“You cannot stand before your enemies until you have removed the things under the ban from your midst.” Joshua 7:13.
Today your LORD (יהוה) God says:
It took only one man to make you lose everything and it took only One Man to get it all back.
You make a difference.
Do not allow things in your life and in your household that are sinful. You cannot serve two masters. You either are following Me or you are not. And the actions of one person can bring a whole house down. In fact, can bring a whole nation down. Remember Achan? He caused all of the Israel to be defeated by housing sin in the camp.
The power is in the pattern and the pattern is in My Word, which is in My Book, which Moses called the Torah and you call the Bible. If you deviate from the pattern and do evil you can bring your life, your household, your workplace, your city, your nation, and ultimately the world down. That is what Adam did, and that is what the sinful kings of Israel did. But it was just one simple man, not even a politician or leader, who brought all Israel into defeat after the greatest and most miraculous victory that had ever occurred—the conquest of Jericho by a shout by a godly people who had just been circumcised and kept the Passover, the signs of the Old Covenant. But already there occurred a deviation, a lawless deed by a member of the community, that had an effect on the success of everyone in the community. Joshua thought I had abandoned them when after such a great victory over Jericho they were defeated in their very next battle by a tiny town called Ai. With the elders, Joshua tore his clothes and fell to the earth on his face before My ark until evening, and they put dust on their heads. Joshua 7:6. And he asked Me why I brought the people over the Jordan to deliver them into the hand of the Amorites and destroy them. Joshua 7:7. People blame Me for things that are contrary to My Word very quickly without inquiring what went wrong on their part.
I told Joshua and the elders to rise up and asked Joshua why he was down on his face putting dirt on his head. I then explained that Israel had sinned and had also transgressed My Covenant, that they had just affirmed with Me. They even took some of the things under the ban and stole and deceived. Moreover, they had put them among their own things. Joshua 7:10-11. I told Joshua, “You cannot stand before your enemies until you have removed the things under the ban from your midst.” Joshua 7:13.
I want to stop and talk to you very seriously here. Today there are many things in literature, shows, social media, symbols, satanic culture, sorcery, witchcraft, movies, pornography, that are perverted, immoral, and sensual, which people are accepting and allowing in their homes, that to Me are under the ban from what should be in the life of a believer, whom I have consecrated and set apart by the Blood of My Son. And many of believers are allowing these things in their homes, on their TVs, on their computers, and in the magazines and books brought into their residence by their children, siblings, spouses and even themselves. Desensitized by what they are getting used to hearing and hearing and seeing and seeing as they look at and listen to secular media. Some parents are more fearful of their children and being rejected or found not “with it” by their children than they are of pleasing Me.
It is time you rose up and stopped laying down and moaning over the immoral lifestyles of your children, your siblings, your spouse, and any others who live with you as they throw their dirt on your head. Put your foot down. Take a stand for Me or the enemy will take you down. Joshua did that and the people joined him, and they ran sin out of the camp and removed the things in their midst that were causing the curse to enter their lives.
Do not allow pornography, perverted life styles, immoral sexual conduct, obscene language, cursing, swearing, drugs, gluttony, satanic symbols, ouji boards, pornography, idols, or things like that in your home. Do not carry them with you or wear clothes with them on them. Why open yourself to being defeated constantly by the enemy? When you let him into your house, he will wreak havoc in your life and will bring down your entire household. It is your choice, not Mine. I have told you what is good for you, what is blessing for you, but many have grown dull of hearing and are fearful to sound “old fashioned” or “hypocritical” or “unloving.” But real love is to snatch your family out of the flames that would consume their lives and their beautiful destinies and leave them in the rubble of a heap of stones, as Achan and his family ended their once beautiful and victorious lives. Sad. Do not tolerate evil. You cannot co-habitate with sin and not get burned. The wages of sin are death and that is a law that you put in motion when you allow sin into your life and do not put your foot down to stop it before it gains a stronghold.
My Son told you that anyone who looks lustfully at another has already committed adultery with that one in their heart. Do not think obscene “romances” or such other literature and movies are okay for you to partake of. You cannot drink My cup and the cup of demons. Be careful what you hear and see, your mind stores images and is able to retrieve them. Guard your hearts, for from your heart comes the issues of life. And if the light in you is darkness how deep will the darkness be.
Jesus lived pure. He spent hours with Me in prayer. He rejoiced in the Holy Spirit. He gave others the living water that washed them pure. He told the disciples they were clean already because of the Words He had spoken to them.
Have you ever noticed? When you read worldly novels and magazines, or watch ungodly movies, or indulge in gossip or speak of immoral conduct, you are left feeling dirty and dark, pulled down and not up. You feel the effects of wasted and fruitless time. Spend time in My Word and it will wash you. Jesus loves the Church and gave Himself up for her, so that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the Word, that He might present to Himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she would be holy and blameless. Ephesians 5:25-27.
But I want you to remember too, that Joshua had not sinned or taken things under the ban, but he and all the community suffered defeat by the enemy and could not overcome their enemies when they allowed those things in their community. Be careful what you are letting those you live with bring into your household. You should be keeping an eye on what is going on and you should be taking a stand against things that are contrary to My Word. You are not helping others when you you are afraid to confront them because they will be angry. If you love father, mother, brother or sister more than Me you are not worthy of the Kingdom. If you will allow sin in your home so you do not offend another you are not on My side. Jesus was not afraid to call sin for what it was. He was not afraid to drive the money changers out of the temple and to overturn their tables. And you should not be afraid of putting obscene books and literature you find in your home in the trash, where they belong.
Many years later, after many victories, Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel together and asked them to take a stand. He reminded them of all the great works and mighty deeds that I had done for them to redeem them out of slavery and then to give them a promised land filled with all good things for which they did not labor. He then asked them something you must ask yourselves and those of your household, “If it is disagreeable in your sight to serve the LORD, choose for yourselves today whom you will serve: whether the gods which your fathers served which were beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living; but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.” Joshua 24:15. The people responded that they would do likewise, saying, “Far be it from us that we should forsake the LORD to serveother gods; for the LORD our God is He who brought us and our fathers up out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage, and preserved us through all the way in which we went and among all the people through whose midst we passed.” Joshua 24:16-17. And their conclusion? “We also will serve the LORD, for He is our God.” Joshua 24:18.
Live as you truly are in Christ—holy, sanctified, and separated from sin. Do not stay with or put up with evil things in your home or heart. They are all around you in the world, but though in the world, you who are in Christ are not of the world. The world system—the Babylonian system– is not yours. “Come out of her, my people, so that you will not participate in her sins and receive of her plagues.” Revelation 18:4. Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, so that it will give grace to those who hear. Do not grieve the Holy Spirit, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Ephesians 4:29-30. Walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called. Ephesians 4:1.
Therefore be imitators of Me, as My beloved children; and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for you, an offering and a sacrifice to as a fragrant aroma. Immorality or any impurity or greed must not even be named among you, as is proper among My people; and there must be no filthiness and silly talk, or coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks. Ephesians 5:1-4.
I love you. Be careful how you live, not as unwise men but as wise, making the most of your time, because the days are evil. So then do not be foolish, but understand what My will is. And do not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart unto Me, who loves you and sings over you, Zephaniah 3:17; always giving thanks for all things in the name of your Lord Jesus Christ. Ephesians 5:15-20.