Dangers Of Keeping Accursed Items

Deuteronomy 7:26 - Neither shalt thou bring an abomination into thine house, lest thou be a cursed thing like it: but thou shalt utterly detest it, and thou shalt utterly abhor it; for it is a cursed thing.

Several places in the old testament, God is telling his people to put away strange gods and their related items.

I Samuel 7:3 -4, 10
3 And Samuel spake unto all the house of Israel, saying, If ye do return unto the LORD with all your hearts, then put away the strange gods and Ashtaroth from among you, and prepare your hearts unto the LORD, and serve him only: and he will deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines.

 4 Then the children of Israel did put away Baalim and Ashtaroth, and served the LORD only.
Results
verse 10 - And as Samuel was offering up the burnt offering, the Philistines drew near to battle against Israel: but the LORD thundered with a great thunder on that day upon the Philistines, and discomfited them; and they were smitten before Israel.

Many Christians are living in: Defeat, shame, depression, debts, sickness, rebellious children because they are knowingly or unknowingly keeping accused items.

FACTS ABOUT ACCURSED ITEMS:

1. A CITY or A HOME CAN BE ACCURSED
   Joshua 6:17- 18
   17 And the city shall be accursed, even it, and all that are therein, to the LORD: only Rahab the harlot shall live, she and all that are with her in the house, because she hid the messengers that we sent.
   18 -  And ye, in any wise keep yourselves from the accursed thing, lest ye make yourselves accursed, when ye take of the accursed thing, and make the camp of Israel a curse, and trouble it.
   
   
2. ACCUSED THINGS KINDLES THE ANGER OF GOD
   Joshua 7:1  - But the children of Israel committed a trespass in the accursed thing: for Achan, the son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took of the accursed thing: and the anger of the LORD was kindled against the children of Israel.
   
3. YOU CAN NOT WITHSTAND YOUR ENEMIES WITH ACCURSED THINGS
   Joshua 7:11 - 12
   11 -Israel hath sinned, and they have also transgressed my covenant which I commanded them: for they have even taken of the accursed thing, and have also stolen, and dissembled also, and they have put it even among their own stuff.
   12 Therefore the children of Israel could not stand before their enemies, but turned their backs before their enemies, because they were accursed: neither will I be with you any more, except ye destroy the accursed from among you.
   
4. YOU DO NO PERISH ALONE
   Joshua 22:20 - Did not Achan the son of Zerah commit a trespass in the accursed thing, and wrath fell on all the congregation of Israel? and that man perished not alone in his iniquity.
   
    1Samuel 3:13 - For I have told him that I will judge his house for ever for the iniquity which he knoweth; because his sons made themselves vile, and he restrained them not.{vile: or, accursed}
   
   1Chlonicles 2:7 - And the sons of Carmi; Achar, the troubler of Israel, who transgressed in the thing accursed.
   
   
5. NEVER SACRIFICE OR GIVE TO GOD ACCURSED THINGS – SAUL EXAMPLE
   14 And Samuel said, What meaneth then this bleating of the sheep in mine ears, and the lowing of the oxen which I hear?
   15 And Saul said, They have brought them from the Amalekites: for the people spared the best of the sheep and of the oxen, to sacrifice unto the LORD thy God; and the rest we have utterly destroyed.
   
   19 Wherefore then didst thou not obey the voice of the LORD, but didst fly upon the spoil, and didst evil in the sight of the LORD?
   
   21 But the people took of the spoil, sheep and oxen, the chief of the things which should have been utterly destroyed, to sacrifice unto the LORD thy God in Gilgal.
   22 And Samuel said, Hath the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams.
   23 For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the LORD, he hath also rejected thee from being king.
   
6. YOU BECOME ACCUSED BY PREACHING A CONTRARY GOSPEL
   Galatians 1:8 - 9
   8 But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed.
   9 - As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed.

REMEDY – ACTION TO TAKE

1. SANCTIFY YOUR SELF AND TAKE AWAY THE ACCURSED THINGS
   Joshua 7:13 - Up, sanctify the people, and say, Sanctify yourselves against to morrow: for thus saith the LORD God of Israel, There is an accursed thing in the midst of thee, O Israel: thou canst not stand before thine enemies, until ye take away the accursed thing from among you.
   
2. BURN THE ACCURSED THINGS
   Joshua 7:15 - And it shall be, that he that is taken with the accursed thing shall be burnt with fire, he and all that he hath: because he hath transgressed the covenant of the LORD, and because he hath wrought folly in Israel.
   
   Acts 19:19 - Many of them also which used curious arts brought their books together, and burned them before all men: and they counted the price of them, and found it fifty thousand pieces of silver.

Result
Acts 19:20 - So mightily grew the word of God and prevailed.