The Church has always been tempted to become more like the nations where we live than to remain a distinctly different kind of people.

From the beginning to the end of our lives, we will be tested to determine the quality of our faith and who we will worship. Life is a series of tests that will produce the testimony of our lives.

What has been true at the beginning of our faith remains true until we take our last breath. The passing of time does not change God or His promises. He remains faithful and true to all generations.

After Moses’ death, the Lord spoke to Joshua, who would lead the nation into the Promised Land. God gave certain promises and assurances to Joshua.

“Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the instructions Moses gave you. Do not deviate from them, turning either to the right or to the left. Then you will be successful in everything you do” (Joshua 1:7).

Joshua followed the Lord’s instructions and did not deviate from them. That consistent, straightforward kind of leadership enabled Joshua and the people of Israel to take possession of the land God had promised them.

At the end of Joshau’s life, he reminded the people of the same instructions he received from the Lord years before when he first became their leader, “So be very careful to follow everything Moses wrote in the Book of Instruction” (Joshua 23:6). At the end of that instruction, Joshua said, “Cling tightly to the Lord your God as you have done until now.” Clinging to God demonstrated their dependence on Him.

Joshua continued to cling tightly to the Lord over the years, even when the people wanted to let go and follow their own instincts. The choice to cling to God would ensure their survival and distinguish them as the people of the Lord. After that, Joshua issued a warning.

“But if you turn away from him and cling to the customs of the survivors of these nations remaining among you, and if you intermarry with them, then know for certain that the Lord your God will no longer drive them out of your land. Instead, they will be a snare and a trap to you, a whip for your backs and thorny brambles in your eyes, and you will vanish from this good land the Lord your God has given you” (vs. 12-13).

After warning Israel, Joshua reminded them that if they followed the customs of the nations they had conquered, those customs would become a snare and a trap to them, constantly whipping their backs. This would happen if they abandoned the Lord and, as a result, began to look more like the nations they had conquered than the distinct and unique people of God.

We are also being tested in our generation. If we continue to cling to the Lord, we will be able to navigate through the temptations that have come to entice us to deviate from the Lord and His promises. Holding onto God and not deviating from Him and His promises is the only safe way forward.