Irritants and Thorns
God commanded the children of Israel to drive out the people of Canaan for two reasons. He was punishing the descendants of Canaan, Noah's grandson, and He knew they would tempt the children of Israel to sin by following their pagan gods.(Numbers 33:55) In fact, he knew they would be irritants in their eyes and thorns in their sides to harass them. They failed to follow God's will, and that led to their exile. Today, we are not to drive non-believers out. We are to love them and bring them to the Lord. However, if we do the wrong things, they can be irritants and thorns for us, too.
If we are immature believers, and we are not led by the Holy Spirit, we can view non-believers in the wrong way. This happens when we expect them to believe and to act like we do. If that is our expectation, then, they will irritate us, when they do not follow God's Word and act the way the Lord tells us to act. We must change our way of thinking, so that we realize they can't help what they believe and do unless they come to know the Lord Jesus and are changed like we were when we came to the Lord. Instead of being mad at them, we must be patient and understanding of them, so we can relate to them and share the gospel with them.,
Also, as immature believers, we can be swayed by their ideas and actions just like the Israelites were in Canaan. They can make fun of us and attack our beliefs. If we do not have enough spiritual maturity and foundation in the Bible, we could be drawn away from God. This is the downfall of many Christians, who want to be accepted by non-believers, and who want to enjoy the same lifestyle as unbelievers. We can love them and relate to them, if we are strong in the Lord, so that we do not start living like them.
Tomorrow, I intend to read Numbers 36 and Deuteronomy 1-2.
If we are immature believers, and we are not led by the Holy Spirit, we can view non-believers in the wrong way. This happens when we expect them to believe and to act like we do. If that is our expectation, then, they will irritate us, when they do not follow God's Word and act the way the Lord tells us to act. We must change our way of thinking, so that we realize they can't help what they believe and do unless they come to know the Lord Jesus and are changed like we were when we came to the Lord. Instead of being mad at them, we must be patient and understanding of them, so we can relate to them and share the gospel with them.,
Also, as immature believers, we can be swayed by their ideas and actions just like the Israelites were in Canaan. They can make fun of us and attack our beliefs. If we do not have enough spiritual maturity and foundation in the Bible, we could be drawn away from God. This is the downfall of many Christians, who want to be accepted by non-believers, and who want to enjoy the same lifestyle as unbelievers. We can love them and relate to them, if we are strong in the Lord, so that we do not start living like them.
Tomorrow, I intend to read Numbers 36 and Deuteronomy 1-2.