Evil – Page 10 – Praying Pint

8.r. “I warn you, as I warned you before”

Revelation 21:8 But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.”

Romans 1:29 They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips, slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless. Though they know God’s righteous decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them.

1 Corinthians 6:9 Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.

Galatians 5:19 Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

While John’s list is similar to those of Paul, it’s important to note that John begins with “cowards” and “unbelievers.” This appears to be an indirect appeal to all professing believers facing times of testing. John makes no distinction between those who deny Jesus under persecution and those who openly embrace pagan vices. Jurgen Roloff again writes, “In an effort to challenge the reliance of the addressees on their safe possession of salvation, John again makes it clear that, because of the magnitude of the promise received, the danger is all the more serious of being disobedient and faithless to Jesus. Whoever succumbs to it does not belong to those who stand in the Look of Life and is therefore fundamentally like God’s enemies, who stand in his judgment” (p. 238). This is not to suggest that the elect will fall away; rather it seems to be an affirmation that those who merely profess Christianity may expect to be exposed under the withering heat of persecution so that their true nature as unbelievers is made clear.

Phillips, Rob. The Searcher’s Guide to the Apocalypse:

4.n. There is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.

Job 2:11 Now when Job’s three friends heard of all this evil that had come upon him, they came each from his own place, Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite. They made an appointment together to come to show him sympathy and comfort him. And when they saw him from a distance, they did not recognize him. And they raised their voices and wept, and they tore their robes and sprinkled dust on their heads toward heaven. And they sat with him on the ground seven days and seven nights, and no one spoke a word to him, for they saw that his suffering was very great.

Proverbs 17:17     A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.

Proverbs 18:24    A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.

Job 6:14     “He who withholds kindness from a friend forsakes the fear of the Almighty.

Job had recently lost all of his flocks and all of his children. Now Satan’s attack is physically upon him. When his friends heard of what had happened to Job they came to him and for 7 days they spoke nothing to him for he was suffering greatly. It is nice to have friends who care about you. Who visit you in your time of trial. Who comes to, in some way, comfort you and give you support. Having a comforting friend around in a time of trials and troubles has a way of sharing the load of this burden together. Their presence encourages and strengthens us, or should I say “can or will” if we are open to receive their comfort. If we reject them, if we turn away from them, if we close our eyes and ears to their help we will not experience the comfort, strength, and encouragement they offer. It is as if we choose to go it alone. I am not sure if it is out of pride, shame, or some other reason but whatever the reason, some can reject the very comfort their soul and mind are searching for.

Jesus Christ said that after His death and resurrection He would go to His father and send the Holy Spirit (the Comforter) to lead us into all truth, to teach, lead, encourage, strengthen, and comfort us. Still, it falls upon us to seek, desire, and be open to these from the Holy Spirit. If our heart is hardened and our mind turned away and our soul standing firm in self-centered self-reliance the working of the Holy Spirit in our life is void. We do well to confess our hardened ways and seek/desire the Holy Spirit to fill us from the inside out, softening us to the point of being able to hear, trust, and obey the whispers of truth, leading, encouragement, strength, courage, and comfort.

3.h. Within a very little time you were more corrupt than they in all your ways.

2 Chronicles 33:9 Manasseh led Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem astray, to do more evil than the nations whom the Lord destroyed before the people of Israel.

The Lord spoke to Manasseh and to his people, but they paid no attention. Therefore the Lord brought upon them the commanders of the army of the king of Assyria, who captured Manasseh with hooks and bound him with chains of bronze and brought him to Babylon. And when he was in distress, he entreated the favor of the Lord his God and humbled himself greatly before the God of his fathers. He prayed to him, and God was moved by his entreaty and heard his plea and brought him again to Jerusalem into his kingdom. Then Manasseh knew that the Lord was God.

