The valley of our disturbances

The word for today is found in Joshua Chapter 7: But the children of Israel committed a transgression regarding the anathema; for Achan the son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi, the son of Zera, of the tribe of Judah, took from the anathema; and the anger of the LORD was kindled against the children of Israel;

2 Afterwards Joshua sent men from Jericho to Ai, which was next to Bet-aven towards the east of Bet-el; and he spoke to them saying: Go up and spy out the land. And they went up and recognized Ai.

3 And returning to Joshua, they said to him: Do not go up all the people, but go up about two thousand or three thousand men, and they will take Ai; don't tire out all the people by going there, because they are few.

4 And there went up there from the town about three thousand men, who fled before those of Ai.

5 And those of Ai killed about thirty-six men of them, and followed them from the gate to Sebarim, and defeated them on the way down; wherefore the hearts of the people fainted, and they became like water.

6 Then Joshua tore his clothes, and prostrated himself on the ground on his face before the ark of the Lord until evening, he and the elders of Israel; and they threw dust on their heads.

7 And Joshua said: Ah, Lord Jehovah! Why did you make this people cross the Jordan, to deliver us into the hands of the Amorites, so that they destroy us? I wish we would have stayed on the other side of the Jordan!

8 Oh, Lord! what shall I say, since Israel has turned its back before its enemies?

9 Because the Canaanites and all the inhabitants of the earth will hear, and they will surround us, and they will erase our name from off the earth; and then, what will you do to your great name?

10 And Jehovah said to Joshua: Arise; Why do you prostrate yourself like that on your face?

11 Israel has sinned, and they have even broken my covenant that I commanded them; and they have also taken from the anathema, and they have even stolen, they have lied, and they have even kept it among their belongings.

12 For this reason the children of Israel will not be able to face their enemies, but they will turn their backs before their enemies, because they have become anathema; nor will I be with you anymore, unless you destroy the accursed thing from among you.” Powerful word of the Lord.

My brothers, if I were to give a topic in today's message I would say that this topic would perhaps be called the valley of our disturbances, the valley of our sufferings.

The Bible says that this occurs at a time shortly after the people of Israel had won a battle, the Bible says that the people of Israel had won Jericho, the walls of the town of Jericho fell in front of the people of God , God won the battle. This character from chapter 7 called Achan that we will understand a little later was in the battle when the walls of Jericho fell and the Word of the Lord says in chapter 7 verse 16 that: "Joshua getting up early in the morning brought Israel near by tribes, and the tribe of Jehovah was taken” God gave an order, call the people, call the tribes, call the families and you will find that there are anathemas in the midst of My people, there is hidden sin in the midst of My people.

And what God wanted was to remove the anathema so that the victory would be complete. My brothers, many times we play with sin, many times we play with situations in our lives that distance us from God and we don't know why we lose the battle, and we don't know why we lose the war, and we don't know why we pray, and we don't we see the answer to our prayer, we don't understand why we fast and we don't see the answer to our cry, and we ask God: God, why don't you hear us? and we say to God: God, why don't you attend to us? and sometimes we question why God does not perform miracles as he did in previous centuries, why God's work is not as powerful as it was in previous centuries.

My brothers: this Word tells us that when there is hidden sin in the people of God there can be no victory. This Word makes it clear to us that we have to remove the anathema from among us so that the people of God may be victorious in battle.

The Word says that Joshua brought the tribe of Judah closer and the family of Zera was taken and bringing the family of Zera closer by the men, the family of Zabdi was taken, he brought the house closer by the men and Achan son was taken of Carmi, son of Zera of the tribe of Judah, then Joshua said to Achan: Achan, you are in trouble now, we discovered your sins. "My son, give glory to the Lord, the God of Israel, and give him praise, and tell me now what you have done, and do not hide it from me," Joshua said to Achan.

“0 And Achan answered Joshua saying: Truly I have sinned against Jehovah the God of Israel, and thus and thus have I done.

