“But if you don’t
drive out the inhabitants of the land before you, those you allow to remain
will become thorns in your eyes and in your sides; they will harass you in the
land where you live.” Numbers 33:55, HCSB
As we move into the places God has for us, we must deal with
the sins and issues before us. Otherwise, they will continue to enslave.
I stood on the top of a mountain in the city where we lived
in northern Thailand. We’d been there a few months, and colleagues and I had
come to the top of this mountain to pray over the city. I’d not yet found a
ministry, but on that mountain, I prayed an audacious prayer: “Lord, shut down
the sex industry in my city.”
God took that prayer and grew it into an entire ministry to
exploited women and children in that city — a ministry that continues to this
day. Some women and men have come to faith in Jesus Christ. Some have been
baptized. Some are no longer involved in prostitution. Through the faithfulness of Christian workers, the gospel has been
shared with countless women and men in the city's red light districts. Light is penetrating darkness in some of
the city’s ickiest areas.
Finding the place God has for us involves confronting the
issues and sins before us. Christian workers who move into a new area often
spend time “mapping” the area — understanding the culture, the language and the
sins that enslave. These often differ from people group to people group. If
Christian workers fail to help a people group confront and drive out their “cultural sins" as they are growing in their faith, those sins will maintain a foothold and may resurface later to enslave them again.
The same is true in our own lives. Instead of “cultural
sins” we sometimes call them “pet sins.” What sins are such a part of your life
that you fail to recognize their power over you? Gossip? Gluttony? Selfish ambition? Materialism? Greed? The list goes
on.
“You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free,”
Jesus said in John 8:32 (HCSB). With the help of the Holy Spirit, take some
time to “map out” your own heart and examine the sins you take for granted.
Then, ask God to help you drive them out so that you can be free to be all that
He created you to be. Remember, He wants the best for you, so that through your life you can make Him known.
This week’s reading: Numbers 23 – Deuteronomy 2
Post #10: Discovering how to live missionally through a
chronological reading of God’s Word.
#travellight
Labels: Bible studies, Bible study, Blog, chronological Bible reading, exploitation, exploited people, faith, forgiveness, generations, Holy Spirit, Missions, sex trafficking, sin, TravelLight
