Standing on the edge of Jericho, Israel had every reason to press forward—the enemy was afraid, the promise was in reach, and momentum was on their side. Yet in Joshua 5, God does something unexpected: He pauses the advance and calls His people not to fight, but to obey, to consecrate themselves, and to remember who they belong to. Before a single trumpet sounds or a wall falls, the Lord makes it clear that victory is never secured by strategy or strength, but by hearts aligned with Him. As we open this chapter, we are reminded that God is far more concerned with who we are becoming than how quickly we are succeeding, and that spiritual preparation must always come before spiritual victory.