Your Biggest Problem in Life (Joshua 11: 1-15)

Welcome to this episode where we explore the deeper struggles that shape our spiritual journey. Today’s message, rooted in Joshua 11:1-15, invites us to reflect on the battles we face—both the temporary, everyday hassles and the profound, personal challenges that test our faith.

Episode Overview

In this episode, we examine the story of Joshua and the daunting city of Hazor. Despite Hazor being a massive, fortified city supported by an overwhelming alliance, Joshua triumphed by following God’s clear instructions. His victory wasn’t achieved through might alone but through faith, obedience, and the courage to face his fears head-on.

Study Notes

1. Recognizing the True Nature of Our Problems

• Temporary vs. Spiritual Challenges:
• Identifying Your “Hazor”:

2. Key Steps to Overcome

• Don’t Be Afraid:
  Depend on the Lord:
  Obey God’s Instructions:

Reflection & Discussion

• What is your personal “Hazor”?
• In what ways have you experienced fear or inaction, and how can trusting God change that?
• How can you apply the three steps—courage, reliance on God, and obedience—to your daily struggles?

May these notes guide your study and reflection. Embrace your challenges, trust in the Lord, and remember that every battle is an opportunity for spiritual growth. Welcome once again, and may you find strength and inspiration in today’s episode.

Transcript

Our Biggest Problem in Life (Joshua 11: 1-15)

Transcript: 

I want to ask you a question: What would you say is your biggest problem in life?

Some problems in life are temporary, maybe your car needs servicing or your house needs repairing, your dishwasher is broken. These are headaches, but they’re not something serious.

But what about the bigger spiritual problems?

For a younger man, it might be controlling lust. For a young woman, the pain of waiting to find a man who genuinely respects and loves them. Maybe if you’re older struggle with anger, patience, or fear related impulsiveness, or laziness, that’s not just a problem of the young you know. 

So, what is your greatest spiritual battle?

We've been studying the book of Joshua for a while now and I believe the point we’ve reached today sees Joshua presented with the biggest challenge he has ever faced in his entire life up to this point.

He had entered the Promised Land and already won victories in the central and southern regions. But now, in Joshua 11, he stands before his greatest obstacle yet, a city called—Hazor….

So why was Hazor such a problem. Well, Hazor was the largest city in ancient Palestine—14 times bigger than Gibeon, 25 times bigger than Jericho. If Jericho seemed overwhelming, imagine facing a city 25 times its size.

1 When Jabin king of Hazor heard of this, he sent word to Jobab king of Madon, to the kings of Shimron and Akshaph, 2 and to the northern kings who were in the mountains, in the Arabah south of Kinnereth, in the western foothills and in Naphoth Dor on the west; 3 to the Canaanites in the east and west; to the Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites and Jebusites in the hill country; and to the Hivites below Hermon in the region of Mizpah. 4 They came out with all their troops and a large number of horses and chariots—a huge army, as numerous as the sand on the seashore. 5 All these kings joined forces and made camp together at the Waters of Merom to fight against Israel.

(Joshua 11: 1-5)

And it wasn’t just the city. The opening verses of this chapter tell us that Jabin, the king of Hazor, united all the northern city-states into a massive military force. Some scholars believe "Jabin" wasn’t even a personal name but a title, like "Pharaoh" in Egypt demonstrating the importance of this guy. Either way, Hazor’s king (Jabin) called an alliance against Israel, forming a formidable army.

Verse 4 hints at their numbers: That phrase—"as numerous as the sand on the seashore"—was an ancient expression for an innumerable force.

The Jewish historian Josephus would later estimate based on other accounts their army had that it was made up of

300,000 infantry soldiers

10,000 cavalrymen

20,000 chariots (so requiring at least 40,000 horses)

And these chariots weren’t ordinary chariots; Josephus tells us they were fitted with blades on the wheels, designed to slice through enemy ranks like a scythe through wheat. Josephus account inspired the producers of the film Ben Hur to have the chariots in the famous chariot race scene designed that way. 

