unrighteous – Praying Pint

52.j. Wilderness – 16.p. “Walk as children of light “

Deu 27:9-10  Then Moses and the Levitical priests said to all Israel, “Keep silence and hear, O Israel: this day you have become the people of the LORD your God. You shall therefore obey the voice of the LORD your God, keeping his commandments and his statutes, which I command you today.”

Romans 6:22    But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life.

1 Corinthians 6:9-11    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.

Ephesians 5:8-9    for at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light  (for the fruit of light is found in

1 Peter 2:10-11    Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.  Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul.

If the LORD is our king, then it is fitting that we obey Him this way. Moses, and all the leadership of Israel simply declared a fact that was obvious to everyone. (Guzik)

“You have become the people of the Lord your God”. As children of the King of Kings, we are blessed beyond all measure. Through God’s grace, mercy, and love we have been redeemed and born again through faith in Jesus Christ’s sacrifice. Jesus suffered beating, ridicule, whipping, and nailed to the cross. He did this to redeem and save us from the corruption within our souls. What manner of children should we be in light of this?

Should we:

Give into worldly pleasures and lusts?
Give into greed, pride, fear, anxiousness, hate, jealousy, worry, etc…?
Give into the busyness of life?
Give into neglect of God’s Word?
Give into being babes in our knowledge and understanding of God’s Word and things of God?
Give into being lukewarm in our commitment?
Give into gossip?
Give into blind eyes and deaf ears to the leading of the Holy Spirit?

We are a child of God, the King of Kings, Creator of all there is, our all-knowing, all-powerful, and ever-present Heavenly Father. What manner of children should we be? What witness in your life brings recognition, honor, and glory to Him alone?

35. “To keep the unrighteous under punishment until the day of judgment”

2 Peter 2:9-15 then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment until the day of judgment, and especially those who indulge in the lust of defiling passion and despise authority. Bold and willful, they do not tremble as they blaspheme the glorious ones, whereas angels, though greater in might and power, do not pronounce a blasphemous judgment against them before the Lord. But these, like irrational animals, creatures of instinct, born to be caught and destroyed, blaspheming about matters of which they are ignorant, will also be destroyed in their destruction, suffering wrong as the wage for their wrongdoing. They count it pleasure to revel in the daytime. They are blots and blemishes, reveling in their deceptions, while they feast with you. They have eyes full of adultery, insatiable for sin. They entice unsteady souls. They have hearts trained in greed. Accursed children! Forsaking the right way, they have gone astray.

Impure seducers and their abandoned followers, give themselves up to their own fleshly minds. Refusing to bring every thought to the obedience of Christ, they act against God’s righteous precepts. They walk after the flesh, they go on in sinful courses, and increase to greater degrees of impurity and wickedness. They also despise those whom God has set in authority over them, and requires them to honor. Outward temporal good things are the wages sinners expect and promise themselves. And none have more cause to tremble, than those who are bold to gratify their sinful lusts, by presuming on the Divine grace and mercy. Many such there have been, and are, who speak lightly of the restraints of God’s law, and deem themselves freed from obligations to obey it. Let Christians stand at a distance from such. (Henry)

These persons, by their fierce and ungovernable passions, appear to be made only for destruction, and rush blindly on to it. The idea is, that they exercised no more restraint over their passions than beasts do over their propensities. They were entirely under the dominion of their natural appetites, and did not allow their reason or conscience to exert any constraint. Man has reason, and should allow it to control his passions; the brutes have no rational nature, and it is to be expected that they will act out their propensities without restraint. Man, as an animal, has many passions and appetites resembling those of the brute creation, but he is also endowed with a higher nature, which is designed to regulate and control his inferior propensities, and to keep them in subordination to the requirements of law. If a man sinks himself to the level of brutes, he must expect to be treated like brutes; They are not only useless to society, but destructive. They shall utterly perish in their own corruption – Their views will be the means of their ruin; and they render them fit for it. (Barnes)

These false teachers, not being guided by reason, much less by the light of the Spirit, but merely by sway of their natural inclinations, in speaking evil of things of God and what He has set in place for righteous living, shall bring upon themselves that destruction they have deserved. (Poole)

