Walking With Christ

Joshua 6:20 So the people shouted, and the trumpets were blown. As soon as the people heard the sound of the trumpet, the people shouted a great shout, and the wall fell down flat, so that the people went up into the city, every man straight before him, and they captured the city.(ESV)

Most of us can almost hear that shout of triumph. It’s such a glorious thing. The unfortunate truth is that most of us are more like Jericho. We put walls up to keep people out. We become kings and queens in our own little world. We let fear isolate us inside the walls we build. We pridefully, or fearfully, survey our little domain and make plans for how best to maintain what is ours. There truly are some people who need to be kept out of our lives because we are ill equipped to handle the poison they represent. Unfortunately, friend and foe always seem to wear the same faces and it can be incredibly difficult to tell them apart. This leads us to block both out of fear.

Isaiah 30:9 For they are a rebellious people, lying children, children unwilling to hear the instruction of the Lord(ESV)

We are often unwilling or unable to hear what God has to say. Pride or fear end in the same result with hardened hearts. Inside of our walls we have the illusion of control and safety. The enemy is more than happy to let us think that so long as we remain isolated.

Jeremiah 17:9 The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?(ESV)

The heart is easily tricked. It can be infected by the lies of the enemy then lead us astray. The good news is that there is a cure.

Ezekiel 36:26 And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.(ESV)

God transforms hardened hearts. He returns them to a pure and clean state. Then the trick is to teach our hearts who to trust.

Proverbs 3:5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.(ESV)

If we are humble and accept our limitations and faults then we will receive grace.

James 4:6 But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”(ESV)

The shout that brought the walls down at Jericho was preceded by obedience and humility. The people heard and listened then obeyed the word from the Lord. They were humble and received grace. The people inside of Jericho were prideful in thinking that they were perfectly safe from yet another invading force. After all, the city had stood the test of time for centuries before a shout brought them down. For most of the people of Jericho, the shout and the walls falling was a thing to be frightened of. Rahab understood the promise of God and who it was knocking at the door. For Rahab, it was a cry of freedom.

The walls that we think keep us safe can eventually become a prison of our own making. But just as Rahab found hope beyond those walls, the spies she hid were like seeds planted in good soil, protected from the birds. Let the seeds of God’s promises be planted deeply in your heart so that when your walls fall, you won’t fear the collapse, but instead, you’ll find freedom and your shouts will be shouts of praise for the glory of His kingdom.