Yet They Did

Yet They Did

11/13/21

How many of us have taken things and after a certain amount of time believes that we have gotten away with the thievery?  It is a common trait of humanity to follow through with something such as this, just for the sake of getting away with something just to add it to our property or self-worth.  At the end of the day, most of the time there is a trail that leads back to you or to one or more of your accomplices and the truth comes out in its own fashion.  The methods of finding out the truth may differ in many ways, but the process will conclude at some time and the guilty parties revealed. This process must not need to even be conducted if obedience to yourself and to your Higher Authority is kept clean at all times.  However, there are those who insist on becoming sly toward others and thus deem it necessary to test the system.  One common theme, there may be an admission of guilt but most of the time there is no apology or remorse for the wrongdoings.  this hurts God and those around us that are affected by such selfishness, but this course can be changed or even skipped totally, but it is up to you to make the choice.

There is not one of us on this earth that has not done something wrong and believed that we have gotten away with this bad thing or event of ours.  I have done my share of stupid things in my life and have hurt a few people during this march of mine.  I have learned so much over the past few decades about behavior and the choices that we make and how it affects not only me but others around me as well, involved or not.  During this younger period of time, I thought I was smarter than my parents and everyone else who might be involved in such activities.  As I look back and think upon some of those instances of ridiculousness that I was involved in, it amazes me how wrong I was to even think to participate in them much less actually be involved.  Now, do not get me wrong, these things I did were not in an illegal manner and I did not destroy any personal or business items either.  The things I did were of a personal matter but they hurt some people along the way and at that time I really did not care about my actions, I have never claimed to be a saint by any means and I shall never claim to be one down the road either.

Over the years, I have confessed all of my stupidity to God, at least those that He has reminded me of.  We all know that our human mind shall not work against what has been driven in the past, for it buries it instead, keeping the pain and agony hidden for as long as possible.  It is for this reason that we need to ask God to search our hearts and to show us our wicked and evil deeds so that we can be eternally free while walking this sod.  I have not gotten away with any of them for the actions of my youth still linger about and when the opportunity arises, God makes sure amends are made.  But even if these selfish deeds of mine would continue to be hidden I could not really be free with my life and live according to the Ways of God.  I am glad I did not get away with these things that I did, but I have to admit I did them and did my best to hide those deeds at the time, all in the name of fun and "living" as an American teenager.

When I look back on these times, I cannot help but ask myself why God allowed me to live?  I was an ornery little boy and one whose mind was constantly on the go, but at the same time, my heart becomes flooded with the Words of God that He loves me and that He has a plan for my life, and that I should always strive to deter temptation and sin with the correct direction that He has provided.  In our Scripture passage, we see that Israel believed they were battle-ready but it was one family that caused the defeat of God's army all because Achan went ahead and did what he knew was wrong.  God had set the standard high, separating the Children of Israel above every other tribe and nation, this standard had not changed since the fall of Jericho or even when the battle for Jericho was approached, commenced, and in the aftermath.  Everything and everyone was to be destroyed with a few of the rich metals consecrated before God and brought into the treasury of the Lord.

We now come to the present Scripture passage in Joshua 7 and we have the results of the heart that are now in question, God has already spoken to Joshua and told him once again what to do in order to correct the situation.  The passage is as follows:

Joshua 7:17-20

"And he brought the family of Judah; and he took the family of the Zarhites: and he brought the family of the Zarhites man by man; and Zabdi was taken: And he brought his household man by man; and Achan son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, was taken.  And Joshua said unto Achan, My son, give, I pray thee, glory to the Lord God of Israel, and make confession unto him; and tell me now what thou hast done; hide it not from me.  And Achan answered Joshua, and said, Indeed I have sinned against the Lord God of Israel, and thus and thus I have done."

Now, in my experiences in life, I have noticed that for some reason the process of selection has a purpose no matter what that selection procedures and purpose might be.  I have served on a few jury selections over the years and as I have sat and watched the proceedings unfold it has become clear there is a real reason that the person in question is present in the courtroom.  I cannot explain this feeling but I know it is there and there is a reason I am in that place.  As we read the passage of our Scripture, it is clear that God is still giving Achan a chance to repent before things go down the formal path of judgment.  But he waits until each family above him is isolated and brought before Joshua.  Achan stands and allows the procession to be paraded in front of Joshua, knowing that as each family is called out of the line of his succession, one that should have made waves of anxiety flow outward from Achan because he knew that he made a gross error in believing that he could pull the wool over God's eyes, yet he did; he actions define the foundation of disobedience.

