WHO'S TENT? - by Randall Burton

Joshua 7:10-26 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. 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. 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...”

Every house has a junk drawer. A place where things are hidden but still handy. Covered up but still convenient...

Achan took some of the first-fruits of Jericho and hid them under his tent. These were things designated for Gods tabernacle, not his family dwelling. By doing so Achan was saying, "I think I can Steward these things better than you God." You can always tell where the object of someone's affection is. I've seen it more times than I'd like to admit. The once fully devoted follower of Jesus who was faithful in giving to the Lord, slowly begins to shift his focus from God's tent to his own tent. They begin to reason in their hearts that God won't mind if I keep some back for myself. "After all we are living in a bad economy..." Before you know it they are hanging out at home on Sundays completly disconnected from the body of Christ. The focus has shifted from the TENT of meeting to that of disconTENT. "I'll just stay at home and enjoy the things that I've worked so hard for..." "God doesn't need my money anyway." The excuses are endless.

Though this is not the case for every Christian, it is a problem for many. They haven't lost their love for Jesus but they have lost the fear of God as they journey along in the promise land. The good news is that you can turn it around by simply taking the things that belong to God and sanctify them by shifting them from your tent to his. These things only become the "accursed things" when we store it in the wrong tent. It's time to change tents.