God Allows People To Walk Away….

Here’s a truth that rarely gets any attention: God allows people to walk away from Him, but He never leaves them without excuse. He will always leave behind evidence of His existence and His goodness. Food, rain, and joyful hearts are evidence of this truth. If you are an unbeliever and you had a good day, it’s because of His goodness that you got to experience this blessing. Stand in front of the mirror and ask yourself this question: Why am I here? What’s my purpose in life? And if there is a God, ask Him to reveal Himself to you. When your heart is willing to accept the truth, you’ll find Him, and experience life from a whole new perspective.

16 In the past He permitted all the nations to go their own ways, 17 but He never left them without evidence of Himself and His goodness. For instance, He sends you rain and good crops and gives you food and joyful hearts.” Acts 14:16-17

Every Single Time….

Every single time any believer (of God) has been placed into a situation in which someone (or group) wanted to worship them, they reacted with humility, clearly displaying that only God Himself deserves our praise and devotion. Every time. This just goes to show us that fame can corrupt a man. Without God, fame will corrupt. It does this by deceiving one into believing he is more important than others. It gives us a false sense of significance. It leads us to believe we don’t need God or others. In essence, it makes us think we are God, or at least equal to Him. It’s a place you never want to go because it feeds our pride. Once that starts, it leads us away from God and away from Truth. We begin to rely only upon ourselves, and even start to trust those that cling to us in order to get something out of it. Fame rearranges our significance of caring what God thinks of us unto believing what others think of us. Fame is fleeting. It’ll never deliver what everyone pursuing it promises. The best way to combat this temptation is to never welcome it to begin with. See yourself as God sees you. Our dependence on Him will help keep you humble, and contribute to our continuous growth in our faith. That’s a truth you can count on.

When the crowd saw what Paul had done, they shouted in their local dialect, “These men are gods in human form!” 12 They decided that Barnabas was the Greek god Zeus and that Paul was Hermes, since he was the chief speaker. 13 Now the temple of Zeus was located just outside the town. So the priest of the temple and the crowd brought bulls and wreaths of flowers to the town gates, and they prepared to offer sacrifices to the apostles.14 But when the apostles Barnabas and Paul heard what was happening, they tore their clothing in dismay and ran out among the people, shouting, 15 “Friends, why are you doing this? We are merely human beings–just like you! We have come to bring you the Good News that you should turn from these worthless things and turn to the living God, who made heaven and earth, the sea, and everything in them. Acts 14:11-15

You Judge Yourself Unworthy….

When you reject the Gospel, you judge yourself unworthy of eternal life. There’s no one to blame but yourself.

46 Then Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly and declared, “It was necessary that we first preach the word of God to you Jews. But since you have rejected it and judged yourselves unworthy of eternal life, we will offer it to the Gentiles. 47 For the Lord gave us this command when he said, ‘I have made You a light to the Gentiles,to bring salvation to the farthest corners of the earth.’” 48 When the Gentiles heard this, they were very glad and thanked the Lord for his message; and all who were chosen for eternal life became believers. 49 So the Lord’s message spread throughout that region. Acts 13:46-49

When It’s All Said And Done….

When it’s all said and done, there’s only one thing that we can truly rely on: God’s Grace. It’s the only thing that will get us into Heaven, and it’s the only thing that will never disappoint us. Count on it, rely on it. I urge you. It’s the only thing that can save us.

43 Many Jews and devout converts to Judaism followed Paul and Barnabas, and the two men urged them to continue to rely on the grace of God. Acts 13:43

Jesus Is The Only Way…..

These words still hold true to this very day. Jesus is the only way to be made right with God. For those who chose to honor His name, there is forgiveness of your sin. For everyone that doesn’t believe, and continues to mock those that proclaim this truth, death is waiting at your door. And the day it comes, you’ll will wish you had listened.

38 “Brothers, listen! We are here to proclaim that through this Man Jesus there is forgiveness for your sins. 39 Everyone who believes in Him is declared right with God–something the law of Moses could never do. 40 Be careful! Don’t let the prophets’ words apply to you. For they said, 41 ‘Look, you mockers, be amazed and die! For I am doing something in your own day, something you wouldn’t believe even if someone told you about it.’” Acts 13:38-41

Do We Abandon God For Other gods?

When I read (2 Chronicles 7) about Israel’s history, I can’t help but think about all nations and all people. Israel had the presence of God dwelling in their temple. He constantly showed up. He answered prayers. When Israel started to worship other gods, which came about because of the inter-marrying of the pagans they were supposed to destroy their pagan practices, but instead started to follow, God had enough. He sent them into exile. He specifically told Solomon that if they kept the decree and followed Him like his father David did, then He would kept a descendent on the throne (which God did even though Solomon didn’t keep his end of the agreement). Israel has suffered shame and ridicule ever since. As a matter of fact, they still suffer to this day. They are always on someone’s radar to be attacked. They are always hated by many people. Why? God answers this right here in chapter 7v22. The reason is because they abandoned God and worshipped other gods. In modern times, there is a mosque where the Temple was in Jerusalem. Does this sound like they are still doing what God told them not to? Now, taking this example and applying it to our own life, do we abandon God for other gods? Maybe not actual statue gods, but what about Modern day things we treat more important than God? Money? Fame? The perfect body? Beauty? Status? Relationships? A great job? A big house? The perfect family? Likes on social media? Have you abandoned God for these pursuits? I know America has. I know we have been given over to our own depraved minds. We have abandoned God and substituted other gods in His place. If America wants to fix this “me first” mentality, we have to humble ourselves, pray, seek His face, and turn from our wicked ways. Then, He will hear our prayers, forgive our sins, and restore our land. Israel hasn’t done this, but we can. God is faithful to His Word. Jesus is on the throne, a descendent of Solomon. If God keeps His promises, shouldn’t we at least be honest enough to honor His blessings by following Him? It’s a matter of life or death isn’t it? We all have a choice. In either case the consequences will follow. As for me, I choose Jesus, for He is the Way, and the Truth, and the Life.

