The Burden Of My Heart
The Bible is timeless and without the separation of distance because GOD is timeless and distanceless. Since GOD is not of this world (He is spirit), there is no measurement of time and there is no measure for distance. Anytime a measure is used it is strictly for our benefit. Which is why anything GOD says is for all people, everywhere, for all time.
Prophecy can be looked at this way. When the prophets received a word from GOD, it was for some immediate event AND for the future. Since we have been 'grafted' into the family of GOD, we must also take a look at prophecy.
Isaiah 1:1-23
The vision of Isaiah the son of Amoz, which he saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah.
Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth! For the LORD has spoken: "I have nourished and brought up children, and they have rebelled against Me; the ox knows its owner and the donkey its master's crib; but My people do not know Me, and My people do not consider."
Alas, sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, a brood of evildoers, children who are corrupters! They have forsaken the LORD, they have provoked to anger The Holy One of Israel, they have turned away backward.
Why should you be stricken again? You will rebel more and more. The whole head is sick, and the whole heart faints.
From the sole of the foot even to the head, there is no soundness in it, but wounds and bruises and putrefying sores; they have not been closed or bound up, or soothed with ointment.
Your country is desolate, your cities are burned with fire; strangers devour your land in your presence; and it is desolate, overthrown by strangers.
So the daughter of Zion is left abandoned as a booth in a vineyard, as a hut in a garden of cucumbers, as a besieged city.
Unless the LORD of hosts had left to us a very small remnant, we would have become like Sodom, we would have been made like Gomorrah.
Hear the word of the LORD, you rulers of Sodom; give ear to the law of our GOD, you people of Gomorrah: "To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices to Me?" says the LORD.
"I have had enough of insincere burnt offerings of rams and the fat of fed cattle. I do not delight in the blood of bulls, or of lambs or goats. When you come to appear before Me, who has required this from your hand, to trample My courts? Bring no more futile sacrifices; incense is an abomination to Me. The New Moons, the Sabbaths, and the calling of assemblies--I cannot endure iniquity and the sacred meeting. Your New Moons and your appointed feasts My soul hates; they are a trouble to Me, I am weary of bearing them. When you spread out your hands, I will hide My eyes from you; even though you make many prayers, I will not hear. Your hands are full of blood.
"How the faithful land has become a harlot! It was full of justice; righteousness lodged in it, but now murderers.
"Your silver has become dross, your wine mixed with water. Your princes are rebellious, and companions of thieves; everyone loves bribes, and follows after rewards. They do not defend the fatherless, nor does the cause of the widow come before them.
"Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean; put away the evil of your doings from before My eyes. Cease to do evil, learn to do good; seek justice, rebuke the oppressor; defend the fatherless, plead for the widow.
"Come now, and let us reason together," says the LORD, "though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall be as wool.
"If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land; but if you refuse and rebel, you shall be devoured by the sword";
For the mouth of the LORD has spoken.
This is the burden of my heart this Lent season:
1. We Christians have been asleep for too long. We have been complacent. We have let too much slide. We have not taught our own children the truths of life. We have not disciplined ourselves to live holy lives before a Holy GOD. We have changed our image of a Holy GOD to one who is weak and one of our own images, one who is indifferent and compromising. We have allowed the influence of non-believing cultures to permeate what we believe. And argue instead on minutia that has nothing to do with salvation.
2. Our own churches teach our children that religion is "cool" and "up beat" and make games out of worship services. They no longer teach how important holiness is and how to deal with opposition and ridicule.
3. Our own churches and institutions of higher learning that profess to be our leaders spiritually are compromising. They are not teaching holiness from the pulpits and compromise the way they teach. They are afraid to stand up to the wave of evil coming against them.
4. The government cries, "Separation of church and state!" Yet they are telling us what we can teach and what to believe.
5. They have already put Evangelical Christians on the terrorist watch list.
6. They say we have to teach philosophies that are against our Holy GOD and to be tolerant of them. Even those that martyr us.
7. The state will take our children away to instruct them because they say we don't fit in with their society and they don't want our children growing up believing the way we do.
8. We have become too materialistic and greedy. We work more and more to make more and more money to buy more and more! We no longer pray and seek GOD the way we need to get our strength from You because we have to feed our own indulgences. We have become slaves to our lifestyles and the worship of money and power and greed. We have replaced a Holy GOD with mammon.
