Read the Bible in a Year (14AUG19)

DAILY REMINDER – Today, August 14’s Bible reading is Jeremiah 7-9.

NEXT DAY REMINDER – Tomorrow, August 15’s Bible reading is Jeremiah 10-13. May God bless you with the reading of His WORD.

JEREMIAH MOMENT – (14AUG19)  “ ‘Beware of your neighbor! Don’t even trust your brother! For brother takes advantage of brother, and friend slanders friend. They all fool and defraud each other; no one tells the truth. With practiced tongues they tell lies; they wear themselves out with all their sinning. They pile lie upon lie and utterly refuse to acknowledge me,’ says the Lord” (Jeremiah 9:4-5). The people in Jerusalem and Judah were scandalous in their dealings with one another. They dealt with each other as vipers and did not have any regard or care for their fellow brother. Everyone was out for themselves. They could care less if the person that they harmed was a kin or friend. They smiled in each other faces, and as soon as they were out of the person’s sight, they stabbed them in the back. The Bible says, “For their tongues shoot lies like poisoned arrows. They speak friendly words to their neighbors while scheming in their heart to kill them” (Jeremiah 9:8). The Lord did not take kindly to this type of behavior from His people, for He is a God of covenant. Just as God was in covenant with Israel, they were to also be in covenant with each other. Unfortunately, this was not the behavior that they displayed, and this was due to their lack of regard for their Creator. There was no sense of loyalty amongst them just as there is none between thieves. Their tongues were like daggers towards each other and deception was their master. The name of their game was Survival of the Fittest, and if that involved lying, cheating, and conniving to get what they wanted, any and everyone was fair game. No wonder God was totally disgusted with His people. The Bible says, “ ‘Should I not punish them for this?’ says the Lord.  ‘Should I not avenge myself against such a nation?’ ‘I will make Jerusalem into a heap of ruins,’ says the Lord. ‘‘It will be a place haunted by jackals. The towns of Judah will be ghost towns, with no one living in them’ ” (Jeremiah 9:9,11).

Many people, including Christians, are the same way today as the nation of Israel was with their dishonorable dealings with one another. They act as if they are your friend, confidant, and care for you, but deep down, they are envious, jealous, compete with you, and will secretly plot your demise. Some people hate you because of your achievements, criticize you for your success, are negative due to their own shortcomings, and are envious of your hard determination despite the struggles that it took for you to get to where you are. These type of individuals cannot be trusted, but we can see dealings of a similar nature in all areas of life.

For example, every election cycle politicians shake hands and smile in each other’s faces, but do personal attacks in their ads and during debates rather than sticking to the facts. In corporate America, there is a cut-throat mentality where some employees will do whatever it takes to get a promotion even if that means sleeping their way to the top. In the church, some leaders politic to run other leaders out of position, so that they can be the next popular name. Then there are some friends, who are supposed to be reliable and trustworthy, but will be the very ones who will tell your secrets to the world. And, sadly, even some family members cannot be trusted no more than a cobra, and will throw their relatives over a bridge if it suits their selfish interests. People of this nature is why God told Israel to beware of their friends and kin.

Jesus made an interesting statement when His mother and brothers came to see Him on an occasion when He was speaking to a crowd of people. Upon being told of their arrival, Jesus had this to say: “ ‘Who are my mother and my brothers’ he said. Then he looked at those seated in a circle around him and said, ‘Here are my mother and my brothers! Whoever does God’s will is my brother and sister and mother’ ” (Mark 3:33-35). Jesus was preparing the people to understand that when it comes to Him, we are all one body; therefore, we are the united family of God regardless of bloodline or relationship. Yes, God has allowed for us to have those that are related by blood and/or otherwise, but we are to be careful of the relationships that we have even with kin if they will take your eyes off of Jesus. The only person who is fully trustworthy is the Lord, and those whom He sends your way that are walking uprightly in Him. Something to ponder….

