Taking the Fight to the Enemy—Part 2

Taking the Fight to the Enemy—Part 1

Sin compromises the ability of believers to respond appropriately

When the Israelites crossed the Jordan River into the Promised Land, Joshua discovered the effect of sin on military success. A force of 3000 warriors had been sent to take the city of Ai, were routed and thirty-six Israelite men were killed in the battle. Joshua recognized that something was wrong and sought the Lord to discover the reason. Up until now, the Israelites had been singularly successful in battle. The Lord told Joshua that one of the Israelites had stolen goods devoted to the Lord.

Joshua initiated a search and found that a man name Achan had done the deed. Achan and his family were taken to the Valley of Achor, stoned and burned as a consequence of Achan’s sin. Sin not only hurts the sinner, but those around as well.

The next time a force was sent to take Ai, they were successful. Cleansing the camp of sin was the key to success.

Today, many Christians have chosen to adopt the ways of the world and likewise are bringing judgment on the Body of Christ. It’s wonderful to be a born-again believer, just not a compromiser. Back in the ancient times of the 1960s, divorce among believers was much less than now. Today believers are actually exceeding the divorce rate of unbelievers according to several studies done in the last five years.

Sin has undesirable consequences. “[I]f you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live, because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God” (Rom. 8:13-14 NIV).

The moral failure of pastors has become a disgrace for the church. Professing Christians are cohabiting as much as unbelievers. Premarital sex and sex outside of the marriage covenant is all too common among young Christians.

The forty-five goals of communism include these five:

• Eliminate all laws governing obscenity by calling them “censorship” and a violation of free speech and free press.
• Break down cultural standards of morality by promoting pornography and obscenity in books, magazines, motion pictures, radio, and TV.
• Present homosexuality, degeneracy and promiscuity as “normal, natural, and healthy.”
• Infiltrate the churches and replace revealed religion with “social” religion.  Discredit the Bible and emphasize the need for intellectual maturity which does not need a “religious crutch.”
• Eliminate prayer or any phase of religious expression in the schools on the ground that it violates the principle of “separation of church and state.”

These goals are being accomplished through the takeover of our educational system; print media, TV and motion picture media; and governmental programs. These takeovers resulted from achieving other communist goals and the Church letting it happen.

When I use the word Church, by that I mean the totality of professing born-again, committed believers.

As believers become aware of sin, they must repent and seek God’s forgiveness. Only then will His provision be available again to protect them and allow victory over the wiles of the enemy.