They are guided by an instinct in nature, to do what they do, so these men are led and influenced by the force and power of corrupt nature in them, to commit all manner of wickedness. They speak evil of the things they understand not; either of angels, of whose nature, office, and dignity, they are ignorant; and blaspheme them, by either ascribing too much to them, as the creation of the world, and divine worship, as were by some ancient heretics; or by speaking such things of them. They shall utterly perish in their own corruption: of which they are servants, in their moral corruption, in their filthy and unnatural lusts, which are the cause of their everlasting destruction, to which they are righteously appointed of God. (Gill)

In our society today, false beliefs and teachings are often accepted without ever being tested. People believe that social media memes and TV talking heads are the source of truth. They latch on to rumors, myths and hearsay like it’s the final word. While we’re seeing this a lot in our modern world, it is not a new phenomenon. Even in the first century, false teachers were making their way into churches, and people were buying the lies they were selling. I wonder how supposedly “Christian” teachers could say something that is so totally at odds with the Bible. However, Peter tells us in verse 12 that false teachers “speak evil of the things they do not understand.” They are willfully ignorant of Scripture on one hand, while claiming the moral authority of the Bible on the other. (Graham)

To listen to others’ thoughts about what the Word of God says and its application is good. However, when it is the only feeding of the soul a person receives leaves an opening to be led down paths that neither honor nor glorify Jesus Christ. Time needs to be set aside from the busyness of life for each person to spend time in the Word of God and allow the Holy Spirit to enlighten, guide, teach, and rebuke their thoughts and actions. Only through the lens of scripture can discernment of false teaching be realized and protected against.

32.s. “How much worse punishment, do you think, will be deserved by the one who has trampled underfoot the Son of God”

Matthew 12:30 Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters. Therefore I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven people, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. And whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come.

Hebrews 10:26    For if we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins,

Hebrews 10:29    How much worse punishment, do you think, will be deserved by the one who has trampled underfoot the Son of God, and has profaned the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has outraged the Spirit of grace?

Isaiah 1:18   “Come now, let us reason together, says the LORD: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool.

Isaiah 55:7   let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the LORD, that he may have compassion on him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.

Ezekiel 33:11    Say to them, As I live, declares the Lord GOD, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live; turn back, turn back from your evil ways

Jesus removes all illusions about any neutral response to Him or His work. If one is not for Him, then that one is against Him. If one does not work with Jesus, by either active opposition or passive disregard, that one works against Jesus. There are only two forces at work in the world, gathering, and scattering. Whoever does the one contradicts the other. Being neutral, non-committed, is as if in active and open opposition.

I struggle to fully know or understand the meaning of; “Therefore I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven people, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven”. A distinction is made between what it means to commit blasphemy against the Son of Man (Jesus) versus the Holy Spirit. On one hand, Jesus is saying that people, out of their lack of full knowledge and understanding, may partially or fully, knowingly or unknowingly, show contempt of or not revere God sufficiently or appropriately, will or can be forgiven. Paul, in 1 Timothy 1:13 says; “though formerly I was a blasphemer, persecutor, and insolent opponent. But I received mercy because I had acted ignorantly in unbelief”. People, out of their lack of full knowledge and understanding, may wrongly commit blasphemy against Jesus and still receive forgiveness. A person is pardoned this/these sin(s) upon repentance, surrender, belief, trust, obedience, and reliance upon Jesus Christ for their redemption, salvation, and forgiveness.

I struggle with “but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven”, not so much that it was said but what it says a person can do. Essentially, a person can, with full knowledge and understanding, have contempt for God’s Holy Spirit within them. Clearly, God’s Word speaks of such but I can not put my mind around how this happens in a person’s life. How does a person, who has been given wisdom and understanding and knowledge of God’s Holiness and their sin, and who has humbly come before the throne of grace and believed, then turn away in contempt and say the peace, joy, and rest they have experienced deep within their soul was meaningless and worthless, and they now openly have disrespect and contempt for it? It is like someone is able to say, “I know what you have done in my life God and I not only hate you for it but I despise you for even thinking of doing it in my life”. You see it is not just rejection of or lack of obedience to the Spirit of God working in their life. If this were the case we would all be guilty. But, here is a person whose rejection, contempt, and no fear or respect of God has cast out God’s grace, mercy, and love like it was rubbish. I just can’t seem to wrap my mind around how a person can get to this place in their heart, mind, and soul, but they do.

