“I’m so tired.” “Yeah, six days of walking the same dusty path is enough to wear out anybody.” “I’ve memorized every rock and shrub over the entire 13 miles.” “And the commander said that today we are going to do it seven times. Doesn’t he see nothing’s happening?” “Just same ole, same ole.” I can imagine somewhere among Joshua’s 40,000 troops a couple of soldiers might have had a similar conservation after circling Jericho for six days, which took 5-6 hours. Or some were just thinking, “Nothing’s happening. Why do we continue doing the same thing?” Did they ponder the strange strategy of just marching? I think I would have wondered how just a shout could affect the well-fortified walls. History records they were three tiered and the height of a modern day four-story building. But despite how hopeless it looked, on the seventh day and the seventh trip around, seven priests blew their shofars, the soldiers shouted, and the impenetrable walls crumbled. Because they did it God’s way, He made something happen.
I, along with many other Christians, can remember following God’s guidance perfectly even though it made no sense; Day after day and nothing happened. As you read this, you may be in this situation. My wife and I both remember praying asking God for enough to pay my graduation fees. For weeks, nothing happened until my former boss called. He said he had been looking for me for over a year. The company had dissolved their retirement plan, and they owed me several hundred dollars—more than enough. I vividly recall waiting day after day for the phone to ring or to receive a letter in the mailbox responding to my application for a teaching position—nothing happened. That was until I received a phone call from someone I’d never met or knew. He was the dean of a small Bible College to which I hadn’t sent an application. He offered me a teaching position. The Bible College was located only five miles from our house. I eventually became the Faculty Chair. We saw nothing happening in either situation but marched on and waited, believing God was working.
When we follow Christ, we will face our own Jerichos. They aren’t physical strongholds like Israel encountered at Jericho but ours are spiritual fortresses. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places (Eph 6:12). Satan does work through people’s flesh, but our battle is not with them but with the spiritual beings that use people as a tool or a weapon. Even if in our flesh we destroyed a person physically or ruined their reputation, etc., the real enemy is still there and simply selects another weapon i.e. person.
Paul tells the church at Corinth what we are warring against; the power of our weapons; and what they can accomplish. For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses. We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ (2Co 10:4, 5). Weapons of the flesh are weak, limited, and can’t reach into the spiritual realms. In contrast, God has given us weapons, which are divinely powerful. Today, armies fight with weapons powered by gunpowder, by rocket fuel, by lasers, and nuclear energy. God powers our spiritual weapons. Divinely is literally the word, God—God powered.
With these weapons, we can destroy fortresses, speculations, and take thoughts captive. A fortress was a military word and meant a stronghold on the battlefield where soldiers were entrenched or a physical fortress like Jericho. Today the devil builds entrenchments of false doctrine, social standards, education philosophy, secular laws, etc. He establishes strongholds in people through addictions as drugs and sexual perversion. Several times Paul emphasizes that Satan’s primary battlefield is our minds. Our mind is the control center of our entire being and the most effective way to influence life is my influencing our thinking. With our divinely powerful weapons we can destroy speculations; the false reasoning, imaginations, and sinful thoughts that arise in our thinking. Paul gives the hope we can take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ. This happens by the renewing of your mind.
I know some are already saying, “You don’t know how entrenched Satan is in me. I can’t destroy his stronghold.” My answer: “No, you can’t.” Israel didn’t have the means to penetrate the walls of Jericho. They crumbled by following God’s plan and guidance. That began with them marching around in circles—couldn’t draw their sword; couldn’t give a battle cry. You shall not shout nor let your voice be heard nor let a word proceed out of your mouth, until the day I tell you, ‘Shout! (Jos 6:10). Many days, all we can do is keep marching with nothing happening and the next day we get up and march again. But then on the seventh day and the seventh circle the stronghold crumbles. The walls of your stronghold fall flat.
Sustaining Word for the Week: If nothing’s happening, just keep marching. It may be your seventh day and the sixth circle.