12 Then one night the Lord appeared to Solomon and said, “I have heard your prayer and have chosen this Temple as the place for making sacrifices. 13 At times I might shut up the heavens so that no rain falls, or command grasshoppers to devour your crops, or send plagues among you. 14 Then if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and restore their land. 15 My eyes will be open and My ears attentive to every prayer made in this place. 16 For I have chosen this Temple and set it apart to be holy–a place where My name will be honored forever. I will always watch over it, for it is dear to My heart.17 “As for you, if you faithfully follow Me as David your father did, obeying all My commands, decrees, and regulations, 18 then I will establish the throne of your dynasty. For I made this covenant with your father, David, when I said, ‘One of your descendants will always rule over Israel.’19 “But if you or your descendants abandon Me and disobey the decrees and commands I have given you, and if you serve and worship other gods, 20 then I will uproot the people from this land that I have given them. I will reject this Temple that I have made holy to honor My name. I will make it an object of mockery and ridicule among the nations. 21 And though this Temple is impressive now, all who pass by will be appalled. They will ask, ‘Why did the Lord do such terrible things to this land and to this Temple?’22 “And the answer will be, ‘Because His people abandoned the Lord, the God of their ancestors, who brought them out of Egypt, and they worshiped other gods instead and bowed down to them. That is why He has brought all these disasters on them.’ ” 2 Chronicles 7:12-22

God’s One And Only Method Of Restoration….

Restoring one’s wholeness with God isn’t complicated. What is it He wants from us? In 2 Chronicles chapter 6 we read one of Solomon’s prayers. It’s his dedication prayer when the Temple was finished being built. The wisest man to ever to live (aside from Jesus) tells us that we are fallible. When consequences happen to us, due to our own volition, we are to turn back (repent), acknowledge Gods name, and pray. Following the right path is what life is all about. Getting off-track happens, but that’s when we have to get right back on it and continue to follow that path. Scripture has always been clear on what God wants from us. He wants our attention, our devotion, our longing for and dependence upon Him, in Him alone. We have to learn to be independently dependent upon Him. When we mess up, we must realize it (acknowledge it), repent (turn away from continuing that behavior), and get back on track with God. When we turn to God with our whole hearts, He hears our prayers, and upholds our cause. This is the well established pattern God has given us. It’s not so much about trying to live above making mistakes, rather it’s about knowing what to do when you make a mistake. As I’ve always said, “The only thing wrong with making a mistake, is not learning from it.” God has granted us grace, and it’s up to us to learn how to apply it to our lives. It always starts with God’s one and only method of restoring us back to Him: acknowledge your sin, repent, and seek Him with your whole heart. He will always respond to this behavior with pleasure because it brings Him great honor when we are obedient to His call. It’s really not complicated, yet it’s difficult to do when we have a “me first” attitude.

24 “If Your people Israel are defeated by their enemies because they have sinned against You, and if they turn back and acknowledge Your name and pray to You here in this Temple, 25 then hear from heaven and forgive the sin of Your people Israel and return them to this land You gave to them and to their ancestors.26 “If the skies are shut up and there is no rain because Your people have sinned against You, and if they pray toward this Temple and acknowledge Your name and turn from their sins because You have punished them, 27 then hear from heaven and forgive the sins of Your servants, Your people Israel. Teach them to follow the right path, and send rain on Your land that You have given to Your people as their special possession.28 “If there is a famine in the land or a plague or crop disease or attacks of locusts or caterpillars, or if Your people’s enemies are in the land besieging their towns–whatever disaster or disease there is–29 and if Your people Israel pray about their troubles or sorrow, raising their hands toward this Temple, 30 then hear from heaven where You live, and forgive. Give Your people what their actions deserve, for You alone know each human heart. 31 Then they will fear You and walk in Your ways as long as they live in the land You gave to our ancestors.32 “In the future, foreigners who do not belong to Your people Israel will hear of You. They will come from distant lands when they hear of Your great name and Your strong hand and Your powerful arm. And when they pray toward this Temple, 33 then hear from heaven where You live, and grant what they ask of You. In this way, all the people of the earth will come to know and fear You, just as Your own people Israel do. They, too, will know that this Temple I have built honors Your name.34 “If Your people go out where You send them to fight their enemies, and if they pray to You by turning toward this city You have chosen and toward this Temple I have built to honor Your name, 35 then hear their prayers from heaven and uphold their cause.36 “If they sin against You–and who has never sinned?–You might become angry with them and let their enemies conquer them and take them captive to a foreign land far away or near. 37 But in that land of exile, they might turn to You in repentance and pray, ‘We have sinned, done evil, and acted wickedly.’ 38 If they turn to You with their whole heart and soul in the land of their captivity and pray toward the land You gave to their ancestors–toward this city You have chosen, and toward this Temple I have built to honor Your name–39 then hear their prayers and their petitions from heaven where You live, and uphold their cause. Forgive Your people who have sinned against You. 2 Chronicles 6:24-39