Meanwhile, what did Israel have? No chariots. No cavalry even. No superior weapons, maybe not even that many horses, if any. They were an infantry force armed only with swords and shield and their faith and obedience to God.

This was the greatest battle of Joshua’s life. It was like facing an enemy with a gun when all you have is a knife. 

Before we see how Joshua handled this, let me ask you: What is the Hazor in your life?

Everyone has a battle they feel unequipped to fight. For me, one of the biggest struggles I’ve had ever had to struggle with recently was not money itself, but worrying about money.

Call to pastor a church. (Expand)

So, what’s your Hazor?

That one big problem—the one that, if you could just overcome it, you feel like you could finally live victoriously in your spiritual life.

Joshua faced his greatest challenge in Joshua 11, and in verse 6, we find the steps he took to defeat it:

" The Lord said to Joshua, “Do not be afraid of them, because by this time tomorrow I will hand all of them, slain, over to Israel. You are to hamstring their horses and burn their chariots.”

(Joshua 11: 6)

Everything Joshua needed to conquer his biggest obstacle is wrapped up in this one verse. And as I see it, there are three key steps:

1. Don’t Be Afraid

The first thing God tells Joshua is, “Do not be afraid of them.” Fear is often a bigger enemy than the problem itself. Many people are defeated not by their circumstances, but by their fear of facing them.

Fear will cause you to do one of two things: 

·       Run from your problem – But if you run, the problem won’t disappear. It will chase you, and it will win. Victory comes not by avoiding the battle, but by facing it.

·       Freeze in place – Like a rabbit caught in headlights, fear can paralyze you. You may not run, but you don’t act, and inaction guarantees defeat.

That’s why the Lord says, “Do not be afraid.” If fear controls you, you’ll never step forward in faith.

If you are in the habit of running from your problems or freezing in place, you will never be victorious. You must face your Hazor head-on.

2. Depend on the Lord

The second thing God says is, “By this time tomorrow, I will hand all of them over to Israel, slain.” This is God’s promise. Joshua wasn’t expected to win this battle on his own—God had already determined the outcome.

Let me remind you of one of the greatest promises in Scripture:

"I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."

(Philippians 4:13)

Your problem may be bigger than you, but it is not bigger than God.

If you try to conquer your struggles in your own strength, you will fail. But when you depend on the Lord, He will give you the strength to overcome.

I’ve spoken with many people over the years about many different type of problems. I’ve read books, studied courses, and sought wisdom to help others. And yet, I’ve realized this truth:

No matter what guidance you receive, the ultimate answer is always the same, it depends on the Lord.

God will never put you in a situation where you don’t need Him. The very battle you face today maybe exists to bring you closer or even back to Him. But what I need, the Bible says, is only ever, Jesus.

No matter how complicated the problem seems, the answer is simple: Don’t fear, and depend on the Lord.

3. Do What God Tells You to Do

The third thing God tells Joshua is this: "You shall hamstring their horses and burn their chariots with fire."

God didn’t just tell Joshua not to fear. He didn’t just promise victory. He gave him specific instructions on what to do next. Joshua had a role to play and something to do.

Victory doesn’t come by sitting back and waiting for God to act. It comes by obeying what He has already told you to do.

In verses 7-15, we see that Joshua in fact does exactly as God commanded.