Afterward he built an outer wall for the city of David west of Gihon, in the valley, and for the entrance into the Fish Gate, and carried it around Ophel, and raised it to a very great height. He also put commanders of the army in all the fortified cities in Judah. And he took away the foreign gods and the idol from the house of the Lord, and all the altars that he had built on the mountain of the house of the Lord and in Jerusalem, and he threw them outside of the city. He also restored the altar of the Lord and offered on it sacrifices of peace offerings and of thanksgiving, and he commanded Judah to serve the Lord, the God of Israel.

2 Kings 23:26   Still the LORD did not turn from the burning of his great wrath, by which his anger was kindled against Judah, because of all the provocations with which Manasseh had provoked him.

Proverbs 29:12   If a ruler listens to falsehood, all his officials will be wicked.

Ezekiel 16:45-47    Not only did you walk in their ways and do according to their abominations; within a very little time you were more corrupt than they in all your ways.

James 4:10     Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.

1 Peter 5:5-6   Likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the elders. Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”  Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you,

Psalms 50:15   and call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me.”

When God speaks and we don’t listen the outcome is bad. When God speaks and we reject what He is telling us the outcome is bad. When we choose to “not listen” and to “reject” what He says there is something in our heart and mind that is sideways. Somewhere in our heart and mind we have chosen self and what the world has to offer over God and His leading for our life. We find the chase to find purpose and meaning never satisfying or meeting our expectations for contentment, gratification, fulfillment, happiness, peace, joy, and rest.

Anything we temporarily allow or choose to allow to replace Gods working in our life will deafen our ears and blind our eyes and harden our heart and stiffen our neck. Each step down these paths will set these choices like concrete and you might not find how you have wasted precious time apart from God. You may not see the worldly fulfilling is sucking eternal life from your soul.

When we do not seek ownership of our possessions, plans, but yield them to God’s purposes, and humbly seek and desire to serve, honor, follow, trust, and obey Him we find our eyes see more of His handiwork, our ears hear more of His leading, and our heart is soft to absorb His word and our mind is fixed on Him.

2.i. Everyone loves a bribe and runs after gifts.

2 Chronicles 19:4 Jehoshaphat lived at Jerusalem. And he went out again among the people, from Beersheba to the hill country of Ephraim, and brought them back to the Lord, the God of their fathers. He appointed judges in the land in all the fortified cities of Judah, city by city, and said to the judges, “Consider what you do, for you judge not for man but for the Lord. He is with you in giving judgment. Now then, let the fear of the Lord be upon you. Be careful what you do, for there is no injustice with the Lord our God, or partiality or taking bribes.”

Moreover, in Jerusalem Jehoshaphat appointed certain Levites and priests and heads of families of Israel, to give judgment for the Lord and to decide disputed cases. They had their seat at Jerusalem. And he charged them: “Thus you shall do in the fear of the Lord, in faithfulness, and with your whole heart: whenever a case comes to you from your brothers who live in their cities, concerning bloodshed, law or commandment, statutes or rules, then you shall warn them, that they may not incur guilt before the Lord and wrath may not come upon you and your brothers. Thus you shall do, and you will not incur guilt. And behold, Amariah the chief priest is over you in all matters of the Lord; and Zebadiah the son of Ishmael, the governor of the house of Judah, in all the king’s matters, and the Levites will serve you as officers. Deal courageously, and may the Lord be with the upright!”

Joshua 22:5    Only be very careful to observe the commandment and the law that Moses the servant of the LORD commanded you, to love the LORD your God, and to walk in all his ways and to keep his commandments and to cling to him and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul.”

Luke 12:15     And he said to them, “Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.”

Luke 21:8    And he said, “See that you are not led astray. For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am he!’ and, ‘The time is at hand!’ Do not go after them.

Exodus 18:21-22   Moreover, look for able men from all the people, men who fear God, who are trustworthy and hate a bribe

Isaiah 1:23-26     Your princes are rebels and companions of thieves. Everyone loves a bribe and runs after gifts.

Isaiah 33:15    He who walks righteously and speaks uprightly, who despises the gain of oppressions, who shakes his hands, lest they hold a bribe, who stops his ears from hearing of bloodshed and shuts his eyes from looking on evil,

Micah 7:3    Their hands are on what is evil, to do it well; the prince and the judge ask for a bribe, and the great man utters the evil desire of his soul; thus they weave it together.