We must be mindful of the schemes of satan and be ever diligent in our walk with God through this life. Keep in His Word and set your mind to humbly serve, follow, obey, trust, and rely on Jesus Christ, and in all you say, think, and do – make sure it is done for the honor and glory of Him.

31.q. “For whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek Him”

Matthew 7:7 “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!

Psalms 10:17   O LORD, you hear the desire of the afflicted; you will strengthen their heart; you will incline your ear

Jeremiah 33:3  Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known.

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

Jeremiah 29:12-13    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.

Psalms 86:5   For you, O Lord, are good and forgiving, abounding in steadfast love to all who call upon you.

Isaiah 55:6-7   “Seek the LORD while he may be found; call upon him while he is near;  let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the LORD, that he may have compassion on him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.

Psalms 69:32  When the humble see it they will be glad; you who seek God, let your hearts revive.

Amos 5:4   For thus says the LORD to the house of Israel: “Seek me and live;

Proverbs 8:17     I love those who love me, and those who seek me diligently find me.

Hebrews 11:6   And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.

Revelation 3:17-18   For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked.

Yet the image of knocking also implies that there is a door that can be opened. “His doors are meant to open: they were made on purpose for entrance, and so the blessed gospel of God is made on purpose for you to enter into life and peace. It would be of no use to knock at a wall, but you may wisely knock at a door, for it is arranged for opening.” (Spurgeon)

One would think knocking on the door implies that there is someone on the other side of it. Why would a person knock on the door if no one was expected to be there to answer it? How many, though, come and knock with no expectation, but rather to see if anyone is home. Their knock is empty, soundless, and void of belief, trust, faith, and reliance on Jesus Christ. Their knock is not with any expectation, by faith, that Jesus Christ is, out of grace, mercy, and love, waiting for their knock. No, the knock by this person is not in humble surrender to Jesus Christ with a humble believing heart that believes God’s Word; “Knock and it will be opened to you”.

We are invited to a door that leads to the Creator of all there is, All-Powerful, All-knowing Almighty God. Coming to and knocking on this door should be reverent of who is on the other side. How many times do we knock on this door with a heart that is nothing more than an expectant demand? Shouldn’t our knock be humble? Shouldn’t our knock be reverent? Shouldn’t we know we are on holy ground while standing before this door? Are we to stand there with puffed-out chests demanding to be let in and our requests heard? Let it never be so. Let us come before this door with awe, humbleness, belief, trust, and reliance in He who is more than able to do more than we ask and much more than we can imagine. Let us examine our hearts before knocking. Let our knock be pure of heart, mind, and soul, and then there will be honor and glory to whom all honor and glory belong.

27.l. “Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh. Is anything too hard for me?”

Ephesians 3:20 Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever.

Jeremiah 32:17   ‘Ah, Lord GOD! It is you who have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and by your outstretched arm! Nothing is too hard for you.

Daniel 3:17   If this be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of your hand, O king.

Jeremiah 32:27   “Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh. Is anything too hard for me?

Isaiah 55:7   let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the LORD, that he may have compassion on him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.

John 10:29-30   My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand.

John 10:10   The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.

“Exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think” “Great power”, “Nothing is too hard for You”, “Greater than all”, “Is anything too hard for Me” – Our God is omniscient, omnipotent, and omnipresent. He is all-knowing, all-powerful, and always present everywhere. He created all there is. He is steadfast in His love for us. He has given us great and precious promises. He gave His Son as a ransom for our sins. He sent the Holy Spirit to dwell within each and everyone who believes in, trusts in, relies upon, and clings to Jesus Christ. He has reached out to His creation through what can be seen in creation, His written Word, Jesus Christ, and has written it on our heart. He is all truth and in Him is no falseness. Heaven awaits those who answer His voice and are saved. Hell awaits those who reject His calling.

