“Sometimes the only way to live in victory and not defeat is to be obedient to God where we were previously disobedient.”
Thoughts from daily Bible reading for today – August 9, 2022
Walk in obedience to all that the Lord your God has commanded you, so that you may live and prosper and prolong your days in the land that you will possess. Deuteronomy 5:33
In Joshua Chapter 6, when Joshua and his armed men marched around the walls of Jericho for seven days and the walls fell, God told them that when they plundered the city not to take any of the “devoted things.” The silver, gold, articles of bronze, and iron were to be kept for the Lord’s treasury. But Achan stole some of the devoted things and buried them under his tent—and God was less than thrilled.
Then later, when a small group of Joshua’s men should have been successful in defeating an even smaller group of men in Ai, about 36 of them were chased out of the city gate at Ai and struck down on some nearby slopes.
Joshua was defeated and discouraged, so he went to the Lord and asked him what happened. Then God told him that the Israelites had kept some of the devoted things—and that’s why they were defeated. Then He said something profound to His servant Joshua, “You cannot stand against your enemies until you remove it.” (Meaning, the devoted things).
Sometimes the only way to live in victory and not defeat is to be obedient to God where we were previously disobedient. If we try to keep pressing on because we think we don’t have the time, we may find that we are stuck and can’t move forward to receive the promises God has for us.
Then the Lord’s loving discipline may get our attention which may come in the form of failure, (like it did for Joshua and the Israelites), discomfort, or through the Holy Spirit who reminds us that we need to be obedient to God’s former instructions before we can move forward successfully.
Good news! After Joshua and the Israelites straightened out the “I-have-stolen-devoted-things” problem, they finally went on to defeat their enemies in Ai.
“If you fully obey the Lord your God and carefully follow all his commands I give you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations on earth” (Deuteronomy 28:1).
Prayer
Lord, if I have been disobedient, please help me to obey you and do as you say. I want to walk in your will. Amen.
Application
If you have previously disobeyed the Lord, confess your sin, and ask Him what to do next.
Related Reading
James 1:22; John 14:23; James 4:7
Worship Resource
Don Moen: Trust and Obey
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