Defeat All Your Enemies
Now that Israel controlled all the territory that was to become its homeland, the writer (believed to be Joshua) summarizes the entire conquest. Once Israel had won control of the land as a whole, Israel’s leaders began the task of dividing it among the tribes. Throughout the country, however, there were many areas that the Canaanites still...
occupied, usually because they had either escaped the Israelites or proved too difficult to conquer.It
was a major oversight that Israel left these small pockets of unconquered
territory. As we read on, we will discover
that this becomes a problem for Israel later on. These “hidden” enemies will
later on wreak havoc on Israel. In the
same way, we must conquer all of the enemies in our lives. We must not let any sin or weakness or corruption
be left unchallenged in our walk with Christ.
If we let our enemies escape or “hide” we too will discover that unconquered
sin will become a problem for us later on.
I’ve
seen it many times. An enthusiastic
Christian finally comes to their “Jordan River experience” where they despair
of self-help and put their trust in God to fully conquer their enemies. As they begin to experience victory, we see strongholds
fall to God’s spirit. “Big” sins like inappropriate
indulgence in sexual pleasure, drunkenness, idolatry, and carousing fall as
they are confronted by conviction from the Holy Spirit. The believer, like Joshua, may even give testimony
and tout these victories publicly. But sometimes, the believer fails to attack
other heart attitudes like strife, anger, lust, or envy and the like with the
same fervor. They simply let these “small”
sins, and others (such as quarrelling, dissensions, and factions) remain
unconquered. They “hide” them in the
valleys of their heart. These areas
remain unconquered.
Tragically,
later on - at the most unsuitable moments - these “hidden” sins emerge and wreak
havoc on their Christian walk. Perhaps it
is anger that emerges and causes a breakdown of a relationship. Or interest in pornography causes the destruction
of a marriage. These are the types of
things that can happen if the believer fails to confront and conquer every
enemy sin that lurks in their heart.
There
is no such thing as a “small” sin. Any
sin left unchecked in our hearts is a future opportunity for failure. So,
conquer ALL your enemies, dear believer, not just the “big” ones. Don’t let a single one - no matter how
inconsequential it may seem - avoid the conquering power of God.
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