21 Well, I saw among the remains” you saw something interesting, “a very good Babylonian mantle” say with me: very good, do you know why? sin is not ugly, sin is very good, and the reason why we sin is why? because it is very good, the devil will never present you with something ugly with horns, it comes beautiful with flowers, elegant, promises. And Achan says: “Well, I saw among the spoils a very fine Babylonian mantle and two hundred shekels of silver,” there was also silver, “and an ingot of gold weighing fifty shekels, which I coveted and took; and behold, it is hidden under the ground in the middle of my tent, and the money under it.” Achan at that moment said: I'm in trouble, like someone who says "they caught me", right? I was discovered.

“22 Joshua then sent messengers, who ran to the tent; and, behold, he was hidden in his tent, and the money under it.

23 And taking him from the middle of the tent, they brought him to Joshua and to all the children of Israel, and set him before the Lord.” There was the result of Achan's sin before the eyes of Jehovah.

"24 Then Joshua and all Israel with him took Achan the son of Zerah, his money, his cloak, his gold ingot, his sons, his daughters, his oxen, his donkeys, his sheep, his tent, and all that he had. , and they took it all to the valley of Achor.” That name of the valley of Achor means valley of our sorrows, the valley of Achor means the place where all our dreams are undone, the place where all our expectations are destroyed as a result of a wrong decision.

“25 And Joshua said to him: Why have you troubled us? Be troubled Jehovah on this day. And all the Israelites stoned them, and burned them after stoning them.

26 And they raised a great heap of stones over it, which remains to this day. And the LORD turned from his fierce anger. And for this reason that place is called the Valley of Achor, until today.”

My brothers: God had promised Israel that they would never lose a battle, that they would always be victorious and that nothing bad would happen under Joshua's government, that they would never lose, but the pact was broken with Achan's sin. Imagine this event occurs a bit before a small city matchup and a bit after a big city matchup, it was a balance. I give you something here and God gave you something here, and God wants to lengthen your tents, he wants to give you something else and the condition was clear, the condition was that they should not touch anything and in Joshua chapter 2 verse 24 it says: "Walking they came to the mountain and they were there three days until those who persecuted them returned and those who persecuted them searched all the way and did not find them; Then the men returned, came down from the mountain and crossed over, and came to Joshua the son of Num, and told all the things that had happened to them, and said to Joshua, The LORD has given all the land into our hands, and also all the inhabitants of the land. they faint before us.”

There was a promise of victory, you will always win, in chapter 6 you will see how God leads the people to victory, verse 7 17 to 19: "And the city Jericho will be anathema to the Lord with all the things that are in it" had One word: don't touch anything, don't touch anything. You will walk this earth but do not touch anything, you will win the battle but do not contaminate yourself with the things of this world, you will be victorious but do not walk according to the advice of the world, I will be with you but beware of the anathema, beware of sin .

The valley of Achor is the valley of our disturbances. Achan's life unfolds in an atmosphere of victory. He had just experienced a victory, he had just seen God deliver his people, he had just seen God bring down the walls of Jericho. He had just seen how the waters of the Jordan divided in chapter 4 verse 23 and entered with their families to go to the other side, he also participated according to chapter 6 verse 20 when God destroyed the people of Jericho and the walls were destroyed .

Dear brothers, just wrong decisions, Achan is an example of the passions and concupiscence of a Christian, he is the prototype of a Christian who has not yet died to his disordered passions and who continues to live between the world and the Kingdom of God. Achan is the prototype of a person who lives with one foot in the world and one foot in the Kingdom of God, who has not really been converted, who comes to Church, the Christian who comes to services and raises his hands, who sometimes gives an offering to the Church, who sings the choirs and believes that the Church has beautiful music but has never made a true commitment to the Lord because her life is still committed to this world.

My brothers: let's show that the appetites of this world, the appetites of the flesh, the decisions we make bring consequences and eternal results that can affect our entire life and the following generations, Achan shows us that this is a dangerous path.

James chapter 1 verses from 13 to 15, I would like you to accompany me in this passage of the Bible. Santiago shows us that there are possibilities that we live this appetite for material goods, Santiago tells us about a desire for concupiscence that is also related to a sexual desire for the flesh.

In verse 13 to 15 the Word of the Lord tells us: "When someone is tempted, do not say that he is tempted by God because God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He tempt anyone, since each one is tempted when by his own concupiscence he is drawn and seduced."