“Consider what you do, for you judge not for man but for the Lord. He is with you in giving judgment. Now then, let the fear of the Lord be upon you. Be careful what you do, for there is no injustice with the Lord our God or partiality or taking bribes.” We look at a verse like this and think this does not apply to me because we are not in a position where we can accept a bribe for the decisions we make. But that is not true. We take bribes all the time. We take the bribes offered to us by society, culture, and the worldly things that are not God-centered or God-honoring. The worldly things come and offer us a bribe. They reach into our heart and mind and offer permanent satisfaction, peace, security, wealth, and health. If we take this bribe we are shorting God and what is due Him. He is our heavenly Father, Creator, and one and only God. We need to guard ourselves against being bribed away from God. We might have a thought that we are strong and able to stand against whatever bribes to capture our heart and mind. The truth of the matter is that we see what the world offers and it appears to be ok. We see others who have taken the bribe and then quite easily think this is not a bribe that will hinder our walk with God. In fact, we may even call it a blessing when in fact it is not. These bribes try to offer us something that only God can supply, only God can fulfill, and only God can give. If we love this world and what it has to offer over God, we are taking the bribe, dishonoring God, and are on paths that only lead to destruction, loss, pain, hurt, confusion, worry, and unhappiness.

How can we recognize a bribe if they are cloaked in false claims that seem to be righting our own eyes? Making an intentional choice with our whole heart, mind, soul, and strength to serve and honor God is the beginning. But there is a daily dying to self that must take place. We need to make an intentional daily choice that we compare our thoughts, plans, and purposes against. We need to commit ourselves to recognize and fight against any and all bribes that come our way disguised in bright lights and false hopes. God’s word in our heart and mind will give us the armor to fight these bribes. In His Word, we will find understanding and knowledge of the true things of God and false things of the world. In His Word, we will find what our soul longs for. In His word we will find the truth and in this truth we will see the bribes for what they are – soul robbing, heart destroying, and life wasting. But we must choose to have His word in our heart and soul, and mind. We must commit with all our heart and soul. We can not approach this with partial desire or seeking. This is an all in or nothing. There is no partial walk with God that is honoring and pleasing to Him. The lukewarm approach to serving Him will end with disappointment for our soul.

Take inventory of your heart and mind and what they are being bribed with. One of the biggest bribes is that of busyness. If we take this bribe we find all kinds of reasons to NOT think about the presence of God and how we might honor, serve, follow, obey, and trust Him.

2.f. That I may know what more the LORD will say to me.

2 Chronicles 18:5 Then the king of Israel gathered the prophets together, four hundred men, and said to them, “Shall we go to battle against Ramoth-gilead, or shall I refrain?” And they said, “Go up, for God will give it into the hand of the king.” But Jehoshaphat said, “Is there not here another prophet of the Lord of whom we may inquire?” And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “There is yet one man by whom we may inquire of the Lord, Micaiah the son of Imlah; but I hate him, for he never prophesies good concerning me, but always evil.” And Jehoshaphat said, “Let not the king say so.” Then the king of Israel summoned an officer and said, “Bring quickly Micaiah the son of Imlah.” Now the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah were sitting on their thrones, arrayed in their robes. And they were sitting at the threshing floor at the entrance of the gate of Samaria, and all the prophets were prophesying before them. And Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah made for himself horns of iron and said, “Thus says the Lord, ‘With these you shall push the Syrians until they are destroyed.’” And all the prophets prophesied so and said, “Go up to Ramoth-gilead and triumph. The Lord will give it into the hand of the king.”

And the messenger who went to summon Micaiah said to him, “Behold, the words of the prophets with one accord are favorable to the king. Let your word be like the word of one of them, and speak favorably.” But Micaiah said, “As the Lord lives, what my God says, that I will speak.”