I remember during boot camp that someone had not cleaned up after himself after he had finished in the bathroom, and of course, we had a spot inspection that evening.  When it came time for the bathroom to be inspected, all of us were called into that small area and were asked who made the mess and did not clean it up.  Stupidly, all of us kept our mouths shut believing that if no one said anything the matter would go away.  Within a few seconds time, we were in front of our bunks standing there while our drill instructors tore apart every locker and bed in the bay.  It was only then that the culprit spoke up and said that he was responsible, it did not matter the entire flight was punished for this misdeed and untruth a pattern that we see here unfolding in the family of Achan.

In the waning verses of Joshua 6, we read that Jericho's walls fell down without a single fight for them just as God had said.  The army of Israel went into the city and completed the fight just as God had said.  It is true that if the army had not done exactly what God had said to do leading up to this victory, that the victory would have been had and that total defeat would have abounded.  The people knew this and saw what happened when obedience was followed, so why would anyone be selfish enough to think they could override the Word of God?  In theory, no one would have had the guts enough to try such a ridiculous thing, yet Achan did simply because God was not the centerpiece of Achan's heart, he was just following along for the journey and the spoils of God's victories.

Also, those who do disobedient things do not take into consideration that others will be included in this disobedient act, not just the single person or small group involved.  This type of behavior is the epitome of how one believes about himself when a deed is done in secret or for personal gain.  Achan's pride and knowledge of what he found during the cleanup of Jericho were rewarded with certain items that he knew should be destroyed.  God was not talking to a bunch of dummies when he gave specific instructions of what to destroy and what to get into the treasury.  What Achan did is a perfect example of how pride is allowed to cloud our decision-making and lean on the physical instead of the spiritual, a deadly intake that if not ignored and correctly pushed away will lead to destruction.

What do you believe Achan thought when he learned that Israel had been defeated even before they reached the gates of Ai?  Did he wonder and pretend along with others as to why this defeat had occurred?  Was he asked by other members of his tribe and family about the situation, because you know the news of such a defeat traveled quickly from tribe to tribe?  This is all part of the sequence of disobedience in that a deed was completed that was not in congruence with the instructions previously given; therefore, the caper had been noticed by the authorities and now the lines of questioning were about to begin.  Yet, Achan and by then everyone else who knew of the disobedient act kept silent, committing to the disobedient act instead of ending it before further actions transpired, which is why the entire family was included in this act and not just a single person; remember, God is a complete God on every level and all times.

How many of us do the exact same disobedient acts when it comes to doing what God says for us to do?  As stated at the beginning of this article, I did some stupid acts when I was younger, totally missing what God had planned for my life and why He had that plan in place.  It set me back many years until I was at the place of total submission to God and what He had for me to do.  We do not have to wait until our lives hit rock bottom, or we do some stupid act that costs us our lives to come out of disobedience to God.  As we have read here, Achan did not get another chance to redeem himself after the fact, he and his family were destroyed; another obedient act by Joshua.  

First, I am going speak to this nation concerning its disobedience, for it is grave and grossly evident in the eyes of God and while you play your games of deceit God is watching your hearts become darker and darker with sin.  He sees your sinful meetings and deceptive hiding methods, He sees and hears your words of rebellion against your own people and your God.  God sees and hears the desperate attempts from your actions with your enemies to conceal deals and agreements in order to continue the shadows of evil that you invite into your land.  Every deed that you make and complete is recorded and will take heaviness upon your land when God decides to enter His judgment against you.  Your vile words of religion disgust God because you placate His Word with sinful gestures flowing and exploding from your heart; wicked are your words and actions and your government shall be the stronghold that shall lead no more for it shall be in shambles and non-recognizable by any other country any longer.  You have turned my nation into a land of desolate virginity yet whored around your physical qualities like a common prostitute.  

You openly defy God in the name of equality and equity and dismiss His Ways as obsolete myths that should be shelved in some museum someplace and never to be restored as a guideline for common Truth and Life.  Your treasures have become the dominant source of inspiration and truth about you, you cannot function without such means God sees and knows this but  God says these stores shall be ruined in one day and shall never be returned to you in such an orderly fashion.  You have refused to return to your Creator, instead, you followed the god of this world and his lies, therefore, you shall reap what you have sown and you shall see God's Glory in all of its fullness.

