Overcome the Barrier between You and God’s Purpose

Now Jericho was tightly shut because of the sons of Israel; no one went out and no one came in. The LORD said to Joshua, “See, I have given Jericho into your hand.”

—Joshua 6:1–2

Remember the story of Joshua and the conquest of Jericho? As children we were thrilled by the story of the city’s walls tumbling down, especially when the Bible lesson was enhanced by the cutting-edge technology of our childhood: flannel graph.

But what does a wall around a nine-acre city thousands of years ago have to do with us today? More than you think. Because when we dig through the rubble of the collapsed walls of Jericho, we find the God of the impossible.

Forty years after the Israelites left Egypt, Moses died and God appointed a new leader, Joshua. After all their years of wandering, Joshua finally looked beyond the stormy banks of the Jordan River and into the Promised Land. He looked at the dream he had spent years chasing — and he was on the precipice of entering into this new era of blessing.

But there was an obstacle that stood between Joshua and his blessing, and it was the fortified city of Jericho.

The conquest of Jericho shows us how to overcome the obstacles that separate us from our new beginning. Some of you are facing a giant wall in your life. You know exactly where God wants you to be, but there is a barrier that is keeping you from experiencing the joy of God’s will for your life.

For some of you that wall is external. It may be unemployment; no matter how hard you try you can’t secure a job. For some of you that wall is a broken relationship or the heart of a mate that has grown cold. For some of you that wall may be financial problems. For some of you that barrier is a child or a grandchild who has wandered away from the Lord.

For other people the wall is internal. There is something inside that is blocking them from God’s blessing. Perhaps it’s an addiction that has a stranglehold on your life. Maybe it’s a habit you can’t seem to shake no matter how hard you try. For some of you that wall inside may be bitterness over an offense by someone from years ago.

Whether your wall is external or internal, the God of the impossible can help you overcome the wall that is separating you from your new beginning in life.

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Today’s devotion is an excerpt from “The God of the Impossible,” by Dr. Robert Jeffress, 2013

Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®, Copyright © 1960,1962,1963,1968,1971,1972,1973,1975,1977,1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.