Faith that Marches to Victory

Ps Alun Davies2025-08-24
Message Summary

What does it look like to have a faith that doesn't flinch — even when the walls in front of you look completely immovable? In this message, Ps Alun Davies draws on the remarkable story of Joshua and the battle of Jericho to show us that God's ways rarely look like our ways, but they always lead to victory. Faith that marches to victory isn't loud or flashy — it's obedient, persistent, and anchored in trust. If you're facing a wall that won't budge, this message is for you.

Discussion Guide

Talk about it

Youth5 questions

As a teenager, it can feel like the walls you're facing — fitting in, figuring out who you are, dealing with family stress or pressure at school — are way too big to move. The story of Jericho reminds us that God doesn't ask us to have it all figured out. He asks us to trust Him and take the next step, even when it feels pointless or embarrassing. Your faith doesn't have to look impressive — it just has to be real.

  1. What's one 'wall' in your life right now that feels too big for you to deal with on your own?
  2. The Israelite soldiers had to march in silence for six days — how hard would that be for you? What does it look like to 'guard your mouth' when you're going through something tough?
  3. Have you ever felt like God was asking you to do something that didn't make sense? What happened?
  4. The soldiers had to shout before the wall fell — they couldn't see the result first. Is there an area in your life where God might be asking you to trust Him before you can see the outcome?
  5. Who in your life models the kind of faith that keeps going even when nothing seems to be happening?
Young Adults5 questions

Your twenties and thirties can feel like a constant negotiation between what you planned and what's actually happening. Career paths that stall, relationships that don't work out, the pressure to have it together — these are real walls. The story of Jericho speaks directly into that tension: God's strategy rarely looks like our strategy, and His timing is rarely our timing. But faith that keeps marching — even in the confusing middle — is faith that leads somewhere.

  1. What does a 'Jericho wall' look like in your current season of life — something you've been praying or believing for that still hasn't shifted?
  2. The Israelites had to trust God's method even though it looked foolish to outsiders. Are there ways your faith feels countercultural or hard to explain to people around you?
  3. Galatians 6:9 says 'do not grow weary.' Where are you most at risk of giving up right now — in your faith, relationships, career, or something else?
  4. What's the difference between patiently trusting God and just being passive or avoidant? How do you know which one you're doing?
  5. The shout came before the walls fell. Is there a declaration of faith you feel like God is calling you to make — something you'd say out loud before you can see the result?
Families5 questions

Family life is full of walls — kids who are struggling, marriages under pressure, financial stress, and the exhaustion of trying to hold everything together. The Jericho story is a reminder that faith in the family isn't always dramatic — it's often the quiet, daily discipline of trusting God together. When families model persistent, obedient faith, they create a legacy that shapes the next generation.

  1. What's one challenge in your family right now that you've been trying to solve in your own strength? How might you approach it differently with God's guidance?
  2. How do you talk about faith in your home — especially when prayers don't seem to be answered quickly? What message does that send to your kids?
  3. The Israelites had to stay silent and disciplined for six days. What habits or rhythms help your family stay anchored in faith during difficult seasons?
  4. Is there a 'shout of faith' your family could make together — a declaration or commitment that reflects trust in God over your current circumstances?
  5. How can you create space this week to pray together as a family about the things you're believing God for?
Singles5 questions

Living as a single person in a world that often revolves around couples and families can sometimes feel like standing in front of a wall — wondering when things will change, or if they ever will. The Jericho story invites you into a different kind of faith: one that isn't waiting for life to 'start' but is actively marching — trusting that God is at work in this season, not just the next one. Your faith right now is not preparation for your real life. It is your real life.

  1. Are there areas of your life where you've been waiting for your circumstances to change before you fully engage with where God has you right now?
  2. The Israelites kept marching even when nothing visible was happening. What keeps you going spiritually during seasons when it feels like your prayers aren't being answered?
  3. How does community — your friends, church family, small group — help you sustain faith through the longer, quieter seasons?
  4. Is there a 'wall' in your life that you've stopped believing can change? What would it look like to pick that prayer back up?
  5. What's one practical act of obedient faith you could take this week — something that trusts God's direction even before you can see the outcome?
Men5 questions

Leadership — whether in a family, a workplace, or a community — often means being the one who keeps marching when others want to quit. Joshua had to hold the line for seven days, leading people through a strategy that looked like nonsense, trusting God's word over his own instincts. That kind of leadership takes character, humility, and deep faith. This sermon is a challenge for men to lead not with noise and bravado, but with sustained, quiet, obedient trust.

