Bible Text: Joshua 10:24-25 (NLT)
24 Joshua told the captains of his army, “Come and put your feet on the kings’ necks.” And they did as they were told. 25 “Don’t ever be afraid or discouraged,” Joshua told his men. “Be strong and courageous, for the LORD is going to do this to all of your enemies.”
God says, it’s time for us to put our foot on it…
Someone who has been feeling down, somebody who has been feeling distressed, or disappointed, and confused needs to hear this message. Somebody who has felt something so heavy in circumstance that it felt as though a foot is on one’s neck trying to choke the living daylight out of you; not killing you, but cutting off your breath, making it hard to breathe, taking the JOY out of your life. We’ve all felt this way at one time or another in life. Maybe right now.
But now is the time to change! Hopefully, after reading this blog-study and reading the words in Joshua.
You will begin changing positions –
You are going from being under the circumstances to being on top of the circumstances.
From being under pressure, to being the one applying the pressure. You are going to put your foot on it!
When you put your foot on it– it means you are in charge. It means that you are on top of it, it means you are in control, it means that whatever it is you are facing right now… has lost its power to affect you, it means that you have won!
The FIVE KINGS in Joshua –
The FIVE KINGS mentioned in Joshua 10, can represent anything–
Represent financial problems, or marital problems, or physical problems, or spiritual problems. It can represent debt, or sickness or even some personal problems like addictions–drugs, alcohol, pornography, etc.
Whatever it is, it’s time to put your foot down.
“And the God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah) be with you” (Romans 16:20).
AMEN!
Satan has already been defeated, and Jesus has stripped him of his authority and power.
“[God] disarmed the principalities and powers that were ranged against us and made a bold display and public example of them, in triumphing over them in Him and in it [the cross]” (Colossians 2:15).
The devil has NO POWER over my will…
NO POWER over my mind…
NO POWER over my spirit.
It doesn’t matter what the devil does, he cannot take me out of God’s hand! That said…
Don’t make the tragic mistake–
To believe that the devil has no power; that Satan is weak and helpless, that is a tragic mistake.
The devil is defeated from a God perspective, but he is not dead.
While he cannot affect my standing with God, he can definitely mess with my circumstances, my emotions, and he can manipulate people and things.
He can attack through people, through sickness, through financial problems, through attacks on people I love.
It’s one thing to know JESUS defeated Satan and it’s another thing to see that manifested victory in my own personal experience.
I want more than just a revelation of how JESUS defeated the devil (I want that devil under my feet).
JOSHUA’S Message to His Captains:
Come near and put your foot on their necks.
Why the command for a ‘neck stomping’? I believe it was to demonstrate that the victory was real. It was personal, that the enemy was under their feet. That domination over the enemy was being displayed.
Joshua said to those men, this day is your day. Instead of running from it, crying about it and even praying about it.
Today, you’re going to put your foot on it. (And when you do, you’re going to choke the life out of it!).
Waiting for God to Move In and Do Something?
Many times we find ourselves waiting on God; to move in some great supernatural way, and with one swipe, wipe out all our enemies.
But the truth is, to a large degree, God has done everything He is going to do until we do something.
SPIRIT GUT CHECK: He has given us, (His Word), (His name), (His Spirit), (the power of Praise), (the Armor of God).
2 Corinthians 10:3-5:
3 For though we walk (live) in the flesh, we are not carrying on our warfare according in the flesh and using mere human weapons. 4 For the weapons of our warfare are not physical [weapons of flesh and blood], but they are mighty before God for the overthrow and destruction of strongholds [nourished thoughts: The Word Detective’s insert]. 5 [Inasmuch as we] refute arguments and theories and reasonings that sets itself up against the [true] knowledge of God; and we lead every thought and purpose away captive into the obedience of Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One).
NOTICE that Joshua himself did not put his foot upon the necks of the enemy kings, but rather let his captains do tt.
This was to represent the fact this VICTORY belonged to every single Israelite; that every single one of them had defeated their enemies that day.
That means that you and I…
We have the AUTHORITY,
We have the POWER,
We have the WEAPONS (Ephesians 6:11-17).
Quit complaining about it and instead…PUT YOUR FOOT ON IT! TAKE YOUR GOD-GIVEN AUTHORITY!
Luke 10:19: [Note: Insert your own name when you see the word “you”]
Behold! I have given you [Mel] authority and power to trample upon serpents and [physical and mental] strength and ability over ALL THE POWER that the enemy [possesses]; and nothing shall in any way harm you [Mel].
Bringing the Enemy Out of Their Caves
We see Joshua and his men bringing out the FIVE KINGS from their hiding places (Joshua 10:3).
Before you get the VICTORY over that which has burdened you, robbed you, oppressed you, bring it out of hiding.
