Run to the battle

Can God still use me?  Or is it all over for me?

People often think these things when they fail, particularly when they sin.  And perhaps the Israelites were thinking the same thing.

They had suffered a devastating defeat at Ai because of the sin of one man in the camp.  Now, the sin was dealt with, but it’s possible there was still some lingering doubt in the minds of Joshua and the people.  “Is God still with us?  Or are his promises to us now void?”

And so God spoke to Joshua saying,

Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Take the whole army with you, and go up and attack Ai. For I have delivered into your hands the king of Ai, his people, his city and his land. (Joshua 8:1)

In other words, “Joshua, you all messed up.  And you paid a price for your sin.

“But now the sin has been dealt with.  Get up.  Don’t be afraid that I’m still against you.  Don’t be discouraged and think that I’ve left you.  Go and do the things I’ve called you to do.  Get up and run to the battle.  You will find victory.”

And God says the same thing to us when we fall.  When we come before him and repent, we sometimes still wonder if we’re really all right with God.  If God could really forgive us.

But God tells us, “Yes you messed up.  But you’ve confessed it.  Get up.  I’m still with you.  Don’t be discouraged.  Now run to the battle and do the things I’ve told you to do.”

You may ask, “What battle am I fighting?”

The Bible says that we are in a spiritual war, fighting against Satan and his forces.  And we are fighting for souls, in order that those who don’t know Christ would come to know him in a personal way.

Satan knows this, and if he can’t prevent you from becoming a Christian, he at least wants to make you an ineffectual soldier.  And one way he does that is by discouraging us when we sin.

“You’re no good.  Look at that sin in your life.  How could God use someone like you?  You might as well keep your mouth shut about your Christianity.  Nobody will ever believe anything you say.”

But God says differently.  He doesn’t want us to wallow in our self-pity.  He wants us to know that he still loves us and that he can still use us.

So don’t get discouraged.

Don’t give up.

Get up.

And run to the battle.