QUESTION OF THE DAY - (14AUG19) What if God told you to stop praying for someone – how would that make you feel? For those of us who try to intercede on behalf of others, it may give a certain feeling of despair. Yet, this is exactly what God said to Jeremiah. “Pray no more for these people, Jeremiah. Do not weep or pray for them, and don’t beg me to help them, for I will not listen to you” (Jeremiah 7:16). Not only did God tell Jeremiah to no longer pray for them, but He even told Him that He would turn a deaf ear to Him if He did. God was serious! The rebellion of His people was so grievous to Him that He would no longer accept intercession on their behalf. The Lord had made up His mind that the judgments that He had pronounced on them would not be delayed nor denied. His wrath had been ignited and what He vowed would happen to them would indeed take place without any further hesitation on His part. Unfortunately, they did not heed His warning.

There is a time when the Lord will not listen to intercession from even His servants being made for a people who refuses to repent and acknowledge Him. Let’s be clear – it will not be because of the righteous intercessor, but it will be due to the wicked and callous hearts of the people. The Bible says, “When you spread out your hands in prayer, I hide my eyes from you; even when you offer many prayers, I am not listening. Your hands are full of blood!” (Isaiah 1:15). Many prayers have been prayed for the nation of America to turn from our wicked ways, but the nation is getting more wicked by the day. First, God exposes the sin, then He judges the sin if there is no repentance. It is not good enough to have a little pocket of believers in the east and a few in the west to carry the weight of the sins that we are committing as a whole. God may have delayed things because of the righteous in the land, but our sins are mounted high, and for those who doubt this, all they have to do is listen to the news. Murder and the cries of children due to pedophilia, abortion, and satanic sacrifices, along with many other unthinkable abominations are reaching God’s ears. People may get tired of us watchmen saying this, but judgment is coming to America. The blood that we have shed on our streets and in other nations will require retribution from the Lord, and no amount of prayers will keep the judgments away forever. We can, however, pray for God’s mercy during the judgments so that souls will be saved even at their last breath. The Bible says, But the other criminal protested, ‘Don’t you fear God even when you have been sentenced to die? We deserve to die for our crimes, but this man hasn’t done anything wrong.’ Then he said, ‘Jesus, remember me when you come into your Kingdom.’  And Jesus replied, ‘I assure you, today you will be with me in paradise’ ” (Luke 23:40-43). Something to ponder….

JEREMIAH MOMENT – (14AUG19) “Even now, if you quit your evil ways, I will let you stay in your own land. But don’t be fooled by those who promise you safety simply because the Lord’s Temple is here. They chant, ‘The Lord’s Temple is here! The Lord’s Temple is here!’ ” (Isaiah 7:3b-4). The Lord was sickened by Israel’s false and worthless religion. They lived like their heathen neighbors, but would come to His house with a form of righteousness. They acted contrary to a people who were called by His Name. The priests and scribes had the Law, but they handled it falsely by not warning the people of their wicked ways. The Bible says, “How can you say, ‘We are wise, for we have the law of the Lord,’ when actually the lying pen of the scribes has handled it falsely?” (Jeremiah 8:8). God could not trust those who were supposed to be in His service to handle His law correctly because even though they knew what the law said, they neither honored it nor told others how to do so. It was like treating a wound with only a bandage. They were only giving the people what they wanted to hear, but not what they needed to hear as well as for themselves. The people needed to know truth and see leaders who would model it before them. Instead, they saw hypocrisy and compromise coming from the supposed servants of God. Therefore, when the true prophets of God, such as Jeremiah, came to them with a word of warning, they could not and would not receive it due to their compromised state. Anyone preaching a message of holiness was their enemy, and they wanted nothing to do with him.

In today’s time, preaching a message of repentance, righteousness, holiness, and accountability to God and each other is like kryptonite to Superman. The people reject it because of is cleansing power that will drain their lifeforce of sin and place them on the path of being the true bride of Christ. Rather than submit to the Lord, they reject the messenger, and will resort to considering the watchman as being too religious, Bible-thumping, and a Jesus freak. Despite the mocking, scorn, and being a social outcast, we still have to teach the unadulterated Word of God. Jesus wants a pure bride without spot or wrinkle. Submission to the Lord is the only way for that to be attained.  The Lord does not want us to only honor Him with our mouths, but He wants us to serve Him in our hearts. Time is running out and the days are short. Jesus is soon to return, and it is of the utmost importance that we ensure that our relationship with Him is genuine, and not merely a pretense to fool others. Something to ponder….