GET OFF THE ROLLER COASTER

PRAYER JOURNAL 11/19/19

Proverbs 28:13 He who covers his sins will not prosper, but whoever confesses and forsakes them will have mercy.

THE ROLLER COASTER OF LIFE….You’ve settled in your seat for the ride, the safety bar is locked in place and the adventure is about to begin; your heart beats with anticipation…the thrill….the rush…

BUT…

Now it’s getting old, the ride has lost its thrill.  The anticipation of what lies over the next hill no longer excites you.  The ups and the downs, the twists and the turns have become too much and you want off.  You are ready to try the “train ride” on a smooth track…

YOU FEEL DEFEATED…

Where is the victory?   Where is the joy?  The “Roller Coaster” ride didn’t live up to all the hype.  You want to tell the long line of expectant faces, don’t waste your time, it’s just not worth it.

Once again Israel faced its own “Roller Coaster” moment.  The “Thrill of Victory” was palpable throughout the Camp. God had delivered the great city of Jericho into their hands in a way that was an absolute miracle.  Who ever heard of walls so thick you could drive a chariot on top, simply crumbling?  And Rahab, yep, there she is, the only one of Jericho’s citizen that escaped; all because she hid the spies and left a red cord hanging in her window.  The fireside celebration and the stories continued…

BUT…

There was another battle waiting over the horizon and the downhill ride was not going to be quite so exhilarating…

The next battle was the BATTLE OF AI and the defeat was ABSOLUTE!  There were no victorious stories; 36 men lost their life and the Army of Israel retreated back to their camp.  What happened?  Where was God?  AI was not even a major city; this battle should have been a piece of cake.

Israel had a TRUE LEADER in Joshua who recognized that if they ever wanted to win another battle, he had better consult with his COMMANDER IN CHIEF. 

Joshua 7:10-11 So the Lord said to Joshua: “Get up! Why do you lie thus on your face? 11 Israel has sinned and they have transgressed my covenant which I commanded them.  For they have taken some of the accursed things and have both stolen and deceived and they have also put it among their own stuff.

REALLY GOD?  It was just a few silver coins, a gold bar and a beautifully woven robe.  After all I deserved it; I marched 7 days; I blew my trumpet louder than anyone else…I’m not hurting anybody.  But, God had given specific instructions regarding the Spoils of Jericho; some things were to be utterly destroyed and the rest were to be dedicated to His Service; Achan had brought sin and defeat to the whole Nation of Israel.

VICTORY AND SIN CANNOT COEXIST!

What about your Roller Coaster Ride?  One day you ride high on a victory and the next day you are rushing downhill to defeat.  Perhaps it is time to uncover the accursed things you have buried in the corner of your tent.  Oh they seem so innocent…everyone else is “getting by” doing much more; what can it hurt to take just a little, after all “society” has changed…BUT GOD SAYS, “do not touch the accursed things.”

PASTORS, if your church is on a Roller Coaster of Victory and Defeat, it is time to “inquire before the Lord” and let God reveal the hidden sin.  Tolerating sin in the congregation is NOT showing the “love of God.”

You may say, “Well there not in leadership” or “I don’t want to drive them away.”  Achan was NOT in leadership among the Israelites either.  As a matter of fact, except for the 7th chapter of Joshua, his name is not even mentioned.  Achan was just a small player in the scheme of things but his sin brought defeat on the entire camp.

Be the Leader that God called you to be and utterly destroy the sin that is infecting the camp. If YOU are the person in the camp that has hidden the accursed thing in your “tent,” DIG IT OUT NOW! 

YOU CAN GET OFF THE ROLLER COASTER….YOU CAN LIVE VICTORIOUSLY!