Category Archives: Sin

Humility, Kindness / Gentleness, Pride, Prophecy, Through Prophets

Humility and Caring for Others Are Good Qualities

Reading Isaiah 39 today, it struck me that there were two things missing from Hezekiah’s actions in this chapter. For context, he has just been healed of a fatal disease and given 15 more years to his life. On top of that, God defeated an invading army and protected His people under the care of Hezekiah.

Visitors from Babylon come bearing a gift recognizing his recovery. Hezekiah apparently lets his guard down completely and shows them all that is in his possession. He shows them all the wealth of his treasury. One must ask, “Why would he be so careless?” I conclude that it is likely a bit of pride. He was showing off. He did not stop to think of the risk of bragging about all the wealth he has to someone else who may want that same wealth. Humility and discretion would have been very good here. We can still learn a lesson from this today. Have discretion. There is no need to show off all you have to anyone. Just be humble about what you have to others.

The second issue seems to be a disregard for the impact of his actions on his sons in the future and on his people as a nation. Hezekiah has seen the life-altering power of prayer when God changed the course of his personal illness which was going to kill him and gave him 15 more years. Now when God tells Him that there is great hardship coming to the next generation because of his actions, Hezekiah accepts it plainly because it will not affect him personally. He seemed unconcerned to repent and pray for God to change the outcome for others who are to be affected by his mistake. I would like to have seen him pray as hard for his nation and his descendants as he did for his own life only a chapter earlier.

Isaiah 39

Hezekiah Shows His Treasures

      1At that time Merodach-baladan son of Baladan, king of Babylon, sent letters and a present to Hezekiah, for he heard that he had been sick and had recovered. 2Hezekiah was pleased, and showed them all his treasure house, the silver and the gold and the spices and the precious oil and his whole armory and all that was found in his treasuries. There was nothing in his house nor in all his dominion that Hezekiah did not show them. 3Then Isaiah the prophet came to King Hezekiah and said to him, “What did these men say, and from where have they come to you?” And Hezekiah said, “They have come to me from a far country, from Babylon.” 4He said, “What have they seen in your house?” So Hezekiah answered, “They have seen all that is in my house; there is nothing among my treasuries that I have not shown them.”

      5Then Isaiah said to Hezekiah, “Hear the word of the LORD of hosts, 6‘Behold, the days are coming when all that is in your house and all that your fathers have laid up in store to this day will be carried to Babylon; nothing will be left,’ says the LORD. 7‘And some of your sons who will issue from you, whom you will beget, will be taken away, and they will become officials in the palace of the king of Babylon.’” 8Then Hezekiah said to Isaiah, “The word of the LORD which you have spoken is good.” For he thought, “For there will be peace and truth in my days.”

As you reflect on today’s scripture, ask God right now to show you any areas of your life in which you are lacking humility or not showing kindness and caring for others because you are too focused on your own well-being.  Ask Him to show you what you should do about it. Start today.

Shalom. May the grace and peace of our Lord, Yeshua, be with you. Devotion by John in service to Christ

Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

All Powerful / King of All, Jesus Christ / Yeshua, Persecution / Glorifying God, Protector / Deliverer, Salvation, Satan, Spiritual Warfare, Strong in Our Weakness, Wickedness / Evil

Keep God’s Commandments AND Hold to the Testimony of Christ

Revelation 12 lays out some key fundamentals in the spiritual warfare between Satan and YHWH’s people in some attention-grabbing visualizations. Notice you will find no labels of “Jewish” or “Christian”. These labels are not always meaningful as many call themselves by these names but do not follow YHWH or do not hold to the testimony of Yeshua. In verse 17 we see that the key is not what label someone claims, but if you actually “keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus”.

It seems obvious that the Jewish people do not hold to the testimony of Yeshua. However, it may only be slightly less obvious that most who identify as “Christian”, holding to the testimony of Christ, do not keep the whole of the commandments of YHWH. Common Christian teaching holds to some commandments and dismisses many others. It is not simply about “the 10 commandments”. There is so much more to be learned and followed in studying the foundational books of the Bible, the Torah (written by Moses), and the writings of the prophets. For many, they do well to genuinely focus on starting to really live out the 10 commandments in their lives. This is a good place to begin.

