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Read: Judges 2:11-12
Listen: Judges 2

Then the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the LORD and served the Baals. Judges 2:11

 God commanded Joshua and the Israelites to remove the Canaanites from the promised land completely (Deuteronomy 7:1-2). He warned them that the Canaanites would influence the Israelites toward idolatry and immorality if left in the land. In Exodus 23:33, God said the Canaanites would “cause you to sin against me” and that they would “certainly be a snare to you.” Unfortunately, as predicted this is exactly how the story unfolds. The Israelites do not drive out the Canaanites, and they fall prey to the Canaanites’ ways of idol worship and immorality.

In much the same way, we can tolerate sin and temptation in our lives. We sometimes rationalize our sin or play it off as if it’s no big deal. But nowhere in Scripture do we get the impression that sin is no big deal. Throughout the Bible, both the Old and New Testaments, we see God commanding his people to wage war against sin. For instance, Paul wrote to the Colossians, “Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry” (Colossians 3:5).

TODAY: Think about your cycles or patterns of sin. Where and when are you most tempted? What do you need to put in place to stop tolerating that temptation and take drastic measures? Journal about a drastic measure you can take and ask God for the grace to put such a measure in place. Need further help? Email us at care@adabible.org.