How we live our lives can affect an entire generation

Did not Achan the son of Zerah commit a trespass in the accursed thing, and wrath fell on all the congregation of Israel? And that man did not perish alone in his iniquity.

Joshua 22:20

When Achan sinned by taking of the accursed things, he probably thought that he was doing no harm to anybody, but in fact he was wrong. His sins affected the whole of the Children of Israel. They lost the battle in Ai and 36 men died as a result. This story teaches us important lessons about our own lives:

1. Sin affects not only us but our children

Even though it was Achan alone who sinned, his wife and children and all that he had including even his animals were destroyed. We likewise need to be mindful that the way we live our lives affects not only us but our children and grandchildren after us:

The LORD is slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, forgiving iniquity and transgression, but He will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, to the third and the fourth generation.

Numbers 14:18 (ESV)

2. Sin affects our community

Achan’s sin di not only affect him and his family but it affected the whole community. Likewise the way we live our lives affects our community, including our neighbourhoods, congregations, schools, work places, etc. The Bible tells us that whatever is done in private will be revealed in public and this also applies to sin. Even though it may be committed in private it still has wider consequences:

For all that is secret will eventually be brought into the open, and everything that is concealed will be brought to light and made known to all.

Luke 8:17 (NLT)

3. Sin affects our nations

Achan’s sins affected the whole nation of Israel, however there is also hope because God assures us that if we will humble ourselves and pray and turn from our wicked ways, He will forgive our sins and heal our lands:

If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.

2 Chronicles 7:14 (KJV)

Prayer

Dear Lord, I know that You are a loving God and slow to anger, however please help me not to take Your love for granted but to live my life in such a way that I will leave a Godly inheritance for my children in Jesus name, amen.

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Once sin is removed from our lives, God will give us the victory

Then you shall rise from the ambush and seize the city, for the Lord your God will deliver it into your hand.

Joshua 8:7 (ERV)

It was only after Joshua, the leader, dealt with sin in the camp, that God told him not to be afraid, but to take all of the people of war with him and go up to Ai because He had already given into his hand the king of Ai, and his people, and his city, and his land.

In today’s Scripture, Joshua was giving the men of war the battle strategy that God had given him. The strategy was quite simple; some men were to hide behind the city, then Joshua and his men will approach the city and then Joshua and his men would run away as they were being chased by the men of Ai. Once they had come away from the city, the men who were hiding behind were to rise from the ambush and capture the city. Joshua assured them they will have the victory because the Lord has already delivered the city into their hand.

This story teaches us several important lessons about how sin affects our lives:

1. Sin separates us from God and gives the enemy the upper hand over believers

Isaiah declares that it is our sins that have separated us from God and our sins has hidden God’s face from us so that He will not hear (Isaiah 59:1-2).

Sin also gives the enemy, who is Satan, an upper hand over believers. We can see through the story of Joshua, the High Priest, that Satan was able to stand at his right hand to resists him because he was clothed with filthy garment which represents sin (Zechariah 3:1-5).

Sin also causes sickness and brings grief into the life of the believer. When Jesus was on earth, often times before healing people He would first forgive their sins, and after healing them, He would tell them to go and sin no more, so that a worse thing will not come on them (Matthew 9:2-5, Mark 2:5, Luke 5:20-24, John 5:14, John 8:11).

2. Once sin is removed from our lives, God will give us the victory

There is only one consequence of sin, which is death:

For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Romans 6:23

Under Joshua’s leadership, Achan and his whole family had to pay for the consequence of their sin, which was death. Joshua could not bear their sins for them.

Thank God for Jesus that He came to earth to deal with the problem of sin. He came as the Lamb of God to take away the sin of the world (John 1:29).

Under the Lordship of Jesus Christ, the sinner can come to Jesus, repent of our sins and have all of our sins washed in His own blood so that we can be made righteous before God. Jesus came to destroy the works of the enemy so that Satan can no longer have the upper hand over us:

But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

1 Corinthians 15:57

Prayer

Dear Father, I come to You now in the name of Jesus and by the Blood of Jesus. Please help me to overcome every secret sin in my life through the power of Your Holy Spirit so that I can have the victory through Jesus Christ my Lord.

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