I encourage Jewish people to seek Messiah in Yeshua. I encourage Christians to seek to study the Bible and challenge to deepen our understanding of the Hebrew roots of our faith and the fullness of the wonderful things in the law of YHWH.  (Focused Ministries – Understanding the Hebrew Roots of Christianity)

Revelation 12

The Woman, Israel

     1A great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars; 2and she was with child; and she cried out, being in labor and in pain to give birth.

The Red Dragon, Satan

     3Then another sign appeared in heaven: and behold, a great red dragon having seven heads and ten horns, and on his heads were seven diadems. 4And his tail swept away a third of the stars of heaven and threw them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman who was about to give birth, so that when she gave birth he might devour her child.

The Male Child, Christ

     5And she gave birth to a son, a male child, who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron; and her child was caught up to God and to His throne. 6Then the woman fled into the wilderness where she had a place prepared by God, so that there she would be nourished for one thousand two hundred and sixty days.

The Angel, Michael

     7And there was war in heaven, Michael and his angels waging war with the dragon. The dragon and his angels waged war, 8and they were not strong enough, and there was no longer a place found for them in heaven. 9And the great dragon was thrown down, the serpent of old who is called the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him. 10Then I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying,
“Now the salvation, and the power, and the kingdom of our God and the authority of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren has been thrown down, he who accuses them before our God day and night. 11“And they overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony, and they did not love their life even when faced with death. 12“For this reason, rejoice, O heavens and you who dwell in them. Woe to the earth and the sea, because the devil has come down to you, having great wrath, knowing that he has only a short time.”

      13And when the dragon saw that he was thrown down to the earth, he persecuted the woman who gave birth to the male child. 14But the two wings of the great eagle were given to the woman, so that she could fly into the wilderness to her place, where she was nourished for a time and times and half a time, from the presence of the serpent. 15And the serpent poured water like a river out of his mouth after the woman, so that he might cause her to be swept away with the flood. 16But the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened its mouth and drank up the river which the dragon poured out of his mouth. 17So the dragon was enraged with the woman, and went off to make war with the rest of her children, who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus.

I invite you to pray with me:

Father, please help open my eyes to both the testimony of Yeshua and obedience to all Your commandments. Help me fully embrace You and Your ways and not only do so in part as so many do. I want to do more than just claim Your name and go to church. I want to live my life for You. I know I fall short, but please help me. Amen.  

Shalom

Devotion by John in service to Christ

Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

 

Adultery / Sex Outside Marriage, Disobeying, Rebelling Against, Ignoring God, Holy / Set Apart, Homosexual Behavior, Self Control, Worldliness

Flee Sexual Immorality; Our Body Is for the LORD

Today we reflect on a simple, but profound principle in God’s word. Do not read this quickly. Dwell on it. It is more than just taking good care of our body physically. Our bodies belong to the Lord. They are not made for immorality. The body is for the Lord, and the Lord for the body. Let us not abuse what God has given us with immorality and sin.

1 Corinthians 6:9-20

9Or 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 homosexuals, 10nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor those habitually drunk, nor verbal abusers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God. 11Such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God.

The Body Is the Lord’s

      12All things are lawful for me, but not all things are profitable. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be mastered by anything. 13Food is for the stomach and the stomach is for food, but God will do away with both of them. Yet the body is not for immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord is for the body. 14Now God has not only raised the Lord, but will also raise us up through His power. 15Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take away the members of Christ and make them members of a prostitute? May it never be! 16Or do you not know that the one who joins himself to a prostitute is one body with her? For He says, “THE TWO SHALL BECOME ONE FLESH.” 17But the one who joins himself to the Lord is one spirit with Him. 18Flee immorality. Every other sin that a man commits is outside the body, but the immoral man sins against his own body. 19Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? 20For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body.

