Have hope the wall is coming down
Have you ever felt hopeless? Have you ever felt an excruciating emotional pain that your entire body became completely numb and paralyzed to the situation? Have you ever felt like you lost the sense of feeling an emotion because the pain took over joy, peace and love? Have you ever been through something so traumatic that you have said to yourself this wound will never heal? These are statements of hopelessness.
According to the Merriam - Webster Dictionary hopelessness is described as:
Having no expectation of good or success (I’ll never be happy, I’ll never have a good job).
Not susceptible to remedy or cure (I can't be healed from disease or depression or even a broken heart).
Incapable of redemption or improvement (I keep messing up, I just can't get right).
Giving no reason to expect good or success: giving no ground for hope (a desperate situation).
Incapable of a solution, management or accomplishment: impossible a hopeless task.
There were many times in my life where I felt so hopeless! I was deeply stuck in believing that situations and current circumstances would never change! People close to me would never change! I forced myself to believe that the hurt would never go away! There were times in my life where I felt like I was living but had nowhere I was really going! I felt numb, living in a life of routine with no direction. I was like the Israelites trying to get to the promised land! Deep in my heart, I knew God was good! God had spoken to me in several encounters throughout my life and spoke certain promises but I just didn't seem to grasp the true power of God. I didn't seem to believe that those promises were real. I didn't seem to accept that God’s promises were for me and God’s promises were null and void. The promises God gives do not expire!
Take a look at Joshua 1:5-6. God made Joshua a leader to the Israelites after Moses had passed away.
“No one will be able to stand against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you. Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their ancestors to give them.” ~ Joshua 1:5-6
God’s promise to the Israelites:
The Promise Land, also known as a “Land flowing with Milk and Honey”. A land that God had specifically designed and orchestrated for the Israelites to escape captivity. God had promised the Israelites, he would bless them and make them his treasured possession as long as they were loyal to God and each other. Many of them did not make it to their promise. They rebelled and broke the covenant with the Lord. This never changed the promise God had for them. The free will of their actions changed the course of their path. But soon enough…..There was hope! Hope for those who Joshua was leading. Joshua was full of faith. Joshua was committed to obeying God and his obedience led to success! They eventually made it to the Promise Land!
I can only imagine that at some point the Israelites may have been feeling hopelessness. Are we ever going to make it? I can only imagine them wanting to give up and just settle for where they were, coming short of their promise. Have you settled on your promise? Have you given up? It reminds me of that saying, “never seeing the light at the end of the tunnel”.
I ask you today….. Has God given you a promise? Has God shown you your purpose or given you direction? Maybe to be a worship leader? Or get involved with Ministry? To pray for someone? To be loving and kind to someone? Have you been praying for God to show you the promise God has for you? Are you ready to go to your “Promise land” or receive your promise?
But wait!!!!!!! There may be detours, distractions, storms, problems, drama, unforgiveness, hurt, confusion, bondage, addiction, disappointments ……pain!
Joshua 1:7-9 states:
“Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”
God is telling Joshua again… I am with you, be strong, be courageous!
One of Joshua’s distractions or detours that he had to come up against were the walls of Jericho. He made it into the Promise Land and now his clear instructions from the Lord was to claim this land of Canaan and destroy Jericho. In the city of Jericho people worshipped evil and magic, They sacrificed their children to idols. But this was no easy task. It required faith! It required instruction from the Lord! It required obedience! The walls of Jericho were built where no human power should break them down.
Sometimes in our life...God has given us a promise But there is a wall, a distraction, a circumstance that is preventing you from getting that promise. A wall that you keep running up against. A wall that is standing in the way of you receiving your promise. God is speaking to his people today just like he did to Moses, just like he did to Joshua……
What is your wall?
God has promised you something:
A healing in your body.
A healing in a broken relationship or in your marriage.
A change, a blessing, something that you lost sight of.
God is asking you today What is your wall!!!
See...for many years! I had walls. I built my own walls.
I built walls to keep people from hurting me, to protect myself. My walls were built from hurt. God had given Joshua very specific instructions on how to take these walls down. (Read Joshua 6:1-5). For Joshua to receive God’s promise he had to:
Have Faith in the Lord
Obey his commands
Be Strong and Courageous
God had given ME specific instructions about what to do to get from my hopeless situation to the place where God promised me! Forgive those who hurt me! Love my enemies! I had to forgive my mom, I had to forgive my husband, had to forgive myself! I obeyed the Lord and put my faith in him… My walls started to fall down. My heart started to soften. I started to see and received God’s love... his promise! The longer I refused to do these things the longer I kept these walls and was not receiving my promise of, Joy, Love, Peace and Restoration in my relationships!
My walls had to COME DOWN!
Your walls need to come down! Today is the day where you say Lord I need my wall to come down. It may be an addiction, it may be unforgiveness, it may be anger...whatever your wall is… Be Strong be Courageous …and have faith in the Lord. Have faith that you will make it to your Promise Land! God created you to live in peace, with joy and to fulfill the destiny God has for you. How many of you have a promise or a prayer that you are expecting from the Lord? How many of you can be honest with yourself, examine your life and admit that yes I do have walls I have put up in my life?
If you are ready for your walls to fall…. Pray now…..Call on the Lord!
“Dear Heavenly Father,
Forgive me for feeling defeated, forgive me for feeling hopeless. Lord Jesus I ask you to show me what my walls are. Show me who I need to forgive, show me what offense I need to let go of. Show me where I have fallen short. God, I want to destroy this wall forever! Give me direction how? Lord give me strength and boldness to live a life that brings you glory and honor. Lord set me free from any bondage that may be in my way of my promise land. If I have lost sight of my promise, Lord reveal it to me once again. Lord I receive the promise you have for me and my family and I choose to obey your word. God I thank you that you are faithful! I thank you that your promises do not expire! I thank you that you have not left me nor forsaken me. In the mighty name of Jesus break down my walls, Amen!”
Now If God has specifically shown you what your wall is, destroy it! If he shown you a certain person or situation that hurt you…do something about it! God gives all of us specific directions. Love those who hurt you, bless them, forgive them. No longer allow the hurt and pain to be a wall in your life. No longer allow hopelessness to settle in and loose sight of what God has for you. Keep believing, keep praying, and be strong and courageous the Lord, your God is with you!
