Loose Ends

“Now as for the Jebusites, the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the sons of Judah could not drive them out; so the Jebusites live with the sons of Judah at Jerusalem until this day… But the Sons of Manasseh could not take possession of these cities, because the Canaanites persisted in living in that land. And it came about that when the sons of Israel became strong, they put the Canaanites to forced labor, but they did not drive them out completely…”
Joshua 15:63; 17:12-13


Observation:
These passages reveal the reason why Israel was unable to develop a heart completely devoted for God. As we forward the tape, we see how the Israelites struggled with a divided heart generation after generation. Their forefathers failed in following the command of the Lord about driving out all the inhabitants of the Promised Land. Even though God fulfilled His promise of giving them the Land, they were poor stewards of the blessings and end up loosing it in the long haul. They were either afraid of the enemy or unwilling to work hard in dispossessing them from the land. For them it was easier to compromise and put the Jebusites and Canaanites as their forced labor workers. They thought that their idea was better than God’s. Why drive out all these people when they can be our servants? They reasoned. The Israelites possessed the land having all these people under their submission, but at the end, the customs and culture of their slaves resulted influencing them. Loose ends will always come around to hunt us. The compromises of today will become our headaches of tomorrow.


Application:
The compromises of today will become our headaches of tomorrow. As God has given us a new life in our faith in His Son Jesus, we must be diligent in driving away the things in our heart that oppose God’s ways. There are habits and sinful behaviors that cannot coexist with the Spirit of God in our hearts. These enemies are mutations of generational sin, very strong, difficult to break, and unwilling to leave easily. Our attitude should be motivated by the command of the Lord, “be strong and courageous.” But unfortunately, we are more prone to compromise than to conquer. We made up excuses to hide our fear and laziness. We say things like, “well, that’s how I was raised” or, “It will go away by itself”, or what’s even worse, “that’s how God made me.”
We cannot allow loose ends in our lives for two reasons: it will steal the blessing God gave us and it will carry the problem and in a bigger way to the next generations. In Joshua 17:18 Joshua says, “for you shall drive out the Canaanites, even though they have chariots of iron and though they are strong.” It doesn’t matter how tinted my DNA is with sinfulness, I must work hard in order to purify it. I must be strong and courageous to face the demons that my ancestors couldn’t face and defeat them with the help of the Lord. I cannot blame my upbringing, or the culture, or my temperament for my mistakes. I must take full responsibility for my own behavior and allow the power of God to give me the victory over those areas of constant struggle. If my grandfather and my father were angry people, I will chose self-control in my generation so my children and grandchildren can be free from the spirit of anger. If my culture has immorality rooted several generations behind, I will uproot it so the generations ahead can be free. I will not allow loose ends in my life. I will confront my sin, I will face my enemies, and I will not only possess the promise but I will retain it spotless for generations to come.


PRAYER: Dear Jesus, please forgive me for having loose ends in my life. Please give me strength and courage to face and drive out completely the fierce enemies that have been coexisting in my heart as unwanted roommates of your Holy Spirit. Give me wisdom and discernment to protect the blessings you give me so I can build a legacy for generations to come. Help me to walk in your ways without compromising, or outthinking your commands. Your ways are life and my ways bring death. You alone have the power to heal me from generational curses, so I choose to walk in that healing with persistence, hard work, dedication, and humility. I love you Jesus more than life. AMEN!