Then concupiscence says the Word after having conceived gives birth to sin and consummated sin gives birth to death. Santiago tells us in this Word brothers that it begins first with a desire, look what happened with Achan. Achan saw first, the eyes, the desires, then what did Achan do? I took it, I coveted it and Santiago tells us that first the concupiscence, that is, the desire, and this concupiscence will generate in the Christian a desire to commit a sin.

I once heard a brother tell me: Pastor, I planned that sin because I read a verse that said that God erases iniquities, I planned to sin because I knew that God was good, imagine, I knew that God was good. I know that God is good and the Word of God tells us in First John chapter 1 verse 9, we are going to read: "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us those sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness."

Do we understand that verse? We understand that Word, we understand that God forgives but let me tell you, while you commit sin and while you get involved with the passions of this earth you lose the wars that God wants you to win.

Santiago says that you commit with your eyes, then with your desire, and after that there is a pregnancy, the Word of the Lord says that there is a pregnancy: conceive and give birth, that is, sin will one day be born if you continue coveting and playing with sin, one day sin will give birth and will be called sin lópez, sin hernández, sin da silva, whatever, right? a child called sin will one day be born in your life. The moment that sin is born in your life, you will consequently lose the battle that God told you that you would win.

Achan was disobedient because he did the opposite of what God had ordered, Achan was disobedient because he despised God's direct authority, God said: do not touch anything, Achan was greedy and idolatrous because of his desire for wealth. Achan saw the opportunity to get rich; wow, Achan said: “this cloak is good”, imagine when I walk the people will say: look at the one who goes with that cloak, look at the cloak he is wearing on his body, and Achan saw the money, he saw the money, he saw all that .

Achan was a coward, brothers, because he hid his sin before the Lord, Achan was a liar for the same reason, Achan was a murderer, why was he a murderer? because God had promised him that they would never be defeated.

The Bible says brothers from the text that we read in chapter 7 that they went to a battle in a small city Ai, it was a small city, and when the spies returned from seeing the city of Ai the spies said to Joshua: Joshua the city is Little one, calm down, Josué, we're going to win this like this (snaps his fingers), don't send the whole army, just two or three thousand men and there we'll eat them alive, we'll eat them like potatoes, that's what they told Josué.

And it says that Joshua sent only a few men, send only about three thousand men and we will win the city, but that did not happen, that did not happen. The Word of the Lord says that the men from there defeated them, killed about 30 of the children of Israel, destroyed them on the way down, followed them, persecuted them and reached Israel as if trembling a small group of men. Do you know why? because in the valley of Achor, in the valley where we learn to abandon the will of God, pay attention, in the valley we learn that by abandoning the will of God to live our own will we go through despair, shame and defeat.

I want to repeat so that you put this in your mind: the Valley of Achor teaches us that abandoning the will of God to live our own will is to go through despair, shame and defeat.

Hallelujah, and sometimes, brothers, we do not realize the pain that we cause to the heart of God, right? when we sin and when we keep sins, when we hide the anathema, we do not realize the pain that we cause to the heart of God.

Third, the Valley of Achor teaches us that our sins are not only ours, they affect everyone around us. Your sin does not only affect your life, it affects your entire family, it affects your Church, it affects your people, it can affect everyone who lives around you. Our decision today may affect us for a lifetime, for a lifetime, that anathema, that hidden sin that one keeps buried in the bottom of one's heart, just like Achan did.

Let's look again at James chapter 1 from verse 12, let's look at that verse again so you don't forget, from 12 to 15: "Blessed is the man who endures temptation because when he has resisted the test he will receive the crown of life" look when he resists he will receive the crown of life; it's interesting isn't it? what God has promised to those who love him.

"When someone is tempted, do not say that he is tempted by God because God cannot be tempted by evil and He does not tempt anyone, since each one is tempted when he is attracted and seduced by his own lust, then lust after of having conceived and given birth to sin, and sin being consummated gives birth to death” and is speaking of a spiritual death in our life when sin is hidden.

