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Today is Monday March 15, 2010 and we are reading through the Bible in a year. Today's message comes from the reading of the Book of Joshua, chapters 7 & 8. If you would like to read the chapters along with us here online you can Click Here to read them or copy & paste this URL onto your browser: http://www.readytofollow.com/bible-march-15

Title: Bible Study: The Price of Sin
Do you know what the main cause to committing sin is? Pure selfishness. We want what we want and we will stop at nothing to get it, even if that means hurting other people. Think about it. When ever you are in the act of committing sin are you thinking about anyone else, but yourself? No. When we have committed sin, the only person we are thinking about is me, myself, and I. There is a big price to committing sin, the price of sin is that you are not the only one that suffers the consequences, but everyone else around you does as well. Did you ever feel like you are being punished over something you did not do? Take a look around you. Are you hanging around someone who lives in sin or did something in the past and you have not confronted them about it? That could be the reason why you are suffering. After their victory at Jericho, the Israelites had built up a pretty good sense of pride, so, when they were about to go up against the small city of Ai they thought it would be a piece of cake. Little did they realize it would be a defeat. “But the children of Israel committed a trespass in the accursed thing: for Achan, the son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took of the accursed thing: and the anger of the LORD was kindled against the children of Israel. And Joshua sent men from Jericho to Ai, which is beside Bethaven, on the east of Bethel, and spake unto them, saying, Go up and view the country. And the men went up and viewed Ai. And they returned to Joshua, and said unto him, Let not all the people go up; but let about two or three thousand men go up and smite Ai; and make not all the people to labour thither; for they are but few. So there went up thither of the people about three thousand men: and they fled before the men of Ai. And the men of Ai smote of them about thirty and six men: for they chased them from before the gate even unto Shebarim, and smote them in the going down: wherefore the hearts of the people melted, and became as water.” - Joshua 7:1-5. This man, Achan, committed sin and because of that one sin, they were defeated and thirty-six men died in the process. All it takes is one sin to destroy another person and even a nation. Think about it. A man and woman have an affair, someone has a disease, that disease spreads to the other person, and then another, and soon it's every where. Sin is nothing, but a deadly disease that destroys lives.

Now, here is Joshua, completely stunned as to what just happened, he questions God and wonders why they were defeated after God promised to let them have all the land. “And Joshua said, Alas, O LORD God, wherefore hast thou at all brought this people over Jordan, to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites, to destroy us? would to God we had been content, and dwelt on the other side Jordan!....... And the LORD said unto Joshua, Get thee up; wherefore liest thou thus upon thy face? 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 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.......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 have I done: When I saw among the spoils a goodly Babylonish garment, and two hundred shekels of silver, and a wedge of gold of fifty shekels weight, then I coveted them, and took them; and, behold, they are hid in the earth in the midst of my tent, and the silver under it.” - Joshua 7:7,10-12,19-21. To be accursed means that someone had brought evil upon the people. We think when we sin in secret that no one knows about it, but we fail to realize that God sees and knows everything. Because of one mans sin the rest of the congregation suffered and they would suffer until they found out who it was and destroyed the evil that was among them. They literally stoned him and burned him, but once the evil was gone the people were able to see victory over Ai.

Evil catches up to us and sooner or later, we will suffer and sadly some will lose their lives because of it. It is always a mistake to think that we can hide sin and still have the presence of God. God will not allow us to have victory with sin in our lives and everyone else will suffer as well in the process. “Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.” - Galatians 6:7,8. We will reap what we sow, but we can get right with God. “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.” - I John 1:8-10. If we confess our sins we are forgiven, if we do not we will suffer, it's that simple. I am sure had Achan confessed before all these things began happening that his life would have been spared, but his selfishness caused not only innocent people to lose their lives, but his as well. You know, God will give us all the desires of our heart, He is a loving and forgiving God, and will respect those who come to Him and repent. Praise God that we do have a chance to get things right with God and get on His good side again. “The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.” - II Peter 3:9. God does not want anyone to perish, all who repent are forgiven. Praise God!

Enjoy the rest of your day/night and week.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina

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