The Things We Didn't Say & Do (Get Rid of Your Achen)

It is rare that I quote anything on this blog, except for what is preached and found in the Holy Bible. But as I was researching about the sin of being silent, I came across this quote:

There comes a time when silence is betrayal. Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter. - Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

This past week at the Body of Christ, Inc., Chief Apostle H.C. Gunn broke down how God has set before us some life or death questions. God is calling us to account and asking:

• What about the things you never spoke up about?

• What about the sin you knew about that you never exposed?

• What about the testimony you never told?

• What about the thing you never gave that you should have?

• What about the times you didn't say thank you?

• What about the times you ignored the Word or the call to pray?

• What about the times you refused to care?

• What about the promise you didn't keep?

• What about the offering you never gave?

• What about the sacrifice you never made?

• What about the encouragement you never shared?

James 4:17: Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.

Growing up, some parents, in error and out of pride, tell their children what goes on in my house stays in my house, and keep our business to ourselves. This is exactly what the devil wants. He wants us to live in darkness, in sin, and hide from God - just like Adam and Eve. He wants us to live in isolation and separation not just from God, but the people of God -- because he knows that if you stay close to the fire (people on fire for God), you will stay warm and catch on fire yourself! Sometimes you need to share "your business" with the right people of God, who can give Godly counsel. They can tell you if you are seeing/doing something wrong and help you find the way out of your situation, and most of all pray for you and with you.

Thinking about this and the word that Chief Apostle Gunn preached reminded me of the story of Achen.

Before I go forward, I want to take this time to encourage our pastor. Often, we only want the pastor to encourage us, but forget that he is human too, and needs our support. He is often mistreated, overlooked, disrespected, and under-loved by people, but his love for God causes him to continue and show grace and care no matter how he is treated. Instead, when someone falls short, he finds ways to encourage them and bring out the best in them. He will speak the truth and what the Lord says no matter what is going on around him. There have been some times in my own life of feeling rejected, unloved, and abandoned by people but seeing our pastor's fruit and his faithfulness to journey on no matter what he faces, helps me to stay focused and count it all joy! A good pastor and father (because he has always been that to me) always lead by example.

Ok, now back to the story of Achen! Don't miss this, please keep reading until the next paragraph and go over Joshua 7!

In this chapter, the children of Israel had lost a battle and when Joshua inquired of the Lord as to why he revealed:

Israel hath sinned, and they have also transgressed my covenant which I commanded them: for they have even taken of the accursed thing, and have also stolen, and dissembled also, and they have put it even among their own stuff. Therefore the children of Israel could not stand before their enemies, but turned their backs before their enemies, because they were accursed: neither will I be with you anymore, except ye destroy the accursed from among you. - Joshua 7: 11-12.

There was sin in the camp. And after Joshua did his research to discover where the root of the sin was, he discovered a man and his tent (family dwelling), where the evidence of sin was buried.

"But the children of Israel committed a trespass in the accursed thing: for Achan, the son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took of the accursed thing: and the anger of the Lord was kindled against the children of Israel." - Joshua 7:1

It continues: "7 And he brought the family of Judah; and he took the family of the Zarhites: and he brought the family of the Zarhites man by man; and Zabdi was taken:

18 And he brought his household man by man; and Achan, the son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, was taken.

19 And Joshua said unto Achan, My son, give, I pray thee, glory to the Lord God of Israel, and make confession unto him; and tell me now what thou hast done; hide it not from me.

20 And Achan answered Joshua, and said, Indeed I have sinned against the Lord God of Israel, and thus and thus have I done:

21 When I saw among the spoils a goodly Babylonish garment, and two hundred shekels of silver, and a wedge of gold of fifty shekels weight, then I coveted them, and took them; and, behold, they are hid in the earth in the midst of my tent, and the silver under it.

22 So Joshua sent messengers, and they ran unto the tent; and, behold, it was hidden in his tent, and the silver under it.

23 And they took them out of the midst of the tent, and brought them unto Joshua, and unto all the children of Israel, and laid them out before the Lord.

24 And Joshua, and all Israel with him, took Achan the son of Zerah, and the silver, and the garment, and the wedge of gold, and his sons, and his daughters, and his oxen, and his asses, and his sheep, and his tent, and all that he had: and they brought them unto the valley of Achor.

25 And Joshua said, Why hast thou troubled us? the Lord shall trouble thee this day. And all Israel stoned him with stones and burned them with fire after they had stoned them with stones.

26 And they raised over him a great heap of stones unto this day. So the Lord turned from the fierceness of his anger. Wherefore the name of that place was called, The valley of Achor, unto this day.

While some people may ask why would God allow Achan's children to also be stoned? Think about this: What if the children knew their father had stolen and had disobeyed the law of God. What if they secretly hoped that one day they would be able to use, cash in, or inherit the riches he stole. While they may not have done the action themselves, what was in their hearts and what they did not say on their tongue could have made them accomplices to sin. What if they feared their father more than they feared God and chose to cloak for him instead of respecting God. Not to mention that if Achan's sin took root in the hearts of his children, there would have been cursed generations after them as the family way of rebellion may have continued without repentance.

In order for Israel to move forward under His will, God needed them to be sanctified. When God has to sanctify something, he cleans the whole thing. So, God had to allow for the entire tent (household) to be cleansed of sin, so that the whole camp could be clean. But what if the children spoke up and went to Joshua (just like a pastor or other person of God) and confessed what they knew? What if they separated themselves from the sin? What if they didn't have to die?

Achen's choices brought sin and a curse upon his children and even his animals. They were now unclean because they were associated with sin.

Get rid of your Achen! Speak up, stand up, give up your way, and stay in repentance. Don't sit by and allow sin in the camp!

Read Our Youth Pastor Amaya's Blog "Why Are We Still Separated from God (Because of Sin) here: https://www.thebodyofchristinc.com/news/why-are-we-still-separated-from-god. This also ties into the FORREAL Radio Broadcast message from Chief Apostle Gunn "Am I Clear With God" here: https://www.thebodyofchristinc.com/listen-in

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