Fourthly, my brothers, the valley of Achor is the place of easy defeats. How many times in your life did you think that: no, I can achieve this, I can achieve this in my life, no, calm down, I studied for this course, I did this, I prepared myself for this job interview, I prepared myself I prepared myself to buy this house because I had the resources? Lord, why doesn't it happen, Lord, why doesn't it happen in my life?

God wants us to do an analysis of our heart, let me tell you brothers: do not underestimate our enemy, the devil is active on Earth, do not think that the devil does not look at us, he looks at us. The devil does not defeat us because he sees the blood of Jesus in us but if we open the door through sin we will be defeated easily, easily.

The Valley of Achor is the place where we feel the deepest resentments that were never confessed, that happened in Achan's life. Verse 16 to verse 20 says the Word of the Lord that Joshua calls Achan and tells him: Achan my son, worship God, give him praise, confess your sin if you did this.

I was thinking this morning about the feelings this man had at the moment he realized that an entire town had realized that the defeat of the people of Israel was related to their sin. What had Achan felt at that moment? How many feelings that: Lord if I had thought before I would make different decisions? Sir: if I had understood before, I would do it this way, right? You can only face the enemy when there is holiness in the camp of God.

We are praying this year for Evangelism right? We want to win the world for Jesus, we want to win the city for Jesus, we want to fill the hall of this Church with souls for the Lord Jesus Christ, but let me tell you: are we really ready? Could it be that this growth of our Church and in our lives is not really happening because there is an anathema hidden in the people of God? we need to do a deep analysis in our hearts and in our lives.

If we want to transform this generation, this city, this country, it is necessary that we live a life of absolute holiness, my brothers, absolute. Coming to Church is little, singing choirs is nothing, let me tell you as Isaiah said in chapter 49: "Until I win my entire city for the Lord is little" until I win my entire state for the Lord is little, and the Word says " because I gave you light to the Gentiles so that you may go to the ends of the earth" the challenge is not only the neighbor, the city, the state, the challenge is the world and God wants to deliver us into our hands, but we cannot be defeated in the descent if there is hidden sin in the midst of God's people.

Fifth, what should we do after entering the Valley of Achor, what should we do? The Bible says that David made many mistakes before God. King David was a king that I really would not like to imitate. David is not the prototype of a father, a husband, a leader for me. David made many mistakes, it is true, even this man managed to be called the second man in the heart of the Lord, but let me tell you. In Psalm 51 the Word of God says that David looked around and saw his sin, and says: my sin is always before my eyes.

TRUE? I imagine that when David saw this child resulting from his sin with the wife of Orias, he decided to run through the palace, there a beautiful calm child, running and David praying and saying: my sin is before me, David knew that his heart had been corrupted before the Lord.

Psalm 51 my beloved brothers is nothing more than David pouring out his soul before the Almighty Lord "have mercy on me O God according to Your mercy" David acknowledges the sin in his life, "according to the multitude of Your mercies blot out my rebellions ", David acknowledges: "wash me from my wickedness and cleanse me from my sin because I recognize that my rebellions and my sin are always before me, against You, against You alone I have sinned and I have done evil in front of Your eyes" "so that may you be recognized righteous in Your Word and counted pure in Your judgment.”

In the other Psalm, Psalm 32 David makes another prayer, David declares that his sin had even created a disease in him. In Psalm 32 he says: "Blessed is he whose transgression has been forgiven" "Blessed is the man to whom Jehovah does not impute iniquity and in whose spirit there is no deceit." In verse 3 David says: "While I kept silent my bones grew old" wow, David is saying that his bone disease was the result of his sin.

While I was silent, while I stopped my sin just for myself, my bones grew old, my pains accelerated. Sin accelerates disease because sin works on the mind and conscience and David knew that sin brought tremendous consequences for him and if you read the letter of Second Samuel from chapter 10 and chapter 11 you will see how sin entered the house of David, how sin entered his family, how blood and sword entered the people of Israel as a result of one man's sin.