7 So Joshua and his whole army came against them suddenly at the Waters of Merom and attacked them, 8 and the Lord gave them into the hand of Israel. They defeated them and pursued them all the way to Greater Sidon, to Misrephoth Maim, and to the Valley of Mizpah on the east, until no survivors were left. 9 Joshua did to them as the Lord had directed: He hamstrung their horses and burned their chariots. 10 At that time Joshua turned back and captured Hazor and put its king to the sword. (Hazor had been the head of all these kingdoms.) 11 Everyone in it they put to the sword. They totally destroyed them, not sparing anyone that breathed, and he burned Hazor itself. 12 Joshua took all these royal cities and their kings and put them to the sword. He totally destroyed them, as Moses the servant of the Lord had commanded. 13 Yet Israel did not burn any of the cities built on their mounds—except Hazor, which Joshua burned. 14 The Israelites carried off for themselves all the plunder and livestock of these cities, but all the people they put to the sword until they completely destroyed them, not sparing anyone that breathed. 15 As the Lord commanded his servant Moses, so Moses commanded Joshua, and Joshua did it; he left nothing undone of all that the Lord commanded Moses.

He marched for five days to meet the enemy. He attacked. He destroyed their chariots. He hamstrung their horses.

Can you imagine those five nights of marching? Every night, as Joshua laid his head on his pillow, I am sure he would have had his doubts:

"What if we lose?" "What if our army isn’t strong enough?" "What if God doesn’t show up?" And yet, he kept moving forward in faith.

If Joshua had ignored God’s instructions—if he had waited for a miracle instead of acting in obedience—he would have been defeated.

So, let me ask you: What is God asking you to do?

You have a problem that seems too big to handle. You have a Hazor in your life. But you also have a choice.

Will you fear, or will you trust?

Will you wait, or will you obey?

But if you want to be victorious, you must:

Stop fearing your problem and depend on the Lord’s promise and do what God has already told you to do.

What step is God calling you to take today?

Because victory is not about what you feel. It’s about what you do in response to His Word.

There were moments after I had served the church for six months and the leadership team hadn’t called a special meeting to discuss my remuneration, I thought, “Lord, did I really hear You right?” 

I remember after 6 months I/m not saying I didn’t have enough to pay the bills, but we were living off of our savings and the annual Church finance meeting was still 3 months away  “Well, I guess this is it.” But then, just at the right time, a lady called Hilary sent a letter with a cheque in it for £500.00 (Expand). 

Now, I don’t want to give the impression that the Christian life is all about getting checks in the mail. That’s not my point. My point is, I had to learn to trust God, and I had to learn to obey Him, even when I didn’t see how it was going to work out.

It was about walking in obedience, one step at a time, and letting God provide. And He did.

That’s what Joshua did. He obeyed, even when the odds looked impossible. He marched forward, even when fear could have stopped him. And God gave the victory.

So, what about you? What’s the battle you’re facing? What’s the problem that seems too big for you to handle?

Here’s the simple biblical formula again: Don’t fear. Depend on the Lord. And do what God tells you to do.

That’s it. That’s how Joshua won his greatest battle, and that’s how you’ll win yours.

Now, take a moment and really think—what’s your big problem? What’s the thing you’ve been running from? Maybe today is the day you stop running. Maybe today is the day you face it, in the strength of the Lord.

Because if God is for you, who can stand against you?

Launch of Podcast. (Expand) Wife ill daughter ill.

Financially tough again. (Expand)

So here's what we decided to do. We decided that we would not tell a living soul. What we were doing then, we would simply trust the Lord and that I would spend all the time I could preparing the best possible podcast based around what that day’s bible passage said.

The Lord used that mightily. 

I'm going to tell you. I have not worried about money since like I did before. I'm not going to say I can tell you about money. That wouldn't be true. But 

I'm going to tell you, being absolutely confronted with the biggest problem of my life and volitionally deciding I'm going to tackle this by the grace of God and I'm going to trust Him, and once and for all defeating it. 

But doing this podcast has become for me the most exciting and frankly the greatest things that ever happened to me.

It has been a whole lot easier to trust the Lord ever since. 

So, what’s your problem? Well, for crying out loud, cry out loud.

Quit worrying about it. Don't fear it. Depend on the Lord. Do what he tells you to do. 

And your biggest problem? Maybe your biggest opportunity to see God really work in your life.