Living for Jesus Every Day is the Only Way to Avoid the Honey Trap of Money, Possessions, and Comforts

Joshua 7

Click for a description of the image and mark of the beast.

“The soul that on Jesus hath leaned to rest,
I will not, I will not desert to his foes.
That soul, though all hell should endeavor to shake,
I will never, no never, no never forsake.”
(Church Hymn)

It was very important to keep the family tree of the tribe of Judah alive and pure. That is the lineage from where Jesus Christ would be born. If they had become extinct or wiped out in battle, then Jesus would not have been born. This is not a biological purity but a purity in their faithfulness to God. For example, Rahab the harlot would be considered impure by the judgment of the world, but she is in the birth lineage of Jesus Christ. She believed in God and devoted her life to Him. In fact, she was adopted into the Israelite family, married an Israelite from the tribe of Judah, and from one of her sons came King David, a man after God’s own heart. Jesus is from the tribe of Judah and of the lineage of King David.

• Desiring worldly things angers the Lord.
• A faithful heart grows in Christ, a fearful heart dies to Christ.
• Jesus Mourns at the loss of our faithfulness and sanctification.
• People choose materialism and comforts over the Cross of Jesus Christ.
• Sanctify ourselves because the mark of the beast is in our midst.
• There is punishment by fire for those who reject Jesus Christ.
• Confessing our shortcomings is not always from a repentant heart.
• Jesus Christ verifies the content of the heart.
• Eternal consequences in the lake of fire.

Desiring worldly things angers the Lord.
“But the children of Israel committed a trespass regarding the accursed things, for Achan the son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took of the accursed things; so the anger of the Lord burned against the children of Israel.” Joshua 7:1

A terrible thing happened in the tribe of Judah; a man helped himself to the accursed things that was in the land they conquered, and that angered the Lord. Accursed things corrupt belief in God, deteriorate belief in Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sin, and oppresses the presence of the Holy Spirit.

What Achan did threatened the whole tribe of Judah and caused them to be defeated in battle. When we make possessions and money more important than living for the Gospel of Jesus Christ, then we are a curse to the body of Christ. It is like Judas who betrayed Jesus for thirty pieces of silver, and the Jewish nation who rejected Christ. Today, money and possessions are used to defeat the people of God and entice them to live for the entity that gives people what to do, feel, say, and think.

A faithful heart grows in Christ; a fearful heart dies to Christ.
Jesus Christ wants us to grow in the Holy Spirit, to spy out the unconquered territory within us and to conquer it through sanctification. That is represented through Joshua in this verse, “Now Joshua sent men from Jericho to Ai, which is beside Beth Aven, on the east side of Bethel, and spoke to them, saying, “Go up and spy out the country.” So the men went up and spied out Ai.” Joshua 7:2

When we have a heart that is right with God, our faith is such that we know we are able to conquer internal territory through Jesus Christ, as written, “And they returned to Joshua and said to him, “Do not let all the people go up, but let about two or three thousand men go up and attack Ai. Do not weary all the people there, for the people of Ai are few.” Joshua 7:3

When our heart is not centered in the Spirit of Christ, the masses of today’s culture will chase us away from our devotion to God, “So about three thousand men went up there from the people, but they fled before the men of Ai.” Joshua 7:4

Those who live and govern for today’s culture claim the internal territory of our soul as the possession of the entity that gives people what to think, feel, say, and do. They intend to chase the people of God from the internal gates which leads into God’s presence through Jesus Christ. They intimidate and use fear tactics to cause people’s heart to melt and give up trying to live by the Spirit of Christ. They cause people to die to Christ and to die internally to God, as written, “And the men of Ai struck down about thirty-six men, for they chased them from before the gate as far as Shebarim, and struck them down on the descent; therefore the hearts of the people melted and became like water.” Joshua 7:5

Jesus Mourns at the loss of our faithfulness and sanctification.
Jesus Christ cries out and mourns in front of the Cross He died on (the ark of the covenant) when His people fear and die to Him internally. That is represented through Joshua, “Then Joshua tore his clothes, and fell to the earth on his face before the ark of the Lord until evening, he and the elders of Israel; and they put dust on their heads.” Joshua 7:6

To not move forward in the process of sanctification, makes crossing into the presence of God by the remission of sin purposeless, as expressed here, “And Joshua said, “Alas, Lord God, why have You brought this people over the Jordan at all—to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites, to destroy us? Oh, that we had been content, and dwelt on the other side of the Jordan!” Joshua 7:7