Have you ever just thought about what is stated in “He can do exceeding abundantly above all we ask or think.” The toughest problem with the most confusing issues, the worst situation without any hope, the worst hateful person, the unfathomable, the spiritual dimension in human life, the depths of the whole universe, and His grace, mercy, and love, are hard to understand yet alone influence, and God knows more than we can think and more than we can ask. He is limitless. This is our Heavenly Father, redeemer, refuge, fortress, and our place of rest. Why is there worry or fear in our hearts and minds about certain things? What is impossible for man is not with God. He is able to do exceeding abundantly above all we ask or think! Don’t let your hearts be troubled – trust God! Don’t worry – trust God! Don’t fear – trust God! He is more than able to handle whatever relationship, job, health, or other pressing issue or problem we have and see no way out of.

20.u. “In these you too once walked, when you were living in them.”

Romans 11:30 For just as you were at one time disobedient to God but now have received mercy because of their disobedience, so they too have now been disobedient in order that by the mercy shown to you they also may now receive mercy. For God has consigned all to disobedience, that he may have mercy on all. Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways! “For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counselor?” “Or who has given a gift to him that he might be repaid?” For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.

1 Corinthians 6:9-11  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.

Ephesians 2:1-2   And you were dead in the trespasses and sins  in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience—

Colossians 3:7    In these you too once walked, when you were living in them.

Titus 3:3-7   For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others and hating one another.  But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared,  he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit,  whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior,  so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

For just as you were at one time disobedient to God”, “And such were some of you”, “ And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked”, “In these, you too once walked when you were living in them.”, “For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures”. Sometimes we forget where we came from. We were once lost and following and chasing after the pleasures of this world and then we were changed, made new, and old things passed away. After a time, it is easy to think of ourselves as never being like this. We have a tendency to think we have reason to criticize others harshly for their actions. Paul knew this better than anyone. He knew that he arrested Christians, through them in prison, separated families, and gave support to their floggings or death. He knew what he was like before becoming a believer. He knew it was the work of God in him. He knew what his heart was like before and after. He knew it was only because of what God had done that He was a changed person. He saw those who were like him before as lost and in need of a savior. He did not think he was better but that what he had in Christ was. He knew how easy it was to be conformed to this world and not see things of God or the need for salvation.

We all were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, and slaves to various passions and pleasures. We do well to keep this in mind as we see others around us who are still lost and pray for God to open their heart to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Remembering this work of God builds four things in us. First, gratitude for how God changed us. Second, humility as we see that it was His work that changed us. Third, kindness to others in the same place. Finally, faith that God can change those who are still in that place.

19.o. “So as to live for the rest of the time in the flesh no longer for human passions but for the will of God.”

Romans 6:13 Do not let any part of your body become an instrument of evil to serve sin. Instead, give yourselves completely to God, for you were dead, but now you have new life. So use your whole body as an instrument to do what is right for the glory of God.

Colossians 3:5    Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.

James 4:1   What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you?

Romans 7:5 When we were controlled by our old nature, sinful desires were at work within us, and the law aroused these evil desires that produced a harvest of sinful deeds, resulting in death.

Isaiah 55:7   let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the LORD, that he may have compassion on him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.

2 Peter 2:13-15   suffering wrong as the wage for their wrongdoing. They count it pleasure to revel in the daytime. They are blots and blemishes, reveling in their deceptions, while they feast with you.  They have eyes full of adultery, insatiable for sin. They entice unsteady souls. They have hearts trained in greed. Accursed children!  Forsaking the right way, they have gone astray. They have followed the way of Balaam, the son of Beor, who loved gain from wrongdoing,

2 Chronicles 30:8    Do not now be stiff-necked as your fathers were, but yield yourselves to the LORD and come to his sanctuary, which he has consecrated forever, and serve the LORD your God, that his fierce anger may turn away from you.

1 Corinthians 6:20     for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.

1 Peter 4:2     so as to live for the rest of the time in the flesh no longer for human passions but for the will of God.

