This past Sunday, our Pastor preached a message called "I Did Not Come To Build A Steeple, But To Plant A Cross". It was an amazing word, an amazing service, and I believe an amazing beginning to something new and great in the life of Legacy Church.  After the message, it made me start to think about all the stories and people God used in His Word to accomplish His Will in uncommon ways. 

Well, when I was reading today I came across one of those stories. It is a story that we all have heard before, The Fall Of Jericho. Now, we all the know this story but today when I read it, I saw it in a totally new way then I had ever seen it before. Now we all know how the story goes, The Lord tells Joshua and the Israelites to walk around the city seven times and the walls will fall down and the city will be theirs. Well, I don't want to talk about the marching, the horns blowing, or even the walls falling down. I want to focus on the very beginning of the story.

Joshua 6:1-2 "Now the gates of Jericho were tightly shut because the people were afraid of the Israelites. No one was allowed to go out or in. But the Lord said..."

Now, Jericho wasn't just some city with some walls around it. Jericho was known for it's walls!! It is said that the walls were wide enough to have two chariots ride side by side on top of the walls. Now, if he walls were that wide, i can only imagine how high they were. That had to be pretty intimidating for the Israelites to come and see. Most of them were probably thinking of how are we going to get inside this city, let alone win the battle. I can see the men discussing between themselves what battle strategy is Joshua going to use and how they are going to clear the walls and take the city. Just then, Joshua walks up and says that they are going to march around the city for seven days and on the seventh day the walls win fall and we will take the city. Can you imagine what all Joshua heard after he said that. But I can see Joshua walking back slowly away from the crowd, as they plead with him to change his mind and other yell to do the same, and say to them, "But the Lord Said."  

What I am trying to say with this story is that no matter what huge issue or insurmountable problem you may face you can look at it and say, “But the Lord said.” The Lord said, “I am more than a conquer.” The Lord said, “No weapon formed against me shall prosper.” The Lord said, “I am the head and not the tail, above and not below.” The Lord said, “the enemy comes at me one way but scatters in seven.” The Lord says, ”I have crushed Satan beneath my feet.” The Lord said, “ I am a Co-heir in Christ.” The Lord said, “ All things are possible through Christ who strengthens me.”  The Lord has spoken countless blessing over his people. In 1 Corinthians 10:13, Paul tells us that God will not allow any temptation to come before us that we can not handle. What I see in that is that we are destined to win. We are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation to win, overcome, and complete and issue, problem, or obstacle that comes our way. In 1 Timothy 4: 12, it tells us to be examples in what we say, how we live, in our faith, in our love, and in our purity. The only way to accomplish that task is to know that we are people destined to win in Christ and know what he has said about us.

I hope this blessed you as much as it blessed me. I am excited to see what the Lord has planned for Legacy church in the future and no matter what happens I know I can stand on what the Lord said.

AMEN (SO BE IT!)

Pastor Tyler