Three Dimensional Believers

Joshua 11:22   "There was none of the Anakims (giants) left in the land of the children of Israel: only in Gaza, in Gath, and in Ashdod, some remained. Gaza Gath and Ashdod were locations of defeat, defiance and defilement. Undefeated giants that exist in our homes: We cruise into marriage thinking we know how everything will work. We do bring ‘giant’ baggage with us like unfulfilled expectations of romance or adventure; worse still, the “aisle, altar, hymn syndrome.” The reality of life kicks in and we wake up to find the person we married was the person we married.

 

Single people too are grooming giants that are modelled for them by parents. It is not a matter of saying “my parents are dysfunctional (or worse)” this will bind you to the problem and doom you to repeat their mistakes. It is a matter of forgiveness of parents first then repentance of the propensity.

Judges 16:20 “And she said, The Philistines are upon you, Samson. And he awoke out of his sleep, and said, I will go out as at other times before, and shake myself. And he wist not that the LORD was departed from him.”

All this happened in Gaza:  “I will go out as at other times...” “he wist not...” Some believers are always talking like Samson about the things that will ultimately defeat them. They are being drained by negative stuff like TV or bad music all day. When trouble strikes they find they have no spiritual resources. They become defeated Christians living a ‘half life’ they are still around but they are “neither use nor ornament.” They are blind and bound but there is hope if they go on grinding out corn, (the Word).

1 Samuel 17:10 “And the Philistine said, I defy the armies of Israel this day; give me a man, that we may fight together.”

Self declared defiance; brought to you with the compliments of Gath; when defiance rules, the giants go to full size. Now we have a fully blown issue to deal with and everybody can see it. The sort of language used is: “I’m all right; don’t tell me how to live!” Trying to make it with our own resources has not worked, now there is denial and rage. The cure is drastic: A small thing will bring you down; (road rage?)You will be brought to nothing because you are exalting “King Self” above the Lord.

1 Samuel 4:21 “She named the boy Ichabod saying, “The Glory has departed from Israel”—because of the capture of the ark of God and the deaths of her father-in-law and her husband. 1 Samuel 5:1 “After the Philistines had captured the ark of God, they took it from Ebenezer to Ashdod.”

After a long period of grace for flagrant sinful living, the beautiful things of God have become defiled by presumption and using the presence of the Lord as a good luck charm; such people will find everything has slipped away from them and death is the only escape. This is the sin of nominal belief.

How did they get here? First they simply assumed that they could handle all of the issues of life without looking in the Owners Handbook to find how to kill of some giants. Then they became defeated; being worn down by their own choices of what they fed on. Next they became defiant, not willing to receive correction they put themselves in danger of their own unplanned reactions. Finally they relegated their belief to the occasional spasm of guilt, presuming that they will be OK they had become defiled without knowing or caring.

Where are we on this “3 strikes you’re out” scale?