Obedience Comes Before the Shout
Why God moves after alignment, not after noise
Denise and I have been praying and leaning into full obedience to God. This weekend at The Father’s House in Napa, Pastor Joseph Zwanziger taught from Joshua 6. Not as a victory story, but as an obedience story. Jericho did not fall because Israel was powerful. It fell because they obeyed.
God did not ask them to improve the plan.
He asked for alignment.
The instructions were strange. Walk around the city. Circle it. Say nothing. Do it again. And again. Then shout. A blast. A signal. An announcement. Not emotional noise, but a declaration that obedience had reached fullness.
This is where the work of Mark Batterson of National Community Church (NCC) in Washington DC comes alive for me. In The Circle Maker and Draw the Circle, Batterson reminds us that bold prayers honor God, and God honors bold prayers. But those prayers are not reckless. They are disciplined. You circle what God has promised. You pray with persistence. You walk in faith. You obey in the ordinary long before the extraordinary appears. Circling is not passivity. It is faith put into motion.
Joshua 6 makes the pattern unmistakable.
The miracle followed obedience, not the other way around.
“Walk by faith, not by sight” was not a suggestion. It was a command lived out one lap at a time.
Bitcoin fits this pattern more than most people realize. Bitcoin does not reward reaction. It rewards obedience to principle. It requires patience before payoff, conviction before clarity, and faith before evidence. Most people want the walls to fall before they walk. God requires the walk first.
Circle first.
Shout later.
Israel did not touch the walls. They did not undermine them. They obeyed. And God caused the collapse. Even in the chaos, Rahab’s house remained standing. Proof that alignment preserves while everything else shakes.
That is not coincidence.
That is covenant.
Scripture reinforces this pattern relentlessly.
“If you love Me, you will obey My commandments.” - John 14:15
Not understand everything.
Not agree with the timing.
Obey.
And obedience is specific. Pastor Joseph distilled it simply.
Obey immediately.
Delayed obedience is disobedience.Obey completely.
Partial obedience never unlocks the supernatural.Obey sincerely.
From a heart aligned, not a checklist fulfilled.
Joshua understood this posture. When he encountered the Commander of the Lord’s army, he did not ask whose side God was on. He asked the only question that matters.
“What does my Lord say to His servant?” - Joshua 5:13
That is worship.
That is submission.
Bitcoin exposes whether our obedience is real. Volatility reveals whether conviction is deep or borrowed. Do we still walk when the timeline stretches? Do we still circle when price tests patience? Do we remain silent when fear demands commentary?
God is not shaken by cycles. He built order into creation. He uses waiting to refine His people. He honors obedience with abundance, but only after obedience.
“If you fully obey the Lord your God… all these blessings will come on you and accompany you.” - Deuteronomy 28:1–2
Blessings follow obedience.
The supernatural follows obedience.
They do not precede it.
The walls do not fall because we shout louder.
They fall because we obey longer.
Circle it in prayer.
Walk when it makes no sense.
Shout only when God says shout.
Obedience first.
The miracle follows.
Prayer 🙏🔥🕊️
Father God, Thank You for being a God who honors obedience and reveals Your power in Your timing.
Teach us to obey immediately, completely, and sincerely. Give us the discipline to walk when the path feels repetitive, the patience to circle when answers are delayed, and the humility to shout only at Your command.
Help us steward faith and resources with alignment, not emotion. Let obedience precede outcomes, conviction outlast volatility, and worship remain our foundation.
We trust You in the circling, the waiting, and the breakthrough.
In Jesus’ name, Amen. 🙏✝️🔥