JULY 12, Joshua 7:1-12

God hates sin because He is Holy. That was why He commanded His chosen nation to be holy and separate from the wicked and idolatrous nations. He destroyed Jericho so that His chosen nation would not be destroyed by sin. Today, we will learn about what would happen when the children of God sin.

God promised to be with Joshua in battle all the way. So, it was puzzling to find that the army of Israel faced defeat at the city of Ai. Ai was much weaker than Jericho. So, Joshua mournfully sought God for an answer. God disclosed the reason - there was sin in the camp.

Someone had disobeyed God’s command and had taken the “accursed” thing from Jericho. Unless the “accursed thing” is removed, God will not help Joshua. Joshua sprang into action. The culprit, named Achan, was exposed and duly punished. After the cleansing of sin, Joshua and his men enjoyed victory all the way. The defeat at Ai was the one and only defeat they suffered.

When we sin against God, He will not listen to our prayers. Remember that our sins could hurt others too. For God to listen to our prayers again, we need to first confess our sins before Him. We may also need to confess our faults to others. Sin separates us from God, and the consequence of sin is death (Romans 6:23).

           Jesus’ precious blood was shed to cleanse us from our sins.
           Draw a cross to bridge the gap between God and sinners in this picture:

Thought: Sin separates me from God but He will forgive me if I confess my sins.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, guard my heart this day I pray, that I may not sin against You. Help me to take sin seriously, for I will otherwise fall into the trap of allowing it in my life bit by bit. In Jesus’ name I pray – Amen.