Do not think immorality is constrained to prostitutes as highlighted in the passage above. Immorality involves sexual activity other than between two people who are married in accordance with God’s word. This can take place between two who are not married (fornication), between one who is married with someone other than their spouse (adultery), between two people of the same gender (homosexuality), between close family members (incest), or involving animals (bestiality).  There are scriptures throughout the Bible to back up each of these as immoral and against God’s word.

Our bodies serve as temples for the Holy Spirit who is in us. We are not our own but have been bought with a price. Flee sin and glorify God in your body. Do not give up the kingdom of God for such sin.

9Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God?

—-

Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? Are you living today filled with the peace and joy of truly knowing and following Jesus Christ? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Consequences of Sin, Disobeying, Rebelling Against, Ignoring God, Fear / Reverence for God, Grace / Forgiveness, Heaven and Hell, Holy / Set Apart, Holy Spirit / Ruach HaKodesh, Justice / Judgment, Obeying God, Rebuke Wrong Behavior, Repenting from Sin, Self Control, Wickedness / Evil, Worldliness

Rejecting God Has Serious Consequences

We can not simply claim to follow Christ and continue in sin, in direct rebellion against Him. Those who genuinely turn their lives to Christ will show it through their actions and attitudes. We will not be perfect. Certainly not. However, we will strive to turn away from sin rather than embrace and accept it. Our Father could not be more clear… those who continue in sin and rebellion against the Father will not inherit the kingdom of God.

1 Corinthians 6:9-11

      9Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, 10nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God. 11Such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God.

Take caution not to rationalize your sin. The world would have you believe that everyone will inherit the kingdom of God, regardless of sin and rebellion against the Father. God’s word could not be more clear. There are serious consequences for those who choose to remain in sin rather than repent and submit to Jesus as Lord.

Be encouraged. Our sins can be forgiven through Jesus. God has made a way for us to be reconciled to Him through Jesus.

Take a few minutes right now. Pray for God to help you overcome sin and rebellion against God through the Holy Spirit and submit to Him in obedience. Give thanks for Jesus and His sacrifice on the cross for our sins to be forgiven.

Shalom. May the grace and peace of our Lord, Yeshua (Hebrew for Jesus), be with you. Devotion by John in service to Christ

Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

All Powerful / King of All, Disobeying, Rebelling Against, Ignoring God, Faith / Trusting God, Mockers, Protector / Deliverer, Strong in Our Weakness, Worthy of Fear / Reverence

The World Will Tell Us That God Cannot Help

We will all face struggles in our life. We will face obstacles and enemies and challenges that are beyond our ability to manage on our own.  As we focus to put our faith in God, the world around us will tell us we are foolish and that God will not help us or does not exist. Stand strong. It is in God and God alone that we should trust in these circumstances.

Isaiah 36

Sennacherib Invades Judah

      1Now in the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah, Sennacherib king of Assyria came up against all the fortified cities of Judah and seized them. 2And the king of Assyria sent Rabshakeh from Lachish to Jerusalem to King Hezekiah with a large army. And he stood by the conduit of the upper pool on the highway of the fuller’s field. 3Then Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, who was over the household, and Shebna the scribe, and Joah the son of Asaph, the recorder, came out to him.

      4Then Rabshakeh said to them, “Say now to Hezekiah, ‘Thus says the great king, the king of Assyria, “What is this confidence that you have? 5“I say, ‘Your counsel and strength for the war are only empty words.’ Now on whom do you rely, that you have rebelled against me? 6“Behold, you rely on the staff of this crushed reed, even on Egypt, on which if a man leans, it will go into his hand and pierce it. So is Pharaoh king of Egypt to all who rely on him. 7“But if you say to me, ‘We trust in the LORD our God,’ is it not He whose high places and whose altars Hezekiah has taken away and has said to Judah and to Jerusalem, ‘You shall worship before this altar’? 8“Now therefore, come make a bargain with my master the king of Assyria, and I will give you two thousand horses, if you are able on your part to set riders on them. 9“How then can you repulse one official of the least of my master’s servants and rely on Egypt for chariots and for horsemen? 10“Have I now come up without the LORD’S approval against this land to destroy it? The LORD said to me, ‘Go up against this land and destroy it.’”’”

