Corona Devo 504

Are we experiencing defeat in our lives?  

Does it seem lately that although we begin our daily battles on the offensive, we keep ending up retreating in defense?

Could there be a hidden reason why?  Buried deep and out-of-sight?  Underneath our layers and unbeknownst to those around us?

The answer to that question is only known by us and God.  But we should stop fooling ourselves if we have been pretending that God is not aware of what we have buried beneath our surface.  

And until we "unearth" what is separating us from Him, we will not have peace or victory in our days.

~~~~~~~

Joshua was leading the "next generation" of Israelites, and they were on a roll taking over cities and honoring God all along the way.  Then they got run off by a weak city with a small army, and Joshua didn't know what to make of it.  Where had God's protection been, he wondered? 

He soon found out that God had removed His favor because there was sin "buried" within Joshua's camp.  And if there is sin buried beneath our surface, God is calling us out about it also.  

Lord, May Your Word convict our hearts and open our eyes to any unresolved sin in our lives today.  Amen.

(1) But Israel violated the instructions about the things set apart for the Lord. A man named Achan had stolen some of these dedicated things, so the Lord was very angry with the Israelites.  

(10) But the Lord said to Joshua, “Get up! Why are you lying on your face like this? (11) Israel has sinned and broken my covenant! They have stolen some of the things that I commanded must be set apart for me. And they have not only stolen them but have lied about it and hidden the things among their own belongings. (12) That is why the Israelites are running from their enemies in defeat. For now Israel itself has been set apart for destruction. I will not remain with you any longer unless you destroy the things among you that were set apart for destruction.

(13) “Get up! Command the people to purify themselves in preparation for tomorrow. For this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: Hidden among you, O Israel, are things set apart for the Lord. You will never defeat your enemies until you remove these things from among you.

(16) Early the next morning Joshua brought the tribes of Israel before the Lord… (18) Every member of Zimri’s family was brought forward person by person, and Achan was singled out. 

(19) Then Joshua said to Achan, “My son, give glory to the Lord, the God of Israel, by telling the truth. Make your confession and tell me what you have done. Don’t hide it from me.”

(20) Achan replied, “It is true! I have sinned against the Lord, the God of Israel.  (21) Among the plunder I saw a beautiful robe from Babylon, 200 silver coins, and a bar of gold weighing more than a pound. I wanted them so much that I took them. They are hidden in the ground beneath my tent, with the silver buried deeper than the rest.”  (22) So Joshua sent some men to make a search. They ran to the tent and found the stolen goods hidden there, just as Achan had said, with the silver buried beneath the rest. (23) They took the things from the tent and brought them to Joshua and all the Israelites. Then they laid them on the ground in the presence of the Lord.   ~Joshua 7:1, 10-13, 16, 18-23

What do we have hidden in the ground beneath the tent (Joshua 7:21) of our lives that is displeasing to God?

    Idols?  Love-of-money?  Lust?  Active sin?  Past sin?  Any type of unresolved sin?

What have we taken that is rightfully the Lord's?

    Credit?  Control?  Pride? 

What have we craved/coveted/desired so badly that we have stolen it from God or others?

    Peace?  Entitlement?  Innocence?  Lawfulness? Choice?  Morality? 

How long do we think we can keep it buried?

No longer.  Joshua's words to Achan are God's words to us today: “My son/daughter, give glory to the Lord, the God of Israel, by telling the truth. Make your confession and tell me what you have done. Don’t hide it from me.” (Joshua 7:19).

We can come clean to God, and we must.  God's people under Joshua could not gain victory while they had sin and deception in their ranks.  We also cannot succeed in Christ if we have sin in ours.  The Lord knows what we have "hidden in the ground beneath" (Joshua 7:21), but it is up to us to "Get up!" And to purify ourselves before Him. (Joshua 7:13).  

This is our only path to victory in Christ.  Achan's heart was in the wrong place, and he did not gain victory with God because of it (tune in to the end of Joshua 7 to read of his demise).

But we can unearth our sin, reveal our changed heart, and repent to God today.  We do not have to be buried by our sin, because we have a Savior that has dug us out of it.    

So, today, "Get up!" and let's take whatever sin we have hidden and lay it on the ground in the presence of the Lord (Joshua 7:23).    Then we can get back on the path to victory in Christ.

Blessings,

sarah

https://sarahsundy04.blogspot.com