard, or a necromancer. For all that do these things are an abomination unto the LORD: and because of these abominations the LORD thy God doth drive them out from before thee. Thou shalt be perfect with the LORD thy God. For these nations, which thou shalt possess, hearkened unto observers of times, and unto diviners: but as for thee, the LORD thy God hath not suffered thee so to do.” (Deuteronomy 18:914). Because of these iniquities and abominations, God wiped out the Canaanites, and if the children of Israel copied the same abominations, He would wipe them out as well.

• God’s Righteousness in Fury Against all Corruption – Genesis 6:5-7,12-13; Ecclesiastes 8:11-13; Habakkuk 1:13; Romans 2:5-11. “And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.” (Genesis 6:5). The people that confederated together against the children of Israel had the same attitude of wickedness and corruption, therefore, God wanted to exterminate them. “Because sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil.” (Ecclesiastes 8:11). Because the judgement did not come speedily and instantaneously on the heathen nations, they went on in their abominations as the people in the time of Noah did. There are people today who misunderstand the message of God’s grace to mean that there is no judgement in the New Testament, therefore, they continue in their sins. There is still judgement today because our God is a consuming fire. “But after thy hardness and impenitent heart treasurest up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God; Who will render to every man according to his deeds: To them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honour and immortality, eternal life: But unto them that are contentious, and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, indignation and wrath, Tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man that doeth evil, of the Jew first, and also of the Gentile; But glory, honour, and peace, to every man that worketh good, to the Jew first, and also to the Gentile: For there is no respect of persons with God.” (Romans 2:5-11). When the Lord saw that the cup of the Amorites was full, He sent judgement to them, and when He sees that the cup of anyone’s sins becomes full, there will be judgement. There is no respect for persons with God, whether in the Old Covenant or the New Covenant.

• God’s Redemption Through Faith and Conversion – Psalm 130:7-8; 51:7-13; Acts 15:3,14-18,28-29; Joshua 6:23-25. Grace, faith, love, hope of heaven, and hell and everlasting punishment are not peculiar to the New Testament but they were experienced in the Old Testament as well. Redemption was available for the people of the Old Testament people, and it is available for us too. “Let Israel hope in the LORD: for with the LORD there is mercy, and with him is plenteous redemption. And he shall redeem Israel from all his iniquities.” (Psalms 130:7-8). When we turn away from sin and believe in the Lord, then the redemption of the Lord becomes effective in our lives. “Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. Make me to hear joy and gladness; that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice. Hide thy face from my sins, and blot out all mine iniquities. Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me. Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit. Then will I teach transgressors thy ways; and sinners shall be converted unto thee.” (Psalms 51:7-13). A new creation was available for them, and it is available for us too. There is a casting away if someone goes back to sin and remains adamant in sin. The Holy Spirit can be grieved and taken away from someone. The Old Testament people knew that when you are saved, forgiven, redeemed, and converted, joy comes with salvation. If you are a transgressor, you cannot teach other transgressors the way of the Lord. The rebellious singer has no ministry to rebellious sinners in the world. It is only when we are converted, and our lives are turned around that we can minister to sinners.

2.      THE GOOD FIGHT OF FAITH FOR VICTORY AND TRIUMPH

Joshua 10:25,29,31,34,36,38,42-43.

“And Joshua said unto them, Fear not, nor be dismayed, be strong and of good courage: for thus shall the LORD do to all your enemies against whom ye fight.” (Joshua 10:25).

(i) United People Fighting the Battles of the Lord – Joshua 10:42-43; 1 Samuel 25:28;

Philippians 2:2-5; 1 Corinthians 1:10. “And all these kings and their land did Joshua take at one time, because the LORD God of Israel fought for Israel. And Joshua returned, and all Israel with him, unto the camp to Gilgal.” (Joshua 10:42-43). The battle the children fought was the battle of the Lord, therefore, He fought for them. “I pray thee, forgive the trespass of thine handmaid: for the LORD will certainly make my lord a sure house; because my lord fighteth the battles of the LORD, and evil hath not been found in thee all thy days.” (1

Samuel 25:28). It is alright to fight if we are fighting the battles of the Lord to rescue the sinners from the hand of Satan, if we are fighting to convert rebels to righteous people, if we are fighting the fight that God Himself has ordained against sin, against sicknesses and diseases which are the consequence of sin, against Satan who does not want Christ to reign, and against anything and anyone who wants to contradict the reign of Christ in your life. We are called to fight against anything and anyone who wants to take holiness away from the church of Christ. The older we get, the more passion we have. The older we get as individuals and as a church, the more determined we become that no one will take away from our hands this gospel of the grace of God, godliness, and holiness. We don’t retire or withdraw from the battle of the Lord because our inner man is renewed day by day.