      11Then Eliakim and Shebna and Joah said to Rabshakeh, “Speak now to your servants in Aramaic, for we understand it; and do not speak with us in Judean in the hearing of the people who are on the wall.” 12But Rabshakeh said, “Has my master sent me only to your master and to you to speak these words, and not to the men who sit on the wall, doomed to eat their own dung and drink their own urine with you?”

      13Then Rabshakeh stood and cried with a loud voice in Judean and said, “Hear the words of the great king, the king of Assyria. 14“Thus says the king, ‘Do not let Hezekiah deceive you, for he will not be able to deliver you; 15nor let Hezekiah make you trust in the LORD, saying, “The LORD will surely deliver us, this city will not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria.” 16‘Do not listen to Hezekiah,’ for thus says the king of Assyria, ‘Make your peace with me and come out to me, and eat each of his vine and each of his fig tree and drink each of the waters of his own cistern, 17until I come and take you away to a land like your own land, a land of grain and new wine, a land of bread and vineyards. 18‘Beware that Hezekiah does not mislead you, saying, “The LORD will deliver us.” Has any one of the gods of the nations delivered his land from the hand of the king of Assyria? 19‘Where are the gods of Hamath and Arpad? Where are the gods of Sepharvaim? And when have they delivered Samaria from my hand? 20‘Who among all the gods of these lands have delivered their land from my hand, that the LORD would deliver Jerusalem from my hand?’”

      21But they were silent and answered him not a word; for the king’s commandment was, “Do not answer him.” 22Then Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, who was over the household, and Shebna the scribe and Joah the son of Asaph, the recorder, came to Hezekiah with their clothes torn and told him the words of Rabshakeh.

Take heart and be encouraged. God is our rock eternal. God is our shield and protector. Do not be dismayed by the words of the world spoken against God. Instead, put your faith in God and lean not on your own understanding.

Take a few minutes in prayer to reflect and thank God for specific things He has done and is doing in your life to deliver you from difficulty. In what areas of your life are you now facing a difficulty for which you need to put your full trust in God? Ask Him to help in Jesus’ name.

Shalom. May the grace and peace of our Lord, Yeshua, be with you. Devotion by John in service to Christ

Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Discerning / Judging, Discipline / Correction, Help / Serve Others, Wickedness / Evil

Remove the Wicked from Among Us

Believers and followers of Jesus Christ are not to accept immorality in our church body. Contrary to common public opinion of today’s culture, we are not to just accept everyone in our church fellowship regardless of behavior and attitude. Those who are immoral are to be removed from our midst and treated as part of the world of non-believers. If they repent, we can of course accept them back. This is not to say we treat them badly or with meanness. Remember, we also are called to treat everyone with a basic level of love and respect.

1 Corinthians 5

Immorality Rebuked

      1It is actually reported that there is immorality among you, and immorality of such a kind as does not exist even among the Gentiles, that someone has his father’s wife. 2You have become arrogant and have not mourned instead, so that the one who had done this deed would be removed from your midst.

      3For I, on my part, though absent in body but present in spirit, have already judged him who has so committed this, as though I were present. 4In the name of our Lord Jesus, when you are assembled, and I with you in spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus, 5I have decided to deliver such a one to Satan for the destruction of his flesh, so that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.

      6Your boasting is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump of dough? 7Clean out the old leaven so that you may be a new lump, just as you are in fact unleavened. For Christ our Passover also has been sacrificed. 8Therefore let us celebrate the feast, not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.

      9I wrote you in my letter not to associate with immoral people; 10I did not at all mean with the immoral people of this world, or with the covetous and swindlers, or with idolaters, for then you would have to go out of the world. 11But actually, I wrote to you not to associate with any so-called brother if he is an immoral person, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or a swindler—not even to eat with such a one. 12For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Do you not judge those who are within the church? 13But those who are outside, God judges. REMOVE THE WICKED MAN FROM AMONG YOURSELVES.