When we turn in fear in the face of those who despise the Gospel of Christ, what is left to say? Every one of them will smell the fear of the prey and completely cut off the name of Jesus Christ from this planet. They have already done that, except the faithful few are keeping His testimony alive. In His great name there is sanctification and Salvation for the faithful few, “O Lord, what shall I say when Israel turns its neck before its enemies? For the Canaanites and all the inhabitants of the land will hear it, and surround us, and cut off our name from the earth. Then what will You do for Your great name?” Joshua 7:8-9

People choose materialism and comforts over the Cross of Jesus Christ.
Sanctification is simply to live every day for Jesus Christ, to overcome the attitudes of this world, and to come apart from the worldly culture. Over the course of a year, a few weeks, and even a day can bring a lot of circumstances to make us set aside the Gospel. If we can lift up the name of Jesus in our mind, heart, and behavior every day, then we are processing in sanctification.

We must never mix the atheistic culture into our daily living nor to accept their accursed rewards of money, possessions, social approval, and physical comforts. If we do, then we are rejecting Jesus Christ and the atonement He made for sins. Living for the entity that gives what to feel, think, do, and say is stealing from the Spirit of Christ and is deceitful to the truth of His Gospel. Valuing money and possessions over the Holy Spirit leads to thievery and deception. God calls us out on that through Jesus, as written here, “So the Lord said to Joshua: “Get up! Why do you lie thus on your face? Israel has sinned, and they have also transgressed My covenant which I commanded them. For they have even taken some of the accursed things, and have both stolen and deceived; and they have also put it among their own stuff.” Joshua 7:10-11

The enemies of the people of God are those who use money, possessions, and physical comforts to lure us away from Jesus Christ. The population of this atheistic world who do so are doomed to destruction. God is not with them, the Salvation of Jesus Christ is not with them, and the Holy Spirit is not with them. The only way that God can be with us is through Jesus Christ, which means being set apart from this world and progressing in sanctification. Without the Spirit of Jesus Christ, we cannot stand against sin and the enemies of God, “Therefore the children of Israel could not stand before their enemies, but turned their backs before their enemies, because they have become doomed to destruction. Neither will I be with you anymore, unless you destroy the accursed from among you.” Joshua 7:12

Sanctify ourselves because the mark of the beast is in our midst.
We must sanctify ourselves today because there is an accursed thing in our midst, it is the entity has replaced the conscience and spirit, while oppressing the presence of the Holy Spirit, to give people their thoughts, emotions, feelings, and behaviors. We cannot stand against it until we live daily in the name of Jesus, to be separate from the Christless society, and to have our mind and heart focused on living for Him, as written, “Get up, sanctify the people, and say, ‘Sanctify yourselves for tomorrow, because thus says the Lord God of Israel: “There is an accursed thing in your midst, O Israel; you cannot stand before your enemies until you take away the accursed thing from among you.” Joshua 7:13

Every nation around the world will have to answer for their day to day walk with Jesus. Will the nations choose Jesus Christ, or will they choose to serve the global government of the beast? Every family in every home has to choose whom they will serve. Every individual within the home has to choose whether they will live for Jesus or partner with today’s culture, which is global. As written, “In the morning therefore you will be brought according to your tribes. And it shall be that the tribe which the Lord takes will come according to families; and the family which the Lord takes will come by households; and the household which the Lord takes will come man by man.” Joshua 7:14

There is punishment by fire for those who reject Jesus Christ.
The global government operates through the power center of the beast, which has power over physiology to give people what to think, feel, say, and do. Today’s world is filled with accursed things. The global government is established on a global economy that joins all the world’s resources under its administration. It is also destined to fail in a turbulent and violent collapse worldwide.