Church, you do not escape this disobedient act either, for you have not heeded to the Word of God as being the eternal Standard and Light to the world.  You have failed at your mission through your own selfish desires of being selfishly correct and establishing your own religion within your heart.  I established one Church under My blood of Salvation and that message is the ONLY mission that is needed to secure people into My Kingdom, not yours.  You have grotesquely misguided many people in ways of the world and have placed them into a specific category of judgment, you have whored your hearts around within congregations for monetary and personal gain all under the guise of My name.  Many more truths about your behavior God can mention but He stops here, for there shall be a time in the VERY near future where all things in the Church shall be exposed without exception.

God has always placed His people above the world and He has always desired that they worship Him in spirit and in truth, but they have repented not and have lived in the confines of the world.  God says "Enough" and it is time for the shaking to begin.  With all of the examples in His Word we should have no doubt that judgment is coming for we have slapped God in the face just as the world has done.  You have shut your eyes to the footsteps that the world is taking to usher in the Antichrist and his beliefs, you have been silent as the blood of my babies has been shed all in the name of selfish pleasures and lack of responsibilities.  You have played games with my Word and have twisted and distorted its eternal meaning to prospect your own lusts and ways.  Why have you allowed such sin to darken every corner of your heart?  Why have you disobeyed every command that I have given you to do and to live by?

It is true, that our shaking shall be far greater than what the worlds shall be, and the world shall be an utter devastation zone.  God must judge according to His Standard and Church we are that Standard but it has been lowered to the level of the world's, a grave and purposeful act that shall cost us everything we know.  Church, you have brought treasure after treasure of the world into your tents trying to secure yourself if things go wrong.  God spews you out of His mouth for trusting the world first and not in Him.  Church, we deserve to be cut down to size because of our Achan-like activities.  We have placed the Church at risk due to these sinful deeds of ours and God wants each and every cell of the body to know that He has watched every detail of our activities and we shall be taken into His custody in His time.

For many years I would have not believed that a single event in the Bible would mean so much to the survival of the Church and to the life and existence of this country today.  Pray Church, pray, pray, and pray some more, and when you think you have prayed all you can pray even more. Achan, you have done your job and your spirit has lingered in our lives for generations now and even though your story occurred so long ago we have played the exact game you did way back when.  Yet they did!!  Prepare, for the Glory of God is upon us.

DLB

The Relationship of the Accursed

The Relationship Between the Accursed

11/10/21

Why is it that humans do not work at the relationships that really mean something to them, and embrace those that can do not right?  This is a question that many of us consider almost every day yet tend to fall into the bad example column when times become rough.  It is no secret that the entire Bible gives us clue after clue of how to properly address and live in good relationships with others, but at the same time seek out worldly relationships and leave God to His own Way.  When this occurs, we cannot help but fall prey to our enemy's tricks because we have forsaken the One that can provide us with the wisdom of how relationships work, and during these failed times we forget that relationships do not have to stay on the human aspect of life either.  Our actions were given to us through God's gift of choice and it is our responsibility to know about these relationships and how our choices can affect not only our individual lives but others around us too.

Being raised in a Christian home, God was a continual topic of discussion a good portion of the day.  I did not see this as a bad thing but one of information, that my parents wanted me to learn about so I could share Him with others. From way back when I can remember many conversations concerning this matter, none of which were repetitious but only building blocks from the foundation of those first lessons.  One of the more interesting topics of conversation was about food and how I should never take food for granted because one day I may not have any.  Some would see this as a threat not to eat your veggies or cook way too much and then throw it away and not keep it for later.  I have to admit for a while I did not see this as an issue but as my life took its turns later I understood what it meant not to be wasteful and to appreciate food and the qualities it gives to our bodies.

Living in this day and age one would not readily believe that there would ever be an opportunity to have a relationship with food and how suppliers can take what is pure and true and perverse it into a shining idol of greed or even place curses upon it so that the spirit realm is manifested when ingested.  Does this seem a bit far-fetched?  To most folks, it would but we must take into consideration that there are parts of the world that are more spiritual than our western societies are, and being spiritual does not always mean being on the correct side of the spiritual either.  I say this to tell you of a story that was told to us while on a trip to Africa.  One major way Voodoo and Satanic churches placed spells on the unsuspecting people were to place these curses and spells on food and give them as gifts to the selected people.

