All of us struggle with sin. And there are some sins that are very difficult to completely expel from our lives. For guys, lust is a big issue. (I’m not sure what women struggle with).
And it’s so easy to just say, “Well that’s the way it is. There’s nothing I can do about it.”
Unfortunately, that’s the kind of attitude the Israelites had when taking the land of Canaan. In chapter 17, verses 12-13, it talks about how Joshua told the Manassites which lands they were to take over. But, it says,
The Manassites were not able to occupy these towns, for the Canaanites were determined to live in that region.
However, when the Israelites grew stronger, they subjected the Canaanites to forced labor but did not drive them out completely. (Joshua 17:12-13)
They were able to make agreements with the Canaanites where the Canaanites would serve them, but the Israelites didn’t drive them out as God commanded.
We too sometimes face sins that are “determined” to live within us. And instead of driving it out completely, we kind of make agreements with it.
“Okay, well, I won’t let you rule over me completely, but I’ll let you hang around.”
And from time to time, we dip into that sinful behavior.
In verses 14-18, the other Manasssites and Ephraimites complained that they didn’t have enough land. But when Joshua told them some other places that they could take over, they replied,
All the Canaanites who live in the plain have iron chariots, both those in Beth Shan and its settlements and those in the Valley of Jezreel. (16)
In other words, “We can’t do it. They’re too strong.”
And often times we say the same when it comes to sin. God says, “You can conquer this sin in your life. You can have victory.” But we say, “We can’t do it. It’s too strong.”
But what did Joshua say?
You are numerous and very powerful…though the Canaanites have iron chariots and though they are strong, you can drive them out. (17-18)
I think the key thing here that Joshua said was that when they fought together, they were powerful enough to defeat their enemies.
It’s the same with us. When we’re struggling with sin, it helps when we have Christians around us join in on the fight, praying for us, keeping us accountable.
And by joining together with other Christians, we become powerful, and can drive the sin out of our lives.
How about you? Are you fighting sin that seems determined to stay in your life? Or are you making excuses for letting it hang around?
Moment to Moment (Bible blog) 