sang His praise – Praying Pint

Walk in My ways

“Be appalled, O heavens, at this; be shocked, be utterly desolate, declares the LORD, for my people have committed two evils: they have forsaken me, the fountain of living waters, and hewed out cisterns for themselves, broken cisterns that can hold no water.”

““As for the word that you have spoken to us in the name of the LORD, we will not listen to you.”

Psalms 81:11 “But my people did not listen to my voice; Israel would not submit to me. So I gave them over to their stubborn hearts, to follow their own counsels. Oh, that my people would listen to me, that Israel would walk in my ways! I would soon subdue their enemies and turn my hand against their foes. Those who hate the LORD would cringe toward him, and their fate would last forever. But he would feed you with the finest of the wheat, and with honey from the rock I would satisfy you.”

Zechariah 7:11 But they refused to pay attention and turned a stubborn shoulder and stopped their ears that they might not hear.

Jeremiah 7:23 But this command I gave them: ‘Obey my voice, and I will be your God, and you shall be my people. And walk in all the way that I command you, that it may be well with you.’ But they did not obey or incline their ear, but walked in their own counsels and the stubbornness of their evil hearts, and went backward and not forward.

Psalms 106:12 Then they believed his words; they sang his praise. But they soon forgot his works; they did not wait for his counsel.

2 Thessalonians 2:9 The coming of the lawless one is by the activity of Satan with all power and false signs and wonders, and with all wicked deception for those who are perishing, because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. Therefore God sends them a strong delusion, so that they may believe what is false,

Isaiah 30:1 “Ah, stubborn children,” declares the LORD, “who carry out a plan, but not mine, and who make an alliance, but not of my Spirit, that they may add sin to sin;

Note the choices being made in these scriptures and they all have eternal consequences: “they have forsaken me,” – “we will not listen to you.” – “my people did not listen to my voice” – “would not submit to me” – “follow their own counsels.” -“they refused to pay attention” -“turned a stubborn shoulder and stopped their ears ” -“they did not obey or incline their ear” – “went backward and not forward.” – “they soon forgot his works” – “they did not wait for his counsel” – “they refused to love the truth ” – “who carry out a plan, but not mine”. We need to be mindful of our sinful nature and it’s inherent desire to be all about self and self accomplishments. Walking down the path of life we make choices. If we choose to humbly serve, honor, follow and obey God the path we follow is God directed. If we choose to be complacent and neglect His word we are soon finding ourselves unable to discern His leading and are blind to the path of destruction we are on. Spend time in His word. Learn to hear His whispers of leading. Choose to follow and obey Him.

They believed His words

“Their heart was not steadfast toward him; they were not faithful to his covenant.”

“with minds set on earthly things.”

John 6:26 Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you are seeking me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves. Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you. For on him God the Father has set his seal.” Then they said to him, “What must we do, to be doing the works of God?” Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.”

Psalms 106:12 Then they believed his words; they sang his praise. But they soon forgot his works; they did not wait for his counsel. But they had a wanton craving in the wilderness, and put God to the test in the desert;

Ezekiel 33:31 And they come to you as people come, and they sit before you as my people, and they hear what you say but they will not do it; for with lustful talk in their mouths they act; their heart is set on their gain.

Romans 16:18 For such persons do not serve our Lord Christ, but their own appetites,

Philippians 2:21 For they all seek their own interests, not those of Jesus Christ.

1 Timothy 6:5 and constant friction among people who are depraved in mind and deprived of the truth, imagining that godliness is a means of gain.

James 4:3 You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions. You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.

How many times do we act this same way? “Then they believed his words; they sang his praise. But they soon forgot his works; they did not wait for his counsel” Where we do not wait for His leading. Where our ears are not listening for His guidance. Where our heart is set on me, myself, and I. When the people asked Jesus what works must we do to be doing the work of God, He said believe in whom He sent. But there is more to “believing” than a thought process in our brain. This belief changes us, or should. Scripture today speaks of many who believed but their belief was not heart and soul deep. God said to love Him with all of our heart, soul and mind. Give God all your heart, soul and mind. Spend time in His word. Learn of Him and how to serve Him. Love Him more than things of this world. Learn to give. Learn to love, learn to serve, learn to make disciples, learn to give, learn to hope, learn to grow faith, learn for His wisdom. Spend time in His word. Through believing these actions become evidenced; humble service, God honoring, following faithfully, obeying completely, listening fully, waiting patiently, giving generously, praising and thanking continually.

They soon forgot

“then he forsook God who made him and scoffed at the Rock of his salvation.”

“They forgot God, their Savior, who had done great things in Egypt,”

“Then they believed his words; they sang his praise. But they soon forgot his works; they did not wait for his counsel.”

“They did not remember his power or the day when he redeemed them from the foe,”

“they have eaten and are full and grown fat, they will turn to other gods and serve them, and despise me and break my covenant.

Psalms 78:35 They remembered that God was their rock, the Most High God their redeemer. But they flattered him with their mouths; they lied to him with their tongues. Their heart was not steadfast toward him; they were not faithful to his covenant.

Deuteronomy 32:4 “The Rock, his work is perfect, for all his ways are justice. A God of faithfulness and without iniquity, just and upright is he.

Deuteronomy 32:30 How could one have chased a thousand, and two have put ten thousand to flight, unless their Rock had sold them, and the LORD had given them up? For their rock is not as our Rock; our enemies are by themselves.

Isaiah 29:13 And the Lord said: “Because this people draw near with their mouth and honor me with their lips, while their hearts are far from me, and their fear of me is a commandment taught by men,

Reading these scriptures should challenge our heart and mind to faithfully serve God with our whole heart mind and soul. Just as those from years gone by have done, we too need to be certain our mouth is not saying one thing and our heart is serving another – more than likely (Me, Myself, and I). His word tells us that people easily forget God and what it means to cling to, rely on, and trust in Him. It is hard to tell who these people are because many times all we hear is what comes from their mouth. “they honor me with their mouth but their heart is far from Me”. I wonder if it is our lack of spending time in knowing and understanding His word. I wonder if we judge our walk by how others walk and in doing so we end up at a place where our faith is nothing more than words spoken. This is a place where there is no heart deep desire to humbly serve, honor, follow and obey God but rather just words stating it. God sees our heart and knows our thoughts and intents. Many will enter eternity and when standing before God will hear depart from Me for I never knew you. Be mindful of what it means to be redeemed and to follow and obey Him with all your heart, mind and soul.