  1. Joshua had to lead people through a plan he probably didn't fully understand himself. Can you think of a time you had to lead — in your family, at work, or in church — without having all the answers?
  2. What are the 'walls' you're currently facing as a man — in your finances, health, relationships, or faith — that you tend to try and muscle through on your own?
  3. What does it look like practically for you to trust God's strategy even when it doesn't match your instincts?
  4. The soldiers were told to stay silent for six days. As men, how well do we guard our words in difficult seasons — and what damage can be done when we don't?
  5. What would it mean for you to lead the people around you with faith that 'marches' — consistent, disciplined, and anchored in God's word?
Women5 questions

There is a quiet strength in the kind of faith the Jericho story describes — not loud or showy, but steady, consistent, and deeply rooted in trust. Many women carry enormous weight: for their families, their friendships, their communities. This message is an encouragement that your persistent, behind-the-scenes faith matters deeply to God — and that He sees every step, even the ones no one else notices. Your marching is not in vain.

  1. What does the wall in front of you look like right now — what's the situation in your life that feels immovable?
  2. The Israelites had to stay silent and trust the process. Is there an area of your life where you feel God asking you to hold your peace and trust Him, rather than trying to fix things yourself?
  3. How do the women in your life — friends, mentors, church family — help you sustain faith through the harder seasons? Who is walking around your 'Jericho' with you?
  4. Is there something you stopped praying about because it seemed too hard or too long in coming? What would it look like to come back to that with fresh faith?
  5. The shout happened before the walls fell. What's one act of faith — a prayer, a declaration, a step of obedience — that you feel God nudging you toward this week?
Connect Together5 questions

Those who have walked with God for many years know something that younger believers are still learning: the walls don't always fall quickly, and the journey between the promise and the breakthrough is where faith is truly formed. The Jericho story is a powerful reminder that God's timing is perfect, His methods are trustworthy, and nothing that has been spoken over your life by faith is wasted. Connect Together, you carry a depth of testimony that can strengthen the faith of everyone around you.

  1. Looking back over your life, can you identify a 'Jericho moment' — a time when you kept trusting God through a long season, and then saw the breakthrough come in His timing?
  2. What have you learned about the relationship between obedience and patience that you wish you'd understood earlier in your faith journey?
  3. The Israelites had to stay silent for six days — guarding their words. What role has the discipline of your words — choosing faith over complaint — played in your walk with God?
  4. How have you seen God use the 'marching seasons' (the times when nothing seems to be happening) to shape your character or deepen your faith?
  5. What wisdom would you pass on to younger believers about trusting God when His ways don't make sense? How can this group be a source of that kind of testimony and encouragement in the church?
New to Church?

Welcome — we're so glad you're here today. If you're new to church or maybe coming back after a long time away, this message is a great one to start with. It's built around one of the most famous stories in the Bible — the battle of Jericho — but don't worry if you're not familiar with it. Ps Alun uses it to explore something we all experience: facing obstacles that feel too big to move. Whether that's a difficult relationship, a tough season at work, or just a sense that life isn't going the way you hoped, this message asks a simple but powerful question — what would it look like to trust that things could change? No prior knowledge of the Bible is needed. Just come as you are, and we hope something today speaks right to where you're at.

Related Verses

Joshua 6:2

And the Lord said to Joshua, 'See, I have given Jericho into your hand, with its king and mighty men of valour.'

Joshua 6:20

So the people shouted, and the trumpets were blown. As soon as the people heard the sound of the trumpet, the people shouted a great shout, and the wall fell down flat, so that the people went up into the city, every man straight before him, and they captured the city.

Hebrews 11:30

By faith the walls of Jericho fell down after they had been encircled for seven days.

Galatians 6:9

And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.

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