Day 22 28 Days To Confidence In Prayer
We started our mission in the shallow water, moving toward the deep. Now we are there: in the deep water – the water where you swim (Ezekiel 47). Our feet don’t touch bottom anymore; we can’t walk around in our own strength anymore. We have to trust in the Holy Spirit who is holding us up and taking us where He wants us to go. It may seem scary, but it is the best place to be.
This is the place where we truly belong to Jesus – spirit, soul, and body. He is our Lord. He encourages us, strengthens us, instructs us, and corrects us.
John 15: 1,2 I am the true vine, and My Father is the husbandman. Every branch in me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it, that it may bear more fruit.We are bearing fruit, so he prunes us. He brings us correction so that we may bear more fruit. He speaks to us about our errors, so that we can change and have happier, more productive lives.
In Joshua 7 there is a great life lesson. Joshua had finally led His people across the Jordan River, and through God’s supernatural intervention, the Israelites had taken the huge, fortified city of Jericho. The next town to be taken was Ai, a place so small they would only need a few hundred troops. But they were in for a surprise! They lost that small battle, and were totally driven out of Ai. Joshua was devastated.
Inquiring of the Lord, he found the answer: there was sin in the camp. When the men had taken Jericho, they were told not to take any of the spoils. Yet one man, Achan, had secretly taken a Babylonian garment and a few pieces of silver. He had dug a hole in the center of his tent and buried the items. Covering the dig with a rug, he thought no one would ever know what he had done. Of course, God knew and was very displeased.
God made it clear to Joshua that when there is “sin in the camp” God won’t stand with you in battle. Even sin done in secret can cut off God’s power. Thousands of years have passed since that day, and we are under a different covenant. Yet our universe still runs by the same rules. When you have sin in your life – even if you think it is a secret, you can’t win over your enemy, Satan. Your prayers won’t accomplish much!
Today we are mostly addressing the sin of the heart – the secret sin that we want to justify. We have an incredible ability to magnify what our neighbors are doing wrong, while minimizing our own errors. All of us can fall into that trap if we aren’t careful, but if we do, we are only deceiving ourselves.
Spend some time with God, letting Him show you any sin in your life. Are you doing things in secret that you wouldn’t want others to know about? Are you always honest? What about your giving? Do you honor God with your finances or do you spend it all on yourself? Then check our your thought life. What are you reading or watching?
Be really honest with yourself and with God. Ask your Father to show you any sin and empower you to overcome it. He is looking for an honest and pure heart so that He can pour out His blessing. He corrects us for our good. If we receive His correction, we will see the results in our peace, our joy, and in the power of our prayers!
