Study 5: PULLING DOWN STRONGHOLDS BY FAITH
Hebrews 11:30,31
Hebrews chapter 11 talks about faith, practical faith. It reveals what faith is, does and accomplishes. It focuses on people who exercised faith before, during and after the flood and the law. Some of those who manifested faith included Israelites and Gentiles, men and women who had different kinds of problems similar to those of present-day believers. But all these saints were able to do exploits, get what they desired and overcome their challenges by faith. Faith is not historical but ever present, necessary and indispensable. “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1) The heroes of faith never had any physical manifestation of their expectation and the promise of God before they believed. But they kept on believing in spite of the challenges they faced until they obtained God’s promises. When God reveals the promise of His provision to us, obstacles usually surface before its eventual fulfilment. If we continue to believe that no problem or obstacle can hinder the fulfilment of God’s word in our lives, we will obtain our desired blessing.
Believers can pull down strongholds and do exploits by faith in the Word of God. By faith, Moses did exploits in Egypt through repeated use of the rod of God (Hebrews 11:29). After his death, Joshua did not improvise another rod as some assemblies would do today. He depended on the commandments of God to pull down the walls of Jericho. It is by faith in God’s word that we can pull down the strongholds of sin, sickness and Satan today. With the promise and prophecy of the word, and praying on the word, the believer can pull down every spiritual stronghold around his life, family and ministry.
1. CONQUERING BY FAITH
Hebrews 11:30; Joshua 6:1-5,10,12-16; Psalm 12:3,4; 2 Corinthians 10:4,5
“By faith the walls of Jericho fell down, after they were compassed about seven days.” After their exodus from Egypt, the Israelites journeyed for forty years to the border of the promised land, Canaan. Entering to possess the land would be the final culmination of God’s earlier promise to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Moses that they would inherit Canaan. It was not God’s design for them to remain in Egypt or come out of Egypt to become perpetual nomads in the wilderness; rather, He delivered them so they could pass through the wilderness to Canaan. But Jericho walls stood in their way to getting God’s promise fulfilled in their lives. If Jericho walls are not pulled down, the miracles of coming out of Egypt, passing through the Red sea, drinking water from the rock, and eating manna would be useless. Except the strongholds in the believer’s life are pulled down, past testimonies and experiences of miracles would be worthless.
While Jericho walls were still standing and “Jericho was straitly shut up because of the children of Israel: none went out, and none came in”, God told Joshua, “See, I have given into thine hand Jericho, and the king thereof, and the mighty men of valour”. God had decided it; it was as good as done. Though God’s promise of victory was sure, the children of Israel were instructed to march round the walls for its collapse. We must listen to God’s instruction, pray and obey them to be able to obtain the promise. There is divine-human partnership in getting the promise of God fulfilled in our lives.
Joshua’s command to the people was, “Ye shall not shout, nor make any noise with your voice, neither shall any word proceed out of your mouth, until the day I bid you shout; then shall ye shout.” Some believers seek miracles and desire exploits but they are ignorant of God’s precepts on how to obtain the blessing. God reveals that possessing Jericho and pulling down walls of barriers will happen if we can obey. The key is to keep silent and succeed. This is the antidote to the problem of continual talking and making of sinful utterances that bring avoidable wandering in the wilderness. To get the walls of challenges pulled down, we must also keep quiet and conquer. It is noteworthy that all the Israelites, men, women, boys, girls, old and young obeyed God’s instruction through Joshua. They realized that their tongues had brought much suffering for forty years. For strongholds to come down according to God’s promise, we must stop speaking the words of slander, gossip, accusation, murmuring, backbiting, tale-bearing, anger, pride, self-management, insincerity, dishonesty, disrespect, disregard, sinful independence, discouragement and despair. “And it came to pass at the seventh time, when the priests blew with the trumpets, Joshua said unto the people, Shout; for the LORD hath given you the city.” We will conquer every stronghold when we obey and exercise faith in God like they did. This kind of FAITH is spelt Father And I Together Here.
2.CONFESSION OF FAITH
Hebrews 11:31; Joshua 2:1,8-11; Proverbs 19:2; Isaiah 5:13; Hosea 4:6; Jeremiah 32:27;
Matthew 19:26; Luke 1:37
“By faith the harlot Rahab perished not with them that believed not, when she had received the spies with peace.” When the walls of Jericho came down, Rahab the harlot did not perish with other sinful inhabitants of the land because of her faith in God. Faith is so important because it grants preservation and protection. We can manifest the same kind of faith and be preserved by the Lord. “And she said unto the men, I know that the LORD hath given you the land, and that your terror is fallen upon us, and that all the inhabitants of the land faint because of you.” Rahab made a confession of faith in God. This confession was based on her knowledge of the acts of God. It was this knowledge of God that generates faith that distinguished her from all other inhabitants of Jericho. Ignorance of God’s word is not good: it can ruin the ignorant. “Therefore my people are gone into captivity, because they have no knowledge: and their honourable men are famished, and their multitude dried up with thirst”. It is important for you to know what God has said, what He wants to do, what He will do and what He has for you today by reading, studying and listening to His Word.
Rahab is a good example of how to have faith that brings miracles. Her faith was expressed in her confessionof agreement with God; cooperation with the ambassadors of God; conviction without the anxiety of the godless; consistency of assurance with God; constancy of abiding within the gathering; confinement from the adversaries of God; and confidence in the Almightiness of God.
3.THE CHARACTERISTICS OF FAITH
Hebrews 11:6, 30,31
Faith is Full Assurance In Trusting Hearts. We have faith when our assurance is unwavering in the faithfulness of God that He will do what He has promised. God will never lie and cannot deceive anyone. Even if we are not sure about ourselves, parents, government officials and neighbours’ faithfulness, we can count on His faithfulness in all things and at all times. When He promises to save, heal and deliver, He fulfils His Word. When He said Jericho walls would collapse after seven days, it happened. The faith that every believer needs for miracle reckons it done, receives expected blessings, restraints negative language and thought, restricts association and conversation with unbelievers, and rests on the infallibility of God’s word and its fulfilment.
Pulling down strongholds of sin, challenges, sickness and Satan requires obedience of faith, discipline of faith, patience of faith, expectation of faith, basis of faith (which is the word), confession of faith and reward of faith. God is alive and He rewards the faith of those who diligently seek Him.
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