Underneath

We have to deal with the things that are underneath. 

Anything underneath is normally situated directly below something else or concealed by something else.

Remember the story of Achan? After Israel was winning against their enemies, Joshua sent men to fight AI with confidence that the children of Israel would win. 

Instead, AI’s men killed about thirty-six of the Israelites and chased them from the gate. This defeat caused the people’s hearts to melt in despair as they began to doubt the promises of God! 

Due to their disheartened hearts, they became like water. This defeat caused Joshua to pray and cry out to God in sorrow. He wanted to know

why is the army of Israel retreating and now fleeing before their enemies. God revealed that Israel’s sin caused them to become defeated by their enemies. What was their sin?

They had taken things (accursed, dedicated) objects and hid them. Not only did they steal the objects, but they also lied about their theft causing more deceit. Due to this sin, which was underneath, the children of Israel could not defend themselves; they became accursed.

We cannot wage effective warfare against our enemy when something hides under the surface. God warns us in his word that he looks at the heart; these internal sins are hidden, not seen in the natural, usually concealed by something else. 

After the children of Israel consecrated themselves, they could hear from God and remove those things from “under the ban” (accursed object); if the sin which Achan hid underneath went unaddressed, Israel wouldn’t have been victorious against their enemies.

There is no victory without God!

Joshua address Achan Sin:

After Joshua addressed Achan’s sin, his response:

Joshua 7:20-21 So Achan answered Joshua and said, “In truth, I have sinned against the Lord, the God of Israel, and this is what I have done: 21when I saw among the spoils [in Jericho] an, I.e., a valuable, elaborately woven and decorated royal robe, perhaps even bejeweled. Beautiful robe from Shinar (southern Babylon) and two hundred shekels of silver, and a bar of gold weighing fifty shekels; I wanted them and took them. Behold, they are hidden in the ground inside my tent, with the silver underneath.”

• Achan saw the spoils – Lust of the eyes.
• He coveted the beautiful Babylonian robe, two hundred shekels of silver, and the bar of gold weighing fifty shekels. 
• He confessed he wanted them and took them! 

His lust gave birth to sin, and sin’s wages are death! Romans 6:23

He intentionally hid his sin in the ground underneath the silver. This sin brought disaster for him and his household. 

Once the accursed object that Achan hid underneath was removed and burnt, the men of Israel defeated their enemies. 

Everything is about addressing the sins underneath, hidden and accursed in our hearts and lives, so that we can wage effective warfare against our enemy. 

Lets Pray!

I want to invite you to listen to recent teaching from our website Omegaministries.org titled “Internal Atmospheres”

I hope you enjoyed this devotion. God bless you, and comment below.

Tanicia P.