JERICHO CONQUEST

Joshua 6:1

Now Jericho was securely shut up because of the Children of Israel; none went out, and none came in.

THE FORTIFIED CITY

Why was Jericho so tightly fortified? The people were afraid of the Children of Israel. Why were they afraid? They were afraid of the LORD. The people of Jericho had heard about the water of the Jordan heaping up so that the Children of Israel could pass through; they were afraid of the power of the GOD of Israel.

In our lives we have come across "fortified cities" of trouble. They are thick walled, impenetrable fortresses that stand in the way of us reaching the promises of GOD. It is interesting that, in order to get to Jerusalem (the city of promise) Jericho had to be conquered. In order for us to get to the fulfillment of the promise of GOD in our life, we, too, must conquer a "Jericho".

The troubles that are like Jericho, that stand in the way of GOD's promise to us, have within it great fear of the LORD. This trouble holds us captive by injecting us with terror. In order to liberate the soul from the blockade of a "Jericho", we must follow the plan given to Joshua for the conquest of the city of Jericho.

This week we will explore the way to defeat the fear and crumble the walls of those things that hold us captive. This is a powerful message for anyone who is caught in the rut of addiction, of any sort.