Jericho: Footholds & Strongholds (3 Of 4) Series

Scripture: Joshua 6:1–5

“Now Jericho was shut up inside and outside because of the people of Israel. None went out, and none came in. And the Lord said to Joshua, ‘See, I have given Jericho into your hand, with its king and mighty men of valor. You shall march around the city… On the seventh day you shall march around the city seven times, and the priests shall blow the trumpets. And when they make a long blast with the ram’s horn, all the people shall shout with a great shout, and the wall of the city will fall down flat.’”

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Introduction – Walls That Don’t Budge

We’ve come from Gilgal, where shame was rolled away, and from Bethel, where Jacob stopped saying “the God of my fathers” and started saying “the Lord is my God.”

Now the journey brings us to Jericho.

Jericho was the first fortified city in the Promised Land. Massive walls. Gates locked tight. From the outside, it looked impenetrable. Joshua 6:1 says, “None went out, and none came in.”

Ever face a Jericho in your life? A wall that won’t move? A stronghold that won’t break? An obstacle that seems impossible?

Here’s the truth: Jericho isn’t conquered by human might. Jericho falls only when God’s people walk in obedience and trust His timing.

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1. Footholds – The Enemy’s First Step

Strongholds don’t appear overnight. They start as footholds — small cracks, little compromises, tolerated sins.

Ephesians 4:27 warns: “Do not give the devil a foothold.” (NIV)

A foothold is an angry word left unresolved.

A foothold is a habit excused instead of confessed.

A foothold is a secret sin you think you can manage.

But if you leave a foothold unchecked, it grows into a stronghold — a wall so thick you can’t bring it down in your own strength.

Saul spared Agag — one foothold of compromise. It became the stronghold that cost him the kingdom (1 Samuel 15).

David lingered on the rooftop — one foothold of lust. It became the stronghold of adultery and murder (2 Samuel 11).

Strongholds always begin as footholds. The devil just needs a toehold to build a fortress.

That’s why Paul says in 2 Corinthians 10:5, “Take every thought captive to obey Christ.” Cut off the foothold before it becomes a wall.

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2. Obedience – Marching When Nothing Happens

God told Joshua, “March around the city once a day for six days.” (Joshua 6:3) Imagine the scene: a silent parade, day after day, nothing changing.

Wouldn’t you be tempted to say, “This makes no sense. What’s the point?”

But obedience is doing what God says even when it doesn’t make sense. Hebrews 11:30 says, “By faith the walls of Jericho fell down after they had been encircled for seven days.”

Faith obeys, even when there’s no immediate result.

Some of us want walls to fall before we march. But God says: “March first. Trust first. Obey first.”

John 14:15 – “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.” Obedience is the key that unlocks victory.

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3. Perseverance – Keep Circling Until God Moves

Day one… no cracks in the wall. Day two… no sign of weakness. Day three, four, five, six… nothing.

But on the seventh day, they marched seven times. And when the trumpets blew and the people shouted, the walls collapsed. (Joshua 6:15–20)

Galatians 6:9 says, “Let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.”

Strongholds don’t always fall on the first march. Addictions, habits, fears — sometimes God asks us to keep circling, keep praying, keep trusting until His appointed time.

Jericho teaches us: don’t stop on day six. Victory may be right around the corner.

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4. Victory – God Brings Down Strongholds

When the walls fell, it wasn’t because of Israel’s strength. It was the power of God.

Zechariah 4:6 says, “Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord of hosts.”

2 Corinthians 10:4 reminds us, “The weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds.”

Your Jericho may look impossible, but the God who answers by fire at Carmel, the God who rolled the stone at Gilgal, the God who revealed Himself at Bethel — that same God can bring your walls down.

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Christ Our Victor

At Jericho, God tore down stone walls. At Calvary, Christ tore down spiritual walls.

Ephesians 2:14 says, “For He Himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in His flesh the dividing wall of hostility.”

Through the cross, Jesus destroyed the stronghold of sin and the barrier between God and man. The Jericho walls of guilt, fear, and death fell when He cried, “It is finished.”