TEARING DOWN JERICHO IN YOUR OWN LIFE.

6/25/2019

CAN YOU IMAGINE HOW JOSHUA MUST HAVE FELT WHEN HE CROSSED THE JORDAN RIVER, AND STANDING BEFORE HIM WAS THE MASSIVE SIGHT OF THE CITY OF JERICHO. IT WAS THE FIRST CITY AND PEOPLE THAT THE ISRAELITES WOULD NEED TO DESTROY IN ORDER TO LIVE AND THRIVE IN THE LAND GOD HAD PROMISED TO THEM. THE CITY WAS MASSIVE, AND ACTUALLY WAS SURROUNDED BY TWO HUGE WALLS…..SEEMINGLY IT WAS IMPENETRABLE. IT WAS A CITY AND PEOPLE BUILT IN A MANNER OF CYCLOPIAN ARCHITECTURE AND CULTURE, AND MANY OF ITS PEOPLE WERE CANAANITES, OF GIGANTIC SIZE, AND YET THEY WERE NO MATCH FOR THE ISRAELITES. THE LORD HAD TOLD JOSHUA JUST HOW TO HANDLE THE SITUATION. “MARCH AROUND THE CITY WITH ALL THE MEN OF WAR, CIRCLING THE CITY ONE TIME. DO THIS FOR SIX DAYS. HAVE SEVEN PRIESTS CARRY SEVEN RAM’S HORN TRUMPETS IN FRONT OF THE ARK. BUT ON THE SEVENTH DAY, MARCH AROUND THE CITY SEVEN TIMES WHILE THE PRIESTS BLOW THE TRUMPETS. WHEN THERE IS A PROLONGED BLAST OF THE HORN, AND YOU HEAR ITS SOUND, HAVE ALL THE TROOPS GIVE A MIGHTY SHOUT. THEN THE CITY WALL WILL COLLAPSE, AND THE TROOPS WILL ADVANCE, EACH MAN STRAIGHT AHEAD. “ Joshua 6: 3-5

THE WALLS OF JERICHO INDEED COLLAPSED, AND ALL THE PEOPLE AND ANIMALS INSIDE WERE KILLED, SAVE FOR ONE, RAHAB, AND HER FAMILY WHO HAD KEPT SAFE AN ADVANCE TEAM OF SCOUTS SENT EARLIER FROM THE ISRAELITES. ONE SEEMINGLY IMPOSSIBLE TASK FOR JOSHUA AND HIS PEOPLE HAD BEEN ACCOMPLISHED, SIMPLY BECAUSE THEY HAD LISTENED TO THE WORD OF GOD, AND HAD DONE AS HE HAD COMMANDED THEM. THEY BELIEVED WHAT HE HAD TOLD THEM THAT HE WOULD DO….. I’M SURE THEY MUST HAVE BEEN AFRAID. AFRAID OF DYING, STRUGGLING WITH WHAT SEEMED IMPOSSIBLE, FEARING THAT GOD WOULD BE ANGRY WITH THEM IF THEY DOUBTED HIM, YET TRYING TO APPLY HUMAN LOGIC TO THE SITUATION. FACING THE IMPOSSIBLE, WITH GOD SAYING, “TRUST ME”. “NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE WITH ME AS YOUR GOD”.

I CAN HONESTLY SAY THAT I HAVE HAD SEVERAL JERICHO MOMENTS IN MY LIFE. I FIND THAT AS I AM STRIVING TO GROW IN WHO I AM AS A MAN, AND A FOLLOWER OF JESUS, THE MOMENTS ARE LESS FREQUENT, BUT IN SOME WAYS ALL THE MORE PAINFUL. PAINFUL IN THE SENSE THAT I CAN’T BELIEVE HOW WEAK AND UNSATISFACTORY I FEEL WHEN I LET MY FLESH AND DESIRE FOR THE WORLD OVERCOME ME EVEN IN THE SLIGHTEST WAY. CHOOSING TO HAVE A MOMENT OF DOUBT OR TRUST IN GOD FOR A REALLY HARD SITUATION THAT COMES UP. TRYING TO FIND MY OWN SOLUTIONS TO THINGS, AND LAY MY OWN PLANS INSTEAD OF ASKING GOD FOR HELP, AND THEN TRULY LISTENING AND TRULY TRUSTING. SLIPPING INTO A SINFUL SITUATION OR ACTION THAT I THOUGHT I WAS DONE WITH, ONLY TO FIND MY FEET IN THAT PLACE AGAIN….SO FRUSTRATING. I WANT TO BE EVERYTHING GOD WANTS ME TO BE. I WANT TO FOLLOW HIS DIRECTIONS AND PATH FOR MY LIFE. I WANT TO BE OBEDIENT TO HIM, AND PLEASE HIM, AND BE WORTHY AND COMPLETE,

