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The “JERICHO” story seems to be a theme in my life this year.

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Do not call to mind the former things, Or ponder things of the past. Behold, I will do something new, Now it will spring forth; Will you not be aware of it? I will even make a roadway in the wilderness, Rivers in the desert. The beasts of the field will glorify Me, The jackals and the ostriches, Because I have given waters in the wilderness And rivers in the desert, To give drink to My chosen people. (Isaiah 43:18-20)

My God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold and my refuge; My savior, You save me from violence. (2 Samuel 22:3)

The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, My God, my rock, in whom I take refuge; My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. (Psalm 18:2)

Incline Your ear to me, rescue me quickly; Be to me a rock of strength, A stronghold to save me. (Psalm 31:2)

The LORD of hosts is with us; The God of Jacob is our stronghold. Selah. (Psalm 46:& 11)

God, in her palaces, Has made Himself known as a stronghold. (Psalm 48:3)

Because of his strength I will watch for You, For God is my stronghold. (Psalm 59:9)

But as for me, I shall sing of Your strength; Yes, I shall joyfully sing of Your lovingkindness in the morning, For You have been my stronghold And a refuge in the day of my distress. (Psalm 59:16)

O my strength, I will sing praises to You; For God is my stronghold, the God who shows me lovingkindness. (Psalm 59:17)

He only is my rock and my salvation, My stronghold; I shall not be greatly shaken.
(Psalm 62:2 & 6)
A wise man scales the city of the mighty and brings down the stronghold in which they trust. (Proverbs 21:22)

THE JERICHO WALK – Taking Down Strongholds!
(Joshua 6:1-27)

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, with its king and the valiant warriors. “You shall march around the city, all the men of war circling the city once. You shall do so for six days. “Also seven priests shall carry seven trumpets of rams’ horns before the ark; then on the seventh day you shall march around the city seven times, and the priests shall blow the trumpets. “It shall be that when they make a long blast with the ram’s horn, and when you hear the sound of the trumpet, all the people shall shout with a great shout; and the wall of the city will fall down flat, and the people will go up every man straight ahead.” (Joshua 6:1-6)

I have been praying Isaiah 43:18-19 over my neighborhood (the mountain) for three years. Without giving details, suffice to say there is a palpable spirit of darkness. After sharing this in my Bible Study, Adele came to me a few days later and told me to read the story of how God took down the walls of Jericho (A Stronghold). The moment I heard this, my Spirit “leaped” within me like John the Baptist leaped in Elizabeth’s womb when Mary came to visit her while carrying his cousin, none other than the Lord Jesus Christ! God knows that I have a “doer” personality and I was certain He was speaking to me about something I could “do” along with praying for my neighbors.

Last Sunday, February 28th, I made my first of six laps. I walked by each property praying and spraying. Praying for God to pour out His light in the dark places, AND spraying them from a water bottle laced with a few drops of anointing oil. Abraham did it, so I did. (Genesis 12:7-8) My request of God is to reveal Himself to them that they might believe and be saved. I can think of no better way to love my neighbor as I love myself. (Leviticus 19:18)

Let’s cut for a moment to Randy Freeby’s Prayer Team. We meet on Tuesday at 3:15 to pray and to develop a strategy to get our church praying for leaders, ministries and each other. During our prayer time this week, I believe the Lord gave me a picture of a partially built wall around our church. Then He reminded me of Nehemiah’s wall. It was a perfect picture of ministry (the wall builders) and their praying advocates (wall defenders). (Nehemiah 4:14-18)

It took me a while to see this, but Nehemiah’s wall and the Jericho wall are related. I believe that God tears down strongholds in our lives that cause us to trust in the world and its lies while He then builds up Spiritual strongholds that cause us to trust only in Him and His Truth – His Word!

Back to my Jericho Walk. It was easy for me to walk by myself the first six days, but I was curious how God was going to accomplish the seventh day. On the seventh day there were supposed to be at least seven of us marching seven times around the stronghold. God solved that by prompting Barb, Adele & Connie to walk with me. If you add The Trinity (Father, Son and Holy Spirit), there would be seven walking. But the last day also required trumpets and worshippers “going before us” shouting and blasting their horns. Hmmmm…. Some time during that glorious first service on Sunday morning with the combined choirs from our church and Kent Nazarene, God revealed to me that the worshippers and the trumpets HAD “gone before us”. THEY WERE OUR CHOIRS AND THE ORCHESTRA — these concerts and rehearsals were already part of this amazing process and He spoke it to the four of us.

So we gathered at our home and each of us declared the stronghold we were asking God to tear down. For me it was the neighborhood and a family member who is rebelling against God. After praying we set out to simply trust God and obey by walking around our strongholds seven times.

It’s important to let you know that I live on the edge of the Capitol Forest on an old gravel logging road. The path “around” is over a mile with steep inclines. God bless my friends for their willingness to walk seven miles with me. Not less than half way through our first lap, God began to pour out Scripture to us and He began to peel back layers of bondage in our lives that we didn’t know existed. HE MET US ON THE MOUNTAIN TOP!!! The Spirit of the Living God walked with us as if we were on the Emmaus road. (Luke 24:13-27) God heard His name and bent down to listen. Then He joined us as He joined Cleopas and his companion the day they set out from Jerusalem. Jesus was right there in our midst! No doubt!!! There was such a presence of God, I completely let go of my concerns. I was soaking in God’s Holiness and the rest of the women would tell you the same. We can’t stop talking about it.

Now my daughter, my neighbor and my sister want to take the Jericho Walk. One obvious question. Did God take down the strongholds? I can’t answer at this time, but what I do know is that God did something in my heart that has changed me forever. My walls came down. My burdens were lifted. My heart focused like a laser beam on Jesus. My eyes were opened to see Jesus more clearly.

My friends, there are other strongholds to conquer. I believe God gave Joshua 31 cities and their kings. Using the Jericho model I would encourage you to take back your family, your neighborhood, your town, your state, your government and your country the same way. Organize people or set out on your own. Just do it. Take back the land!

If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land. (2Chronicles 7:14)

There is coming a day of judgment – a day when the land will no longer produce. But that “none would perish” (John 3:16), I’m praying for one more revival. Let it not be said of us, “I searched for a man among them who would build up the wall and stand in the gap before Me for the land, so that I would not destroy it; but I found no one”. (Ezekiel 22:30)

Read the story of Joshua and apply it to the strongholds in your lives. God will bless you. That is a promise from His Word!