Rapid Kingdom Progress
God wants us to see rapid progress of His kingdom on earth. However, most of the time the progress we see is painfully slow. Joshua and the children of Israel saw a time of rapid kingdom progress when they went into the Promised Land.(Joshua 10:42) It is a great example of what can happen when we fully follow the Lord, and He fights for us, instead of us trying to do His will in our own power.
Sin slows or stops kingdom progress. We see it in the sin of Achan in this passage and in many other passages in the Bible like Ananias and Saphira in Acts 5. God can't bless sin, and He can't bless a group of people infected by sin with rapid kingdom growth. This doesn't mean we have to be perfect for God to use us, but it is the reason He uses us less than He would. We must deal with sin by repenting and confessing it, so that we do not hinder God's work.
Also, we must follow His plans in His way. God can do more in 5 minutes than we can do in 5 years. I have seen it in my life. We can try and try to do something, and we will fail. Then, when we stop to listen to God, follow His Spirit, and allow Him to fight for us or work through us, we see a great deal done in a short time. The Day of Pentecost was an example when 3,000 people were saved and added to the church.
What could happen if we put away our sin, let God direct us and fight for us? I believe we could see a church planting movement that would spread across this world, so that billions could be saved. God desires for all people to be saved. We are His hands, feet, and mouth to share the Good News. We are the ones slowing the progress of the kingdom, not Him.
Tomorrow, I intend to read Joshua 11-13.
Sin slows or stops kingdom progress. We see it in the sin of Achan in this passage and in many other passages in the Bible like Ananias and Saphira in Acts 5. God can't bless sin, and He can't bless a group of people infected by sin with rapid kingdom growth. This doesn't mean we have to be perfect for God to use us, but it is the reason He uses us less than He would. We must deal with sin by repenting and confessing it, so that we do not hinder God's work.
Also, we must follow His plans in His way. God can do more in 5 minutes than we can do in 5 years. I have seen it in my life. We can try and try to do something, and we will fail. Then, when we stop to listen to God, follow His Spirit, and allow Him to fight for us or work through us, we see a great deal done in a short time. The Day of Pentecost was an example when 3,000 people were saved and added to the church.
What could happen if we put away our sin, let God direct us and fight for us? I believe we could see a church planting movement that would spread across this world, so that billions could be saved. God desires for all people to be saved. We are His hands, feet, and mouth to share the Good News. We are the ones slowing the progress of the kingdom, not Him.
Tomorrow, I intend to read Joshua 11-13.