Pray the Word with David Platt is a resource from Radical.net.

Joshua chapter 7, verse 1.

But the people of Israel broke faith in regard to the devoted things.

For Aiken, the son of Karmie, son of Zabdi, son of Zara, of the tribe of Judah,

took some of the devoted things. And the anger of the Lord burned Judah took some of the devoted things and the anger of the Lord burned

against the people of Israel. Thus begins a very sad chapter in the book of Joshua as one man's

sin, Aiken, he keeps some of the treasures that God had said not to keep. He hides them

in his tent. And as a result, the judgment of God comes upon the people of God. People die in

battle, a little battle at a place called AI, and then Aiken and his family

eventually experienced the judgment of God. Joshua chapter 7 is a humbling testimony to the seriousness of sin.

And not just its seriousness in our own lives, but its effect on others' lives.

Joshua 7 is a clear reminder to us that when we sin against God, it doesn't just affect us.

It affects people around us. Like my sin has an effect on my

marriage, has effect on my parenting, my kids. My sin has an effect on the church that I lead and

pastor. My sin has an effect on the people around me. If I'm not walking with God, it's going to have an effect on the people around me if i'm not walking with god it's going to have

an effect on the people around me so see this in your life like realize that your relationship with

god is not just affecting you it's affecting so many different people. So God, we pray, keep us from sin. God, help us to run from it,

help us not to try to hide it, to try to gloss over it like Aiken did here. He's thinking nobody'll see, nobody'll know.

He had no idea that not only would people see and know, but people would die as a result.

God, to help us to get our eyes off ourselves to realize that our sin doesn't just affect us and

hurts, it affects, it harms people around us. It hurts. It affects.

It harms people around us.

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