A Call to Action

” Now the gates of Jericho were tightly shut because the people were afraid of the Israelites. (Joshua 6:1) ”

There is a growing awareness in our country of the addiction problem. The news channels report on the opiod crisis, spreading knowledge throughout our communities. It is not enough however- we still have families torn apart and men and women overdosing.

In the book of Joshua, we see an example of what often happens today. The city of Jericho had heard all about these people- the Israelites. They had been told about what was happening with them. How did they react? They closed ranks, they locked the gates of the city, afraid of the unkown interaction with them! Jericho was a walled city. No one was going in or out at this point.

I know men and women who have heard all about how to get free from addiction. They have a great awareness of the truth, yet they cotinue to remain behind the wall. It seems like nothing we do helps. We pray, and wonder why God is not moving.

 God did not tell Joshua to just pray!

Joshua and his men were given very specific orders from God. They were to walk around the city seven times, with the priests blowing the horns. When they heard one long blast, they were to shout as loud as they could. Here’s the catch- they were told to be silent until that point!

 “Do not shout,do not even talk, Joshua commanded. Not a single word from any of you until I tell you to shout! Then shout ! ( V.10)”

 The scripture says that the Lord had already given them the victory, but they had to DO something before they would see it!

What does this mean for us? Talking about addiction is not enough. The Lord seems to be issuing a call to action before we will truly see victory. Yes, awareness is needed, but what are we doing?

When a person is caught in the day to day battle of drug or alcohol addiction, words are not enough. They need to see that someone cares.They are afraid, ashamed and in pain. They are like a walled city shut up tight. If we really want to reach them, we need to start walking, not talking. Are you willing to step out of your comfort zone to save someone’s life?

• Tomorrow night I will be meeting with our support group. We will be talking about how we can start walking, how we can put our faith into action in our city. Will you do the same? I want to see the walls of our Jericho fall. 

If you need help, or want to connect with us, reach out! Families in Recovery is here to help! Use the contact page on this website or look us up on Facebook!