Ten Minute Bible Talks Devotional Bible Study - Full Surrender to God | Historical Books | Judges 1:27-36

Episode Date: February 11, 2025

How does the enemy lead us away from God? What is the territory in your heart you don't want God to address? How do we submit to God? In today's episode, Tanya shares how Judges 1:27-36 encourages us to surrender our whole lives to Jesus. Read the Bible with us in 2025! This year, we’re exploring the Historical Books—Joshua, Judges, 1 & 2 Samuel, and 1 & 2 Kings. Download your reading plan now. Your support makes TMBT possible. Ten Minute Bible Talks is a crowd-funded project. Join the TMBTeam to reach more people with the Bible. Give now. Like this content? Make sure to leave us a rating and share it so that others can find it, too. Use #asktmbt to connect with us, ask questions, and suggest topics. We'd love to hear from you! To learn more, visit our website and follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter @TenMinuteBibleTalks. Don't forget to subscribe to the TMBT Newsletter here. Passages: Judges 1:27-36

Welcome to 10-minute Bible Talks, where we connect the Bible to your life in the time it takes to get to work. I'm Tanya Wilmuth. So it's officially that time of year when our half-hearted approaches to New Year's goals start to reveal themselves. The beautiful new planner that hasn't been updated in three weeks. The budget spreadsheet with fewer and fewer entries. The running plan with fewer and fewer miles logged, if any. We're so zealous at the end of December, but without full commitment, and a lot of accountability, few of our intentions actually stick.

By February, we often settle back into the routines that feel familiar, our true selves, if you will, doing the same things we've done for years. Mostly, there are exceptions. I once had a friend who planned to save enough money to renovate her kitchen in a year. She stuck with it and made it happen. That is impressive. But here's the problem I see. Number one, even our best intentions often aren't ambitious enough.

And number two, we let distractions grow bigger than our dreams. Now, this brings us to today's Bible passage. In Judges, the people of Israel face a similar challenge. Their objective, well, it's large. It's to fully take over the territory God has already promised them. To do this, they need to continue to drive out the Canaanites. They need to do it completely. Now, God's plan for Israel is clear.

They are to receive their full inheritance, and they are to live wholly devoted to him in the land. The Canaanites, however, pose a threat. They occupy land allocated to the tribes, and living among them means being influenced by their moral and spiritual corruption, including practices like child sacrifice. This mission required total commitment, not a half-hearted approach. The opening of judges sets the stage. This is what it sounds like. After Joshua died, the Israelites asked the Lord, which tribes should go first to attack the Canaanites?

And the Lord answered, Judah, for I have given them very. victory over the land. Now the men of Judah showed faith in God's promise by rallying Simeon to help them fight. They said, come and help us fight against the Canaanites, living in the territory allotted to us. Then we will help you conquer your territory. They sound ambitious, focused, and goal-oriented. It seems they truly believe God will give them victory. But the rest of the book of judges reveals their intentions weren't as grand as gods. The Israelites intended to conquer and habit the land, but not as fully as God intended. If so, the record wouldn't sound like this. The tribe of Asher failed to drive out the residents of Akko, Saigon, Alab, Agzid, Hilba,

Afik, and Rehab. Maybe it's because they couldn't say it. Anyway, instead, the people of Asher moved in among the Canaanites who controlled the land. And what about this? Likewise, the tribe of Naftali failed to drive out the residence of Beth Shamish and Bethanath. Instead, they moved in among the Canaanites who controlled the land. You know what happens next. The Canaanites have power and influence, and God's people began to mix true worship with idol worship. One commentator put it this way.

Like buried minds, the idols lie dormant in Judges 1, ready to explode in the spiritual lives of God's people. By living among the Canaanites, the Israelites allowed themselves to be influenced, eventually becoming as morally and spiritually corrupt, is the idol-worshipping Canaanites. Why did they settle? Why did the Israelites settle for less than what God intended?

Why did they concede the battle? We're all familiar with the enemy's tactics. The enemy makes us busy and content. Content enough that our plans for God-centered living seem less ambitious. The enemy makes our distractions bigger in our minds than God's promises. The enemy lulls us into a half-hearted life. In the garden, the enemy convinced Adam and Eve it was okay to want something that God said was off limits. In the wilderness, the enemy made the Israelites so self-focused they couldn't recognize God's power and presence right there with them.

The enemy doesn't want our wholehearted obedience to God. The enemy doesn't want God to have our undivided attention. The enemy doesn't want us to believe God's promises are better than our misplaced desires. But here's the good news. God can rescue us from those lies. This is why we need God's word to be our sword and shield. We need to know what God instructs, promises, and delivers. Take David as an example.

In Psalm 11, David declares his commitment and request to God. He says, I find my refuge in you. David is saying, Even though my enemy chases me, my mind is fixed on you, God. I'm asking you to help me stay focused, and I'm telling you I want to. I'm committed to staying focused on you. This morning I tried to follow David's example.

I prayed the same prayer from Psalm 11. In you, I take refuge. And it sounded like, God, I'm worried about this, but I'm giving it to you. I take refuge in you. Help me place this problem in your hands. It's not even noon. And I've had to repeat this prayer three times already today.

Submission is hard. God has fully cleaned the territory of our hearts yet we failed to practice living in his peace. We give God our problems only to take them back, and we let distractions crowd out his promises. So ask yourself, what are the things you secretly don't want God to address, the territory that you just don't really want to take care of in your heart? And what are the things you want God to address, but don't fully believe he can handle? When the Israelites ignore God's instructions to fully drive out the enemy, they left themselves vulnerable to division and decay. But God's grace meets us, even in our divided attention.

Through Jesus, God offers hope to all of us. Jesus had come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. What an invitation. Jesus offers his mercy and love to help us confront anything lurking in our hearts. He invites us to surrender our half-heartedness and find true rest in him. Father God, you know my heart can be pulled in a million different directions. Thank you for reminding me that you want every square inch of my heart. Please reveal the things I've conceded instead of surrendering to you.

Teach me to choose obedience when I'm tempted to settle for less. My greatest desire. is to have fully devoted to you. Amen.