Consecrating What Belongs to God! | Pastor Wayman Ming | March 22, 2026

Joshua 7 provides a clear, hard-edged call to consecrate what belongs to God. The narrative shows how one family’s theft of the accursed things broke covenant, produced national defeat at Ai, and invited divine anger. The text asserts a foundational ownership principle: God owns everything and people function as stewards. That ownership reaches beyond a ritual tithe; it claims heart, time, gifts, resources, and allegiance. Scripture frames consecration within covenant, not merely law, so grace calls for generosity that exceeds the minimum. Historical practice in Israel demonstrates that faithful households gave far more than ten percent, and the New Covenant invites a higher ethic of wholehearted devotion.

The passage also issues a stark warning about consequences. Unrepentant concealment of what belongs to God corrupts communal advance and can remove God’s presence from the people. The result at Ai illustrates reciprocity: hidden sin produces communal ruin, and the visible fallout exposes private disobedience. The remedy lies in destroying the accursed, confessing what has been hidden, and returning dedicated portions to God. Returning God’s share restores relational order and clears the way for blessing. The text ends with an urgent invitation to personal consecration: to lay aside weights and sin, to consecrate the self wholly, and to take up the race of faith with renewed clarity. The closing encouragement promises transformation when covenantal priorities realign: God’s presence returns, advancement resumes, and a season of simplicity and clarity follows wholehearted surrender.

---

Key Takeaways

• 1. God is owner; believers are stewards A sovereign ownership claim runs through Scripture: everything ultimately belongs to God. Stewardship reframes work, wealth, and relationships as entrusted responsibilities rather than personal entitlements. When life gets reordered by that truth, decisions flow from stewardship instead of self-preservation, and generosity becomes an expression of allegiance rather than obligation. [10:18]
• 2. Hidden sin damages the whole community Private disobedience often produces public consequences; a single family’s theft produced national defeat at Ai. The covenantal network means one household’s sin can block collective blessing, so honest repentance becomes an act of communal care. Confession and restitution remove barriers and protect the wider body from contagion. [33:54]
• 3. Grace demands generosity beyond law Covenant grace raises the standard: the tithe served as a legal floor, not a ceiling. Living under grace calls for sacrificial giving that reflects the heart’s total devotion, moving past minimal compliance to wholehearted investment in God’s purposes. Such giving witnesses to a transformed economy of trust rather than calculation. [21:15]
• 4. Destroy the accursed; regain God’s presence The clearest consequence of unrepentance in Joshua is divine absence: God will not remain where the accursed persists. Removing what is consecrated to God restores relational intimacy and unlocks corporate advance. The deliberate act of consecration invites God’s presence back and ushers blessing. [32:59]

Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [00:28] - Father’s love breaks through
• [01:09] - Passion Week and faith talks
• [03:21] - Title: Advancing Toward Blessing
• [05:55] - Reading Joshua 7:10–12
• [10:18] - Ownership: God owns all
• [12:54] - “All belongs to God” explained
• [16:54] - Tithe and Leviticus teaching
• [21:15] - Grace goes beyond the law
• [32:59] - Consequence: God withdraws presence
• [41:06] - Altar call: consecrate and repent
• [53:25] - Benediction and promise of transformation

Bible reading: Joshua 7:10-12 (ESV)
And the Lord said to Joshua, “Get up! Why have you fallen on your face? Israel has sinned; they have transgressed my covenant that I commanded them; they have taken some of the devoted things; they have stolen and lied and put them among their own stuff. Therefore the children of Israel cannot stand before their enemies. They turn their backs before their enemies, because they have become devoted for destruction. I will be with you no more, unless you destroy the devoted things from among you.”

Observation questions

1. According to the Lord in verse 11, what specific actions did Israel take that constituted sin and a transgression of the covenant?
2. What was the direct consequence for Israel's military efforts as a result of this sin, as stated in verse 12?
3. What is the condition God sets for His presence to remain with Israel?

Interpretation questions

1. The text states that the actions of one man, Achan, brought consequences upon the entire nation. How does this concept of corporate responsibility challenge modern, individualistic views of faith and sin?
2. God says the accursed things had to be destroyed to restore His presence. What does this suggest about the nature of God's holiness and its requirement for dealing with sin decisively?
3. The sermon posits that "grace involves giving more than what is expected" and that the tithe was the "floor" under the law [21:15]. How does this understanding of grace reshape the motivation for generosity, moving it from obligation to something else?

Application questions

1. The principle is that God is the owner and we are merely stewards of everything we have [10:18]. In what practical area of your life (finances, time, gifts) is it most difficult to live out this truth of stewardship versus ownership?
2. Is there anything you have "hidden in your tent"—any resource, habit, or area of your heart that you have claimed for yourself instead of consecrating it to God [34:28]? What would it look like to "destroy" that accursed thing and return it to its rightful Owner?
3. The warning in the passage is that unaddressed sin can lead to God withdrawing His supportive presence [32:59]. Have you ever experienced a sense of spiritual defeat or distance that you later realized was linked to a specific area of disobedience? What was that like?
4. The call is to move beyond a minimalistic, law-based approach to generosity into a grace-filled, whole-life devotion [21:15]. What is one step you could take this week to express generosity that exceeds mere obligation, reflecting a heart fully dedicated to God?
5. How does the truth that private sin can have public, communal consequences [33:54] affect your sense of responsibility toward other believers in your small group or local church?