A few years ago, we found ourselves caught in a battle against an enemy that could only be seen under a microscope. Chances are there are still pockets of resistance in that battle. Some medical and others that are more political and social. And there are lessons we think we learned that we might be tempted to forget now that the heat of the battle is over.
But … is there a spiritual parallel?
Could we have pockets of resistance in our spiritual lives, too, areas where we have failed to let go of “old man” habits or justified something as good enough?
If so … like the Israelites, we’ll read about today, might those things be thorns in our sides and hindrances to our walks with God?
Today’s Readings:
Joshua 13 & 14
Psalm 44.20-26
Proverbs 14.3
Luke 11.1-28
Spiritual Pockets of Resistance
Joshua 13 & 14:
The Battle for the Promised Land
Battles are, definitely, a part of life. Much of the book of Joshua is about the battles the nation of Israel fought to take possession of the land promised them by God. And what a joyous time it must have been when most of the fighting was over. Joshua 14.15 says this:
Then the land had rest from war (v. 15b).
This was a time of relative peace, though as I said yesterday, there were still areas that needed to be fully occupied and pagan tribes that were never fully destroyed as God had commanded. Those groups would be thorns in their sides for generations. They would draw them into false worship, attack their cities, and create a multitude of problems.
Spiritual Pockets of Resistance
But could there be pockets of resistance in our lives, too, especially our spiritual lives?
If we are genuine believers, God did more than forgive us of our sins and save us from an eternity without Him. Although, that would be amazing enough if that’s all He did.
He also changed us and gave us new hearts and new righteous desires. Yet, even though, we may have quit doing many things we used to do (often because God supernaturally removed the desire for those things), there can still be “pockets of resistance”—areas of our lives where we have held on to “old man” habits (Eph. 4.22).
Maybe it’s a tendency to gossip, harbor unforgiveness, give someone the silent treatment, or respond in sinful anger.
Maybe it involves our thought lives … “After all, (we think) I’m not doing anything wrong!” We mistakenly believe we can play around with a thought or a fantasy without it showing up somewhere in our lives or walks with God.
The added danger is that as months and years go by without dealing with that area of sin and as we push conviction away, our consciences are seared and we become blinded to it.
So, what can we do?
Rely on God
We can pray as David did in Psalm 139.23-24:
Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me, and know my anxieties; and see if there is any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.
Then when God shows us things, we can confess them to Him and cry out for His help.
We can learn what it means to put off the old man and put on the new (Eph. 4.22-24). You can read more about that here.
And, finally, we can pray for God to “… unite [our] heart[s] to fear His name” (Ps. 86.11) so we can eliminate those pockets of resistance that hinder our walks with Him and our relationships with others. And so we can be of greater service to God and His kingdom. Amen?
Today’s Other Readings:
Psalm 44.20-26:
Be Very Glad!
Arise for our help, and redeem us for Your mercies’ sake (v. 26).
Sometimes we go through desperate circumstances without understanding why.
When the disciples watched the events unfold from the Last Supper with Jesus, through His arrest, beating, torture, mock trial, and finally the Crucifixion, it could not have looked good. I doubt it made any sense to them. But God was laying the groundwork for the greatest victory of all—redemption for all who put their faith and trust in Him!
Sometimes we suffer simply because we live in a sin-cursed world and sometimes because we belong to Him. The world hated Him. Should we be surprised when men hate us, as well?
Paul told Timothy, “… in the last days perilous times will come” (2 Tim. 3.1). And Jesus said, “In the world you will have tribulation” (Jn. 16.33).
Perilous times will come. We will have persecution. But it’s important to keep an eternal perspective.
Matthew 5.10-12 (NLT):
10 God blesses those who are persecuted for doing right, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs.
11 God blesses you when people mock you and persecute you and lie about you and say all sorts of evil things against you because you are my followers. 12 Be happy about it! Be very glad! For a great reward awaits you in heaven. And remember, the ancient prophets were persecuted in the same way.
Did you see that? “Be happy about it! Be very glad!” … because “a great reward awaits you in heaven.” Let’s never lose sight of that fact.
Proverbs 14.3:
Fools End Up Beaten by Their Own Words
In the mouth of a fool is a rod of pride, but the lips of the wise will preserve them.
The fool’s mouth has a rod that he uses to strike others, but eventually, it will come back to beat him. A wise man (or woman), however, guards against such foolishness and avoids those consequences.
Luke 11.1-28:
Living in a Clean “Well-Lit” House
When an unclean spirit goes out of a man, he goes through dry places, seeking rest; and finding none, he says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ And when he comes, he finds it swept and put in order. Then he goes and takes with him seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter and dwell there; and the last state of that man is worse than the first (vv. 24-26).
It’s not enough to be delivered from the powers of darkness without filling ourselves with the light. If we only put off the habits of our old nature without filling our hearts and minds with His truth and without putting on new righteous habits, we’ll soon find ourselves in worse shape than we were before.
1 John 1:5-7 (NLT):
5 This is the message we heard from Jesus and now declare to you: God is light, and there is no darkness in him at all. 6 So we are lying if we say we have fellowship with God but go on living in spiritual darkness; we are not practicing the truth. 7 But if we are living in the light, as God is in the light, then we have fellowship with each other, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, cleanses us from all sin.
What About You?
Are there areas of your life where you have failed to really put off old man habits? Are there some old habits that have crept back in or, maybe, never left? How do you need to pray? Do you need to make yourself accountable to someone?
Sit down and ask God for His wisdom. Then make a plan to work on those areas.
If you’re not sure how to make a plan, you might want to read “How to Make a Spiritual Growth Plan.”
Coming Up:
In the coming days, we’ll talk about the importance of viewing all of life through the lens of Scripture, how our thinking affects our emotions, Satan the accuser, cultural Christianity, and look at the question, “Should you force your religion on your children?”
I hope you’ll sign up so you don’t miss any of them.
If you would like to receive a FREE downloadable and printable Bible study through the book of Mark, you can click here for more information.
Blessings as you grow in Christ,
Donna ♥
Note about this post:
I began blogging through the Bible in 2012 and have done so every year since then. These posts are the product of many edits and additions throughout those years. Some days I make major changes, other days fewer.
A while ago, I read Jen Wilkin’s book None Like Him about the attributes of God. One is His incomprehensibility. In it, she says, “God is incomprehensible. This does not mean that he is unknowable, but that he is unable to be fully known.”
I have found that to be true each year as I’ve gone back through the Bible. Sometimes I find myself feeling as if a passage just appeared there for the first time. I’m reminded that no matter how many times we read through the Bible, we have only scratched the surface. I hope you feel the same.
Indeed these are the mere edges of His ways,
And how small a whisper we hear of Him!
But the thunder of His power who can understand?” (Job 26.14)
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