What does "burn the city" symbolize in our spiritual battles today? The verse at the center “Then they burned the city and everything in it, but they put the silver and gold and the articles of bronze and iron into the treasury of the LORD’s house.” – Joshua 6:24 Jericho’s flames in their original setting • Jericho was the first fortified obstacle in Canaan. • Its collapse and burning declared that the land now belonged to the LORD, not to the pagan powers that had occupied it. • Nothing of Jericho’s corrupt culture was to remain; everything valuable was consecrated to God. What “burn the city” pictures in today’s spiritual battles • Total removal of entrenched sin strongholds (2 Corinthians 10:4-5). • Renunciation of worldly loyalties that compete with Christ’s rule (1 John 2:15-17). • A decisive, irreversible break with the old life—no possibility of rebuilding what God has judged (Galatians 5:24). • A wholehearted offering of anything valuable—talents, time, resources—to God’s purposes (Romans 12:1). Why the imagery matters • Fire is final; half-measures are impossible once flames touch a structure. That mirrors the call to radical holiness: “Put to death, therefore, the components of your earthly nature” (Colossians 3:5). • Burning prevents future enemy occupation. When the believer uproots sin and cleans the ground, there is no foothold left for the adversary (Ephesians 4:27). • The valuables rescued for the treasury hint that even parts of a defeated past can be redeemed for God’s glory—testimonies, lessons learned, spiritual gifts. Practical ways to “burn the city” • Identify any fortified habit, attitude, or relationship that resists God’s authority. • Expose it to the light of Scripture until its walls fall (Psalm 119:130). • Remove access points—media, environments, conversations—that keep the stronghold supplied (Romans 13:14). • Invite the Holy Spirit to ignite fresh passion for Christ, filling every cleared space (Ephesians 5:18). • Redirect former energies toward the Lord’s house—service, generosity, worship (1 Peter 4:10-11). Cautions and reminders • Burning is about surrender, not self-reliance; victory depends on the Lord’s presence just as Jericho’s fall did (Joshua 6:16). • The process may be intense, yet the refining fire produces faith “more precious than gold” (1 Peter 1:7). • The goal is not destruction for its own sake but freedom and consecration. In short To “burn the city” in our day means allowing God to eradicate every trace of rebellion in us, while dedicating whatever He salvages for His service. When the flames of obedience consume today’s Jerichos, the path opens for deeper spiritual conquest and fellowship with the Lord. |
    |