Put Your Feet On The Neck Of The Enemy!

TITLE: “PUT YOUR FEET ON THE NECK OF THE ENEMY!”

 

INTRODUCTION:

We are still busy with possesing and  inheriting the promised land. We are the Joshua Generation. We need to overcome the flesh in the days that we are living. God is giving us many opportunities to overcome the flesh, the draw of the world and the devil.

The devil desires to rule over the church and thereby keep us from receiving the blessings and promises of God. It is God’s desire to bring His Church into a fuller measure of the Holy Spirit for such a time as this. God’s purpose is to prepare His blood-bought church for a great victory over Satan’s kingdom. Jesus wants to lead His people into their inheritance whereby they have victory over all of the works of the enemy.

You are overcoming the world as you separate yourselves from its pull. Watch for the works of the enemy, for he is yet hidden. I am speaking to you of the rulers of darkness that will try to influence your thinking and rule over your actions. The enemy’s  purpose is to keep you from the Promised Land and your inheritance.

 

SCRIPTURE READING:

Joshua 10:16-26 MSG
(16)  Meanwhile the five kings had hidden in the cave at Makkedah. (17)  Joshua was told, “The five kings have been found, hidden in the cave at Makkedah.” (18)  Joshua said, “Roll big stones against the mouth of the cave and post guards to keep watch. (19)  But don’t you hang around–go after your enemies. Cut off their retreat. Don’t let them back into their cities. GOD has given them to you.” (20)  Joshua and the People of Israel then finished them off, total devastation. Only a few got away to the fortified towns. (21)  The whole army then returned intact to the camp and to Joshua at Makkedah. There was no criticism that day from the People of Israel! (22)  Then Joshua said, “Open the mouth of the cave and bring me those five kings.” (23)  They did it. They brought him the five kings from the cave: the king of Jerusalem, the king of Hebron, the king of Jarmuth, the king of Lachish, and the king of Eglon. (24)  When they had them all there in front of Joshua, he called up the army and told the field commanders who had been with him, “Come here. Put your feet on the necks of these kings.” They stepped up and put their feet on their necks. (25)  Joshua told them, “Don’t hold back. Don’t be timid. Be strong! Be confident! This is what GOD will do to all your enemies when you fight them.” (26)  Then Joshua struck and killed the kings. He hung them on five trees where they remained until evening.

 

TEXT:

Joshua 10:24 AB
When they brought out those kings to Joshua, [he] called for all the Israelites and told the commanders of the men of war who went with him, Come, put your feet on the necks of these kings. And they came and put their feet on the [kings’] necks.

Joshua 10:24 AOV
En toe hulle dié konings uitgebring het na Josua, roep Josua al die manne van Israel en sê aan die aanvoerders van die krygsmanne wat met hom saam getrek het: Kom nader, sit julle voete op die nekke van hierdie konings; en hulle het nader gekom en hul voete op hulle nekke gesit.

 

THE PLAN OF THE DEVIL:

There were five kings that tried to keep Joshua and Israel from their inheritance.

The five kings formed an alliance against God’s people after they heard how Joshua had taken Ai. Israel’s army was defeated at Ai the first time because of Achan’s sin.  Achan’s name means “trouble”, and his sin represented giving in to the flesh and the world. (Joshua chapter 7.)  Achan (flesh) was put to death, and then Israel went back and took Ai. Joshua then attacked these five kings at Gibeon.  The names of the five kings are: Adoni-Zedek king of Jerusalem sent to Hoham king of Hebron, Piram king of Jarmuth, Japhia king of Lachish, and Debir king of Eglon.

When Joshua attacked them they hid themselves in a cave at Makkedah.

Makkedah means “place of shepherds.”  These five kings or rulers desire to establish a place of rule over God’s people.  Their desire is to become the “shepherds” over the Lord’s flock through their spiritual influence over God’s people. They desire to replace the spiritual influence of our Shepherd, Jesus Christ, and this is how they plan to do it:

Makkedah is used in the sense of herding, meaning to drive by force to a designated place. So these kings intend to control and move God’s people by force and spiritual pressure to a  place away from the true Shepherd where they can be slaughtered.

