By Andrew Williams
Series: The Year of the Prophet- Month 5: The Prophet’s Mandate: To Root Out and To Plant
Week 18: The Work of Uprooting (Deconstruction)
Anchor Scripture: “Israel has sinned, and they have also transgressed My covenant which I commanded them. For they have even taken some of the accursed things… therefore the children of Israel could not stand before their enemies…” — Joshua 7:11–12 (NKJV)
The Teaching
As we continue with the mandate to “root out,” we must look at the Achan Factor. After the great victory at Jericho, the nation of Israel suffered a humiliating defeat at a small city called Ai. On the surface, it made no sense. But the Lord revealed to Joshua that there was “sin in the camp.” One man, Achan, had hidden “accursed things” under his tent.
This story reveals a spiritual law of the community: One person’s hidden disobedience can hinder the entire group’s advancement. The Prophet is often used by God to identify the “Achan” in the camp. This is not about being a “spiritual detective” who looks for people’s mistakes; it is about protecting the Purity of the Move.
A prophet senses when there is a “spiritual leak” in the church. You sense when the “power” has left the room and when the “glory” is being blocked. God shows you the hidden thing—the secret compromise, the unconfessed sin of a leader, or the “accursed thing” that has been brought into the sanctuary—so that it can be rooted out. If the hidden thing is not exposed, the entire “camp” remains vulnerable to the enemy. The Prophet’s “severity” in this area is actually a high form of “mercy” for the collective.
Prophetic Insight
Exposing the “Achan Factor” is one of the most unpopular assignments in the prophetic office. You will be accused of being “judgmental” or “unloving.” But true love does not allow a whole city to be defeated to protect the secret of one person. The “X-ray vision” of the prophet (Day 28) is for the Security of the Saints. If God shows you a “hidden thing” in a leadership team or a family, He is not inviting you to gossip; He is inviting you to “root it out” through confrontation or intercession. When the “accursed thing” is removed, the “blessing of the Lord” returns immediately.
The Activation
Ask the Holy Spirit today: “Is there an Achan factor in my life or my circle? Is there something ‘hidden under the tent’ that is stopping our advancement?” If He shows you something in your own life, repent and remove it immediately. If He shows you something in your “camp,” ask for the wisdom to know if you should pray it out or speak it out. Say, “Lord, I choose purity over comfort. Remove the blockage so we may stand before our enemies.”
Daily Prayer: Lord God, I thank You that You are a God of holiness. I ask for the discernment to identify the ‘Achan factor’ in my sphere. Forgive me for tolerating hidden sin for the sake of ‘peace.’ I choose to be a guardian of the purity of Your House. Root out every accursed thing that is hindering Your move among us. Let Your camp be clean, so that Your power may be seen. Amen.
