To Each His Own

But Israel violated the instructions about the things set apart for the Lord.  A man named Achan had stolen some of these dedicated things, so the Lord was very angry with the Israelites.  Achan was the son of Carmi, a descendant of Zimri son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah. [Joshua 7.1]

Nothing in the narrative about Achan suggests that Israel's blessing was dependent upon their being 'mostly' good.

The sin of one man brought Israel to its knees.  The nation was soundly defeated by an army that, by all standards, should have been an easy victory for Israel.

It becomes quite easy for me to see that my sin alone is enough to keep my entire family from being blessed.  My sin alone could be the reason my city does not thrive.  My isolated secret indulgence may be the single deciding factor in my country's downfall.  If this is the case, I should not wonder why it seems that the tangible power of God is largely absent from these "camps" today.

"Yes, but there is Jesus!" one might proclaim.  True, but Jesus did not make sin okay!  Jesus removed the required ritual and protocol following repentance but He did not remove mans' responsibility to avoid sin!  To sin and say, "Jesus paid it all!" is to sin in Jesus' name - and that, is entirely unacceptable!

So, each of us is, in fact, responsible for our actions.  According to the account of Achan, we are also responsible for our actions corporately.  This means my sin does indeed directly affect others regardless of their affiliation or knowledge!

The application of this principal is simple.  If I pray with a group of people, let's say my church, for a particular request, and if there is only one person who harbors sin in that group, then the desired result of our corporate prayer is not likely to come to pass.  Why?  Because God is holy and He cannot tolerate a single unrepentant sinner.  Can you say, "Powerless church?"

Corporate prayer should bring victory every time.  But it does not.  Why?  Perhaps because within the particular group praying a secret sin is almost certain to exist.  This fact leads us to conclude that a small group, intimately knowledgeable of each others' private lives, stands a better chance in the 'prayer of agreement' to receive their request.  The larger the group, the more potential power is possible, but then the potential for a secret sin is also greatly increased rendering the whole ineffective.

The moral of the story is to be careful who you pray with! (if you want results)

So what about this "to each his own" mentality?  This mindset is totally acceptable if we care not to have God's blessings or granted prayers in the context of our family, city, or nation.  Tolerance is an ideal way to suffer the curses of disobedience alongside what may be a single offender.  The best way to get a prayer unanswered is to make the request known in a group where the piety of each member is unknown.

Remember, the sin of one man, Achan, brought defeat on the entire nation of Israel.  It cost some unsuspecting souls their lives.  It was not until Israel purged the sinner from among them that they once again experienced God's blessing and victory.

I am not suggesting that we begin to terminate sinning family or church members.  I am not recommending a national campaign to remove sinners.  But what I am very much implying is that we cannot expect the power of God to protect and keep us if we allow (tolerate) sin in our particular individual, family, church, city, state, or national camp.  Tolerance is the recipe for disaster.

Yes, Jesus paid it all - but not until we repent do we reap that benefit.

I may be thoroughly off-base in my statements here.  I suggest that any person who reads this post get the LORD's direction on this subject without my influence.  I am simply trying to understand why so many 'faithful' prayers go unanswered today and why God's people so ineffectively mirror the All-powerful God we claim to serve and belong to.  It matters to me, and I hope to inspire a personal quest in others to find answers as well.

Father, I cannot even imagine the amount of times I have been the defeating factor in a corporate prayer that went unanswered.  I have allowed sin to be hidden in my tent and I know it has cost me, my family, my church, and even my nation to suffer defeat.  Please forgive me - in Jesus' name I repent - trusting that His work in life, death, and resurrection secured my right-standing with You.