A person can be “officially” set free, yet still imprisoned. If a person lives in prison for years, and then is set free, they often still think and act like a prisoner. The habits of freedom aren’t ingrained in their life yet. In the fourteenth century two brothers fought for the right to rule over a dukedom in what is now Belgium. The elder brother’s name was Raynald, but he was commonly called “Crassus,” a Latin nickname meaning “fat,” for he was horribly obese. After a heated battle, Raynald’s younger brother Edward led a successful revolt against him and assumed the title of Duke over his lands. But instead of killing Raynald, Edward devised a curious imprisonment. He had a room in the castle built around “Crassus,” a room with only one door. The door was not locked, the windows were not barred, and Edward promised Raynald that he could regain his land and his title any time that he wanted to. All he would have to do is leave the room. The obstacle to freedom was not in the doors or the windows, but with Raynald himself. Being grossly overweight, he could not fit through the door, even though it was of near-normal size. All Raynald needed to do was diet down to a smaller size, then walk out a free man, with all he had before his fall. However, his younger brother kept sending him an assortment of tasty foods, and Raynald’s desire to be free never won out over his desire to eat. Some would accuse Duke Edward of being cruel to his older brother, but he would simply reply, “My brother is not a prisoner. He may leave when he so wills.” But Raynald stayed in that room for ten years.

This accurately illustrates the experience of many Christians. Jesus set them forever free legally, and they may walk in that freedom from sin whenever they choose. But since they keep yielding their bodily appetites to the service of sin, they live a life of defeat, discouragement, and imprisonment. This accurately illustrates the experience of many Christians. Jesus set them forever free legally, and they may walk in that freedom from sin whenever they choose. But since they keep yielding their bodily appetites to the service of sin, they live a life of defeat, discouragement, and imprisonment. Your members are the parts of your body – your ears, lips, eyes, hands, mind, and so forth. The idea is very practical: “You have eyes. Do not put them in the service of sin. You have ears. Do not put them in the service of sin.” The parts of our body are weapons in the battle for right living. When the parts of our body are given over to righteousness, they are weapons for good. When they are given over to sin, they are weapons for evil. (Guzik)

It is a test of our claim to be Christians. Does anger have dominion over you? Does murmuring and complaining? Does covetousness have dominion over you? Does pride? Does laziness have dominion over you? If sin has dominion over us, we should seriously ask if we are really converted. It is a promise of victory. It doesn’t say that “sin will not be present in us,” because that will only be fulfilled when we are resurrected in glory. But it does promise that sin will not have dominion over us because of the great work Jesus did in us when we were born again. It is an encouragement for hope and strength in the battle against sin. God has set you free in Jesus. This is encouragement for the Christian struggling against sin, for the new Christian, and for the backslider. (Spurgeon)

12.r. “Seek righteousness, seek humility; perhaps you will be sheltered on the day of the Lord’s anger.”

Zephaniah 2:1 Gather together, gather yourselves together, you shameful nation, before the decree takes effect and that day passes like windblown chaff, before the Lord’s fierce anger comes upon you, before the day of the Lord’s wrath comes upon you. Seek the Lord, all you humble of the land, you who do what he commands. Seek righteousness, seek humility; perhaps you will be sheltered on the day of the Lord’s anger.

Psalms 105:4    Seek the LORD and his strength; seek his presence continually!

Isaiah 55:6-7    “Seek the LORD while he may be found; call upon him while he is near;  let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the LORD, that he may have compassion on him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.

Jeremiah 3:13-14    Only acknowledge your guilt, that you rebelled against the LORD your God and scattered your favors among foreigners under every green tree, and that you have not obeyed my voice, declares the LORD.  Return, O faithless children, declares the LORD; for I am your master; I will take you, one from a city and two from a family, and I will bring you to Zion.

Hosea 7:10    The pride of Israel testifies to his face; yet they do not return to the LORD their God, nor seek him, for all this.