Numbers 22:18-20   But Balaam answered and said to the servants of Balak, “Though Balak were to give me his house full of silver and gold, I could not go beyond the command of the LORD my God to do less or more.  So you, too, please stay here tonight, that I may know what more the LORD will say to me.”  And God came to Balaam at night and said to him, “If the men have come to call you, rise, go with them; but only do what I tell you.”

Jeremiah 23:28    Let the prophet who has a dream tell the dream, but let him who has my word speak my word faithfully.

Ezekiel 2:7    And you shall speak my words to them, whether they hear or refuse to hear, for they are a rebellious house.

Galatians 1:10    For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ.

1 Thessalonians 2:4    but just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, so we speak, not to please man, but to please God who tests our hearts.

Micaiah spoke what he heard God speak into his heart and mind. Balaam spoke what he heard God speak into his heart and mind. Ezekiel spoke what he heard God speak into his heart and mind. Paul spoke what the Holy Spirit spoke into his heart and mind. Jeremiah spoke what he heard God speak into his heart and mind.

We must want to be in the presence of God and have a deep desire to hear the leading of the Holy Spirit. “Seek Me and I will be found,” “Desire Me and I will give you the desires of your heart,” “Come to Me and I will give you rest,” “Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman who needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth,” “And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.” “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come into him and eat with him, and he with me.”

All of these words from God invite us to come to Him, seek Him, run to Him, desire Him, love Him, and believe, trust, rely upon and cling to Him. They are words inviting us to surrender ourselves into His arms. They are words inviting us to want Him more that things of this world. They are words inviting us to open wide our heart and let Him flood us with knowledge and understanding of grace, mercy, and love for those who are called by His name and thereby love, seek, and desire Him with all their heart, mind, soul, and strength.

We only get to this place of surrender by intentionally choosing to surrender our self-centered, self-satisfying, self-honoring, self-pleasing, self-reliant, self-trusting, self-honoring lives. It is almost impossible to fathom how this change could happen because we have lived so long with this way of living. How is it we could change from listening to self to that of actively listening to the Holy Spirit? The good thing is it is not up to our strength and power. It is only by when we surrender our heart, mind, and soul to the full control, full purpose, and full authority to Jesus Christ will we be able to. In this humble servant attitude, we find our ears hearing clearly and our mind understanding and our soul rejoicing in and how the Holy Spirit of God is indwelling and leading every moment of our lives. His word takes on a new refreshing place in our heart. Every day we seem to see something more profound, more clear, and more applicable from Him. We grow and mature in our walk with Him. We learn to hear His whispers of leading. We rely on Him more. We cling to Him more. We trust in Him more. And though it sounds backward, the weaker we are to self the stronger we become in and through this yielding to the indwelling Holy Spirit. Our goal is to live every moment in humble service, honoring, glorifying, worshiping, following, obeying, and trusting Him and saying “As the Lord speaks so shall I do and speak”

1.z.

2 Chronicles 14:1 Abijah slept with his fathers, and they buried him in the city of David. And Asa his son reigned in his place. In his days the land had rest for ten years. And Asa did what was good and right in the eyes of the Lord his God. He took away the foreign altars and the high places and broke down the pillars and cut down the Asherim and commanded Judah to seek the Lord, the God of their fathers, and to keep the law and the commandment. He also took out of all the cities of Judah the high places and the incense altars. And the kingdom had rest under him. He built fortified cities in Judah, for the land had rest. He had no war in those years, for the Lord gave him peace. And he said to Judah, “Let us build these cities and surround them with walls and towers, gates and bars. The land is still ours, because we have sought the Lord our God. We have sought him, and he has given us peace on every side.” So they built and prospered. And Asa had an army of 300,000 from Judah, armed with large shields and spears, and 280,000 men from Benjamin that carried shields and drew bows. All these were mighty men of valor.

Acts 9:31     So the church throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria had peace and was being built up. And walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, it multiplied.

Psalms 105:3-4     Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice!  Seek the LORD and his strength; seek his presence continually!

Jeremiah 29:12-14    Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you.  You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.  I will be found by you, declares the LORD, and I will restore your fortunes and gather you from all the nations and all the places where I have driven you, declares the LORD, and I will bring you back to the place from which I sent you into exile.

