Craig Clouston

Hanging on to Disobedience

I will not be with you anymore unless you destroy whatever among you is devoted to destruction.

Joshua 7:13

“I don’t use it anymore,” Grant argued. “I think it looks cool.” He was referring to the India-style water pipe sitting on his mantle. It had been a mainstay during, as Grant called it, his ‘Experimental Phase’. Grant had smoked a lot of pot from that pipe during his mid twenties and early thirties. He’d begun recreationally, smoking once or twice on the weekends. Eventually Grant began indulging himself on a daily basis while experimenting with other drugs like cocaine and painkillers.

Much more than a casual experiment, Grant had needed help getting his life back on track. The court system had been the principal track-layer…Jenny, his girlfriend, had provided ongoing support. He’d been clean for two months now…things were different since he’d given Jesus control of his life.

“Decoration or not,” Jenny broke in on his reverie. “It’s a symbol of your past. In God’s eyes it’s an idol. Tell me you don’t think about back in the day when you look at it,” she challenged.

His thin smile said it all. “Is that such a bad thing…to remember I mean?” he asked.

“It sends your mind down the wrong road. You wanna’ take the trip again?!” she cried.

The smile vanished in an instant, “Nope…I sure don’t?” was his sober response.

†

When God delivered Jericho into the hands of the Israelites, Achan coveted and stole a beautiful robe and precious metals, which were to be given to the Lord. God told Joshua that someone in the camp had sinned, and He was holding all of Israel accountable. Unless the Israelites cleansed themselves and gave back the stolen items, God would no longer be their God! He called them forward tribe by tribe, man by man, until Achan’s sin was revealed. Achan and his entire family were put to death because he held on to something he was supposed to let go of.

When we hang on the things from our sordid past, whether stolen or not, we’re telling God, “I’m not quite done with this yet.” It causes us…and others problems. God says, “Because these things cause destruction, you’re hanging on to disobedience.”

Prayer

“Reveal any destructive things in my life, Lord...past or present; help me rid my life of them. Amen.”