The Story - Chapter 7 - Joshua 11

Sin keeps us from God. God and sin cannot co-exist; where sin prevails God does not reside. The time we recently spent in Exodus, Deuteronomy, and now Joshua, we witnessed some of the people turning to idol worship. They disobeyed God’s specific commands. “Israel has sinned; they have violated my covenant, which I commanded them to keep. They have taken some of the devoted things; they have stolen, they have lied, they have put them with their own possessions.” (Joshua 7:11 NIV)

Sin separates us from God and, as the Israelites experienced, that is not a comfortable situation.

Joshua 7:12 (NIV)

“That is why the Israelites cannot stand against their enemies; they turn their backs and run because they have been made liable to destruction. I will not be with you anymore unless you destroy whatever among you is devoted to destruction."

The amazing thing about God and His love for us is that he gives us repeated opportunity to turn from sinful practices and walk away from disobedience and run to Him. By admitting our wrongdoings and promising to change, we can be confident that God hears and forgives.

You may be thinking that this is easy to say, but to actually do it is another story. I agree it is often easier to go with the flow, to not upset the apple-cart. It can even be embarrassing to tell those we always hang around with that we are going to change. They may look at you as strange; you might even be called a Jesus freak.

When we take a stand like this and follow through with the changes that need to be made in our lives, we will benefit. When we walk in the light of God, we will see The Promised Land.

Read Joshua 11 here

Listen to Joshua 11 here