9. Satan is coming at us like a flood. Christians are being brutally martyred all over the world.
10. Satan throws confusion at us and perverts the Truth in us.
These are our sins, LORD. We need you now! Come quickly, LORD Jesus. Come quickly.
Prophecy can be looked at this way. When the prophets received a word from GOD, it was for some immediate event AND for the future. Since we have been 'grafted' into the family of GOD, we must also take a look at prophecy.
Isaiah 1:1-23
The vision of Isaiah the son of Amoz, which he saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah.
Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth! For the LORD has spoken: "I have nourished and brought up children, and they have rebelled against Me; the ox knows its owner and the donkey its master's crib; but My people do not know Me, and My people do not consider."
Alas, sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, a brood of evildoers, children who are corrupters! They have forsaken the LORD, they have provoked to anger The Holy One of Israel, they have turned away backward.
Why should you be stricken again? You will rebel more and more. The whole head is sick, and the whole heart faints.
From the sole of the foot even to the head, there is no soundness in it, but wounds and bruises and putrefying sores; they have not been closed or bound up, or soothed with ointment.
Your country is desolate, your cities are burned with fire; strangers devour your land in your presence; and it is desolate, overthrown by strangers.
So the daughter of Zion is left abandoned as a booth in a vineyard, as a hut in a garden of cucumbers, as a besieged city.
Unless the LORD of hosts had left to us a very small remnant, we would have become like Sodom, we would have been made like Gomorrah.
Hear the word of the LORD, you rulers of Sodom; give ear to the law of our GOD, you people of Gomorrah: "To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices to Me?" says the LORD.
"I have had enough of insincere burnt offerings of rams and the fat of fed cattle. I do not delight in the blood of bulls, or of lambs or goats. When you come to appear before Me, who has required this from your hand, to trample My courts? Bring no more futile sacrifices; incense is an abomination to Me. The New Moons, the Sabbaths, and the calling of assemblies--I cannot endure iniquity and the sacred meeting. Your New Moons and your appointed feasts My soul hates; they are a trouble to Me, I am weary of bearing them. When you spread out your hands, I will hide My eyes from you; even though you make many prayers, I will not hear. Your hands are full of blood.
"How the faithful land has become a harlot! It was full of justice; righteousness lodged in it, but now murderers.
"Your silver has become dross, your wine mixed with water. Your princes are rebellious, and companions of thieves; everyone loves bribes, and follows after rewards. They do not defend the fatherless, nor does the cause of the widow come before them.
"Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean; put away the evil of your doings from before My eyes. Cease to do evil, learn to do good; seek justice, rebuke the oppressor; defend the fatherless, plead for the widow.
"Come now, and let us reason together," says the LORD, "though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall be as wool.
"If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land; but if you refuse and rebel, you shall be devoured by the sword";
For the mouth of the LORD has spoken.
This is the burden of my heart this Lent season:
1. We Christians have been asleep for too long. We have been complacent. We have let too much slide. We have not taught our own children the truths of life. We have not disciplined ourselves to live holy lives before a Holy GOD. We have changed our image of a Holy GOD to one who is weak and one of our own images, one who is indifferent and compromising. We have allowed the influence of non-believing cultures to permeate what we believe. And argue instead on minutia that has nothing to do with salvation.
2. Our own churches teach our children that religion is "cool" and "up beat" and make games out of worship services. They no longer teach how important holiness is and how to deal with opposition and ridicule.
3. Our own churches and institutions of higher learning that profess to be our leaders spiritually are compromising. They are not teaching holiness from the pulpits and compromise the way they teach. They are afraid to stand up to the wave of evil coming against them.
4. The government cries, "Separation of church and state!" Yet they are telling us what we can teach and what to believe.
5. They have already put Evangelical Christians on the terrorist watch list.
6. They say we have to teach philosophies that are against our Holy GOD and to be tolerant of them. Even those that martyr us.
7. The state will take our children away to instruct them because they say we don't fit in with their society and they don't want our children growing up believing the way we do.
8. We have become too materialistic and greedy. We work more and more to make more and more money to buy more and more! We no longer pray and seek GOD the way we need to get our strength from You because we have to feed our own indulgences. We have become slaves to our lifestyles and the worship of money and power and greed. We have replaced a Holy GOD with mammon.
9. Satan is coming at us like a flood. Christians are being brutally martyred all over the world.
10. Satan throws confusion at us and perverts the Truth in us.
These are our sins, LORD. We need you now! Come quickly, LORD Jesus. Come quickly.
posted by Linda R. | 1:45 PM
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