It is important to remove the immoral from our midst rather than accept them so that they might recognize the need to repent. They suffer for a while, but then have the best chance to repent and return to true fellowship with God and the family of believers. If we just keep accepting one immorality after another, then soon the church family looks a lot like the world and culture around it… filled with unrepentant sinners who do not believe they need to change. Many of our church fellowships look like this today because of failure to heed Paul’s instructions.

Let us focus on helping, and yes, rebuking one another when necessary. As a family of believers, we are to help one another remain on the right path with God. Part of that requires that we remove the wicked from among us.

—-

Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? Are you living today filled with the peace and joy of truly knowing and following Jesus Christ? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Blessed, Curse, Disobeying, Rebelling Against, Ignoring God, Obeying God, Slow to Anger, Worthy of Fear / Reverence

God’s Wrath or God’s Blessing?

Isaiah 34 highlights God’s wrath against nations that choose not to submit to Him and live according to His ways. Those who choose their own ways, the ways of sin, are not pleasing to the LORD. There will be judgment. In fact, we can also remember that sin by itself, even without God’s wrath, separates us from God and transforms our personal lives, marriages, families, communities, or nation from what God desires to a mess.

Isaiah 34

God’s Wrath against Nations

1Draw near, O nations, to hear; and listen, O peoples!
Let the earth and all it contains hear, and the world and all that springs from it.

2For the LORD’S indignation is against all the nations,
And His wrath against all their armies;
He has utterly destroyed them,
He has given them over to slaughter.

3So their slain will be thrown out,
And their corpses will give off their stench,
And the mountains will be drenched with their blood.

4And all the host of heaven will wear away,
And the sky will be rolled up like a scroll;
All their hosts will also wither away
As a leaf withers from the vine,
Or as one withers from the fig tree.

5For My sword is satiated in heaven,
Behold it shall descend for judgment upon Edom
And upon the people whom I have devoted to destruction.

6The sword of the LORD is filled with blood,
It is sated with fat, with the blood of lambs and goats,
With the fat of the kidneys of rams.
For the LORD has a sacrifice in Bozrah
And a great slaughter in the land of Edom.

7Wild oxen will also fall with them
And young bulls with strong ones;
Thus their land will be soaked with blood,
And their dust become greasy with fat.

8For the LORD has a day of vengeance,
A year of recompense for the cause of Zion.

9Its streams will be turned into pitch,
And its loose earth into brimstone,
And its land will become burning pitch.

10It will not be quenched night or day;
Its smoke will go up forever.
From generation to generation it will be desolate;
None will pass through it forever and ever.

11But pelican and hedgehog will possess it,
And owl and raven will dwell in it;
And He will stretch over it the line of desolation
And the plumb line of emptiness.

12Its nobles—there is no one there
Whom they may proclaim king—
And all its princes will be nothing.

13Thorns will come up in its fortified towers,
Nettles and thistles in its fortified cities;
It will also be a haunt of jackals
And an abode of ostriches.

14The desert creatures will meet with the wolves,
The hairy goat also will cry to its kind;
Yes, the night monster will settle there
And will find herself a resting place.

15The tree snake will make its nest and lay eggs there,
And it will hatch and gather them under its protection.
Yes, the hawks will be gathered there,
Every one with its kind.

16Seek from the book of the LORD, and read:
Not one of these will be missing;
None will lack its mate.
For His mouth has commanded,
And His Spirit has gathered them.

17He has cast the lot for them,
And His hand has divided it to them by line.
They shall possess it forever;
From generation to generation they will dwell in it.

Seek to live according to God’s ways. Do not sin. Seek forgiveness. Submit to the LORD. The very nature of living according to His instructions is to live in a way that loves God and loves others. On top of that, we want to seek and receive His blessing for obedience rather than His wrath for disobedience.

For those that want to focus on the forgiveness we get through Yeshua, that is true. We can be very grateful! However, He also tells us to go and sin no more, which is to repent and change our ways to God’s ways.

