Title Let's not fail / Joshua 7:1-5
Content Let's not fail / Joshua 7:1~5
Key Verse: “The children of Israel sinned because of the sacrifices, because Achan the son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi, the son of Zerah of the tribe of Judah, took the sacrifices, and the LORD was angry with the children of Israel” (verse 1).
Word: There is a man named Napoleon Hill in America. Throughout his life, he intensively researched the question of 'how can I be successful'. He also studied ‘failure’. When we surveyed thousands of people who failed, we found about 31 different causes of failure. If you lose your clear purpose, you fail. Habitual laziness, unrestrained desires, unbridled petty, willful infidelity, pride, luxury, and vanity can also lead to failure. In today's text, there is a scene in which Ai's fortress fails to be captured. Ai Castle is a very small castle. Why did you lose the Ai sex war?
First, because he was arrogant. He said that pride is the precursor to destruction, and arrogance is the precursor to falling. Now, the Israelites believed only in their past victory experiences and did not trust God at all. In all their war journeys, they questioned God over and over again. We were able to win because we listened to God's voice and fought with God. However, he did not rely on God at all in the war on Ai, which looked humble and humble. If you are arrogant, you cannot depend on God. But if you are humble, you have no choice but to depend on God. If you depend on me, you will be defeated, and if you depend on God, you will be victorious.
Second, I did not know the enemy. The Israelites believed that the people of Ai were their greatest enemy. But another inner enemy did not know. He did not know Achan, a cancerous being who disobeyed God's word. We must beware of our spiritual Achan. We must not overlook the ‘sin’ that is the spiritual sin within us. I need to know that sin separates me from God and, like alcoholism, kills me and kills my family.
Third, if you steal from God, you will fail. God told us not to touch anything in Jericho (Joshua 6:17-19). But Achan stole a beautiful cloak from Mount Shinar, 200 shekels of silver, and a nugget of gold (Joshua 7:21). You must not steal from God. You must not steal your tithing. God has given us a lot of wealth, talents, health, and time, but if we don't use it for the Lord, all of this is stealing. Because our life itself belongs to God, I hope that you do not use your life according to your will or your will, but only become a sacrifice for the Lord.
Prayer: Heavenly Father, help us not to be arrogant, to know our enemies, and not to steal what is yours. I pray in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
Lord's Prayer