You have to admit it and identify it. You have to quit pretending it doesn’t exist, or it isn’t that big of a deal, or that you can handle it yourself, keeping it hidden in a cave.
THINGS THAT CAN GROW IN THE DARK
The fact is: Whatever you keep in the dark, grows, and intensifies and multiplies eventually bringing you into slavery–bondage–and if not dealt with–it will DESTROY your life.
Before you can put your foot down and stomp on it, you have to identify it. Recognize it for what it is. Expose it. Get honest with God about it. And HATE IT, and want to be rid of it. I don’t want a “fungus” growing in my house, do you?
For twenty years I smoked a pack of cigarettes per day. I told myself that I couldn’t quit! (No, I didn’t want to quit, because I loved it.)
I hid the evidence from my family; I wouldn’t smoke at home. And yes, even lied about my tobacco addiction to my wife: “It’s all the smoke from the office on my clothes and hair that you smell.”
And then one day, I put my foot on the neck of my addiction. Literally. I spoke out loud to that pack of cigarettes in 1983, “I HATE YOU!” Then I threw the nasty habit on the floor and stomped on it! The desire was gone…forever.
You Will Never Quit anything If You LOVE IT!
— You will never quit drinking if you love it.
— You will never quit lusting if you love it.
— You will never quit overeating if you love it.
— You will never quit over spending if you love it.
— You will never quit quarreling and arguing if you love it.
— You will never quit holding grudges if you love it.
HOLY HATRED – Psalm 139:21-22:
21 Do I not hate them, O Lord, who hate You? And am I not grieved and do I not loathe those who rise up against You? 22 I hate them with perfect hatred; they have become my enemies.
In other words, David here was speaking of a hatred born out of love, his love for God was so strong, it made him hate the things opposed to God.
Your love for God must prove you to HATE the things that adversely affect your relationship with Him. My FLESH may want to learn from a particular direction that it desires, but if it is harmful to my relationship with God, then my spirit man HATES that.
Before You Can STOMP ON IT, You Have to HATE IT!
You can’t tolerate it and conquer it!
You can’t stroke it and conquer it!
You can’t cover it and conquer it!
You can’t deny it and conquer it!
You have to HATE IT…Holy hatred and when you do…go after it to destroy it.
When you passionately hate it, not only will you want VICTORY over it, but you’ll want everyone to have victory over it (a “reformed smoker”); You’ll want to destroy it!
I don’t know what’s in your life right now that you are fighting.
I don’t know how big it is, or small it is. But IT’S TIME! Time for you to put your foot on the enemy’s neck.
When you do, something supernatural is going to happen. God almighty is going to FIGHT with you.
JOSHUA said to these men: If you will just turn and fight your enemies, then God is going to fight with you and not one of your enemies will stand against you.
After putting their foot on the enemies’ necks…(Joshua 10:26)
JOSHUA took those FIVE KINGS and killed them on FIVE TREES till the evening so everyone could witness the VICTORY over the defeated foe.
‘If He did it for me, He will do it for you. Here they are but they are dead now, they have no influence, no power, and no authority over my life.’
It is Time to Put your foot down on it –
It might be something like being STUBBORN (believe it or not, stubbornness is not a spiritual gift); it is an offense to the spirit of Christ.
Or, it may be something like being SARCASTIC. The Bible says that our speech is supposed to be kind and gentle–suppose to minister GRACE to the hearers.
You may say: Well I’m just telling the truth; I’m telling it like it is. (Yes, but when you speak sarcastically, you’ve made the “truth” offensive and you become an instrument of offense instead of grace).
I have been guilty of this very thing. When younger, even while teaching God’s word, I found myself in the cave of SARCASM.
I thought of it as a strength, not as a weakness in my character. I’ve had to deal with it in my life by admitting it, exposing it, and then hating it.
God can help me conquer that area of PRIDE–self-centerness that raises its head occasionally…if, I put my foot down and stomp on it.
Achieving the Victory –
I don’t presume to know what (“it”) is in your life, but it’s time for you to get victory over it.
It’s time for you to have a good old neck stomping on whatever (“IT”) is.
CREDITS:
Exerts from “Put Your Foot Down” by Shelley Wilburn.org
Bible Translations used: Amplified Bible, except where noted.
Photos: Google Search (Images); Photo Pin
The WORD Detective 
Thanks Mel for a powerful word. I think every Christian needs to read this. Thanks for sharing.
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Thanks for your comments Bisi. Look forward to reading your words too.
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Mel, you brought great clarity to the Living Word with these words of yours, showing us how to apply them and the effect they will have on our daily lives – if only we would choose. I loved how you showed that the authority is singular, it belongs to us as individuals, it all comes down to choosing this day whom we will serve. Very thought provoking and eye opening. Thank you for a fresh perspective.
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I appreciate your time to read this post Jeannie. And thanks so much for your comments.
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