What is your Jericho?

{The content of this post is inspired by the message preached on Sunday by Paul O’Steen.}

Sunday, the Lord had a specific message prepared just for me.  When our preacher stood up to deliver the message, he said that the Lord just laid this passage upon his heart, that someone must have needed to hear it.  That someone was ME! 

For the last several months, I have really struggled with my relationship with Jesus.  While we were walking the journey with Faith, I felt so intimately close with Him.  I depended on Him for everything.  Once we were on the other side and normal life took back over, I kinda put Him on the back burner.  Things got busy, we are having a new baby, I’ve been scared, and on and on and on.  I have really been disappointed in myself. 

I feel like it is a daily prayer of mine that I will be in His will.  But sometimes what He asks us to do can be so intimidating, and we just don’t have it in us to do it.

So here is where the scripture fits in…

Joshua 6:1-20

King James Version (KJV)

6 Now Jericho was straitly shut up because of the children of Israel: none went out, and none came in.

² And the Lord said unto Joshua, See, I have given into thine hand Jericho, and the king thereof, and the mighty men of valour.

³ And ye shall compass the city, all ye men of war, and go round about the city once. Thus shalt thou do six days.

⁴ And seven priests shall bear before the ark seven trumpets of rams' horns: and the seventh day ye shall compass the city seven times, and the priests shall blow with the trumpets.

⁵ And it shall come to pass, that when they make a long blast with the ram's horn, and when ye hear the sound of the trumpet, all the people shall shout with a great shout; and the wall of the city shall fall down flat, and the people shall ascend up every man straight before him.

⁶ And Joshua the son of Nun called the priests, and said unto them, Take up the ark of the covenant, and let seven priests bear seven trumpets of rams' horns before the ark of the Lord.

⁷ And he said unto the people, Pass on, and compass the city, and let him that is armed pass on before the ark of the Lord.

⁸ And it came to pass, when Joshua had spoken unto the people, that the seven priests bearing the seven trumpets of rams' horns passed on before the Lord, and blew with the trumpets: and the ark of the covenant of the Lord followed them.

⁹ And the armed men went before the priests that blew with the trumpets, and the rereward came after the ark, the priests going on, and blowing with the trumpets.

¹⁰ And Joshua had commanded the people, saying, Ye shall not shout, nor make any noise with your voice, neither shall any word proceed out of your mouth, until the day I bid you shout; then shall ye shout.

¹¹ So the ark of the Lord compassed the city, going about it once: and they came into the camp, and lodged in the camp.

¹² And Joshua rose early in the morning, and the priests took up the ark of the Lord.

¹³ And seven priests bearing seven trumpets of rams' horns before the ark of the Lord went on continually, and blew with the trumpets: and the armed men went before them; but the rereward came after the ark of the Lord, the priests going on, and blowing with the trumpets.

¹⁴ And the second day they compassed the city once, and returned into the camp: so they did six days.

¹⁵ And it came to pass on the seventh day, that they rose early about the dawning of the day, and compassed the city after the same manner seven times: only on that day they compassed the city seven times.

¹⁶ And it came to pass at the seventh time, when the priests blew with the trumpets, Joshua said unto the people, Shout; for the Lord hath given you the city.

¹⁷ And the city shall be accursed, even it, and all that are therein, to the Lord: only Rahab the harlot shall live, she and all that are with her in the house, because she hid the messengers that we sent.

¹⁸ And ye, in any wise keep yourselves from the accursed thing, lest ye make yourselves accursed, when ye take of the accursed thing, and make the camp of Israel a curse, and trouble it.

¹⁹ But all the silver, and gold, and vessels of brass and iron, are consecrated unto the Lord: they shall come into the treasury of the Lord.

²⁰ So the people shouted when the priests blew with the trumpets: and it came to pass, when the people heard the sound of the trumpet, and the people shouted with a great shout, that the wall fell down flat, so that the people went up into the city, every man straight before him, and they took the city.

The Lord had given Joshua and the people specific instructions regarding Jericho.  He told them that at the end of seven days, the walls would fall.  How could that be?  These walls were so intimidating, and the task seemed so daunting.  But Joshua obeyed.  And you know what, the Lord kept his promise.

Now, if these people were anything like we are, after the first day, they were over this task.  I’m sure it seemed pointless to them, not to mention…HARD.

How many times do we look at the Jerichos in our lives, and focus on the walls not on Jesus?  He wouldn’t ask us to do something if He didn’t already have it figured out.  We also have to realize that His timing is perfect.  Just because we obey Him for one day, doesn’t mean the walls will fall in one day.

We have seen many Jerichos over the last couple of years.  My current Jericho is my book.  I know the Lord has asked me specifically to write it.  I obeyed for a little while, then it got hard and intimidating.  So I put it down.  I truly believe that if I keep my eyes on Jesus, my Jericho will seem so small.  I am off all next week, and I have been praying that the Lord will give me the words to work on the book next week.  Cade is really worried I won’t finish Faith’s book, so there is some extra motivation involved:)

What is your Jericho?