Conquer your Jericho : Overcoming the Obstacles of Life

'See! I have given Jericho into your hand.' Joshua 6:2

Here's what you need to know about the walls of Jericho: they were immense. They wrapped around the city like a suit of armour, forty feet above the ground. They were impenetrable. Here is what you need to know about Joshua: he didn't bring the walls down - God did. And God will do that for you too.

Your 'Jericho' is your fear, anger, bitterness or prejudice. It's also: your insecurity about the future; your guilt about the past; and your negativity, anxiety and proclivity to criticise, over-analyse or compartmentalise. Your Jericho is any circumstance, attitude or mindset that keeps you from joy, peace or rest. Jericho blocks your way, so its walls must fall! 'Go in to possess the land which the Lord your God is giving you to possess' (Joshua 1:11 NKJV).

The verb translated as 'possess' means 'to occupy by driving out previous tenants and possessing in their place'. But Satan won't leave without a fight. He will resist. He will push back. But he will not win. Why? Because God has already declared that you are the victor.

The Lord said to Joshua 'See! I have given Jericho into your hand' (Joshua 6:2 NKJV). God did not say, 'Joshua, take the city.' God said, 'Joshua, receive the city I have taken.' The same can be said about you and your challenge. You may say, 'If God has done it for me, what do I have to do?' (1) Receive your victory by faith, just as you received your salvation. (2) Speak victory. Be sure your words line up with God's words. (3) Walk out your victory, one day at a time.

'Joshua...lifted his eyes...a Man stood opposite him.' Joshua 5:13

In late January 1956, Dr Martin Luther King, Jr received a threatening telephone call at his house. It was not the first foreboding message he'd received. But on this night, as his children and his wife lay sleeping, the weight of the Civil Rights Movement was too heavy. He decided that the risk was too great. He began to map out an exit strategy. At midnight he bowed over the kitchen table and began to pray, 'I am afraid. The people are looking to me for leadership, and if I stand before them without strength and courage, they too will falter. I am at the end of my powers. I have nothing left. I've come to the point where I can't face it alone.'

King described what happened next. 'I experienced the presence of the Divine as I have never experienced him before. It seemed as though I could hear the quiet assurance of an inner voice saying: "Stand up for righteousness, stand up for truth; and God will be at your side forever."' When facing a daunting challenge, Dr King shifted his focus and turned to God.

The Bible says: 'When Joshua was by Jericho...he lifted his eyes...and behold, a Man stood opposite him' (Joshua 5:13 NKJV). After Joshua lifted his eyes from Jericho, a divine messenger stood before him with the solution to his problem. As long as your eyes are only on your problem, you won't see your problem solver. You must look up. 'I will lift up my eyes to the hills - from whence comes my help? My help comes from the Lord' (Psalm 121:1-2 NKJV).

Life, in its raw and ragged beauty, is a journey marked by obstacles. So, it is with the obstacles in your life. Perhaps it’s a strained marriage, where vows made in hope now strain against the weight of daily friction. Maybe it’s the ache of a divorce, the dream of a new beginning clouded by past pain. For some, it’s the financial strain of following God’s call—priests moving families across the country, trusting in providence while bills pile high. For others, it’s the academic rigour of study, the balancing act of time, or the quiet wrestle with doubt that keeps you from the land of milk and honey God has promised. What are your Jericho’s? Name them in your heart, for the story of Joshua speaks directly to them.

Sources

https://www.ucb.co.uk/word-for-today/197656