RUN LIKE A CHAMPION

It’s been my experience that the greatest temptations come right before or right after our finest triumphs. Charles Spurgeon used to say his greatest moments of discouragement came shortly after he preached. “So, if you think you are standing firm,” the Scripture says, “be careful that you don’t fall!” (1 Corinthians 10:12). Many men of God have fallen because they didn’t understand their most vulnerable moments were at their height of their biggest victories.
Such was the case for Joshua. God had given him a great victory. There was only one explanation for his success: God had acted on his behalf. There was such a mighty move of God that Joshua became famous. The Bible says, “So the Lord was with Joshua, and his fame spread throughout the land” (Joshua 6:27). God used Joshua mightily and showed Himself powerful on behalf of the children of Israel.
But the next verse is enough to make every follower of Christ sit down and take heed to God’s warnings: “But the Israelites acted unfaithfully in regard to the devoted things; Achan son of Carmi, the son of Zimri, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took some of them. So the Lord’s anger burned against Israel” (Joshua 7:1).
Amazing! They had just experienced the glory of God. Now they would come to know His judgment — in such a short time! Sin always produces judgment, and it robs us of our spiritual discernment. Joshua sent spies to check out a place called Ai. They came back with a positive report. “No problem,” they said. “Ai is a piece of cake.” In fact, they said, “We only need about two or three thousand men to take the city” Joshua 7:3).
They had confidence, but the wrong kind. Their confidence was in themselves — not in God. Joshua sent out the troops, only to be surprised by what took place. These men who had seen God move and deliver them with signs, wonders, and miracles were routed by their enemies.
Joshua responded to their defeat in a manner that can become a great lesson to every leader in the kingdom of God. First, Joshua took responsibility for the sin among the people. He had not personally sinned. But he began to cry out to God about the reason for their defeat. God was very clear with Joshua: “Israel has sinned; they have violated my covenant, which I commanded them to keep. They have taken some of the devoted things; they have stolen, they have lied, they have put them with their own possessions. That is why the Israelites cannot stand against their enemies; they turn their backs and run because they have been made liable to destruction. I will not be with you anymore unless you destroy whatever among you is devoted to destruction” (Joshua 7:11, 12).
Joshua had to come to grips with the sin of the people before he could again experience victory. He had to be honest and see the situation realistically. Too many times, leaders will wink at sin. They don’t want to rock the boat. But if we’re not honest with God and ourselves, we may find our boat sinking. It’s much better to rock the boat than to sink it. Joshua was willing to rock the boat.
Second, Joshua had to call God’s people to consecration (vv. 13, 14). A genuine move of God will take place only when God’s people surrender fully to His will. This is one of the missing elements in today’s discussion on revival. If revival is to come, there must be surrender to God. We cannot hang on to our sin and expect God to give us victory. We must be wholly surrendered to God.
Finally, we must understand the consequences of sin. The Bible says, “The wages of sin is death.” Sin results in spiritual death, emotional death, and even physical death. Sin is a horrible thing. Sin kills our spirits. It destroys our families. It will even take our lives. Such is what happened to Achan. He thought he could get away with a small sin. But it resulted in the death of a number of Hebrews as they tried to capture Ai. And his sin eventually resulted in his own death.
A spiritual leader must understand the seriousness of the task God has given him. Defeat is not the worse thing that can happen to a leader. Much worse is refusing to face the problem and to deal with it thoroughly. God is a God of grace and mercy. He is ready and willing to forgive and restore. But first we must be brutally honest and deal with the sin in our lives.