…You can not stand before your enemies until you take away from among you the things devoted [to destruction]. – Joshua 7:13, Amplified Bible (AMP)

Many, many Christians lead defeated lives. They often question their faith because rarely, if ever, do they see God actively working to help them overcome great obstacles. Rather than experience triumphant victory over the enemies of desperation, despair, loneliness, and hopelessness, they get beaten and battered by such enemies day in and day out.

The reason we suffer defeat in our lives has nothing to do with God. It has everything to do with us. Like Achan, who caused his family and his country great harm by harboring the accursed thing, we protect all kinds of accursed things that God expects us to destroy. Until we totally eradicate the sin from our lives that God has slated for destruction, He will hold back His supply of supernatural power when we face the enemies before us. If we want complete access to God’s ability to overcome ANYTHING this world can throw at us, we have to destroy EVERYTHING we hold dear that God calls sin.

Emotionally, it can be hard to eliminate from our lives the sin we love so much. But, if we could ignore the emotion for a moment, logic makes the right choice crystal clear: it makes no sense to love our eternal, sacrificial Savior less than we love the temporary, fleeting thrills of sin. The latter wisps away like smoke, here for a moment, then gone. The former lasts forever! So why do we let anything stand in the way of our relationship with God? Utter, stupid selfishness is the reason, and nothing more.

Whatever God has told you to eliminate from your life, take the necessary steps today to follow through on His wishes. Until you do, you can expect regularly scheduled defeat at the hands of your enemies. But, once you obey, you can look forward to triumph after triumph over the enemies of the world, the flesh, and the devil.

Shop hundreds of Christian-themed products at our new store! A portion of each purchase goes to support the work of Today’s Quote From God. To visit the Today’s Quote From God Store, please click here.