When Buried Treasure Buries You...

As a kid it was customary to attend Saturday matinees at the local theater.

I was always drawn to the adventure movies such as, Jason and the Argonauts, Hercules, The Adventures of Sinbad (In Dynorama)…etc.

A common theme to those movies was always a crew of sea fairing sailors in search of wealth and forbidden treasures that didn’t belong to them.

 Another common theme to those movies is that there was always one shipmate among them who was full of greed; wanting all the treasure for himself. The films never end with all of the characters surviving the journey; most were killed off at one point in the movie leaving only a handful of the crew and their captain to share the loot.

 Webster defines treasure as:

•   Accumulated wealth in the form of money, jewels, or other valuables

•   Something stored away and hoarded

 There are those in the body of Christ who over the course of many years have accumulated hidden treasures and have buried them deep within their spirit. I’m not talking about love; joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness and temperance against which there is no law.

 I speak of the fleshly desires,  longings, habits and things that saints continue to re-visit to the point of losing touch with God’s will for their lives; and just like in those adventure movies friendships, relationships, and destinies have been lost in the search.

 It’s easy to hoard these desires deep within our spirit-man forfeiting our place in Gods’ economy for the purpose of wealth, position and self-gratification.

As a prelude to mans anticipated disregard for God’s commandments; God Himself blesses us with everything we need in life to survive, all the while knowing that we’re about to blow it all (commit sin) at any given moment. Isn’t it strange that right after God comes through for us; frees us from being caught between a rock and a hard heard, we slip right back into our flesh. Let me give you some real revelation; and its nothing deep; are you ready?

“Your Flesh Doesn’t Care About You, Or Anybody Around You.”

 Your flesh is not concerned with God’s grace or His mercy; your flesh could care less about the consequences of sin. It doesn’t matter how good God has been, flesh will commit treachery in order to satisfy itself. In James the 1^st chapter beginning at the  13^th verse:

“Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man: But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth

death.”

Achan; whose name translated in the Hebrew tongue means, to trouble or troublesome; acted treacherously’ and committed a breach of faith by taking the accursed thing. He committed this act in the midst of victory that God had given Israel over the stronghold known as Jericho. Many of you today are living testimonies to God’s power of deliverance; some were liars, backbiters, whoremongers, thieves, alcoholics, and drug abusers, yet God; who’s rich in mercy and slow to anger, worked His power in you and set you free only to watch in sorrow as you ran after the accursed thing.

Exactly what is the accursed thing?

In the Revelation 17:5, Babylon is recognized as “The Mother of Harlots and of Abominations of the Earth” This title speaks directly to the culture that has taken a foot-hold in our society today…

 Before Achan conceived in his heart to steal this
treasure and bury it in his tent, God had already
consecrated them unto Himself.  

Joshua 6:19 – “But all the silver, and gold, and
vessels of brass and iron, are consecrated unto the
Lord: they shall come into the treasury of the
Lord…”

 News flash, God predestined us for greatness. He created us and consecrated us unto Himself. God saw us as a treasure to be desired. He desires our obedience, our worship and our praise. Paul writes in Romans 12:1-3;

“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed, by the renewing of your mind that ye may prove, what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.”

He desires to be in relationship with us; but our sinful nature separates man from God renders us accursed.

 Jesus admonishes us:  “Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon the earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” Matthew 6:19-21

 Please know this, you are very precious in His sight; so don’t let buried treasure bury you.