1 Thessalonians 4:1    Finally, then, brothers, we ask and urge you in the Lord Jesus, that as you received from us how you ought to walk and to please God,

2 Peter 3:18    But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity.

The announcement of judgment in chapter 1 is understood as a warning and as an invitation to repentance. Gather together as a demonstration of national mourning and repentance. Zephaniah proclaimed; “this is what will happen to you if you do not repent.” There was a sense of urgency and a call to repent before it was too late. There is nothing worth showing for all we accomplish in a day if we neglect what is most important: getting right and staying right before God. It is a seemingly easy life to let days pass away day after day without giving much of a thought to living for and humbly serving, honoring, following, obeying, and trusting God. One of Satans most powerful lies isn’t that there is no God, or no bible, or no truth – often the most powerful lie that affects and entices so many is that there is no hurry or urgency to humbly, repent, seek, desire, serve, follow, and grow in understanding and knowledge of Jesus Christ. Warnings from God to a nation needs to be heeded by both the humble and the proud. It would be easy to think this warning does not concern me. Rest assured that at times of national danger and crisis even the meek and humble must urgently seek the Lord.

When we look around at what is happening in our country it is clear God is sending a strong message to return to Him. How much more confusion, chaos, disease, rioting, hate, and division need to take place before our hearts humbly seek and call out to Jesus Christ. In times of prosperity, many fall away from seeking and desiring Jesus Christ. Their hearts and minds get consumed with things of this world. Ease of life has led them astray and down paths of neglect and complacency. Tell me it is not true. Tell me you have not neglected or been complacent in your walk with Jesus Christ. Look around and tell me all that has happened in the last 6 months. This did not happen by chance it is the Hand of Jesus Christ at work. These are more than subtle warnings. They are actual judgments upon the world and our nation. Through this many hearts will turn to Him but a greater number will harden their hearts and minds even more. Many will just see this bad luck and not even give Jesus Christ a second thought. May Jesus Christ open our eyes to the work of His hands and give us a clear vision of our need to repent and seek Him.

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:

103. Seek the LORD while he may be found; call upon him while he is near”

1 Samuel 14:6 Jonathan said to the young man who carried his armor, “Come, let us go over to the garrison of these uncircumcised. It may be that the Lord will work for us, for nothing can hinder the Lord from saving by many or by few.” And his armor-bearer said to him, “Do all that is in your heart. Do as you wish. Behold, I am with you heart and soul.”

Zephaniah 2:3    Seek the LORD, all you humble of the land, who do his just commands; seek righteousness; seek humility; perhaps you may be hidden on the day of the anger of the LORD.

Psalms 105:4     Seek the LORD and his strength; seek his presence continually!

Isaiah 55:6-7     “Seek the LORD while he may be found; call upon him while he is near;  let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the LORD, that he may have compassion on him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.

Amos 5:4-6     For thus says the LORD to the house of Israel: “Seek me and live;

Jeremiah 29:12-13    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.

Hosea 10:12     Sow for yourselves righteousness; reap steadfast love; break up your fallow ground, for it is the time to seek the LORD, that he may come and rain righteousness upon you.

Going through life with nods toward living each day fully for Jesus Christ is not the same as seeking His presence and continue living with a desire to humbly serve, honor, follow and obey with all your heart, mind, and soul. The battle within us to serve self-following after what the world offers or to serve Jesus Christ nothing new. Serving self places Jesus 2nd and us first. Where does self fit into to “Seek ye first the kingdom of God and all these things will be added unto you”. We seem to want “all these things” that the world has to offer more than the joy, peace, rest, power, might, hope, love found in seeking first the kingdom of God.

Be intentional in your commitment to serving Jesus. Be committed to seeking and desiring Him more than things of this world. Place Him first in your heart, mind, and soul. Keep His word in your life each day with a desire to feed on it. Drink in knowledge and understanding with the purpose of living in a manner worthy of Jesus Christ sacrifice. Breath in the breath of the Holy Spirit into your mind and produce fruit that honors Jesus. Nothing honors the sacrifice of Jesus more than a heart, mind, and soul that every moment of every day is thankful, repentant, humble, serving, following, and seeking to obey the word of God and quiet whispers of the Holy Spirit.