Now as for the Jebusites, the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the sons of Judah could not drive them out; so the Jebusites live with the sons of Judah at Jerusalem until this day. Joshua 15:63

That the sons of Judah could not drive out the Jebusites is a sour footnote in Joshua’s amazing account of Israel’s acquisition of the Promised Land. Any preacher worth his salt would immediately compare and contrast this failure with a Christian not totally surrendered to the Spirit.

If sin’s strongholds are not dispossessed (e.g., flying off the handle, salty language, lingering eyes, incessant anxiety, etc.), our progress in the faith will be frustrated and our usefulness in the Lord’s service limited.

The last vestiges of the flesh are always the hardest to excise. What are they and why do they still loiter? Don’t rest until they’re run out of the city on a rail! Let the Holy Spirit have unfettered access to your heart!