Last week, in the Problems at Ai, Part B, we learned that though sin can stay God’s hand, it isn’t always a result of our OWN sin. So in the face of disaster, remember to ask God to reveal any unconfessed sin. But if there is none, put your faith in the God who turned the disaster at Ai into something beautiful!
There is just one more lesson to be learned from the problems at Ai, an important lesson on how to overcome temptation.
Remember that the people of Ai had already killed several Israelites and had set the entire camp into panic. Israel now HATED Ai!
This is the first lesson to be learned in battling temptation: Hate your sin! Identify it, and ask God to make you hate your sin as much as He does!
“Then the LORD said to Joshua, ‘Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Take the whole army with you, and go up and attack Ai. For I have delivered into your hands the king of Ai, his people, his city and his land…'” (Josh 8:1-2 NIV)
When Israel went up against Ai the second time, they waited until God told them to go, and they did exactly as He told them to do.
Thought hating your sin is a good place to start, this won’t stop the temptations from coming. When they do, remember that we are not strong enough to overcome temptation on our own! The secret to success lies in waiting upon the Lord, and then believing in His promises!
“Joshua and the whole army moved out to attack Ai.” (Josh 8:3a)
Remember the first disaster? Israel took 3000 men to overtake Ai, and they were defeated. Now they are going in with the ENTIRE army!
This is an important lesson to be learned. When we enter set out to overcome temptation, we need to go in with everything we have! We need to put our heart and soul into the battle. Otherwise, like the 3000 men who first went to Ai, we will also be defeated.
“…You are to set an ambush behind the city.” (Josh 8:4a)
Here is another important lesson. When we set out to overcome temptation, we need a plan of attack! We need to go at it from more than one angle!
How do you do this? First of all, we should stay away from situations where we know we will be tempted, and secondly, we must ask God to make us strong against the temptation that inadvertently comes our way!
Let’s say you are battling immorality. The first line of attack would be to not put yourself into situations where you will be tempted! Before you go to see a movie, for example, check the description. If there are immoral scenes, then stay away!
As a second line of defense, when temptation comes, and it will, even if you have distanced yourself from the sin, ambush it! Attack it from all sides with the power of Jesus’ name! Don’t allow even the tiniest contemplation of this temptation!
But there’s more: “All of you be on the alert …” (Josh 8:4b NIV)
This is, perhaps, the most powerful piece of advice for overcoming temptation! Always be on the alert! Ask God to help you be aware of even the tiniest thought or memory that enters your mind! Then be prepared to conquer it-to push it from your mind, to take victory in the name of Jesus-before it becomes too huge for you to overcome.
And finally, “When you have taken the city, set it on fire.” (Josh 8:8a NIV)
In other words, whatever it was that caused us to fall in the first place, get rid of it! If the Internet causes you to fall, put parental restraints on your Internet. If this doesn’t work, get rid of your computer! If you are drawn to movies on TV that cause you to contemplate temptation, block those shows, or get rid of the TV! If going to certain places brings tempting thoughts to your mind, stay away!
Set the city on fire!
There is one final lesson to be learned, and this time, we can learn it from the mistakes of the people of Ai: “When the king of Ai saw this, he and all the men of the city hurried out early in the morning to meet Israel in battle … But he did not know that an ambush had been set against him behind the city.” (Josh 8:14 NIV)
When we go up against temptation, we can ALWAYS assume there is an ambush in wait! The people of Ai didn’t realize this, and they were drawn out of their city. The lesson we can learn from them is to STAY IN OUR CITY! Our REFUGE! Jesus Christ!
“O LORD my God, I take refuge in you; save and deliver me from all who pursue me …” (Ps 7:1 NIV)
Friends, as long as we keep our eyes fixed upon Jesus, the Author and the Finisher of our faith, we are taking refuge in Him. If our attention is focused 100% on Jesus, there is no room for temptation to enter in! We won’t see the ugly circumstances around us, and we will not fall into temptation!
So in summary, the steps to going up against temptation that we can learn from the battle at Ai:
1. Hate it!
2. Follow God’s lead!
3. Go at it from all angles!
4. Stay alert!
5. Keep your eyes fixed upon Jesus at ALL times!
Please join us next week for LESSONS FROM JOSHUA, Part 11: The Gibeonite Disaster.
In His love,
Lyn
Lyn Chaffart, Speech-Language Pathologist, mother of two teens, Author and Moderator for The Nugget, a tri-weekly internet newsletter, and Scriptural Nuggets, a website devoted to Christian devotionals and inspirational poems, www.scripturalnuggets.org, with Answers2Prayer Ministries, www.Answers2Prayer.org.
(To access the entire “Lessons From Joshua” mini-series, please click here.)