Take a few minutes to pray. Ask God to show you any areas in your life in which you have not fully submitted to Him. It may be a job or marriage. It could be a hobby or friends that you know are not a good influence. Once He shows you where you are not fully submitted, ask forgiveness and take action to bring that part of your life into submission before Him. No excuses.

Matthew 6:33

 33But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be provided to you.

Shalom. May the grace and peace of our Lord, Yeshua, be with you. Devotion by John in service to Christ

Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

 

All Powerful / King of All, Fear / Reverence for God, Grace / Forgiveness, Justice / Judgment, Repenting from Sin, Unteachable / Foolish

We Will Each Face Judgment – Do You Want Grace or That Which You Deserve?

The judgment of God is a very real thing we will each face. The unrepentant sinner will receive his due. He will receive the punishment he deserves. Those who have repented and received forgiveness through Yeshua will experience grace in receiving the good things they did not deserve. This is a constant message through scripture. Do not disregard it. There is hope and peace on one side, through Yeshua, and reason to fear for those who refuse Yeshua’s offer of forgiveness.

Isaiah 33

The Judgment of God

1Woe to you, O destroyer,
While you were not destroyed;
And he who is treacherous, while others did not deal treacherously with him.
As soon as you finish destroying, you will be destroyed;
As soon as you cease to deal treacherously, others will deal treacherously with you.

      2O LORD, be gracious to us; we have waited for You.
Be their strength every morning,
Our salvation also in the time of distress.

      3At the sound of the tumult peoples flee;
At the lifting up of Yourself nations disperse.

      4Your spoil is gathered as the caterpillar gathers;
As locusts rushing about men rush about on it.

      5The LORD is exalted, for He dwells on high;
He has filled Zion with justice and righteousness.

      6And He will be the stability of your times,
A wealth of salvation, wisdom and knowledge;
The fear of the LORD is his treasure.

      7Behold, their brave men cry in the streets,
The ambassadors of peace weep bitterly.

      8The highways are desolate, the traveler has ceased,
He has broken the covenant, he has despised the cities,
He has no regard for man.

      9The land mourns and pines away,
Lebanon is shamed and withers;
Sharon is like a desert plain,
And Bashan and Carmel lose their foliage.

      10“Now I will arise,” says the LORD,
“Now I will be exalted, now I will be lifted up.

      11“You have conceived chaff, you will give birth to stubble;
My breath will consume you like a fire.

      12“The peoples will be burned to lime,
Like cut thorns which are burned in the fire.

      13“You who are far away, hear what I have done;
And you who are near, acknowledge My might.”

      14Sinners in Zion are terrified;
Trembling has seized the godless.
“Who among us can live with the consuming fire?
Who among us can live with continual burning?”

      15He who walks righteously and speaks with sincerity,
He who rejects unjust gain
And shakes his hands so that they hold no bribe;
He who stops his ears from hearing about bloodshed
And shuts his eyes from looking upon evil;

      16He will dwell on the heights,
His refuge will be the impregnable rock;
His bread will be given him,
His water will be sure.

      17Your eyes will see the King in His beauty;
They will behold a far-distant land.

      18Your heart will meditate on terror:
“Where is he who counts?
Where is he who weighs?
Where is he who counts the towers?”

      19You will no longer see a fierce people,
A people of unintelligible speech which no one comprehends,
Of a stammering tongue which no one understands.

      20Look upon Zion, the city of our appointed feasts;
Your eyes will see Jerusalem, an undisturbed habitation,
A tent which will not be folded;
Its stakes will never be pulled up,
Nor any of its cords be torn apart.

      21But there the majestic One, the LORD, will be for us
A place of rivers and wide canals
On which no boat with oars will go,
And on which no mighty ship will pass—

      22For the LORD is our judge,
The LORD is our lawgiver,
The LORD is our king;
He will save us—

      23Your tackle hangs slack;
It cannot hold the base of its mast firmly,
Nor spread out the sail.
Then the prey of an abundant spoil will be divided;
The lame will take the plunder.

      24And no resident will say, “I am sick”;
The people who dwell there will be forgiven their iniquity.