1 Peter 3:12     For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are open to their prayer. But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.”

Matthew 11:28-29   Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.

Asa the son of Abijah followed in his father’s footsteps and stayed close to God. He set an example for the people and held to it. He was the King and people looked to him, followed him, and learned from him what it meant to follow after God. We can look at this and say if we are a King or leader the expectations are different for us in the eyes of the Lord. At the same time, we say this we then think because we are not a King or a leader the expectations on our life is not as great. In fact, we generally think and set the expectation on our lives much much lower when it comes to visible actions, when it comes to thoughts we mull over in our head, and when it comes to what we say. We seem to allow ourselves to land our God-honoring humble service and obedience at the lowest expectation possible and still feel “good” about our lives.

During a bible study last Friday with a small group of men we discussed what life might look like if we actually took seriously the ever and always presence of God. Would we set our expectations low? Would we think, act, and speak differently. Would we seek His word more diligently and desire His presence more deeply so that our humble service would continual in greater honoring, glorifying, following, trusting, and obeying Jesus Christ. Would we actively seek and desire and expect to hear His quiet whispers of leading? Would we take every thought captive and lay it out against His word so that we would never allow a non-God honoring thought to dwell in our mind. Would we examine those actions we are planning on doing and compare them against the word of God so that every action was honoring Him? Would we examine what we are going to say against His word so that we ensure it was honoring Him?

Setting low expectations leads us to allow ourselves to be neglectful in His word and complacent in its application into our very lives. You are a child of the King, a child of God, and priests to God, and a Holy temple to the indwelling Holy Spirit. Your expectations need to be set very high and in line with God’s Word, for the honoring of Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour.

1.i. Therefore they shall eat the fruit of their way, and have their fill of their own devices.

1 Chronicles 21:9 And Jehovah spake unto Gad, David’s seer, saying, Go and speak unto David, saying, Thus saith Jehovah, I offer thee three things: choose thee one of them, that I may do it unto thee. So Gad came to David, and said unto him, Thus saith Jehovah, Take which thou wilt: either three years of famine; or three months to be consumed before thy foes, while the sword of thine enemies overtaketh thee; or else three days the sword of Jehovah, even pestilence in the land, and the angel of Jehovah destroying throughout all the borders of Israel. Now therefore consider what answer I shall return to him that sent me. And David said unto Gad, I am in a great strait: let me fall, I pray, into the hand of Jehovah; for very great are his mercies: and let me not fall into the hand of man. So Jehovah sent a pestilence upon Israel; and there fell of Israel seventy thousand men. And God sent an angel unto Jerusalem to destroy it: and as he was about to destroy, Jehovah beheld, and he repented him of the evil, and said to the destroying angel, It is enough; now stay thy hand. And the angel of Jehovah was standing by the threshing-floor of Ornan the Jebusite. And David lifted up his eyes, and saw the angel of Jehovah standing between earth and heaven, having a drawn sword in his hand stretched out over Jerusalem. Then David and the elders, clothed in sackcloth, fell upon their faces. And David said unto God, Is it not I that commanded the people to be numbered? even I it is that have sinned and done very wickedly; but these sheep, what have they done? let thy hand, I pray thee, O Jehovah my God, be against me, and against my father’s house; but not against thy people, that they should be plagued.

Then the angel of Jehovah commanded Gad to say to David, that David should go up, and rear an altar unto Jehovah in the threshing-floor of Ornan the Jebusite. And David went up at the saying of Gad, which he spake in the name of Jehovah. And Ornan turned back, and saw the angel; and his four sons that were with him hid themselves. Now Ornan was threshing wheat. And as David came to Ornan, Ornan looked and saw David, and went out of the threshing-floor, and bowed himself to David with his face to the ground. Then David said to Ornan, Give me the place of this threshing-floor, that I may build thereon an altar unto Jehovah: for the full price shalt thou give it me, that the plague may be stayed from the people. And Ornan said unto David, Take it to thee, and let my lord the king do that which is good in his eyes: lo, I give thee the oxen for burnt-offerings, and the threshing instruments for wood, and the wheat for the meal-offering; I give it all. And king David said to Ornan, Nay; but I will verily buy it for the full price: for I will not take that which is thine for Jehovah, nor offer a burnt-offering without cost. So David gave to Ornan for the place six hundred shekels of gold by weight. And David built there an altar unto Jehovah, and offered burnt-offerings and peace-offerings, and called upon Jehovah; and he answered him from heaven by fire upon the altar of burnt-offering. And Jehovah commanded the angel; and he put up his sword again into the sheath thereof.

