Don’t we all face a Jericho once in a while? A challenge we have never faced before? A challenge that seems to big to overcome? A challenge that seems far beyond us?

We all face our own Jericho’s in life and we need to have confidence that we can conquer them. I believe that one of the key’s to conquering our own Jericho’s is found in this story in the book of Joshua, chapter 2, verses 13 through 15

Joshua 5:13-15 (ESV)
13 When Joshua was by Jericho, he lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, a man was standing before him with his drawn sword in his hand. And Joshua went to him and said to him, “Are you for us, or for our adversaries?”
14 And he said, “No; but I am the commander of the army of the LORD. Now I have come.” And Joshua fell on his face to the earth and worshiped and said to him, “What does my lord say to his servant?”
15 And the commander of the LORD’s army said to Joshua, “Take off your sandals from your feet, for the place where you are standing is holy.” And Joshua did so.

Joshua at this point is getting ready to conquer Jericho and to begin to enter the Promised Land with the Hebrew people who, 40 years earlier, had begun their journey out of bondage in Egypt with Moses.

Jericho is the oldest settlement discovered on this planet! It was established at least 7000 years before Joshua! At this time it was a great, seemingly impenetrable, walled city. The task before Joshua was a spiritual task a spiritual cleansing, not unlike the flood, intended to rid this land of Canaan of a deep idolatry and to rid Jericho of deeply inbred sinful traditions. How did Joshua handle his Jericho? Maybe we can find some clues about how to deal with ours!

When you face your Jericho:

  1. Remember Who is in charge! Jesus is there to help. God will not leave you nor forsake you!
  2. Don’t fall away from your relationship with your creator! Embrace your relationship with Jesus through prayer, through worship, and through praise and joy. Don’t rely on YOUR OWN UNDERSTANDING, seek God’s wisdom and understanding!
  3. And when you do that–be prepared for surprises! God doesn’t always do things just like we would! We should never try to second guess God! Jesus is always there.Jesus can conquer our Jericho’s if we will let Him have His way. We serve a God full of pleasant surprises!
  4. And as you face your Jericho’s in life, be STRONG…and to be COURAGOUS! No matter what troubles may come or how hopeless the situation may seem, just keep walking, keep walking in faith and with Jesus! He will see you through.

Jesus says it best when we want to do it our way rather than God’s way. Listen to His words in Matthew chapter 19, verse 26

Matthew 19:26 (ESV)
“With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”

God not only delivered the city of Jericho to Joshua and his army, he gave them victory after victory as they marched through the land, claiming it for themselves. God can also help us conquer “our Jerichos”!

~~By Jan Puterbaugh, associate pastor