.…Achan…took some of the things devoted [for destruction]. And the anger of the Lord burned against Israel. – Joshua 7:1, Amplified Bible

We all have something we love that God does not. At some point God will put His finger on that love and tell us to destroy it. When He does, what will we do? Obey, or hold on to that thing we love? All too often we hold on to it, trusting in God’s mercy to bear with us until we are ready to give it up. The problem with that approach is that we have no authority to tell God to wait. He has all authority to command us to obey now, and He has no obligation to wait on us to decide when would be a convenient time to do what we’re told.

Yes, God is merciful and long suffering with us, but He will not let insolence go unpunished. Our punishment may come swiftly, or it may be mercifully delayed. But, it will come if we do not repent and obey. The punishment is not worth the pleasure, nor is the fellowship with our sin worth the cost of losing fellowship with our Savior. As God says in Joshua 7:12(b) (Amplified Bible), “I will cease to be with you unless you destroy the accursed [devoted] things among you.” Is that thing so wonderful that it is worth breaking our fellowship with the Wonderful Counselor and Mighty Friend? If it is, we are absolutely placing our esteem in the wrong place. When we sever ourselves from God, destruction comes.

Besides loss of fellowship with God, there is another consequence for holding on to the thing God has told us to cast away: others will be hurt. People sometimes justify their sin by saying, “Well, so what if I do hold onto that thing? The only one who will suffer is me.” Not true! Every action we take affects those around us. Thirty-six Israeli soldiers died before Achan’s sin was known (Joshua 7:5), and everyone in Achan’s family and all that he had (even his animals) were destroyed after he was found out (Joshua 7:24, 25). Death followed Achan’s error, and many more than Achan suffered for his disobedience.

When God shows you something He wants you to destroy in your life, just do it. If you don’t, the consequences will be dire for both yourself and for the ones you love.