Conquering Your Jericho (part 2)

Joshua is on a mission to overthrow the city of Jericho.  The next step in his battle plan was to assemble the people and march around Jericho for six days.  The Israelites went about their plan with confidence that God would make good on His promise to deliver the city into their hands.  Did this plan sound nuts?  Do you think, to the Jericho city, the Israelites looked crazy?  I'm sure they did, but they kept marching anyway. 
The second lesson this story teaches us, in order to conquer our challenges, is to step out.  We move out in faith.  Doing our part to be obedient to God and the steps He's shown us to take.  We step out boldly.  Yes, what we do might look strange to others, but keep stepping.  It is God who's looking on and watching.  He'll be the one to do the rest.  Don't be guilty of standing still, of becoming idle, until it all makes sense.  However, that doesn't mean we step out on our own or run ahead.  More on this thought later.  We stand on the promises and then we step out in faith. 

The Israelites were told to shout when they heard the trumpets blow on the seventh day.  In my loose interpretation of this command, I see this great number of people screaming like banshees at a ginormous wall.  But shout they did.  What I find interesting is that they were told to shout, in victory, before the walls fell.  For me, the lesson here is to claim the victory in faith.  I need to claim God's victory in my life in the face of my "jericho". I have already been told that if God is for me, who then can be against me?  If that is a promise I am going to chose to stand on, then I can confidently shout the victory and claim the win.  I can step out knowing that God will make a way.  That doesn't mean that we always get our way, or that it will be easy.  God not just makes a way, but He makes His way.  Sometimes we have to have faith in His plan even when it doesn't look like our idea.  I'm sure the Israelites, given the chance, would have put together a battle plan complete with swords and shields.  However, the plan God had for them was far different. So, the Israelites shouted.

Imagine us as believers committing our hearts to the promises of God.  That these promises would become so pivotal to our spiritual lives  we could emotionally take a firm stand in the middle of life's chaos.  What if we then stepped out in faith and shouted the victory knowing with God we are already conquerors?  Can you imagine how this would impact our community, our families, our own personal life? 

So I guess I misled you all.....after looking at this, I think I just uncovered another lesson. So make that a correction --- there are four lessons we can glean from this story.  The fourth and final lesson will come tomorrow!