As we go out, or as we send people out to share their testimonies or share the Gospel with others, it can sometimes feel as if we are going into battle. The world is out there and it is spiritually, philosophically, and in nearly every other way, against the reign and rule of king Jesus. As a result, while we may find some that will receive us, we find many others who are against us.

While it may feel like a battle to us, in reality, the battle is not truly ours to fight. Yes, we have a role to play, but we are not the main actors. We are not the main warriors.

There is, instead, one primary warrior: Christ himself. He is the king and the king desires to take more and more “territory” for himself. Every king does, but specifically this king is not interested in sharing his glory with anyone else. As workers within his kingdom, he sends us to find those whom the Father is calling to come to Christ. We don’t yet know who they are, but we are sent to sow the seed of the Gospel so that we can find them.

I was reminded of this feeling and the ownership of the battle today as I read the story of Joshua. Joshua led the Israelites across the Jordan River and then consecrated the people to God’s covenant through circumcision once again, and once that was done, he went to look at his first challenge, his first battle. And it was a big one.

As Joshua stood looking at the city of Jericho, it was easy to understand that this would be an impossible task. The walls were so high and the gates were so strong. How could the Israelites possibly take on this city? The Israelites were simply a wandering nation in the desert, living in tents. How could they stand up against such a defensive force as these great walls of Jericho?

Suddenly, seemingly out of nowhere, an angel of the Lord appears to Joshua. He had his sword drawn and he was ready to go to battle.

“Good news!”, Joshua might have thought. An angel of the Lord is here to fight our battles with us. God has sent an even greater, even more superior force that can help us take on these great walls of Jericho. So Joshua asks the angel:

What message do you have for me?

I would think that Joshua would have imagined that the angel would have answered that he was there to kick the doors down at the front gate of Jericho. Or that he would destroy these walls or that the angels would sweep through the streets of Jericho to destroy these people.

But the angel doesn’t say any of these things. No, instead, with his sword in his hand, the angel takes a completely different tact:

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.

Joshua 5:15

The place that Joshua was standing, that which is both the promised land to the Israelites, but also currently enemy territory, is holy ground. Instead of giving Joshua a victory speech, instead of immediately giving him the plan, instead of calling him to arms, he has him first recognize that this battle is the Lord’s. Yes, the Israelites will have a part to play in taking the city of Jericho, but like the Israelites’ exit from Egypt, the battle is God’s battle to fight.

This is critically important for us to remember as we meet people with whom we are sharing the Gospel. We must be obedient to go into the empty fields and sow the seed. If we do not go, we will not put ourselves in a place in which God can do the work that he intends to do through us. Yet on the other hand, we must also remember that this “battle” is the Lord’s battle. All of the true work is his. All of the real power comes from him. Everything that we do is in concert with him. It has little to do with us. We are the instruments in his hand. These interactions have everything to do with the Lord.

We must recognize that each place that we go is holy ground and we worship him as we go.