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."
If you are a monthly newsletter recipient of our ministry, you will notice Joshua is a huge theme for the month of August. This was not my plan; I simply obeyed where the Spirit of YAWEH sent me. As I read the entire book of Joshua, I can’t escape the thought that we should never mess with God! He sees all and knows all. Just as the Hebrews writer wrote Hebrews 4:13, “Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.” When we are not able to face the many trials in our lives and we feel defeated in every corner, could it be the result of our disobedience or the disobedience of people we associate with? The passage above is God’s response to Joshua for crying out because he felt let down by God. What Joshua did not realize, although he had obeyed God and was faithful, some of his soldiers were not faithful. God might be pleased with us but we might become victims of the consequences of other people's sins around us. Becoming a victim of someone’s offense does not mean you are guilty of any wrongdoing. One might say God's commands to destroy the family from the tribes of Judah who disobeyed him was harsh, however, there is always more to everything you read in one passage. There are many morals to this story but the few that stood out to me are: You can deceive others, but God sees everything; God does not tolerate wickedness. Have you ever thought that other people around you can hinder God's promises and blessings for your life? What in your life do you need to destroy or let go for God to manifest in your life? Read the entire book of Joshua and learn what God did in his life and the people of Israel after the mold that infested their camp was found and destroyed. Ask God to reveal the things and people in your life that you need to remove from your camp and surrender to God through Jesus Christ. This challenge is for everyone who is reading this devotional. Whether you know the Lord or don't know the Lord, we all have things or people that can hinder us from saying yes to Jesus’ call or grow in God's kingdom.