At that time, when David saw that Jehovah had answered him in the threshing-floor of Ornan the Jebusite, then he sacrificed there. For the tabernacle of Jehovah, which Moses made in the wilderness, and the altar of burnt-offering, were at that time in the high place at Gibeon. But David could not go before it to inquire of God; for he was afraid because of the sword of the angel of Jehovah.

Proverbs 1:29-31    Because they hated knowledge and did not choose the fear of the LORD,  would have none of my counsel and despised all my reproof,  therefore they shall eat the fruit of their way, and have their fill of their own devices.

Numbers 20:12     And the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, “Because you did not believe in me, to uphold me as holy in the eyes of the people of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land that I have given them.”

Joshua 24:15   And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the LORD, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.”

We read of Moses, David, and Aaron who lost sight of following God for a brief moment and were disciplined by God for their unbelief and pride which led them to dishonor God. It is important for us to understand when God says I want your whole heart, mind, and soul, He wants them all of the time. He wants our first thought in the morning when we wake and the last thought before we sleep and everything in-between to be God-honoring humble submission, God-seeking, God-glorifying, God praising, God following, God trusting, and God Obeying. When we lose sight for just a fraction of our day we are swept away with thoughts and actions that do not honor God. When we do these things of this world will rob us of service to God and our ability to reflect the light of Jesus Christ to a dark and lost world.

God disciplines His children in love and mercy. We see where He withheld from Aaron and Moses, put to death people under David’s kingdom, and others He let them eat of the fruit of their way and be filled with their own devices. This I would think would be the worst discipline from God – to be let go and allowed to continue in sinful ways.

Bright sparkling things of this world will distract us if we are not able to recognize they are of this world and not God-honoring. They will disguise themselves in what seems appropriate and allowable but they are not. The only way we can know of these worldly illusions and deceptions is to have the word of God in our heart, mind, and soul with an intentional choice to have it there every moment of every day.

191. “For the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?”

2 Kings 21:10 And the Lord said by his servants the prophets, “Because Manasseh king of Judah has committed these abominations and has done things more evil than all that the Amorites did, who were before him, and has made Judah also to sin with his idols, therefore thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: Behold, I am bringing upon Jerusalem and Judah such disaster that the ears of everyone who hears of it will tingle. And I will stretch over Jerusalem the measuring line of Samaria, and the plumb line of the house of Ahab, and I will wipe Jerusalem as one wipes a dish, wiping it and turning it upside down. And I will forsake the remnant of my heritage and give them into the hand of their enemies, and they shall become a prey and a spoil to all their enemies, because they have done what is evil in my sight and have provoked me to anger, since the day their fathers came out of Egypt, even to this day.”

Moreover, Manasseh shed very much innocent blood, till he had filled Jerusalem from one end to another, besides the sin that he made Judah to sin so that they did what was evil in the sight of the Lord.

Daniel 9:12    He has confirmed his words, which he spoke against us and against our rulers who ruled us, by bringing upon us a great calamity. For under the whole heaven there has not been done anything like what has been done against Jerusalem.

1 Samuel 3:11     Then the LORD said to Samuel, “Behold, I am about to do a thing in Israel at which the two ears of everyone who hears it will tingle.

Jeremiah 19:3    You shall say, ‘Hear the word of the LORD, O kings of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem. Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: Behold, I am bringing such disaster upon this place that the ears of everyone who hears of it will tingle.

