There is an underlying truth to the statement: If walls could talk. If they could talk, tragedy could be avoided, mysteries would be revealed, scandals would not happen. The truth is that walls do talk. We usually look at this text from the perspective of the people. But what if we looked at it from the perspective of the wall? We know what God said. We know what Joshua said. But what might the wall have said? The wall saw both sides. They saw the children of God and the enemy on the inside. There are walls in our spiritual life too. Walls of depression, of hurt and sin. If the walls of Jericho could talk, they would have said that the enemy is more scared than the children of God. The bible says that the walls were shut up tight because the people of Jericho were scared. The walls we have in our spiritual life are also shut, but we are not fighting an all powerful enemy. God is on our side. The walls tell us that the enemy is more scared of us than we are of him. This story tells us that the enemy never tried to make an offensive attack. The children of Israel were marching around without weapons; Jericho could have attacked at any time, but they did not. Israel kept on marching and it drained the moral of the enemy. Israel was doing something that was unexpected. The walls of Jericho tells us that no matter the size of the wall, it is no match for the sound of a shout to the Lord. Shouting is more than just making noise. It is an expression of worship to God.

There is an underlying truth to the statement: If walls could talk. If they could talk, tragedy could be avoided, mysteries would be revealed, scandals would not happen. The truth is that walls do talk. We usually look at this text from the perspective of the people. But what if we looked at it from the perspective of the wall? We know what God said. We know what Joshua said. But what might the wall have said? The wall saw both sides. They saw the children of God and the enemy on the inside. There are walls in our spiritual life too. Walls of depression, of hurt and sin. If the walls of Jericho could talk, they would have said that the enemy is more scared than the children of God. The bible says that the walls were shut up tight because the people of Jericho were scared. The walls we have in our spiritual life are also shut, but we are not fighting an all powerful enemy. God is on our side. The walls tell us that the enemy is more scared of us than we are of him. This story tells us that the enemy never tried to make an offensive attack. The children of Israel were marching around without weapons; Jericho could have attacked at any time, but they did not. Israel kept on marching and it drained the moral of the enemy. Israel was doing something that was unexpected. The walls of Jericho tells us that no matter the size of the wall, it is no match for the sound of a shout to the Lord. Shouting is more than just making noise. It is an expression of worship to God.

The life of Jesus was very different than any life that had come before or has come since. He was a normal man, but yet without sin. Those around Him marveled at his wisdom and knowledge. In our text, Jesus has sat to eat with sinners and the religious leaders of the time ask the question that many often ask of church people: Why is he sitting with those people? Jesus’ answer was brilliant in it’s simplicity and message: He had come to save the lost, not the faithful. God is not repelled by our problems, He is drawn to us because of our problems. Our dilemmas do not disqualify us from God’s mercy. Everybody needs God, but not everybody wants Him. Nevertheless, God is still attracted to us and our problems. Our inability is not a sign of weakness with God, it is a sign of spiritual maturity. God is the only way out of our mess. Willpower cannot address all the issues in our life. There comes a point, when we have to turn it over to God. Our need is what attracts God to us. That is the law of divine attraction.

The life of Jesus was very different than any life that had come before or has come since. He was a normal man, but yet without sin. Those around Him marveled at his wisdom and knowledge. In our text, Jesus has sat to eat with sinners and the religious leaders of the time ask the question that many often ask of church people: Why is he sitting with those people? Jesus’ answer was brilliant in it’s simplicity and message: He had come to save the lost, not the faithful. God is not repelled by our problems, He is drawn to us because of our problems. Our dilemmas do not disqualify us from God’s mercy. Everybody needs God, but not everybody wants Him. Nevertheless, God is still attracted to us and our problems. Our inability is not a sign of weakness with God, it is a sign of spiritual maturity. God is the only way out of our mess. Willpower cannot address all the issues in our life. There comes a point, when we have to turn it over to God. Our need is what attracts God to us. That is the law of divine attraction.

If someone has 20/20 vision, we say that they have good vision. The bible says that without vision, the people perish. Vision is an important sense to have in the physical realm, but it is equally important in a spiritual setting. In the spiritual world, vision is revelation. It is the communication of God’s desires for our lives. The verse from Proverbs also indicates that when we receive the vision, we also receive the purpose for our lives. Vision is the thing that aligns our talents and skills to God’s purpose. Finally Vision can move us to change our life and helps to align ourselves with God’s plan. A life without vision will lead to trouble, aggravation and turmoil. In verse 20 of our text, there are some principles recorded on how to have clarity of vision. Paul is preparing to leave Ephesus and is reminding the believers there of what he had done. He begins by saying that he had held nothing back that would be helpful to their spiritual journey. Paul said that he would use every opportunity to bring the message of the gospel to whomever he could find. He said he preached to the Jew and the Gentile both. Finally, Paul’s message was the same whether he was in a large crowd, or in a single home. The message of Jesus works in a large crowd or one on one. The message does not change, but the method might. It is the same message, but in a different setting. Paul’s message was that the gospel message had to get outside of the church walls, and into individual homes. Paul used every means possible to propagate the Gospel. For the church to be the most effective, it must have 20/20 vision and that will involve good church at the church building, and good church away from the church building.

