Jericho was the first city Joshua and the second generation had to encounter to enter the promised land and gain their inheritance. A land full of good things and abundance.
But they encountered a high and very strong walked city. So God had them circle the city 7 times and shout and the walls fell down.
The Israelites encountered many high walled cities after this but God only demolished the walls once at Jericho. Why?
To understand this we must go back 40 years to the first generation who failed to enter the promised land
Why? Because the spies returned with this bad report: Dt 1:28
“Where can we go? Our brothers (the spies) have made us lose heart. They say, ‘The people are stronger and taller than we are; the cities are large, with walls up to the sky. We even saw the Anakites there.'”
The people had fear of walls up to the sky and of giants.
Today many don’t enter the fullness of the Christian life, for exactly the same reason: FEAR.
Fear of talking about our faith, fear of rejection, fear to moveto a new country, fear of reaction of my parents, fear of failure, fear of having insufficient money, fear of losing myfriends.
So at Jericho God showed this fear of insurmountable walls was no fear at all and destroyed the walls with just a shout!! For more on this see:
AN IMMOVABLE WALL: How to see a breakthrough
How can we overcome fears and enter God’s abundance? Fear imprisons but without fear we are truly free.
1. Trust in God
Dt 1:30 Moses said to the Israelites with fear:
“The LORD your God, who is going before you, will fight for you”
We must make a decision to trust and obey the word of God. This requires RISK.
2. Live by faith not by what you see
Many reply today, “But I need the courage first to overcome fears or the confirmation”. No it’s by faith! When we choose to obey FIRST, then the grace and courage comes.
3. Believe in your identity
2 Tim 1:6-7, Paul says to Timothy to overcome fears:
“For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.”
Our God given identity and calling is a constant in our lives. We must believe in it and not let it hold us back. Timothy had the gift of an evangelist but was timid about using it. So Paul urged him to combine with the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of power, love and self-discipline.
For more on identity see:
OUR INCREDIBLE IDENTITY IN CHRIST: KIM WALKER AND COL 3:3
4. Do not fear failure
What if I fail? Jesus will still pick you up and you will learn.
Elite athletes, elite musicians, polygots and those exceptional in other areas share one common factor: they consider all failure as a positive thing to learn from and to improve. Every failure becomes an opportunity to improve.
When a toddler is learning to walk and falls down, the father tells his son to get up and keep going, with even more encouragement. This is how our Father in heaven is with us.
5. Spend time receiving God’s love
1 Jn 4:18 says
“Perfect love drives out fear”
When we have God’s love in our hearts, fear has no place.
What now?
A whole generation of Israelites failed to enter the promised land, their inheritance. How about you? Will you decide to overcome all fears and take the abundance of the Christian life that is yours?
Here’s a book that will encourage your devotional life to encourage you to overcome your fears and enter into the life of abundant revival:
GRACE OUTPOURINGS: 21 DAYS REVIVAL DEVOTIONAL which has lots of stories taken from recent revivals for a great devotional experience