Amos 3:2   “You only have I known of all the families of the earth; therefore I will punish you for all your iniquities.

Revelation 6:15-17    Then the kings of the earth and the great ones and the generals and the rich and the powerful, and everyone, slave and free, hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains,  calling to the mountains and rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who is seated on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb,  for the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?”

Stepping away from God, turning away from God, blinding your eyes to seeing Him, closing your ears to hear Him will always lead us down paths far from God and sooner or later coming to a place where we start replacing our love and devotion to Him with love and devotion to the world and what it has to offer. We fool ourselves into thinking that we will not have consequences for our slow decline away from God. First, we lose focus and with this, we lose an ear to hear the leading of the Holy Spirit and with this, we become neglectful and complacent with God’s word, and when this happens we have lost the ability to have its influence in our lives. So what fills this void? Things of this world fill the void. Busyness fills this void. Sports, Netflix, Google, G-mail, YouTube, Instagram, Twitter, FaceBook, work, hobbies, all chasing after things that will never satisfy and wonder why we feel empty and void of the power, strength, courage, hope, and Love of God.

There is no replacing God’s word and time with Him from our daily walk but by which there will be a missed opportunity for growth, a missed opportunity to hear Him speak into your heart, a missed opportunity to speak with Him.

Don’t miss a day with Him and His word.

179. Love, Forgiveness, and Unity – and the Lord will reward you

2 Kings 6:18 And when the Syrians came down against him, Elisha prayed to the Lord and said, “Please strike this people with blindness.” So he struck them with blindness in accordance with the prayer of Elisha. And Elisha said to them, “This is not the way, and this is not the city. Follow me, and I will bring you to the man whom you seek.” And he led them to Samaria.

As soon as they entered Samaria, Elisha said, “O Lord, open the eyes of these men, that they may see.” So the Lord opened their eyes and they saw, and behold, they were in the midst of Samaria. As soon as the king of Israel saw them, he said to Elisha, “My father, shall I strike them down? Shall I strike them down?” He answered, “You shall not strike them down. Would you strike down those whom you have taken captive with your sword and with your bow? Set bread and water before them, that they may eat and drink and go to their master.” So he prepared for them a great feast, and when they had eaten and drunk, he sent them away, and they went to their master. And the Syrians did not come again on raids into the land of Israel.

2 Chronicles 28:8-13     The men of Israel took captive 200,000 of their relatives, women, sons, and daughters. They also took much spoil from them and brought the spoil to Samaria.  But a prophet of the LORD was there, whose name was Oded, and he went out to meet the army that came to Samaria and said to them, “Behold, because the LORD, the God of your fathers, was angry with Judah, he gave them into your hand, but you have killed them in a rage that has reached up to heaven.  And now you intend to subjugate the people of Judah and Jerusalem, male and female, as your slaves. Have you not sins of your own against the LORD your God?  Now hear me, and send back the captives from your relatives whom you have taken, for the fierce wrath of the LORD is upon you.”  Certain chiefs also of the men of Ephraim, Azariah the son of Johanan, Berechiah the son of Meshillemoth, Jehizkiah the son of Shallum, and Amasa the son of Hadlai, stood up against those who were coming from the war  and said to them, “You shall not bring the captives in here, for you propose to bring upon us guilt against the LORD in addition to our present sins and guilt. For our guilt is already great, and there is fierce wrath against Israel.”

Proverbs 25:21-22     If your enemy is hungry, give him bread to eat, and if he is thirsty, give him water to drink,  for you will heap burning coals on his head, and the LORD will reward you.

Romans 12:21    Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

Think of a time when you were wronged or you thought something should have been handled differently. What is the natural reaction to being wronged? What thoughts go through our mind? The world would tell us that we have every right to seek what is right in our eyes, seek retribution, or seek what is approved by society?

No one likes to be wronged. No one likes it when issues are handled in a way that they do not approve of. What is it that seems to get us on a one-way thought process? Is it pride? “I am right”. Is it thinking they are wrong? Is it thinking I am justified in my response and if it is, what are we basing this response on?

