ENCIRCLING

Christians in this life are ever only circling one of two things; the middle ground between Egypt (the world) and the promised land, or the wall of Jericho that Christ has brought us to in order to take part in great exploits wrought by the King.

The only reason God allowed Israel to wander in circles in the desert for 40 years, was, truth be told, because they wanted it that way. In reality Israel didn't know what they wanted, and really wanted both the world and Christ. And so poor Israel was left to fight a battle they never won; never knowing what they truly wanted, and so never arriving at anything but the fruit of their own heart and desire; namely, nothing in life, and a pointless death. You can be sure of one thing, if Israel had truly gone on with Christ, even after their mistake at the point of crossing the promised land, God would have brought them back to the promised land, but they didn't want it. Many Christians today are stuck in this middle land; this 'middle of nowhere,' and will for the rest of their lives unless they make a break for it in order to circle the Jericho that God wants to lead them to (in order to PRACTICALLY live in the promised land).

The only way one ever breaks free from the middle ground of obedience and disobedience, and that directionless and fruitless land, is to MARCH AROUND THE WALLS OF JERICHO. This march symbolises a constant walk with Jesus, symbolised by the fact that Israel was ordered to march around the wall 7 times; the number of wholeness and completeness. There cannot be spiritual health in a Christians life, practically speaking, unless that Christian is actively walking with the Lord. This march also demonstrated obedience; obedience to do walk the Christian life IN HIS WAY, not our way. If it were up to the Israelites, and no doubt if it would've been up to us back then, we would've wanted to charge straight in and do it our way. But this would've been pointless and ineffective, and this is to teach us that LIVING OUR OWN WAY and FIGHTING ACCORDING TO OUR OWN METHODS is the same and will achieve nothing spiritually. To do it their own way would've just made the Israelites exhausted and this is what many Christians are today, and the very reason Christians don't enter into Biblical discussions and services for the Lord; for they have not allowed themselves to be poured into in order to be able to pour anything out for Christ and for others. And this is the crux of the matter, and where our hope lies: the pouring in to us, and thus the falling of the walls happens when we PRAISE. At the end of their march, the Israelites were told that their priests would blow their trumpets loudly, and that then they were to lift up a great shout (symbolising that EXPECTATION is vital in order to partake of praise and it's effects), and THEN THE WALLS WOULD COME DOWN, and then the Israelites would be able to kill that which kept them from the great promise of Christ. The trumpets represent praise because in Psalm 148v14:14 And he has raised up for his people a horn,
the praise of all his faithful servants... B

Both Israel back then and us today can do nothing in our own power to move ourselves towards Christ and His ways, and to light our hearts with a passion for His purposes; the only way we can receive such things is to PRAISE HIM; the praise that He has called us to (Psalm 148). It is then that the Holy Spirit will fell any walls, and will also lift us and propel us forward into God's purpose as we ourselves first make the practical steps that God has outlined for us; in the march that is the march TOO the way that God is directing us. It is vital to have our whole hearts and our whole lives directed in the way that God has set out for us, and to be faithful to march in it day in and day out. We shall still be sinners yes, and still not be perfect yes, but this is a march done in the grace of God; but the important point is that God is after our hearts; what are they circling? What is the intent of our hearts and how have we purposed in our hearts? 

The choice remains for us; circle in the wilderness- a land that typifies fruitlessness and pointlessness; a land that symbolises a heart that wants both Christ and the world (even though really Christ will not long abide such a thing), for eventually, the Lord will spit such a people out of His mouth, OR circle the Jericho that God has brought His people too in order that they may partake of the victory that He has already won for us, and that He wants us to walk out for the glory of Christ and for His service. In the final analysis, it is the PURPOSE OF GOD (not our purpose), that Christ has called us to:

Joshua 5v13 Now when Joshua was near Jericho, he looked up and saw a man standing in front of him with a drawn sword in his hand. Joshua went up to him and asked, “Are you for us or for our enemies?”

14 “Neither,” he replied, “but as commander of the army of the Lord I have now come.” Then Joshua fell facedown to the ground in reverence, and asked him, “What message does my Lord[e] have for his servant?”

15 The commander of the Lord’s army replied, “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy.” And Joshua did so.

While Joshua was, at first, interested in what he could get, when he was given a revelation of the purpose of God, he fell facedown to the ground in reverence; submitting his will to God's, and so must we do if we want to do anything great for God; we must go with His will and not our will. Many do not even know what that will is anymore because they don't know the Word. They know what other Christians want, they know what their Church and their Pastor wants (all good things in the right and proper context, and in submission to His will though!), but they would have no clue what the commander of the army of the Lord wants, for they do not clearly hear His voice, neither do they want to. The saddest thing about this is that some Christians will go through their lives never even realising that they dwell in the pointless and lukewarm ground, because they have justified living in such a land. They will go through life never being fruitful enough to make any kind of difference for the body of Christ or for God, because they are happy with the selfish life that they live for themselves. Such people will often justify their choice as well; not wanting the world, but not wanting to be too passionate for Christ; such Christians love the fact that they can still be loved by the world and yet still excepted by Christ; they love the fact that they can still love things of the world, and yet hope for the better things that Christ offers, and yet ultimately that will always be greatly deceived, and never receive the fullness of the life and purpose of Christ, because truly, whether they choose to admit it to themselves or not, they do not want all of Christ and His purpose. Many such people will even believe that Christ endorses their life, how wrong they are! Will He may bear long with them, this does not mean He loves their practice! He bore long with the Church of Laodicea because He loved them, but who knows whether in the end they were 'spat out of His mouth' or not, or whether they just died in a lukewarm state. We do not know, but we do not want to risk such things ourselves, it truly isn't worth it. 

A life lived for oneself, and not for Christ, is really the antithesis of what a Christians life should be, for: 2 Cor 5v15: And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again./ Such a life in the 'middle land of nowhere' will be identified as a life lived that is only for oneself, and that has no view for Christ's purpose, and indeed, wouldn't even be able to identify what that purpose is if they tried, for while God appeared to Joshua (he received revelation of God's purpose by the Spirit, He never appeared again to those Israelites that wandered in the desert for 40 years (no more of God's purpose was revealed to them!). 

If we want to know whether we are circling God's purpose, there are a few things that can help us identify where we are at. Firstly, are we hearing the Lord's voice via His Word? Do we constantly march in His Word, and have 'an ear to hear?' If we stay in His Word, and stay in prayer, we can be very sure that God will show up in our lives and direct us according to His purpose if our hearts are open for such things. Secondly, what are we circling in our heads and in our hearts? Are those things also bent towards the praise that God has directed us to? Are our hearts and minds bent towards the purpose of God for this moment in our lives? Do those things EXPECT that God will move, and so do we move in our lives towards those things, rejoicing in expectation that He will move? Have we set in our hearts that obedience shall be our love and joy? These are quite challenging things, and no one is perfect in them. After all, not one of us are sufficient for such things. But thus we come back to the crux of the matter, and indeed how we shall be sufficient for such things, for praise, by the grace that He provides, will make us sufficient; 2 Cor 5 Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think of anything as being from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God... God is calling His people in this day and age to great exploits, and to His great purpose, and He is wanting each and every one of His people to go the way He has laid out, the way that Christ has already gone ahead of us in. We live in a time where the power and purpose of God has not lost its victory and Has not lost its power, and we can be a part of it!