Drive Out and Destroy

Numbers 33:51-56 (NLT)

God commanded the Israelites to completely drive out the people living in the land He was giving them.  He told them to completely destroy their carved and molten images and to demolish their pagan shrines.

They were not to leave anyone or anything that had been there before they took possession.  God told them that if they failed to drive the people out that the people would cause pain and trouble for them.  They would lead them astray from God's commands and then God would visit the punishment on the Israelites the He had intended to visit on the people of the land.

In our lives today, most of us can see areas where we have compromised our standards so that they no longer align with God's standards.  We have chosen to live according to our own plans and desires.  God commands us to put to death our old lives.  Paul tells us in Romans 6:6-7 that our lives were crucified with Christ. 

Like the Israelites, when they drove out the inhabitants and destroyed their shrines and idols became free from the bondage of the sin of idolatry, we are free from the power of sin when we choose to crucify our flesh.  By accepting the sacrifice of Christ and yielding our will to His, we have, by the Spirit, the power to walk in victory over sin.

However, if we choose to allow sin and compromise to rule our lives by not yielding our will and very being to Christ's Lordship, we will suffer like the Israelites suffered. 

Judges 2:10-15 tells us that because they did not drive out the inhabitants of the land, that the next generation who had not fought for the land and seen God's power, were led astray to worship other gods.  God's anger burned against the Israelites and He turned them over to raiders and to all their enemies.  Whenever they went to battle God fought for their enemies, against the Israelites. 

Romans 1:18-32 tells us that when we know the truth about Christ, yet choose to live in sin, God abandons us to our sinful ways.  As is seen in Romans 1, the path we may end up following is not one I want to find myself on. 

To live victorious, godly lives, we must crucify the flesh and yield to Christ.