Love, forgiveness, and unity are actions we should give thought too. Is what I am thinking of showing love? Am I willing to forgive being wronged? Am I seeking unity or just adding fuel to the fire? If we seek to be led by the Holy Spirit we will be shown how to love in ways that are not natural. If we seek to be led by the Holy Spirit we will forgive where we thought it impossible. If we seek to be led by Holy Spirit we will have a spirit of unity that allows us to let go in the spirit of unity.

We need to be aware of our natural thoughts in matters that cause us to get sideways and take those thoughts captive. Bundle them up in the word of God and allow the Holy Spirit to lead us towards paths of Love, forgiveness, and unity.

176. For the simple are killed by their turning away

2 Kings 5:1 Naaman, commander of the army of the king of Syria, was a great man with his master and in high favor, because by him the Lord had given victory to Syria. He was a mighty man of valor, but he was a leper. Now the Syrians on one of their raids had carried off a little girl from the land of Israel, and she worked in the service of Naaman’s wife. She said to her mistress, “Would that my lord were with the prophet who is in Samaria! He would cure him of his leprosy.” So Naaman went in and told his lord, “Thus and so spoke the girl from the land of Israel.” And the king of Syria said, “Go now, and I will send a letter to the king of Israel.”

So he went, taking with him ten talents of silver, six thousand shekels of gold, and ten changes of clothing. And he brought the letter to the king of Israel, which read, “When this letter reaches you, know that I have sent to you Naaman my servant, that you may cure him of his leprosy.” And when the king of Israel read the letter, he tore his clothes and said, “Am I God, to kill and to make alive, that this man sends word to me to cure a man of his leprosy? Only consider, and see how he is seeking a quarrel with me.”

But when Elisha the man of God heard that the king of Israel had torn his clothes, he sent to the king, saying, “Why have you torn your clothes? Let him come now to me, that he may know that there is a prophet in Israel.” So Naaman came with his horses and chariots and stood at the door of Elisha’s house. And Elisha sent a messenger to him, saying, “Go and wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh shall be restored, and you shall be clean.” But Naaman was angry and went away, saying, “Behold, I thought that he would surely come out to me and stand and call upon the name of the Lord his God, and wave his hand over the place and cure the leper.

Proverbs 3:7     Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD, and turn away from evil.

Isaiah 55:8-9    For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the LORD.  For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.

John 4:48     So Jesus said to him, “Unless you see signs and wonders you will not believe.”

1 Corinthians 1:25    For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.

1 Corinthians 2:14-16    The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned.

1 Corinthians 3:18-20     Let no one deceive himself. If anyone among you thinks that he is wise in this age, let him become a fool that he may become wise.  For the wisdom of this world is folly with God. For it is written, “He catches the wise in their craftiness,”  and again, “The Lord knows the thoughts of the wise, that they are futile.”

Proverbs 13:10     By insolence comes nothing but strife, but with those who take advice is wisdom.

Proverbs 1:32    For the simple are killed by their turning away, and the complacency of fools destroys them;

Naaman was a man of valor, commander of the army, and once he had heard there may be a chance that he would be cured of Leprosy by a prophet in Israel, he went to his king for permission to go to the prophet in Israel to seek a cure. I imagine as commander of the army, Naaman expects respect. Note how Elisha sent a messenger out to speak to him. “Go wash in the Jordan 7 times and your flesh shall be restored and you shall be clean.” Naaman had an idea in he is head on how he should be healed and this was not it. He was so mad that he left in a rage and was not going to the Jordan. In the end, his servant gets him to follow the words of the prophet. Were it not for this he would have left the land of Israel and the healing prophecy.

We have ideas on how we think things should work out in our lives. We expect things to work a certain way. When we think like this we leave no room for the plans and purposes and will of God in the matter. When we do this we start to close our eyes and deafen our ears and harden our heart to things of God and are on a path that does not honor God. Come to God with open heart, mind, and soul that are receptive to His purpose, plan, and will for your life. Open your eyes, listen with your ears, and soften your heart to the things of God.