Read the Bible in a Year (05AUG19)

DAILY REMINDER – Today, August 5’s Bible reading is Isaiah 36-41.

NEXT DAY REMINDER – Tomorrow, August 6’s Bible reading is Isaiah 42-44. May God bless you with the reading of His WORD. 

ISAIAH MOMENT – (05AUG19) King Hezekiah was faced with a distressing situation. King Sennacherib of Assyria sent his commanding officer to antagonize him with threats of invasion. Sennacherib tried to weaken Hezekiah’s confidence in the Lord by bragging on his accomplishments with the bringing down of other nations who unsuccessfully relied on their heathen gods for help. He even blasphemed God by claiming to come in His name to conquer them. The commanding officer taunted them for their belief in God and even told the people who were listening to pay no mind to their king, who told them that God would deliver them. “…This is what the great king, the king of Assyria, says: ‘On what are you basing this confidence of yours? You say you have counsel and might for war – but you speak on empty words. On whom are you depending, that you rebel against me?’ This is what the king says: ‘Do not let Hezekiah persuade you to trust in the Lord when he says, ‘The Lord will surely deliver us; this city will not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria’ ” (Isaiah36:4-5, 15). After hearing all of this, Hezekiah’s heart was extremely heavy, but he did not rely on his own wisdom or military might. He relied on the Lord by praying to Him, and the Lord answered by sending the death angel into the Assyrian camp.

Similar to Hezekiah, the devil comes into our lives like a flood to make us doubt the Word of the Lord. He tries to antagonize us by making us doubt that God’s Word is true for our lives. For example, you may have had a diagnosis of cancer and turned to the Lord for healing, but the devil will remind you of the person you knew who died from it. You may be believing God for a spouse, but the enemy will remind you of that little old lady who died without ever having been married. You may be believing God for a breakthrough with your marriage, but the devil will tell you that you are in the 50% that will fail anyway. Yes, Satan is very cunning and want to make you discount the Word of God for your life. But what did Hezekiah do? He did not respond to the king’s arrogance, but he sought the Lord’s help in prayer. Whereas the enemy was trying to make him give up in defeat, Hezekiah knew that he served a God who could deliver him from every situation that he faced, and His promises never returned unto Him void.

The devil tries to make us feel defeated and that our prayers of faith have been in vain. But the Bible says, “You can ask for anything in my name, and I will do it, so that the Son can bring glory to the Father. Yes, ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it!” (John 14:13-14). When we ask for the Lord to do something in our lives, we must first believe that He is going to do it and then ensure that we are not praying anything against His will, or He will not answer it. For example, you cannot expect God to answer a prayer that breaks His Ten Commandments. Praying for someone else’s spouse to become yours is not a prayer that the Lord will answer. Also praying when there is unconfessed sin in your heart will not receive a response from God. We must confess our sins to God, turn from our wicked ways, and He will hear us. “If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land” (2 Chronicles 7:14). God will keep whatever promises He has made. We just have to ensure that our hearts are right and rely on Him. Something to ponder….

QUESTION OF THE DAY - (05AUG19) Have you ever felt physically and/or spiritually tired and worn out as if you could not make it another day? Many people are going through life feeling like this. They are worn out due to their attempts to keep ahead of the rat race. What is the rat race? Family concerns, bills, relationships, material possessions, education, and anything that constantly changes in life where we are expected or want to stay on pace with. Yet, there are some things that we invite into our lives that are unnecessary. For example, you may want a Lexus when your monthly budget is saying that you can only afford a Ford. You may desire to live in a 5,000 square foot home when your finances will only allow for that 2,500 one. Some stresses in life are brought on by our desire to keep up with others, and then some are brought about due to unforeseen things out of our control. Nevertheless, there is One who is in control and His name is Jesus. The Bible says, “But those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint” (Isaiah 40:31).

Waiting on the Lord sometimes involve putting our desires on hold for the things that we want, and waiting for Him to open the doors when the time is right. It also means not going ahead of Him, but enacting patience for His will to be established in our lives. The Lord will renew our strength when we think that we cannot make it, or when life throws us a curveball. When God opens doors, we will run through them and not tire out because He will not open them until He sees that we are ready to walk through them. We must stand firm in our faith and be patient in our waiting, for with waiting comes endurance, and the strength we need to stand.  Something to ponder….

ISAIAH MOMENT – (05AUG19) “Listen! It’s the voice of someone shouting, Clear the way through the wilderness for the Lord! Make a straight highway through the wasteland for our God! Fill in the valleys, and level the mountains and hills. Straighten the curves, and smooth out the rough places. Then the glory of the Lord will be revealed, and all people will see it together. The Lord has spoken!’ ”  Isaiah gave a prophecy of John the Baptist who would be a voice crying in the wilderness telling the people to prepare and repent for the kingdom of God was at hand. “In those days John the Baptist came to the Judean wilderness and began preaching. His message was, ‘Repent of your sins and turn to God, for the Kingdom of Heaven is near.’ The prophet Isaiah was speaking about John when he said, ‘He is a voice shouting in the wilderness. Prepare the way for the Lord’s coming! Clear the road for him!’” (Matthew 3:1-3). John the Baptist repeated Isaiah’s prophecy to let them know that he was the fulfillment of God’s Word and was preparing the way for the One who was greater than he.

We, as Christians, are to also represent the voice of God crying out in the wilderness of sin, for people to repent and turn from their wicked ways because the Kingdom of God is near. There are watchmen and messengers of God who are sounding the alarm, but the noise of false teachers and prophets, secular society, and the hardness of hearts of many are rejecting and refusing to listen to the warnings. Yet, we must warn anyway. We must continue to cry out even when it seems as if no one is taking heed. God is giving everyone time to turn to Him, but time is running out. One day, the prophecies, warnings, and teachings will cease. We will have done our job and our work will one day be over. Until such time, let us work diligently to be that voice, crying out for the lost, and interceding on their behalf for their soul salvation and to turn their hearts to Christ. Something to ponder….