Please take a few minutes and prayerfully reflect before God. Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Don’t blame God as “harsh” if He has made a way to receive forgiveness by grace through faith and you just refuse to accept His offer.  That responsibility lies solely with you.

Shalom. Devotion by John in service to Christ

Learning To Pray Effectively, Praise / Worship / Glorify God, Wickedness / Evil, Worthy of Fear / Reverence

Great Is the Lord and Highly to Be Praised

It is all too easy to take for granted having a relationship with the LORD. Let us remember to praise him, even during difficult times!

Psalm 145

The LORD Extolled for His Goodness.

A Psalm of Praise, of David.

1I will extol You, my God, O King,
And I will bless Your name forever and ever.

2Every day I will bless You,
And I will praise Your name forever and ever.

3Great is the LORD, and highly to be praised,
And His greatness is unsearchable.

4One generation shall praise Your works to another,
And shall declare Your mighty acts.

5On the glorious splendor of Your majesty
And on Your wonderful works, I will meditate.

6Men shall speak of the power of Your awesome acts,
And I will tell of Your greatness.

7They shall eagerly utter the memory of Your abundant goodness
And will shout joyfully of Your righteousness.

8The LORD is gracious and merciful;
Slow to anger and great in lovingkindness.

9The LORD is good to all,
And His mercies are over all His works.

10All Your works shall give thanks to You, O LORD,
And Your godly ones shall bless You.

11They shall speak of the glory of Your kingdom
And talk of Your power;

12To make known to the sons of men Your mighty acts
And the glory of the majesty of Your kingdom.

13Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,
And Your dominion endures throughout all generations.

14The LORD sustains all who fall
And raises up all who are bowed down.

15The eyes of all look to You,
And You give them their food in due time.

16You open Your hand
And satisfy the desire of every living thing.

17The LORD is righteous in all His ways
And kind in all His deeds.

18The LORD is near to all who call upon Him,
To all who call upon Him in truth.

19He will fulfill the desire of those who fear Him;
He will also hear their cry and will save them.

20The LORD keeps all who love Him,
But all the wicked He will destroy.

21My mouth will speak the praise of the LORD,
And all flesh will bless His holy name forever and ever.

Shalom

Devotion by John in service to Christ

Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Abortion

Pray for an End to Abortion

The leading cause of death around the world is not disease or famine… it is murder. Worse yet, it is legalized murder. People worldwide have convinced themselves that killing unborn children is somehow acceptable. The World Health Organization actually tracks the number of abortions globally but does not even count them among the death statistics they also track! People around the world ignore God’s word and scientific evidence that is widely available today in this dangerous rationalization of wrong behavior.

In most cases, abortion is simply ending the life of one who is defenseless in order to make the mother’s life more comfortable or convenient or allow the father to avoid responsibility.  Yes, there are extreme pressures involved… but it is still a life. We should treat the unborn no worse than newborn babies. They should not have a lesser standard of protection and care.

Brothers and sisters, come with me before God in prayer and repentance for our nations and the world. Every day worldwide more than 120,000 unborn children are being killed by someone performing an abortion. That is an astonishing rate of 40-50 million children being killed this way each year. The numbers are astounding even compared to what we generally consider the truly terrible events in history, like Hitler’s extermination of the Jewish people in Germany during World War II. That was 6 million people in total (and it was horrible)… at the current rate of abortions, the world kills more than 6 million every two months!

God put babies in their mother’s wombs to grow so they could be safe and yet that is the leading cause of death in the world. Pray that the scales would drop from people’s eyes and they would see the truth clearly and be unable to rationalize and accept abortion.

Pray too for those who have been involved in abortions already, either in performing, encouraging, or forcing someone to participate, or the mother having an abortion. Theirs is terrible grief and sadness. Pray they would come before God with a repentant heart and be healed and forgiven. Pray they would forgive themselves too.

To learn more, review Crisis Help: Stop Abortion.

Forgiveness and healing are available to all thanks to Jesus Christ! May the grace and peace of Jesus Christ be with all of you.

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? If you die today, do you know for sure that you will be with God in heaven? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.