by Suellen | Project 2013: Read The Bible
Jeremiah 43-45
Famous last words, “I’ll do whatever you say, Lord.” How many times are promises made to the Father which are not kept? (Maybe we have been guilty of that ourselves from time to time). In an emotional moment, there is nothing we won’t do. Then the promise gets harder, and… you know how it is.
Well, that’s the way it is with Johanan and all the “proud men” who are left in Judah. (43:2) Afraid that they will suffer a fate similar to Gedaliah, these men plan to go to Egypt. However, the Word from God as spoken through Jeremiah is “Don’t do it. If you go, I can’t bless you.”
Do they listen? Of course not. These “proud men” are just like the “proud men” of any era. They think that they are too smart for God’s man.
So they go to Egypt and even take Jeremiah with them.
Our Father’s plan had been to leave in Judah a remnant to “keep the fires burning” for His land. They would be blessed and be forerunners for the return of His people several decades later. However, not listening to Him, they forfeit that blessing.
Egypt, like Judah, is to be ravaged by Babylon. Alas.
There are times in our walk with God when we think we know what we should do, but He has other plans. Sometimes those plans may seem illogical, but if we know for sure that He is leading us in a certain direction, we must go there. Only our Father knows the end from the beginning, and His way is always the best way.
We must listen to Him.
Hebrews 3-4
We come to the most important principle in the Word for a successful Christian life. We come to the principle of Faith.
We often think of sin as mistreatment of others, or of unholy living. And indeed those things are sin. Yet God considers the greatest sin to be doubting Him.
The children of Israel are our example. When the Lord reached into Egypt and dramatically delivered this nation, He displayed great signs and wonders. There was no question left that God was God and all-powerful. He showed His ability for all the people to see. (Just think about seeing a great sea part in the middle, with the water standing up on either side so that they could walk across on dry ground).
So the Israelites come to the border of the Promised Land, and they send spies to see what the land is like. One from each tribe goes into the land and looks around. All of them come back reporting that the land is magnificent. The produce is huge and it’s generally a terrific place.
However, there are some giants there, and that sways most of the spies. 10 of the 12 spies report that the giants are too big and that they feel like grasshoppers in their presence. There are only two brave, faithful men in the bunch. Joshua and Caleb report that there are indeed giants, but they know that the mighty God who delivered them out of Egypt will carry them into the Land of Promise.
The majority of spies influence the masses of people, and they cry all night – blaming the Lord for bringing them out of Egypt just to die in the wilderness. Shocking! Such disbelief! So the Lord refuses to take them in. They cannot enter in because of unbelief.
So it’s your turn. Do you believe God? I mean really believe Him? Do you believe for miracles in your life and the lives of those around you? Do you believe for healing? Your family delivered? Your needs met?
When we are walking in God’s will, there are blessings which are promised to us. That’s our Promised Land: the land of our promises from Him. Now there are giants there (demonic forces which try to keep us from receiving), but we can conquer them if we believe Him and His Word. The key is having faith in what He says.
One of the most provocative scriptures in the Bible is Hebrews 4:2. “For the gospel was preached to us as well as them, but the word which they heard did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in those who heard it.”
We have a part in what our God does for us. He has promised us lots, but we have to mix those promises with our faith. Only when we believe what God says, do we profit from what He says. In fact, when we don’t believe Him, we displease our Father greatly.
This is a principle which we would do well to meditate on again and again. I would suggest reading and re-reading these two chapters until we “get it.”
When we become people of faith in God, we will see Him work amazingly in our lives. So let’s go after it!
Our God can do anything in our lives when we put our trust in Him.
by Suellen | Project 2013: Read The Bible
Jeremiah 40-42
We see in our modern times how a vacuum of leadership is a dangerous thing. When dictators are removed from their position, there is rejoicing for a season, and then confusion seems to set in. All of the different factions are vying for the top spot. Some principles remain the same throughout history.
When Judah fell to Babylon all of the rich, educated, and productive people of the community were taken away. The only people left behind were the poorest of the land. Nebuchadnezzar’s choice of king, Gedaliah, was put in place, but only for a short season. As usually happens, the one who was easily controlled by Nebuchadnezzar was also easily fooled by Ishmael. The result: a slaughtered king and all of his cohorts, and many who were ready to run to Egypt because of the slaughter.
