If you cease to abide in the Lord Jesus Christ you will be surprised what you are capable of doing. The person you can be for good if you obey God is also surprising. This study is about maximum living – living as God intends us to be.

1 – The problem of partial possession (vs. 12-13)

They were keeping company with Canaanites. The Canaanites represented the power of Satan. This keeps us from reaching our potential. There are always sins in our life that we fail to get have complete victory over. See 1 Corinthians 15:57. We can have complete victory. I a war there is no substitute for victory. There can be no compromise. There is either victory or defeat. A worldly Christian is a traitor to the Lord. We need to have victory over the flesh, world and Satan. You can’t have a peace conference with a lion! Notice the Canaanites they kept company with:-

• The Canaanites they favoured (vs. 13) – When the Israelites became strong they used some Canaanites as slaves and taxed them. They kept them in the land. Do you have a Canaanite that you are showing favour? You have made a slave of that sin. You think you have victory over it. You can’t keep Canaanites in your life.
• The Canaanites they feared (vs. 16) – These were the ones they thought they could not drive out. There are things in our lives that we think we can’t drive out of our lives.

2 – The problem of paralysing pride (vs. 14-16)

They are reeking with pride. They are asking for more, yet they can’t drive out the Canaanites from the land that they already possess. They were failing to possess their possessions and they can still boast with pride. They are not so great! If we think we have arrived at perfection then it is certain that we have not! It is no wonder we can’t live to the maximum. A proud person usually doesn’t realise that they are proud. They think they are humble. God resists the proud. See 1 Peter 5:5.

3 – The problem of perverted priorities (vs. 17-18)

God asks people to deal with what He has already given them before He will give them more. They wanted more and more. If they take care of what God has already given them then they will have more.

Some Christians want more and more of the Bible and God. They can’t get more until they obey what they already know. You don’t have more money because you have all that God can trust you with at the moment. We need to be faithful with little before God gives us more. Start clearing the forest where you are. We need to maximise what we have now.

You want a better job? You maximise your work now and then God can be free to give you more. If you are not living to your maximum then you may be just lazy. Here are your priorities:-

• Remove the things that clutter our lives – There is nothing wrong with forests unless you want to build houses and grow crops. There is plenty of room if they clear out some of the trees which are cluttering up the land. Get the things that clutter your life – out of your life. Have you done that? There are things in our lives that are not sinful but clutter up our lives. We need to make time to pray, read the Bible and be a witness. We need to clear out the things that clutter our lives. We can’t have more time! We need to lay an axe to the trees that clutter our lives.
• Remove the things that corrupt our lives – We need to drive out the Canaanites. They corrupt our lives. We are to clear out the trees first and then drive out the Canaanites.

Do you want to live your life to the maximum? Do you want to be a Christian to your full potential? Do you want to be all that you could be? Don’t be like the children of Manasseh. You need to take care of what you already have, if you want to receive more. Live your life to the maximum level.

Categories: Joshua