My Achan Heart - May 29,
2001
Most Christians, young and old alike, know the story
of Joshua and the battle of Jericho. It was a tremendous
victory and prime example of God's power. But many stop
there and miss an important lesson that occurs right
after the Jericho victory. God has promised to give the
Israelites the land of Canaan and help them overthrow the
sinful nations living there at the time. Jericho is a
critical starting point for this invasion and God comes
through with flying colors.
Next the soldiers move on to the small town of Ai. No
problem here, just send a small army and move on to the
bigger stuff. They march into town and SMACK! - them Ai
boys give 'em a major whuppin'. Joshua doesn't understand
what's going on and confronts God on the matter. God
promptly tells Joshua that there is disobedience in the
camp, and a soldier named Achan turns out to be the
culprit. While leaving Jericho, Achan spied a fancy robe
along with some gold and silver, which he took home and
hid under the floor of his tent. Now wait a minute, was
this a big deal? God thought so. The Israelites purged
the disobedience from their midst and God's blessing
returned.
God's lesson at Ai still applies today. God wants to
bless you and bring victory in your life, but he demands
obedience first ... even in the small stuff. What do you
have hidden in the dark places in your heart? Even if no
one else knows, God knows. Now is the time to surrender
those thoughts, actions, habits and sins to Him and ask
for His forgiveness. May the brilliant light of the Holy
Spirit illuminate the dark recesses of your heart and
burn away any impurity hiding there, then fill that void
with the love, peace and strength that only comes from
God.
One final thought, we spend a lot of time asking God
to show us what lies in the future and what our next step
should be. Maybe our next step should be to do what we
already know God wants us to do ... surrender all areas
of our lives to Him. Those are your marching orders, and
if you're like me, you've got plenty to work on. Remember
... God loves our love, but He is honored by our
obedience.
