Deuteronomy Chapter 19 Verse 8-9

Deuteronomy Chapter 19 Verses 8-9 And if the Lord your God enlarges your territory, as he has sworn to your fathers, and gives you all the land that he promised to give to your fathers— provided you are careful to keep all this commandment, which I command you today, by loving the Lord your God and by walking ever in his ways— then you shall add three other cities to these three, Have you ever wondered why so many prominent Christian leaders fail? Similarly, why do so many Christians stop growing in their spiritual lives and lose their influence? I believe these verses have something very important to teach us. God commanded the Israelites to build cities of refuge. The more they expanded their territory, the more cities of refuge they needed to build. Otherwise, they risked being too far away from the city when they committed an accidental sin. Cities of refuge represent taking refuge in Christ. As fallen human beings, we often sin because of our flesh and the influence of the world. Most of the time, our sins are not intentional choices to live in the indulgence of sin. Instead, they are committed accidentally. Since Christ bore our sins on the cross once for all, our sins can be forgiven if we flee to him for refuge (Hebrews 6:18). When we flee to him for safety from the lust of the world, God will bless us and give us greater influence. However, as God enlarges our territory through ministry success, we must not forget to build more cities of refuge. The more we expand our influence, the more we need to take refuge in Christ. If we fail to run to Him for protection by pursuing deeper fellowship with Him, we will be taken over by the enemy when we commit accidental sins. Just like Noah covered the ark with pitch to protect it from leaking and rotting, we must run to Christ for protection. Otherwise, the invasion of worldly corruption will sink our boat.