About two weeks ago I awoke with this running through
my mind:
"It wasn't that I
didn't want to--but I couldn't, because no one would
pray and intercede".
That was a strange thing to hear the first
thing in the morning, but I mused on it all day and then the Lord led me to
understand that He was preparing a message for me to preach; which I did last
Sunday morning.
The reason for that was because God was asking each of
us to examine deeply our committment to the Lord; that very few have prepared
themselves for the escalating trials ahead and are not aware just how their
weakness could cost them dearly .
A scripture in Hebrews describes it: "..make sure that your own hearts are not evil and unbelieving,
turning you away from the living God. You must warn each other every
day...so that none of you will be deceived by sin and hardened against God." (Hebrews 3:12, Ampllified)
WARN EACH OTHER EVERY DAY? To not harden our
hearts? Against God? Could we possibly have such a condition lurking
in our hearts? Most would say "never!", yet who of us are ready to go through
the loss of all things, like Job, and still not sin with our mouths by blaming Him? We may argue and
insist that we are strong in Him, but until we are tested and tried on that
point, we cannot be certain. Will we
too,like Job, rent our clothes and fall into the dust and ashes to declare, "The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away. Blessed be the Lord
God!"? Or will we, like hundreds of thousands of former
Christians who now declare themselves as agnostics, capitulate with
hardened hearts that blame God for their misfortunes?
"Where was God? If He is so loving..how come
he allowed these things? If He is so powerful, why didn't He stop
it?"
Jeremiah 12:5 (Amplified)said
it:
"If you have raced with men on foot and they
have tired you out, then how can you compete with horses? And if you take to
flight in a land of peace where you feel secure, then what will you do when
you tread the tangled maze of jungle, haunted by lions in the swelling of
Jordan?"
America is tettering on the edge of
diaster. I once had a vision of myself standing along the bank of a great
river by a highway bridge that carried the traffic across to the other
side. But the traffic coming to the bridge had no idea that the bridge was
washed out, and because they came upon it from below a hill, they could not see
what had happened. The bridge had collapsed and was in the water
below. I looked and saw one of the girders that was part of the bridge. It
had the numbers "999" on it. I knew that it meant "judgement", so I ran
back and stood at the top of the hill, waving my arms and shouting for them to
stop where they were and not come up over the ridge. However, it was a
useless effort, as one by one the cars plunged down into the river below. (The
recent bridge collapse reminded me of this vision). Fortunately, we have some very precious saints
here--Godly men and women who have been waving their arms and warning, but few
there be that will pull out from the traffic before it is too
late.
The recent fires in Southern California were a
great tragedy, as so many lost their homes. But disaster was predictable:
2 years after the 9/11 horror in New York, the American Red Cross chapter in
Orange County, California staged an event to honor the volunteers who went there
to assist. A group of singers were asked to sing, but when they found out
that some of the songs they would sing mentioned "God", they were excused.
The Katrina hurricane that struck New Orleans
came after years of the longsuffering of God to turn them away from
the sins they so honored with the yearly "Day of Decadence", the gambling, and
murders, the witchcraft. Yes, there were innocent people who were caught,
but like Lot, they had chosen to live in the cesspool of humanity they
themselves abhorred.
The California governor has recently signed a
bill that mandates the teaching of "alternate lifestyles" to students (from
kindergarten on through the high schools). The mention of "mom and dad or
husband and wife" will not be allowed. In the same state in
San Franscisco there was a gay festival which was advertised with a billboard
depicting the Last Supper. All the apostles and Christ were substituted
with gay men, dressed in Gothic leather. Lewd acts were allowed during the
celebration, and about a week later
newspapers ran an article featuring a Catholic priest giving sacraments to two
gay men, also dressed in
Is it not a certainty that since these,
(and many, many more) who have pushed God aside will face the consequences that
follow His absence?
"Those who pay regard to false, useless and
worthless idols forsake their own source of mercy and lovingkindness..." (Job
2:8)
These are only the beginnings of what is to
come. Our dollar is shrinking, oil prices are through the roof, our
country is falling apart--because the glue that held us together and which bond
made us strong has been pushed out the door. The flood gates are now
open. And what will we do when we are exhausted from the foot race and
are required to run with the horses? A vast majority will weaken and
harden their hearts against God, blaming Him for not delivering them. I
think of the scripture which tells us, "..men's hearts failing them for fear of
the things coming on the earth". In the natural, our physical hearts keep
beating until a clogged artery becomes hardened with built-up plaque. The
same can happen with our spiritual hearts as well.
It is imperative that we search deep within
ourselves, ready to embrace the trials to come with steadfastness and patience,
much prayer and intercession. Like David prayed, "Search me O
God and know my heart. Try me, and know my thoughts. And see if there be
any wicked way in me and lead me in the way everlasting."
His mercy knows no bounds to those that love
and obey Him. But the red flags are out...warning those "at ease in Zion"
to be certain of their own steadfastness, and through prayer and intercessions
for one another, strengthen the weak knees that will surely be required
to run with the horses...