Destroying Jericho

I recently had the opportunity to read the book of Joshua in the Old Testament. As I read, I learned something that really surpirsed me. Something a little unusual with my conception of who Joshua was.

We always think of Joshua as a fearless war-leader who was filled with faith enough to bring down the walls of Jericho. This is amazing to me to think he had that much faith and often times I have wondered if my fear is too great to achieve such faith. It's true, I am afraid of a lot of things. Messing up, being rejected, not being good enough, disappointing others, make a complete fool of myself, skunks, etc. Fears are many. Any of these sound familiar? I can imagine you may relate to one or two. (Maybe not the skunks... That one is a little different... but you get the idea)

Anyways, what do Joshua and all of your fears have in common? Joshua had fears as well. Yes. This is not what you would expect or how the bible portrays him. This isn't doctrine, but as I was reading this was the realization I came to. I discovered that he is constantly and repeatedly reminded that he needs to "Be strong and of a good courage." Ring a bell? Many of us are familiar with Joshua 1:9. "Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest." Did you realize though that there are several other moments where the Lord tells Joshua to be strong? There are four in the first chapter of Joshua alone. As I have read this, it has occurred to me that Joshua had to be comforted over and over again. Think about he amount of faith he had to have to bring down the walls of Jericho... It was a lot.


Fear is natural. BUT fear is the opposite of faith. Where fear is, faith cannot dwell. Think about that: it is fear that holds us back from reaching our full potential. If Joshua had feared, he would have never been able to bring down the walls of the great city, Jericho. It was a miracle wrought by faith. Fear prevents us from achieving, and in some cases even dreaming. Fear is the single most destructive force on the earth. Many have reason to fear, but when we have fear in our heart, we close ourselves off to the great potential that we have to gain. God knows who we can become, is our fear stopping us from achieving that potential?

Yes. Yes it is. I know and will openly confess my fear has held me back a lot. It has prevented me from standing up for what I know is right and has kept me from saying how I really feel over and over again. This has stopped me from doing a lot of things I wish I could have.

How do we dispel fear from our hearts? We need to have faith. We need to rely on the Lord. Are you weak? He is strong. Are you fearful? He will grant you courage. Now, praying for courage will give you opportunities to be coragaeous just as praying for patience gives you challenges that bring a lot of need for patience.Through the enabling power fo the atonement of Jesus Christ you can have the courage, the patience and all you need to overcome any obstacle. You, like Joshua, can destroy your own Jericho. You can be fearless in the face of your foes.

Be strong and of a good courage... God is with you as you stand as His witness!

I love you all:)
Love,
Sister Mackenzie Esmond