"Learning from Failure"
Our decisions will always carry far reaching effects for ourselves, our families, and our friends. No one lives or dies unto themselves. The sin of Achan, touching the accursed thing in Joshua, produced several devastating results: (1) It made people underestimate the adversary and overestimate themselves; (2) They found it hard to make accurate value judgements; (3) It didn't stop God from giving, but it did stop them from receiving.
God's love is unconditional, but God loves conditionally. God's character is not determined by our performance. Whether I rise or fall, win or lose, God will still be God. My performance won't change Him. But I'm learning that God's performance toward me is determined by my actions or character. God is love, but we determine how much He will be allowed to love or give to us. God is a giving God; it's just that from time to time sin clogs up our capacity to receive. If you have children in your family, you've noticed that their life and habits determine how much freedom and faith is placed in them. If they're not very responsible, they're restricted from having certain responsibilities. They will have a part in determining how much we can do for them. We are called to meet God's conditions. He won't let us have a relationship with Him that allows us to do nothing. Salvation is a work done by Him alone, but living the Christian life is a partnership (Galations 2:20).
One great lesson we learn from Achan's failure is that there's a difference between the things we are to come out versus what we are to grow out of... discerning the difference between willful sin as opposed to weakness is very important.
True faith must function in the face of failure as well as in the face of victory. If your faith functions only in the midst of victory, then you've only experienced your Jericho and not your Ai. Failure can teach us the following things:
1. Failure should produce an obedient life. Whatever he says to do... do.
2. Failure should prompt a teachable spirit. I have much to learn.
3. Failure should produce a humble heart. You realize you can't do it alone.
4. Failure should produce a dependant soul. You can't face tomorrow without Him.
Achan was not only disobedient, he moved without God's wisdom or favor. Satan loves us to come to battle based on our own performance. But our victories don't reside in our power. If the prerequisite for conquering was my own perfection, I'd never conquer. It seems that Satan gains most of his ground when we come in our strength, our authority, our power. Victories don't come because of our gifts and skills, but because of our utter dependence upon Jesus Christ, the Ruler of our lives and Finisher of our Faith.
Growing in Victory,
Ron Mehl