Judges 1

Many of the different tribes were suppose to drive out the Canaanites, or other tribes God didn't give the land to, but they didn't. For whatever reason they didn't do it. Some of the reasons even seemed logical (Canaanites had better weapons, more people, knew the area more, etc.) but yet the Israelite tribes did not obey God. They even tried to make it sound good by forcing them into hard labor. But not full obedience. This became a big problem for them later, as well as for us now (Islam). Had they been obedient, things would have been different, even better.

My obedience to God needs to be the same way, 100%. I need to remove all the sin in my life so that it doesn't destroy me later and so it doesn't destroy my family later. If I don't deal with these things now, my family will be dealing with them in the future. In much worse ways. Sin always grows. I must, not through my own power, ways or wisdom, but through the power of God, get rid of this sin. Allowing the Holy Spirit to do his work in my life and also listening and responding to the voice that I hear. Not blowing it off. Not trying to justify what I am doing or want to be doing…just do what God asks. Do what the voice, the one that I am certain is God's, is asking me to do. I can't put my sin in hard labor camps and expect it not to grow stronger and come back to bite me. I must let sin be killed…for good. Seeking and spending time in the presence of God…doing what I know God wants me to do and say (no matter the desires of man around me)…learning to trust that when God speaks and I obey, then my present and my future are much brighter. I need to respond to God in this manner not just for me, but for my family.