The reason I tell you this story is that in order for this type of ceremony and casting to occur is that one party does not need to understand what has occurred in order to accomplish the desired spiritual effect.  However, if any and all parties have been involved in an area where such teachings or observations include such tactics their lives must have been exposed to certain spiritual laws that govern our surroundings.  On this trip to Africa of mine, all of us were told not to accept food from the local people due to the fact that it could have such spells and curses upon the items.  Do you know how difficult it is to not accept things from those who look you in the eye and you know that they have nothing?  There is a relationship with the things we accept into our lives, whether it is food, drink, or other items of substance and it is this spiritual law that God wants to share with us today, a Kingdom article about obedience and why God says yes to certain things and no to others.

Some of you know that I live in western Colorado in a small town and that there are other small towns around me that I have interactions with every day.  But do I really know what transpires in each of these towns or do I just receive a small bit of information about the what-doings concerning these towns?  What about the specific things that go on in individual households, or meeting halls, or even churches?  There is no way possible that I could understand such settings unless I was directly in constant close contact with each individual setting in the towns; an impossible task to complete.  It assessment includes those people you know and those who you have no clue about therefore increasing the odds that you do not know what they do good or bad.  But God has the ability to know everything and to see what each person does or thinks about doing and it is this detail that He shows us in our two passages today:

Joshua 7:11-13

"Israel hath sinned, and they have also transgressed my covenant which I commanded them: for they have even taken of the accursed thing, and have also stolen, and dissembled also, and they have put it in even among their own stuff.  Therefore the children of Israel could not stand before their enemies, but turned their backs before their enemies, because they were accursed: neither will I be with you any more, except ye destroy the accursed from among you.  Up, sanctify the people, and say, Sanctify yourselves against to morrow: for thus saith the Lord God of Israel, There is an accursed thing in the midst of thee, O Israel: thou canst not stand before thine enemies, until ye take away the accursed thing from among you."

Joshua 6:16-18

"And it came to pass at the seventh time, when the priests blew with the trumpets, Joshua said unto the people, Shout; for the Lord hath given you the city.  And the city shall be accursed, even it, and all that are therein, to the Lord: only Rahab the harlot shall live, she and all that are with her in the house, because she hid the messengers that we sent.  And ye, in any wise keep yourselves from the accursed thing, lest ye make yourselves accursed, when ye take of the accursed thing, and make the camp of Israel a curse, and trouble it."

We must realize that the city of Jericho was a formidable city with a great number of people inside its gates.  Jericho was an enemy to Israel, God knew this and so did the leaders of Israel.  God had everything planned out and had placed His instructions into the heart of Joshua.  However, the plan for the attack was totally unorthodox and probably confused many people in Israel, not to mention everyone who watch the plan unfold with circle after circling of the city for a specific amount of days; no conventional weapons were used at all during these marches.  All went according to God's timing and plan with a complete victory for Israel even Rahab was saved just as God had planned.  So, we can safely say that with Jericho's walls down Israel was still in the Will and Plan of God and that their relationship with God and Jericho changed afterward.

We know that Jericho was not a city of God and that they had many idols and statues present within the walls and the houses.  We know that God knew exact details about such items and people and that there was a specific reason that nothing was to be spared from the city.  The people of Israel did not know every detail but it was not theirs to know either, only that they were supposed to leave everything accursed alone.  Also, there were a few things God said to be taken to His stores in Israel, that was all.  This means that some of the personal items had previously been held in high esteem for some reason by the inhabitants of Jericho, a relationship had been formed on some level between the people and those items.  This first passage is one of trusting God and through this trust obeying what He had commanded and for the most part, this was followed.

But we know God to be a complete God, a 100% God at all times, which means He sees all actions from people and that He cannot change His Word for any reason.  Let us take a moment and think about what would have transpired if Joshua did not have the relationship with God as he did.  This relationship with the accursed would have eventually grown and would infiltrate the very life vessels of Israel, including Joshua and his tent.  Joshua did not take his actions lightly but it is evident that Achan did and had no real concern for God, Israel, or his family for he hid those items under his tent, how brazen can a human be?  The answer to this question lies in the fact that Achan had established a relationship with those items thus opening himself and his family up to the idols or any other graven images that those articles were used for.  Or, it simply could have been that God did not want those items going to the Israelites anyway.  Whatever the case may be, God did not want His Words to be disobeyed and He made it clear what to do and what not to do.

