Spiritual Leadership: The Spiritual Warrior

October 6, 2020   /   Ryan Brown   /   Palms Baptist Church Bible Study

  • Across a 7 year span, Joshua and Israel conquered over 31 kingdoms
    • That is 4-5 battles a year
  • Three campaigns
    • Central
    • Southern
    • Northern
  • Used a Divide and conquer strategy

Only Be Strong and Courageous

  1. Deuteronomy 31:6

Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the Lord your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you.”

  1. Deuteronomy 31:7

Then Moses summoned Joshua and said to him in the sight of all Israel, “Be strong and courageous, for you shall go with this people into the land that the Lord has sworn to their fathers to give them, and you shall put them in possession of it.

  1. Deuteronomy 31:23

And the Lord commissioned Joshua the son of Nun and said, “Be strong and courageous, for you shall bring the people of Israel into the land that I swore to give them. I will be with you.”

  1. Joshua 1:6

Be strong and courageous, for you shall cause this people to inherit the land that I swore to their fathers to give them.

  1. Joshua 1:7

Only be strong and very courageousbeing careful to do according to all the law that Moses my servant commanded you. Do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may have good success wherever you go.

  1. Joshua 1:9

Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

  1. Joshua 1:18

Whoever rebels against your commandment and disobeys your words, whatever you command him, shall be put to death. Only be strong and courageous.”

  1. Joshua 10:25

And Joshua said to them, “Do not be afraid or dismayed; be strong and courageous. For thus the Lord will do to all your enemies against whom you fight.”

Persistent Strength and Courage Requires a

  • Joshua Contrasts on Fear
    • Mentioned 16 times
      • Israel fears their enemies or their enemies fear God
      • Point is to ultimately lead Israel to fear God
  • Awe breeds Fear, Fear breeds worship
    • Joshua 3:1-17 – Crossing of the Jordan (Awe)
    • Joshua 4:1-9 – Built an altar to remember (Worship)
    • He did this so that all the peoples of the earth might know that the hand of the Lord is powerful and so that you might always fear the Lord your God.”- Joshua 4:24
  • Courage is fearing something greater than the situation that warrants it in the first place (I do not need courage in peaceful situation, I do not need strength in sustainable situations)
    • If I fear God more than my enemy, and I know He’s behind me, physical courage and strength is enabled
    • If I fear God more than my enemy, I’m enabled to moral, emotional, spiritual, and mental strength and courage.
  • I’ve known many men who are courageous in combat, but many who were not strong during or after

*My first Firefight

  • Many men have never stood in awe of anything greater than combat, so that becomes their god
    • That’s where they find their:
      • Identity
      • Purpose
      • Worship
      • Fear
      • Satisfaction
      • Hope

Strength and Courage Requires

That day the Lord exalted Joshua in the sight of all Israel; and they revered him all the days of his life, just as they had revered Moses. – 

The LORD would speak to Moses face to face, as one speaks to a friend. Then Moses would return to the camp, but his young aide Joshua son of Nun did not leave the tent.- Exodus 33:11

Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. –  

  • Humility is
    • being made aware or informed enough to know how stupid, deficient, vulnerable, and incapable you are
    • Pride is being stupid enough to not realize how stupid you are
    • Humility is perspective on who you are in comparison to God, pride is perspective on who you are to other men
    • Who did Israel’s enemies fear? Israel, or Israel’s God?
  • Humility is taught two ways:
    • Scripture – Proper perspective and revelation
    • Experience – Exposing the deficiencies you denied

*First 4 Hours in Sangin

  • My platoon learned humility very quickly, and it was painful enough to remember
    • I was then “lifted up” on deployment

Strength and Courage Requires to God’s

(So God can Lead YOU)

Now when Joshua was near Jericho, he looked up and saw a man standing in front of him with a drawn sword in his hand. Joshua went up to him and asked, “Are you for us or for our enemies?”
“Neither,” he replied, “but as commander of the army of the Lord I have now come.” Then Joshua fell facedown to the ground in reverence, and asked him, “What message does my Lord have for his servant?”
The commander of the Lord’s army replied, “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy.” And Joshua did so. – 

  • The Question is NEVER, “Is God for or against us?”, but should ALWAYS be “Are we for God in this?”
    • Notice: God gave Caanan over to Israel, but God was not for Israel. He was trying to make Israel for God
      • God loved the people of Jericho as much as he loved the people of Israel
        • Difference: Both worshiped idols, both were lost in their sins
        • Answer: God made a promise to Israel for HIS plan and HIS glory through Christ
    • God is for God, God’s mission is His mission, not ours
    • We don’t choose the conflicts our country sends us to, but we can be FOR God in the midst of it
      • I believed we were the “good” guys, and I turned into an awful person
      • I eventually became less focused on the good guys, and being good in the midst of it all

*BATS/HIIDES of executed men

*Ambush of IED emplacers

Strength and Courage Requires

  • Joshua’s Greatest Weakness: Prayer!
  • Most Warriors Greatest Weakness?….Prayer!
    • He had two failures, both do not document a prayer but an assumption in self-ability
  • Joshua 7:2-9
    • Joshua Experienced a tragic day
    • He lamented in prayer
      • The Two Prayers of Combat: We either lament in pain or praise in joy
      • Matthew 6:5-15
        • Pray simply
        • Pray boldly
        • Pray privately
        • Pray sincerely

*My quickest, boldest, and most sincere prayers were in combat

 

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