• United Purpose Fulfilling the Blueprint of the Lord – Joshua 10:25, 29; 9:1-2; 1 John 3:8-9; Acts 26:16-19. “He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil. Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.” (1 John 3:8-9). We must be united with the purpose of Christ which is to destroy sin. “But rise, and stand upon thy feet: for I have appeared unto thee for this purpose, to make thee a minister and a witness both of these things which thou hast seen, and of those things in the which I will appear unto thee; Delivering thee from the people, and from the Gentiles, unto whom now I send thee, To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me. Whereupon, O king Agrippa, I was not disobedient unto the heavenly vision:” (Acts 26:16-19). Always remember that the purpose of your ministration, preaching, singing, and occupying any position in the house of God is to open the eyes of the sinners and turn them from darkness to light.

• United Power of Fortified Believers for the Lord – Joshua 10:25; 23:9-11; Ephesians 6:10-18; Revelation 17:13-14. The Lord fortifies and strengthens us in unity with others who have gone before us, and with those who are present with us to manifest His power. “And Joshua said unto them, Fear not, nor be dismayed, be strong and of good courage: for thus shall the LORD do to all your enemies against whom ye fight.” (Joshua 10:25). Joshua communicated his fearlessness to the other warrior-leaders. God has provided all that we need to make us strong, and because of His provision, He now commands us to be strong. Good courage is the courage we demonstrate on the battlefield and in the presence of enemies. “Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;” (Ephesians 6:10-18). You will be strong and very courageous if you have on the whole armour of God. After you have done all that God commanded you to do, keep on standing so that when another enemy comes, you will defeat them. You must never worry, fret, or be anxious; instead, you should pray about the things that would make you worry or be anxious, and about the intimidation of the terrible.

3.      THE GREAT FAITH IN FULNESS FOR THE VICTORY OF FAITH

Joshua 10:12-15.

• The Great Faith that Receives and Reckons it Done – Matthew 8:8-13; 15:25-28; Romans 4:17-25; Hebrews 11:8,16. “The centurion answered and said, Lord, I am not worthy that thou shouldest come under my roof: but speak the word only, and my servant shall be healed. For I am a man under authority, having soldiers under me: and I say to this man, Go, and he goeth; and to another, Come, and he cometh; and to my servant, Do this, and he doeth it. When Jesus heard it, he marvelled, and said to them that followed, Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel.” (Matthew 8:8-10). The centurion acknowledged that all the sicknesses, diseases, demons, challenges, circumstances, and situations are under the power of Christ as the soldiers are under his and that if Christ spoke to them, they would obey. Great faith is the faith that counts it done when the word is spoken.

• The Greater Faith that Reaches and Rises with the Deliverer – Galatians 2:20; Romans 8:37-39; 2 Corinthians 5:7,14-15; 1 Peter 5:8-9. Different deliverers in the Bible had their kind of faith, but our faith must rise to match the challenges and problems of today. As the situation becomes terrifying, we get a kind of faith that always goes above the terrifying situation. Your faith will rise with the situation you have in hand, and you will always have greater faith, greater voice, greater authority, greater power, and greater confidence in the Lord. “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.” (Galatians 2:20). Christ is all things to all people, and He works in each person who accepts Him in a way that matches the challenges they have.

(iii) The Greatest Faith, that Rules and Reigns over Dominions – Joshua 10:12-15·;

Hebrews 11:33-34; Matthew 9:8; John 14:10-17. “Then spake Joshua to the LORD in the day when the LORD delivered up the Amorites before the children of Israel, and he said in the sight of Israel, Sun, stand thou still upon Gibeon; and thou, Moon, in the valley of Ajalon. And the sun stood still, and the moon stayed, until the people had avenged themselves upon their enemies. Is not this written in the book of Jasher? So the sun stood still in the midst of heaven, and hasted not to go down about a whole day. And there was no day like that before it or after it, that the LORD hearkened unto the voice of a man: for the LORD fought for Israel. And Joshua returned, and all Israel with him, unto the camp to Gilgal.” (Joshua 10:12-15). Those who have the Joshua calling and the Joshua ministry must have the Joshua faith. When you rise and your faith arises with circumstances and situations around you, a greater faith, greater fortitude, and greater firmness will come into your life in Jesus Name. If the sun stood still for Joshua, Satan, sickness, demon powers, evil spirits, and anything that will not make us realise the victory will stand still for us to move on.