"Now when Joshua was near Jericho, he looked up and saw a man standing in front of him with a drawn sword in his hand. Joshua went up to him and asked, “Are you for us or for our enemies?” “Neither,” he replied, “but as commander of the army of the Lord I have now come.” Then Joshua fell face down to the ground in reverence, and asked him, “What message does my Lord have for his servant?” The commander of the Lord’s army replied, “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy.” And Joshua did so. Now the gates of Jericho were securely barred because of the Israelites. No one went out and no one came in. Then the Lord said to Joshua, “See, I have delivered Jericho into your hands, along with its king and its fighting men." Joshua 5:13-6:2
Jericho with its massive walls formed an imposing and formidable obstacle between God's people and the land God promised to Abraham some 500 years ago.
If those walls could fall they could conquer Jericho and take possession of the long awaited Promised Land!
But how could that happen?
No one had been able to stand against the fortress or breach its walls! There was an inner wall and there was an outer wall.
This portion of Scripture reveals the first clue to conquering Jericho. According to this messenger from God Joshua was to assess the walls of Jericho from the perspective of God's promises. Here is the promise, “See, I have delivered Jericho into your hands, along with its king and its fighting men."
Joshua was assured of victory before he even aligned his army for battle. At this point he had no idea of how he would conquer Jericho he just knew that he would because God said so! He heard God's promise before he heard God's plan.
Isn't this the way God always works? He always offers His promise prior to revealing His plan.
Why do you suppose that is?
Because God wanted to test and stretch Joshua's faith. Would he believe God's promise BEFORE he received God's plan?
That has been my experience!
God is not obligated to give me a plan but I am obligated to believe His promise! He wants me to build my faith on the foundation of God's character not on the clarity of His plan.
Faith isn't as much about what God has done or will do. It is more about WHO HE IS! Joshua was confident in assessing the walls of Jericho in the light of God's promised victory!
The second reason God gives His promise prior to presenting His plan is because He knows (and you know it, too) if He outlined His plan first we would take the plan and attempt to implement it in our own strength and strategy.
So confidence was beginning to grow within Joshua's heart once he heard the promise of God.
Do God's promises inspire faith within your heart and mind or do you have to have the details in order to believe?
You will be faced with foreboding walls throughout your life.
There will be inner walls to overcome and there will be outer walls to overtake.
Learn from Joshua when you are threatened and intimidated by your walls and assess these walls in light of God's promises. Trust in His character. Have faith the walls will fall!
Know that if God has given you a promise it is His guarantee of His plan! And once your faith rises to the level of His promise you can be sure His plan will soon be revealed!
If those walls could fall they could conquer Jericho and take possession of the long awaited Promised Land!
But how could that happen?
No one had been able to stand against the fortress or breach its walls! There was an inner wall and there was an outer wall.
This portion of Scripture reveals the first clue to conquering Jericho. According to this messenger from God Joshua was to assess the walls of Jericho from the perspective of God's promises. Here is the promise, “See, I have delivered Jericho into your hands, along with its king and its fighting men."
Joshua was assured of victory before he even aligned his army for battle. At this point he had no idea of how he would conquer Jericho he just knew that he would because God said so! He heard God's promise before he heard God's plan.
Isn't this the way God always works? He always offers His promise prior to revealing His plan.
Why do you suppose that is?
Because God wanted to test and stretch Joshua's faith. Would he believe God's promise BEFORE he received God's plan?
That has been my experience!
God is not obligated to give me a plan but I am obligated to believe His promise! He wants me to build my faith on the foundation of God's character not on the clarity of His plan.
Faith isn't as much about what God has done or will do. It is more about WHO HE IS! Joshua was confident in assessing the walls of Jericho in the light of God's promised victory!
The second reason God gives His promise prior to presenting His plan is because He knows (and you know it, too) if He outlined His plan first we would take the plan and attempt to implement it in our own strength and strategy.
So confidence was beginning to grow within Joshua's heart once he heard the promise of God.
Do God's promises inspire faith within your heart and mind or do you have to have the details in order to believe?
You will be faced with foreboding walls throughout your life.
There will be inner walls to overcome and there will be outer walls to overtake.
Learn from Joshua when you are threatened and intimidated by your walls and assess these walls in light of God's promises. Trust in His character. Have faith the walls will fall!
Know that if God has given you a promise it is His guarantee of His plan! And once your faith rises to the level of His promise you can be sure His plan will soon be revealed!
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