"Learning From Failure
A person's decisions will always carry far-reaching effects on themselves, their family, and their friends. No one lives or dies unto themselves. The sin of Achan, touching the accursed thing in Joshua, produced several devastating results: (1) It made the people underestimate the adversary and overestimate themselves; (2) They made it hard to make value judgments; (3) It didnt stop God from giving, but it did stop them from receiving.
God's love is unconditional, but God loves conditionally. God's character is not determined by our performance. Whether I rise or fall, win or lose, God will still be God... my performance won't change Him. But I'm learning that God's performance toward me is determined by my actions or character. God is love, but we determine how much He will be allowed to love or give to us. God is a giving God; it's just that from time to time sin clogs our ability to receive. If you have children, you've noticed that their life and habits determine how much freedom and faith you place in them. If they're not very responsible, you'll restrict them from having certain responsibilities. They will have a part in determining how much we can do for them. We are called to meet God's conditions. He won't let us have a relationship with Him that allows us to do nothing. Salvation is a work done by Him alone, but living the Christian life is a partnership. (Galations 2:20)
One great lesson we learn from Achan's failure is that there's a difference between the things we are to come out of versus what we are to grow out of... discerning the difference between willful sin as opposed to weakness is very important.
True faith must function in the face of failure as well as in the face of victory. If your faith functions only in the midst of victory, then you've only experienced your Jericho and not your Ai. Failure can teach us the following things:
1. Failure should produce an obedient life. Whatever He says do... do.
2. Failure should prompt a teachable spirit. I have much to learn.
3. Failure should produce a humble spirit. You realize you can't do it alone.
4. Failure should produce a dependent soul. You can't face tomorrow without Him.
Achan was not only disobedient, he moved without God's wisdom or favor. Satan loves us to come to battle based on our own performance. Our victories don't reside in our power. If the prerequisite for conquering was our own perfection, I'd never conquer. It seems that Satan gains most of his ground when we come in our strength, our authority, our power. Victories don't come because of our gifts and skills, but because of our utter dependence upon Jesus Christ, the Ruler of our lives and Finisher or our faith.
Growing in victory,
Ron Mehl"