“And you shall make no covenant with
the inhabitants of this land; you shall tear down their altars.” But you have
not obeyed My voice. Why have you done this? Therefore I also said, “I will not
drive them out before you; but they shall be thorns in your side, and their
gods shall be a snare to you.” Judges 2:2-3
God gave
the Israelites specific instructions: Drive the Canaanites out of every corner
of the land, and obliterate any vestige of their abominable idol worship. This
assignment was challenging! Their enemies had formidable chariots. The
Canaanites had seemingly impregnable fortresses that were dangerous and
difficult to overcome. The Israelites failed to drive all the Canaanites from
the land. Much about the Canaanite lifestyle and religion appealed to the
Israelites’ sinful nature. Rather than destroying them and their idolatry,
Israel compromised. The Canaanites would prove to be a troublesome distraction
to the Israelites. Their idol worship would present a constant temptation.
When you
became a Christian, God declared war on sin’s strongholds in your life. Sinful
behaviors and attitudes were firmly entrenched in your character, but God
commanded you to tear them down. The Holy Spirit pointed out areas of your life
that were resistant to God’s will. Were you tempted to merely establish a truce
rather than obliterating every sin? Is anger one of sin’s strongholds? If so,
it will rise up against you in moments of weakness. Is there a stronghold of
lust in your life? If so, you will succumb to it when caught off guard. In
careless moments, these strongholds will still tempt you to continue your past
sinful behaviors.
Do not
underestimate the destructive power of sin. If there are strongholds in your
life that you have never defeated, the Holy Spirit is still prepared to bring
you complete victory.
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