There comes a point when the weight of it all—the regret, the shame, the knowing you’ve blown it—becomes unbearable. You can feel it pressing in, suffocating you. You tell yourself God forgives, that He’s merciful, that grace is for sinners.
But somehow, deep down, there’s a voice that whispers:
Not for you.
Not after what you’ve done.
Not after how many times you’ve failed.
You know the truth in your head. You’ve heard it in church, you’ve sung the songs, you’ve quoted the verses. But when it’s your sin staring you down, when it’s your failure playing on repeat in your mind, when you wake up every day feeling the distance between you and God, the truth starts to feel hollow.
Maybe grace was for the old you, before you messed up this badly. Maybe mercy was real once, but now you’ve gone too far.
Maybe you’re beyond hope.
If you’ve ever felt that, if you’re feeling that right now—listen to me.
You are not too far gone.
And the very place you think is your ending? That’s the place where God wants to meet you.
In Joshua 7, Achan’s story is one of shame and loss. He disobeyed God, he stole what wasn’t his, and he buried it, thinking no one would know. But sin never stays hidden. And when his was exposed, the consequences were severe. Achan was judged in the Valley of Achor, which means “trouble.”
His fate feels harsh to us.
Why such a severe punishment? Here’s what we need to see: Achan was part of the covenant people—but he acted as if he wasn’t.
His sin wasn’t just a personal failing—it was a high-handed rebellion against God’s clear command. He took what was devoted to destruction and, by doing so, he placed himself under that same judgment.
And more than that—he refused to repent.
Joshua gave him the opportunity to confess before he was exposed. But Achan stayed silent. He didn’t cry out for mercy, didn’t fall on his face like others who had been spared in the past.
He held onto his sin until the very end. And in doing so, he was cut off.
Here’s what makes the contrast so stunning: Achan was an Israelite—one of God’s own people—and he perished. But Rahab, a Canaanite prostitute, was spared.
Why?
Because Rahab aligned herself with God.
She saw judgment coming, and instead of resisting it, she surrendered. She acknowledged Yahweh as the one true God, and she pleaded for mercy—not just for herself, but for her entire household.
She didn’t just want survival—she wanted salvation.
And God gave it to her.
The same is true of the Gibeonites in Joshua 9. They, too, were Canaanites, marked for destruction. But when they heard what happened to Jericho and Ai, they didn’t wait to be wiped out—they humbled themselves and sought a covenant with Israel.
They used deception, yes—but at the heart of it was this simple truth: They feared the God of Israel more than they feared man.
And instead of being cut off, they were brought in.
Do you see it?
God is not looking to destroy people. He is looking for people who will submit to Him.
Achan, an Israelite, perished because he refused to align himself with God.
Rahab, a Canaanite, was saved because she did.
The Gibeonites, enemies of Israel, were spared because they humbled themselves.
And that means there is hope for you, too.
In Ephesians 2, Paul describes what it means to be truly hopeless:
“Remember that you were at that time separated from Christ… having no hope and without God in the world.” (Ephesians 2:12)
No hope. Without God.
Isn’t that exactly how shame makes us feel?
We’ve all had those moments—where we feel like outsiders, cut off from God, aware that we’ve made a mess of things. And if we’re honest, the fear creeps in that maybe this time, we won’t find our way back.
But the very next verse in Ephesians changes everything:
“But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.” (Ephesians 2:13)
Do you see it?
You were far off—BUT GOD.
You were lost—BUT JESUS.
You were without hope—BUT HIS BLOOD.
Jesus is the One who stands between your curse and your blessing, between your failure and your redemption.
And this is where we must be careful: Grace is not something to be taken lightly.
In Hebrews 10:29, we’re given a sobering warning:
“How much worse punishment do you think will be deserved by the one who has trampled underfoot the Son of God… and has outraged the Spirit of grace?”
Achan was cut off because he trampled on God’s command.
But we have been given something even greater than the Law—we have been given Jesus. And if we reject Him, if we persist in sin and refuse to repent, if we treat His sacrifice as cheap, we place ourselves in grave danger.
But if we humble ourselves—if we run to Him like Rahab, if we surrender like the Gibeonites—He will receive us.
At the end of Joshua 8, Israel stands before Mount Ebal and Mount Gerizim, faced with a choice: blessing or curse, life or death.
And today, you are standing in that place.
You can stay in shame, carrying the weight of your failures, assuming you’ve gone too far.
Or you can step through the door of hope.
The cross in a sense is Mount Ebal—the curse. The empty tomb is like Mount Gerizim—the blessing.
And Jesus is standing right in the middle, arms open, saying:
“Come to me, all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”
This is more than a nice idea. This is an invitation.
Jesus is the Door of Hope, but you have to walk through it.
1️⃣ Confess your sin to God. Stop burying it. Bring it into the light. Receive the grace He already paid for.
2️⃣ Stop testing His mercy—start living in His love. Don’t keep dipping one foot in grace and one foot in sin. Walk fully in the freedom He offers.
3️⃣ Let Jesus restore what’s been broken. Your past does not define you. His love does.
This isn’t just a feel-good message—it’s a call to action.
You know that Jesus forgives. Now live in it.
You know that grace is greater than your sin. Now walk in it.
If you need help breaking free from shame and walking in true redemption, listen to the full message on YouTube or the Dwelling Richly Podcast and let God’s Word transform you.
Listen to the full message, “Compromise, Consequence, and the God Who Redeems” Here
As always, I appreciate your thoughts and comments. Leave a note below and be sure to join the mailing list and stay in touch!
Current Bible Study/Podcast Series: “Joshua: Strong & Courageous” – January-April, 2025
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