FUNNY THING IS, I KNOW THAT I CAN ONLY FIND COMPLETENESS IN JESUS. I CAN ONLY BE WORTHY THROUGH HIM IN MY LIFE. IT IS AT TIMES A TOUGH CONCEPT TO REALIZE THAT AT OUR CORE, WE CAN’T ACHIEVE A RIGHTEOUS PERFECTION IN AND OF OURSELVES, OR OUR EFFORTS. WE ONLY ACHIEVE IT THROUGH JESUS AS OUR LORD AND SAVIOR. HE COMPLETES US. HE PERFECTS US. HE HAS THE MERCY TO WATCH US FAIL, CONTINUE TO LOVE US JUST AS WE ARE. THE BEST PART IS THAT HE HELPS US DUST OURSELVES OFF AFTER WE FALL DOWN, SMILES AT US, AND SAYS, “ ARE YOU READY TO KEEP GROWING AND WALKING WITH ME” ? YOU SEE, HE LOVES ME ENOUGH TO NOT LOOK BACK AT MY FAILURES, BUT INSTEAD GUIDE ME TO CONQUER THE ROAD AHEAD. HE TEACHES ME TO BE WHERE MY FEET ARE. TO KEEP GOING, KEEPING MY FAITH, KEEPING MY FOCUS ON WHO I WANT TO BE IN HIM.

SEE I HAVE SET BEFORE YOU TODAY LIFE AND PROSPERITY, AND DEATH AND ADVERSITY; IN THAT, I COMMAND YOU TODAY TO LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD, TO WALK IN HIS WAYS AND TO KEEP HIS COMMANDMENTS AND HIS STATUTES AND HIS JUDGEMENTS, THAT YOU MAY LIVE AND MULTIPLY, AND THAT THE LORD YOUR GOD MAY BLESS YOU IN THE LAND WHERE YOU ARE ENTERING TO POSSESS IT Deuteronomy 33: 15-18

AND HE WAS SAYING TO THEM ALL, “IF ANYONE WISHES TO COME AFTER ME, HE MUST DENY HIMSELF, AND TAKE UP HIS CROSS DAILY AND FOLLOW ME. FOR WHOEVER WISHES TO SAVE HIS LIFE WILL LOSE IT, BUT WHOEVER LOSSES HIS LIFE FOR MY SAKE , HE IS THE ONE WHO WILL SAVE IT. FOR WHAT IS A MAN PROFITED IF HE GAINS THE WHOLE WORLD, AND LOSES OR FORFEITS HIMSELF ? “ Luke 9:23-25

YES, THOSE JERICHO MOMENTS WILL BE WITH US, AND THEY ARE IN MANY WAYS SO IMPORTANT FOR US TO EXPERIENCE AND MOST OF ALL GROW FROM. GOD PROVIDES US THE CHANCE TO SUFFER AND BE TESTED. GOD PROVIDES GREAT CHALLENGES AND STRUGGLES THAT WE MIGHT LEARN FROM THEM. GOD ALLOWS US TO TEST OUR FAITH AND HE GIVES US FREE WILL TO MAKE CHOICES AND DECISIONS. SOME RIGHT, AND SOME WRONG. GOD ALSO PROVIDES US THE MERCY AND NEED TO SEEK HIS LOVE AND SALVATION. IN MY TOUGHEST MOMENTS, I WILL ALWAYS RUN TO FIND HIM AND SEEK THE SAFETY AND LOVE HE HAS FOR ME. HIS LOVE IS DEEP, AND PERFECT, AND MOST OF ALL, WITHOUT END. I AM SO THANKFUL FOR HIS LOVE AND PATIENCE FOR ME….AND MY PRAYER FOR YOU IS THAT YOU TOO WILL SEEK HIM AND FIND THE GIFT HE HAS WAITING FOR YOU. HIS SON, JESUS. IF YOU KNOW JESUS, THEN JUST KEEP GETTING IN DEEPER WITH HIM, AND SEE THE LIFE IN HIM THAT IS WAITING FOR YOU. IT IS TRULY FULL AND COMPLETE ! MAY GOD BLESS YOU/JA

BUT GOD, BEING RICH IN MERCY , BECAUSE OF THE GREAT LOVE WITH WHICH HE LOVED US, EVEN WHEN WE WERE DEAD IN OUR SIN, MADE US ALIVE TOGETHER BY CHRIST. BY GRACE YOU HAVE BEEN SAVED. Ephesians 2:4-5

THANKS BE TO GOD :)