STRONG – Foundational Verses
“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous! Do not tremble or be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.” —Joshua 1:9
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. —Ephesians 6:10
Keys to being STRONG
Importance of guarding your heart
“When Solomon says to guard your heart, he implies that you are living in a combat zone—one in which there are casualties. Many of us are oblivious to the reality of this war. We have an enemy who is bent on our destruction. He not only opposes God, but he opposes everything that is aligned with Him—including us.” —Michael Hyatt
Breakdown of Joshua 5
Verse 1 - Terror of the Kings (The Holy Spirit in your life terrifies the enemy)
In contrast to the permanence of the new birth and the indwelling Holy Spirit, the filling of the Spirit is a repeated experience. That is why Ephesians 5:18 translated literally is “keep being filled” with the Spirit. —John Walvoord
Verses 2-12: Circumcision and Passover (Prepare To Possess)
Verses 13-15: Captain of the LORD’S host (Whose side are you on?)
Gilgal – Circle
- ‘Circle of stones’
- Circular stones laid out in a circular pattern
- Circumcision and the renewal of the eternal covenant
- Gilgal represents rededication to the covenant. Rededication of our hearts to God
Circumcision
- Visible sign of the covenant
- New Testament equivalent is baptism
- Baptism is an outward sign of our inward conversion
- It doesn’t save but it testifies to the world that we have been saved
- Once we become followers of Christ one of our first acts of obedience should be baptism
- Circumcision being conducted so close to the enemy was a demonstration of faith and dependence on the part of the Israelites
7 steps of shame removal
1. Confess sin
2. Renounce sin
3. Break bondages
4. Receive cleansing
5. Start over (Fresh start)
6. Reject lies of the enemy
7. Repeat until free!
Whose side are you on?
First Love (Rev. 2:4)
- Keep the main thing the main thing
- Keeping our love relationship with Jesus as the most important thing in our lives will help us guard our hearts against all the attacks that come against it.
