Conquering our Jericho

In his memoirs General Norman Schwarzkopf tells us about February 23, 1991 – the day before the Allies' ground offensive against Iraq in Operation Desert Storm. Schwarzkopf is filled with doubts, fears, worries, and concerns. He wonders if the Allies succeeded in deceiving Iraqi intelligence; he worries about the SCUD missiles and Iraq's chemical and biological weapons; he is troubled about the elite Republican Guard and their battle skills; he is anxious about the effectiveness of the Allied air-attacks – whether they succeeded in putting the Iraqi army of occupation in Kuwait out of commission. General Schwarzkopf has one big question mark in his mind that last night before the battle begins: will the Allies be successful and how big will be the price in Allied blood and death?

Like General Schwarzkopf, Joshua too has doubts, fears, worries, and concerns. He wonders if his spies' report is accurate – do the people of Jericho really fear Israel; he worries about the archers of Jericho and their accuracy; he is troubled by the high, thick walls and how to get through, under, or around them; he is anxious about the armor and skill of his soldiers. Like Schwarzkopf, Joshua has one big question mark in his mind that last night before the battle begins: will Israel be successful and how big will be the price in Israeli blood and death?

Before Israel could enjoy the pleasures of the Promised Land they had to conquer the impregnable city of Jericho. If they failed to conquer this pagan stronghold, then they could not enjoy the fruit of the Land because of attacks from Jericho. But if they conquered Jericho, then the remaining cities of the Land which were much less formidable would quite easily be conquered and the richness of the Land would be theirs.

Similarly, we often have to conquer "Jerichos" in our lives and the lives of others before we or they can enjoy the blessings that God has in store. God has allowed many "Jerichos" to be placed in our way, let us learn from Israel's example how we can overcome them.

Below are some simple principle that we can observe in Joshua's battle plan.

Faith: Joshua and Israel believed the battle plan.

Obedience: Joshua and Israel followed the battle plan exactly.

Courage: Israel followed the battle plan despite danger.

Endurance: Israel followed the battle plan over a period of time, even when it seemed that nothing was happening.

Israel did not rely on carnal scheming and worldly methods; their trust was in the LORD, not in human ingenuity. Our lives battle plan is clearly stated in the Word of the Lord. When we walk our lives in complete obedience to Him, our "Jerichos" can be easily conquered.

Be Blessed.