Ah my brothers: you have to know that God wants you to be victorious in the place where one day you fell, in the place where one day you were defeated, God wants you to be victorious in that place. God wants to take you back to the city of Ai so that you can win the battle, so that you can see the enemies and that he has delivered your enemies into your hands, the health that you desire in your hands, the victory that you expect in your hands, God has it ready for you, but today is the day, today is the day that God calls us to responsibility, a responsibility that is radical; life with God has to be radical.

Don't confuse radical with Pentecostal, radical, you start hating sin, you start rejecting sin, you start saying no to sin, you start saying no to this computer screen when you open up and sin is there, say no. It is necessary for God to reveal everything that is hidden in his camp so that he can cease, stop the activity of anathema in the midst of God's people, learn to treat sin as sin.

In order for me to be victorious, I often have to assume or take radical attitudes in relation to sin in the situation I am living, break with sin, break with sin today, don't play with sin. May God reveal your sin as he revealed the anathema to Joshua in the midst of God's people, resist the sins that you are used to practicing, and sometimes there are sins that are so customary, right? that we do not feel them, that we do not see them as sin.

We think that sin is only adulterating, stealing, killing, but perhaps a small lie, a lie and for God it is the same sin, for God it has the same effect.

Save your own life, Romans chapter 5 verses 20 and 21 says: "But the law came in so that sin might abound" but when sin abounded the grace of God, the grace of God. God wants to transform all misfortune of sin into superabundance and grace from Him in my life and in your life.

Proverbs chapter 28 verse 13 that is one of my favorite verses in the Bible that says: "He who covers his sins will not prosper, but he who confesses them and turns away will obtain mercy from God." The Bible says that he who conceals sin does not prosper, does not prosper, but he who confesses and turns away, and leaves reaches mercy.

How many sins do you think could possibly be the reason for your defeat? Perhaps, out of many things that you are seeking to achieve before the Lord, you manage to think of something in your life, something comes to mind? And could you repeat with me Proverbs 28 verse 13 in one voice? Proverbs 28 verse 13: "He who covers up his sins will not prosper, but he who confesses and turns away will obtain mercy", there is a blessing brothers.

The Bible says in First John in chapter 2, the Bible says that we have a lawyer and John says that he is writing this letter, do you know why? so that we do not sin, he says: little children, I write these things to you so that you do not sin, imagine, it was written so that we do not sin, "and if anyone sins, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the just", God is your advocate, Jesus Christ is our lawyer, above in verse 9 of chapter 1 he says: "If we confess our sins He is faithful and just to forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness" only our God has the ability to purify us from our wickedness.

Is there sin in your life? The Bible says in chapter 1 of First John verse 7 that: "if we walk in the light as He is in the light we have fellowship with one another and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin" the blood of Jesus Christ cleanses us from all sin.

Who here is not a sinner? Who is not a sinner, raise your hand, well if you raised your hand you have just committed a sin, right? we are all sinners, all of us. The Bible says that there is no righteous person, but the Word says that if we walk in the light, if we walk in the light, what is the light? Jesus Christ is our light, if we walk in the light, the Bible says that the blood of Jesus, the Son of God, cleanses us from all sin. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us, says the Word of God, we all have sin, but we are all confessed, all our sins are confessed, God knows everything.

I do not want you to confess them to me or to any of the Pastors of the Church, to the Lord, call sin by its name, say: Lord, I have sinned, I have covered up situations in my life that nobody knows about, this Church He doesn't know, my family doesn't know. Lord, I have committed prevarication regarding the anathema and I need, I need You to free me from sin. Is there anybody this morning that says, Lord, is it me? I am the first one here before saying: Lord, I need Your Grace every day, Your Power every day so that I do not sin and so that I live in holiness.

How many of us today say: Lord, help me to live in holiness so that I do not sin? I am not going to ask you to come forward, that you raise your hand or something like that, but perhaps you understand that there are hidden sins in your life, sins that no one sees and are in your hidden area that no one sees, but let me tell you: the hidden area God sees, I see it, your brother sees it but God sees it too.

If you want today, you want to confess them today, do it and say: Lord, I need Your forgiveness, I want to win the battle, I want to win the war. I have been defeated in the descents, Lord, in many small ones, but today I come before You because I know that You are the only one who can forgive me.