If someone has 20/20 vision, we say that they have good vision. The bible says that without vision, the people perish. Vision is an important sense to have in the physical realm, but it is equally important in a spiritual setting. In the spiritual world, vision is revelation. It is the communication of God’s desires for our lives. The verse from Proverbs also indicates that when we receive the vision, we also receive the purpose for our lives. Vision is the thing that aligns our talents and skills to God’s purpose. Finally Vision can move us to change our life and helps to align ourselves with God’s plan. A life without vision will lead to trouble, aggravation and turmoil. In verse 20 of our text, there are some principles recorded on how to have clarity of vision. Paul is preparing to leave Ephesus and is reminding the believers there of what he had done. He begins by saying that he had held nothing back that would be helpful to their spiritual journey. Paul said that he would use every opportunity to bring the message of the gospel to whomever he could find. He said he preached to the Jew and the Gentile both. Finally, Paul’s message was the same whether he was in a large crowd, or in a single home. The message of Jesus works in a large crowd or one on one. The message does not change, but the method might. It is the same message, but in a different setting. Paul’s message was that the gospel message had to get outside of the church walls, and into individual homes. Paul used every means possible to propagate the Gospel. For the church to be the most effective, it must have 20/20 vision and that will involve good church at the church building, and good church away from the church building.

Sight is, without a doubt, one of the most important senses. It is difficult to imagine life without being able to see. When the lights go out, we begin to grope around and try to feel our way around. Spiritually, there are a lot of people living in the dark who are living by what they feel rather than what they know. Do not doubt in the dark what God declared in the light. When we cannot see, we have to live for God by what we know, not what we feel because our feelings will lead us the wrong way. In our text, Bartimaeus could not see his answer, but he knew that it was there. He opened his mouth and called out for what he knew was there. We rely on what we see in the flesh, but in the spiritual world, we must rely on what we know. When Bartimaeus began to call out, those around him tried to quieten him down. He ignored the negative voices around him and did not let that dampen his faith. When we step out in faith, many around us will tell us that we should not. We have to listen to God’s voice not those around us. God’s voice will never lead us the wrong way. God knows where we are and we must have blind faith in His leading.

Sight is, without a doubt, one of the most important senses. It is difficult to imagine life without being able to see. When the lights go out, we begin to grope around and try to feel our way around. Spiritually, there are a lot of people living in the dark who are living by what they feel rather than what they know. Do not doubt in the dark what God declared in the light. When we cannot see, we have to live for God by what we know, not what we feel because our feelings will lead us the wrong way. In our text, Bartimaeus could not see his answer, but he knew that it was there. He opened his mouth and called out for what he knew was there. We rely on what we see in the flesh, but in the spiritual world, we must rely on what we know. When Bartimaeus began to call out, those around him tried to quieten him down. He ignored the negative voices around him and did not let that dampen his faith. When we step out in faith, many around us will tell us that we should not. We have to listen to God’s voice not those around us. God’s voice will never lead us the wrong way. God knows where we are and we must have blind faith in His leading.

It is not possible to understate the power and necessity of prayer. Prayer is talking to God. It is not possible to have a relationship without talking, so in order to have a relationship with God we must talk with him. Prayer is the means by which we find out who God is and we develop the relationship. Prayer is made up of many things. Part of prayer should be praise and adoration. Payer includes petition. Prayer can include intersession. One of the most important parts of prayer is giving thanks.

We should exercise these elements of prayer, but Bro. Stevision says we must be more aggressive. Our text is the story of Hannah. She was one of two wives of Eli. She was childless, and her adversary taunted and mocked her. She was prayed for a child, but her adversary provoked her to the point that she transcended from prayer in her flesh, to prayer from our soul. There are times in prayer when only weeping will work. Hannah had reached that point. We have to reach that point. There is power of praying in the Spirit.

It is not possible to understate the power and necessity of prayer. Prayer is talking to God. It is not possible to have a relationship without talking, so in order to have a relationship with God we must talk with him. Prayer is the means by which we find out who God is and we develop the relationship. Prayer is made up of many things. Part of prayer should be praise and adoration. Payer includes petition. Prayer can include intersession. One of the most important parts of prayer is giving thanks.

We should exercise these elements of prayer, but Bro. Stevision says we must be more aggressive. Our text is the story of Hannah. She was one of two wives of Eli. She was childless, and her adversary taunted and mocked her. She was prayed for a child, but her adversary provoked her to the point that she transcended from prayer in her flesh, to prayer from our soul. There are times in prayer when only weeping will work. Hannah had reached that point. We have to reach that point. There is power of praying in the Spirit.