An age-old adage states that you are what you eat, well the same is true when it comes to what you accumulate as well and if these items are not in good standing with God, those possessions shall infiltrate every inch of your inner being and so shall your associates be subject as well.  In a day and age where relationships are superficial and thrown away as wrapping paper, we fail to recognize what it means to have a deep commitment to anything or anyone.  It is easy for Christians to say that those who do not know God cannot know what they are doing when a subject such as this is presented, God asks us, and whose fault is that?  Remember, Achan was a member of Israel and had been around for quite some time, and witnessed many miracles previously which means in modern terms he would be a church member.

Look at our churches today, and one should be able to see these types of hidden relationships within the congregations.  There are so many double standards and straight-up hypocrisy amongst those who call themselves Christians that our actions have made the entire Church sick and accursed.  The abuses we have allowed to infiltrate our hearts turn God's stomach simply because we have been warned over and over not to allow any type of sin to dwell in our lives and to never allow sin to enter into our tents.  In many ways, God has been specific in His instructions for the Church but just as in Joshua 6, there have been many areas where He has not, just to say do not do it.  God also makes it clear in Joshua 6 that Israel will become accursed if they disobey His command, and they did.  We have become the exact same as Israel was, our nation and the Church have become run-down institutions that cannot even function enough to honestly pay bills much less fulfill our mission and calling from God.

We run with the world and do our best to catch up with the wickedness it gives off.  Ignorantly, what we are really doing is turning from God and subsequently treating Him as our enemy; a complete failure of a blessed and complete nation that was created for His purposes and no one else's.  In Joshua 7, God has a leader with whom He can talk and can instruct what to do.  Sadly, this nation and Church are more concerned with their personal feelings and denial of the Truth that we have no option for eternal correction, nor do we even want this correction; we are fine like we are according to many people.  We have become comfortable enough with our treasures and monuments that our hope and trust lie within these items.  We have failed to realize just how far away from our Establisher we have gone from, and it is this action of ours that Achan did way back in Ancient Israeli times.

Achan and his family were found out and even a confession from him about what he did could not save him from the punishment he deserved.  His relationship with the disobedient heart against God then took from God and then tried to hide his actions believing God would let it slide.  Achan did not come forward when the army of Israel fled from the battlefield, he stayed silent.  This is a great example of how humans believe relationships should be administered, by leaving God out and doing our own thing, an eternally bad choice.  We will deal in deeper detail concerning Achan and his demise in a later article, but let me just say that his life was over never more to be considered, yet it was remembered for a grave purpose.  Still, we cannot ever forget that yes, one person's actions can affect an entire nation and this result does not have to originate from a "big or popular" person or leader.  This example also reminds us of how important each person is to God and how He wishes us to have obedience in our hearts at all times.  Relationship with the world brings accursed issues into our lives and we should have no part in this temptation.

There should never be any doubt that a single person of God believes that their small or insignificant disobedient act would warrant an act by God against an entire nation or the Church.  Remember, God is a complete God and that means that everything He creates or establishes needs to work on that complete basis.  We have read this many times over in Scripture and for some reason, we continue to think we can pull a fast one on God.  This setting also promotes disobedience and leniency from the tribes, for there should have been no way Achan should have believed he could get away with this, even after God gave him time to repent before his punishment was doled out.  Church, what are we doing to ensure that our lives do not have any trace elements of Achan?  This may seem like a minute matter but disobedience and the following thereafter is a grave resource for eternal separation from God.  A little bit extra is not worthy of eternity away from God.

Oh Church, we have fallen down and have allowed wickedness to infiltrate our hearts.  We have had the best of God for such a long time and still, we have willingly sinned against Him.  Our time is about to change and it shall be a turning point for God's Glory that we have never witnessed before.  God's Glory did show up in ancient Israel at this time and we must never forget that God's Glory cannot mix with the world, and most importantly, if we do not correct our sins before God voluntarily, then He has no other option but to do it Himself.  God has never lost, but His people will as long as sin reigns in their hearts; it does not matter which timeline one wishes to inspect.

DLB