Courageous Choices Part 4Sample

THE DANGER AFTER SPIRITUAL SUCCESS

After seeing victory in our faith, we are often susceptible to sin. Our spiritual success can make us proud. Even though God was the one who did the work in our success, we tend to attribute it to ourselves and then try to do things in our own strength which often leads to sin. This is what happens with the Israelites. If we compare their actions between Jericho and Ai, we see that before attacking Jericho, the people asked for God’s direction. Before Ai, Joshua sent out spies and relied on their advice for the attack. Their pride (along with the sin of Achan) was part of the reason for their defeat. Instead of seeking God first, which could have revealed to them Achan’s sin; they were prideful, thinking that they could do this on their own. We must remember that we are dependent on the Lord for spiritual success every single time. When we rely on ourselves, we will be susceptible to sin.

Ask Yourself:

-What area of my life has seen spiritual success recently?

-How am I susceptible to sin because of that success?

Pause to Pray: Ask for humility and God’s protection over you as you may be tempted to sin.

Take a Next Step:

-Write down a verse that reminds you of God’s role in your spiritual success and post it somewhere you will read it often.