 

THE FIVE KINGS:

Theese five kings represents five demonic spirits or rulers that will try to keep you from fully possessing your promised land! Consider how these five demonic spirits may be operating in our lives today? We read in Joshua 10 of Joshua and the Israelites fighting against the five Amorite kings. While they battled the Amorite armies, the five kings that represent five demonic spirits still in operation today went and hid in the cave of Makkedah. They are still hiding in caves in this present age to prevent us from receiving our inheritance!

Let us look at these 5 demonic forces:

Joshua 10:3 NKJV
Therefore Adoni-Zedek king of Jerusalem sent to Hoham king of Hebron, Piram king of Jarmuth, Japhia king of Lachish, and Debir king of Eglon, saying,

 

1. Adoni-Zedek, king of Jerusalem (this is before the Israelites took possession): Represents a spirit of oppression that leads to injustice, fear, poverty, confusion and defeat. This demonic spirit is after your peace and tries to instill worry and fear.

 

2. Hoham, king of Hebron: Represents the spirit of religion, which drives people into religious performance to try to perfect themselves through legalism rather than the leading of the Holy Spirit. This can lead to passivity, retreat, moral corruption, exhaustion, weariness and broken relationships, rejection, sickness and disease. It causes an inability to move forward in the things of God and will always resist spiritual warfare.

 

3. Piram, king of Jarmuth: Represents a spirit of besiegement that can lead to barrenness, poverty, isolation and death. It wants to keep you wild, unbridled and too proud to submit to true spiritual authority so that you will be isolated. It will try to dominate and mislead you. It will try to manipulate and intimidate you. (eg. Jesebel)

 

4. Japhia, king of Lachish: Represents a spirit of blindness. This spirit will try to get you to shine the light on yourself and demand your rights, so that you take God’s glory for yourself and lose the ability to receive revelation from God. It can darken your spiritual understanding, bringing a lack of joy and a feeling of bondage. Pride and self-righteousness.

 

5. Debir, king of Eglon: Represents a spirit of accusation. It seeks to get you to attack others’ reputations, (challenges with words) to bring discredit to leaders, and to stop true prophetic revelation from going forth or to release false prophets. Its goal is to cut off the voice of the Lord, stop the war cry of the saints and remove the presence of God from your midst.

 

JOSHUA’S BLUE PRINT: 

This is what Joshua did to gain the victory over these five kings:

Joshua 10:18 MSG
Joshua said, “Roll big stones against the mouth of the cave and post guards to keep watch.

Bind these powers and seal them up so they will not influence your attitudes and actions.  Set a guard so they don’t break out against you and take you captive.

Joshua 10:24 AB
When they brought out those kings to Joshua, [he] called for all the Israelites and told the commanders of the men of war who went with him, Come, put your feet on the necks of these kings. And they came and put their feet on the [kings’] necks.

Put your feet on the necks of these kings.

Take authority over them and put them under your feet.

Romans 16:20 NKJV
And the God of peace will crush Satan under your feet shortly. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen.

Joshua 10:25-26 NLT
(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.” (26) Then Joshua killed each of the five kings and impaled them on five sharpened poles, where they hung until evening.

Do not fear these spirits, but use the sword, the Word of God, to strike them and slay them.

Ephesians 6:17-18 NIV
(17) Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. (18) And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.

 

CONCLUSION:

Kim Clement prophesied the following on the 2^nd of September 2007:

“I will shake the earth. The five powers that have tried to control My people are being shaken now,” says the Spirit of God. “You may wonder what it is. I’m giving them to you–what the enemy stole at the turn of the century. Azusa, this they called the revival of the beginning of the last century.” Now God says, “A greater than Azusa revival, greater than any century has ever delivered because I am bringing down the five powerful forces and they will never control My people again.”

This is what the Holy Spirit is saying to each of us: “I have given you the victory over these spirits that have come against you and tried to let you operate in the flesh and bring you into a place of decrease. It’s time to put your feet on the neck of the enemy and enforce your victory!”

Jesus is waiting until all enemies are made His footstool. Let your faith arise to realize – the enemies that have been holding you back have been exposed! You have the victory in Christ over all these five demonic spirits [and all other demonic spirits]. Put your feet on their necks [prophetically] right now!

I encourage you to accept and decree your victory over these five demonic spirits.

Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal any way these demonic spirits have been holding you back, and receive your complete freedom today! The Church has won a great victory!