DEVOTED THINGS

The battle of Jericho was an overwhelming victory for the Israelites. After the battle had been won, the entire city and its inhabitants were completely destroyed, just as the Lord had commanded.  However, one single person, Achan, chose to hold something back for himself. And because of that one man, the Israelites stumbled in their next campaign.

This is what the Lord said to Joshua: I will not be with you anymore unless you destroy whatever among you is devoted to destruction. –Joshua 7:12b

He also says: You cannot stand before your enemies until you take away the devoted things from among you. –Joshua 7:13b

When we give our lives over to the Lord, we’re supposed to die to ourselves and to sin (1 Peter 2:24, Romans 6). We need to surrender each and every single area in our lives to him. Only then can the Lord work in our lives and fulfil the purpose for which we were created. We can’t keep clinging to certain areas in our lives. They could be anything: personal ambitions, certain relationships or habits. If we hold back something, like Achan did, we hinder the Lord’s work. Because these idols we hold on to make us lose our focus. Our goals and priorities change. And when we lose our focus, we step off the Rock on which we stand and onto sinking sand. And that’s why “you cannot stand before your enemies until you take away the devoted things from among you”. –Joshua 7:13b

Every single aspect of our lives belongs to God. We need to destroy them to our personal strivings and give them irrevocably over to Him. Else, because of that one single thing we hold back, the idols in our hearts take over our entire lives. And veer us off course, away from the purpose for which we were created.