“ …On the seventh day, march around the city seven times …” Joshua 6:4 (NIV)
Marathon runners speak of needing to overcome a ‘wall’ in the closing kilometers when their body energy is depleted. In life, our proverbial wall stands between us and our dreams or even our prayers (Daniel 10:12-13). But here are some more nuggets from Joshua and the Jericho-bound Israelites.
Lesson #1 – Potency of God’s Promises
Jericho was fortified with no one going in or out (Joshua 6:1). The enemy may want you to think that your case is shut concerning a job, promotion, health diagnosis, marriage, court case, or another matter. But the situation shifts when God sanctions: “I’ve already given Jericho to you, along with its king and its elite forces.” – Joshua 6:2 (MSG).
Do you notice the use of the word “already,” meaning something has happened before the moment of speaking? Now consider that the victory at Jericho was orchestrated forty years earlier (Exodus 33:1; Joshua 2:9) and not seven days in advance. This is how potent God’s promises are when He sets us on a course. Forty years is a day for Him, and he does not renege on His promises.
Lesson #2 – The Power of Repetition
God told the Israelites to walk around the wall for six days, then seven times on the seventh day (Joshus 6:3-4). What was the point if He had already promised? There is a power in repetition, as promoted by the book – Atomic Habits – teaching practical strategies to form good habits, break bad ones, and master the tiny behaviors that lead to remarkable results. But this is a strategy given by God long before.
Pray It. Claim It. Confess It. Then hit repeat!
I still struggle with consistency in certain areas of my life, but I recall applying for a job and showing up daily to their website for four months. I got it! God wants us to participate by faith, so we activate His promises.
Prayer
Dear God, You promised Abraham that the place where he stepped his foot would be his. Give me the boldness to seek out and tread upon my promised land by faith and in an atmosphere of worship, in Jesus’s name, Amen.
Read: Hebrews 11:30, Jeremiah 1:10
Bible Reading Guide: Psalm 119:65-72; 1 Timothy 5; 1 Timothy 6:1-2; Jeremiah 43; Jeremiah 44; Jeremiah 45
