I think that where you stand is important but perhaps more important is the direction you are going.

Israel failed to drive out the inhabitants of the Land.  Many of them were kept as slaves.  I am sure that they thought it was better that way.  They knew they wouldn’t depart from God.  That just wasn’t going to happen because they were committed!  They were right, they stayed faithful to God.  But the problem is not always where you are, it can be the way you are going!  After that generation died, the next generation was around all those they did not drive out, and they didn’t know the God that their fathers and mothers knew.  They gladly received the gods of those that were never driven out.  From that point on, this would almost always be a problem present within Israel!

It could have well been avoided had that generation who stood with God not only held the right position, but would go in the right direction!  It is imperative for us to understand that the decisions we make do not only guide us, but they may well guide generations to come.  Where we stand may not be a horrible place to stand, but it may be a slippery slope for those that follow after us!