The global economy governs the population of the world with money, possessions, and physical comforts and it will all be destroyed. Each individual person who lives for today’s culture, which is global, will be destroyed in the lake of fire, Hell. That is the consequence of blaspheming God, rejecting the need for Jesus Christ, and trampling on the Holy Spirit. “Then it shall be that he who is taken with the accursed things will be burned with fire, he and all that he has, because he has transgressed the covenant of the Lord, and because he has done a disgraceful thing in Israel.’” Joshua 7:15

Jesus Christ will judge every nation, family, and person, as described through Joshua, “So Joshua rose early in the morning and brought Israel by their tribes, and the tribe of Judah was taken. He brought the clan of Judah, and he took the family of the Zarhites; and he brought the family of the Zarhites man by man, and Zabdi was taken. Then he brought his household man by man, and Achan the son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, was taken.” Joshua 7:16-18

Confessing our shortcomings is not always from a repentant heart
Joshua needed to find the person who was disobedient to God by taking the accursed material things from the land they conquered. The purpose would be to eliminate the one who betrayed the whole congregation. Everyone knew confessing to the sin would mean death, but a confession would also be the honorable thing to glorify God. A confession would remove the cursed person from among the people and restore a victorious path forward. That is said here, “Now Joshua said to Achan, “My son, I beg you, give glory to the Lord God of Israel, and make confession to Him, and tell me now what you have done; do not hide it from me.” Joshua 7:19

Today, Jesus Christ wants us to confess our sins to glorify God, which opens our heart for the forgiveness of sins and to begin our sanctification. We die to self and live for Jesus Christ.

Achan did the honorable thing to glorify God, he confessed his sin, “And Achan answered Joshua and said, “Indeed I have sinned against the Lord God of Israel, and this is what I have done…” Joshua 7:20

Jesus Christ wants to hear that type of confession. However, the worse thing we can do is to willfully take possessions, money, and physical comforts against the word of God. Where is Jesus Christ in that? Where is our sanctification in that? Where is the Holy Spirit in that? When materialism becomes a part of who we are in the midst of our heart, we become like those of today’s atheistic culture who has their behaviors, thoughts, feelings, and words given to them.

Achan’s confession was merely an acknowledgement of his craving for money and possessions, “When I saw among the spoils a beautiful Babylonian garment, two hundred shekels of silver, and a wedge of gold weighing fifty shekels, I coveted them and took them. And there they are, hidden in the earth in the midst of my tent, with the silver under it.” Joshua 7:21

Achan is an example of a person who confesses his crime but without confessing his sin to Jesus Christ in the presence of the Holy Spirit. It’s like making a guilty plea in court but not coming to Christ for the remission of sin. We can make confessions until we turn blue in the face, but it is Jesus Christ who judges the heart.

Jesus Christ verifies the content of the heart.
Joshua verified the confession of Achor, “So Joshua sent messengers, and they ran to the tent; and there it was, hidden in his tent, with the silver under it.” Joshua 7:22 

The content of the tent of our heart will be verified by Jesus Christ; will He find hidden there the silver of materialism gotten by willfully rejecting Him? “And they took them from the midst of the tent, brought them to Joshua and to all the children of Israel, and laid them out before the Lord.” Joshua 7:23 This is what Jesus says, “For nothing is secret that will not be revealed, nor anything hidden that will not be known and come to light.” Matthew 8:17

The day of judgment is coming for everyone who serves this system of humanism, which is the fig leaf worn by those serving the entity that gives them what to think, feel, say, and do. They pride themselves in prosperity and refer to themselves as a global family. They will each be judged as a member of that family, “Then Joshua, and all Israel with him, took Achan the son of Zerah, the silver, the garment, the wedge of gold, his sons, his daughters, his oxen, his donkeys, his sheep, his tent, and all that he had, and they brought them to the Valley of Achor.” Joshua 7:24

Eternal consequences in the lake of fire.
Those who trouble the people of God in exchange for their own earthly prosperity will be troubled by God, as written, “For thus says the Lord of hosts: “He sent Me after glory, to the nations which plunder you; for he who touches you touches the apple of His eye.” Zechariah 2:8

After those who live for today’s culture die, they will burn in the eternal lake of fire, as written, “And Joshua said, “Why have you troubled us? The Lord will trouble you this day.” So all Israel stoned him with stones; and they burned them with fire after they had stoned them with stones.” Joshua 7:25 The “them” in this verse includes all of Achan’s sons, daughters, oxen, donkeys, and sheep.

The fierce wrath of God will be turned away when He has taken vengeance on all those who brought harm to His people. His judgment is everlasting, “Then they raised over him a great heap of stones, still there to this day. So the Lord turned from the fierceness of His anger. Therefore the name of that place has been called the Valley of Achor to this day.” Joshua 7:26

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“….to you who do not hold to her teaching and have not learned Satan’s so-called deep secrets,“
‘I will not impose any other burden on you, except to hold on to what you have until I come.’”
“I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown.”
Revelation 2:24-25, 3:11