“It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery.” —Galatians 5:1 NASB
“So if the Son sets you free, you really will be free.” —John 8:36 NASB
“The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds.” —2 Corinthians 10:4 NIV
Now Jericho was tightly shut because of the sons of Israel; no one went out and no one came in. But the Lord said to Joshua, “See, I have handed Jericho over to you, with its king and the valiant warriors. And you shall march around the city, all the men of war circling the city once. You shall do so for six days. Also seven priests shall carry seven trumpets of rams’ horns in front of the ark; then on the seventh day you shall march around the city seven times, and the priests shall blow the trumpets. It shall be that when they make a long blast with the ram’s horn, and when you hear the sound of the trumpet, 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 ahead.” —Joshua 6:1-5 NASB
Risk + Reward
sometimes what “
sometimes what “
“But though Naaman was a mighty warrior, he suffered from leprosy.” —2 Kings 5:1 NLT
“So Naaman went with his horses and chariots and waited at the door of Elisha’s house. But Elisha sent a messenger out to him with this message: ‘Go and wash yourself seven times in the Jordan River. Then your skin will be restored, and you will be healed of your leprosy.’” —2 Kings 5:9-10 NLT
“But Naaman became angry and stalked away. ‘I thought he would certainly come out to meet me!’ He said. ‘I expected him to wave his hand over the leprosy and call on the name of the Lord his God and heal me! Aren’t the rivers of Damascus, the Abana and the Pharpar, better than any of the rivers of Israel? Why shouldn’t I wash in them and be healed?’ So Naaman turned and went away in a rage.
But his officers tired to reason with him and said, ‘Sir, if the prophet had told you to do something very difficult, wouldn’t you have done it? So you should certainly obey him when he says simply, ‘Go and wash and be cured!’’
So Naaman went down to the Jordan River and dipped himself seven times, as the man of God had instructed him. And his skin became as healthy as the skin of a young child, and he was healed!” —2 Kings 5:11-14 NLT
it doesn’t have to make
“And you shall march around the city, all the men of war circling the city once. You shall do so for six days. Also seven priests shall carry seven trumpets of rams’ horns in front of the ark; then on the seventh day you shall march around the city seven times, and the priests shall blow the trumpets. It shall be when they make a long blast with the ram’s horn, and when you hear the sound of the trumpet, all the people shall should with a great shout; and the wall of the city will fall down flat, and the people shall go up, everyone straight ahead.” —Joshua 6:3-5 NASB
our
“‘My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,’ says the Lord. ‘And My ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so My ways are higher than your ways and My thoughts higher than your thoughts.’” —Isaiah 55:8-9 NLT
“Go forward and march around the city…” —Joshua 6:7 NASB
remember God’s
don’t let your
Discussion Questions
In Joshua 6:1-5, the instructions given to Joshua and the Israelites about conquering Jericho may have seemed illogical. Have you ever encountered a situation where God’s guidance or command seemed to defy human logic or what made sense to you? How did you respond, and what did you learn from that experience about trusting God even when things don’t make sense?
Jericho’s walls were a formidable barrier, yet God instructed the Israelites to march around them for seven days. In your own life, what “walls” or obstacles have you faced that seemed insurmountable or senseless to overcome? How can we draw inspiration from Joshua’s obedience to God’s unconventional plan in our own journeys of faith?
Obedience often requires surrendering our own understanding and desires to God’s will. Discuss a time when you had to let go of your own plans or expectations in order to obey God. What was the outcome, and what did you learn about the importance of trusting God’s wisdom, even when it doesn’t align with your own understanding?
In 2 Kings 5, Naaman’s healing involved dipping himself in the Jordan River seven times, which seemed illogical to him at first. Discuss how impatience or doubt can sometimes hinder our ability to trust God’s timing and methods. How can we learn from Naaman’s example to exercise patience and unwavering trust in God, even when His plans don’t align with our expectations or understanding?