This is a spiritual lesson for our day. Of course, we need strong, godly leadership in government, but I am talking about a lesson for us personally.
When Jesus is truly our leader, we will stay focused on our purpose and continue on the path of God. We will have the peace He promises us.
However, if we put down our guard, get too busy, and allow His headship to become vacated in 0ur lives, we are in trouble. There is no such thing as a vacuum in the spirit. As soon as that place of authority in our lives goes untended, Satan moves right in. He has his own plans for our lives, and they are not good ones.
Over the years, in pastoring, I have seen some sad cases of people turning to the Lord, being blessed, and then becoming too busy or distracted for Him. Before they knew it, the enemy was at the door. Sometimes healed marriages would revert back to disarray and divorce. Sometimes addictions would rise up in greater force than ever. Sometimes financial chaos would develop.
Jesus put it this way,”When an unclean spirit goes out of a man, he goes through dry places, seeking rest and finds none. Then he says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ And when he comes, he finds it empty, swept, and put in order. Then he goes and takes with him seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter and dwell there; and the last state of that man is worse than the first.”(Matthew 12:43-45)
We can’t afford to have vacuums of headship in our lives. Either we will continue with Jesus, or demonic forces will come and take that place.
However, you and I are dedicated to filling up our lives – our thoughts and attitudes – with the Word of God. As we develop the mind of Christ, the enemy has no chance with us!
That’s the way I want to live! I know that you do too.
Hebrews 2
Hang on! Here goes a big one.
“Inasmuch as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself likewise shared in the same, that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is the devil, and release those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.” (V. 14)
God’s Son became a man and walked the earth as we do. It’s hard to imagine that our Jesus went through the same temptations that we do, but He did. He not only knows what it means to be a man because of His all-knowing aspect, but he experienced it first hand.
So not only did Jesus take on the form of a man, but he walked in our footsteps just as we do, and He came out totally victorious. He was tempted, but He never, never sinned. And through His perfection He had the right to overcome death which the devil brought His way.
Not only that, but in taking on the form of man, He was able to become a merciful and faithful High Priest. (V.17) He knows what we are going through.
The bottom line is this: are you in need? Run to Him. Are you overwhelmed? Run to Him. Have you sinned, and do you feel unworthy? Run to Him.
As long as we keep Jesus as our High Priest, we will be just fine.
Of course, things will not always go our way, and we won’t always do things just right. But there is nothing which can separate us from God’s love for us.
If we run to Jesus and spend time with Him, we will find ourselves growing in our confidence – and our ability to overcome our obstacles.
He is an Overcomer, and so are we!
by Suellen | Project 2013: Read The Bible
Jeremiah 37-39
There’s an old saying, “There are no atheists in foxholes.” When the time comes – in any life – for death and destruction to be at the door, people instinctively reach out for God, even if they don’t know Him.
That’s what we see with Zedekiah. He has been appointed king by Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon. (The Chaldean country had besieged Judah and taken off some of the elites. Now they were demanding their choice of leadership in the land). Certainly, Nebuchadnezzar had not chosen someone who would be faithful to his God. So we have a lukewarm Jew as king.
Publicly Zedekiah persecuted and abused Jeremiah, but there are hints that he had the aforementioned “foxhole syndrome.” When the king discovered that Jeremiah had been thrown into a cistern and bogged down in mud, he engineered the prophet’s secret release. And he brought him to his own guardhouse.
Soon thereafter, promising to keep him safe and not to punish him for his words, Zedekiah calls Jeremiah to him. “What’s God saying to you?” is his request.
The prophet boldly tells Zedekiah the word of the Lord. Judah will be overthrown by Babylon; there is no stopping it. If the king will willingly go and turn himself over to Nebuchadnezzar, then he will not be harmed and Jerusalem will not be burned. If the king resists, however, the reverse will be true.
Zedekiah stubbornly remains in his place, and is soon carried away against his will. His palace and many fine homes are burned by the invading army, and Zedekiah’s sons are killed before his eyes. Then he is blinded and carried away. The king’s life is spared, but just as Jeremiah predicted, he suffers greatly.
When God speaks, we must listen. He is calling to His church today, stirring hearts to return to Him. He is a glorious, wonderful, merciful God who wants to bless us all abundantly.
If we will just listen, obey, and receive from Him!
Hebrews 1
Heads up! Every time we read Hebrews we should be energized in the spirit. It’s such a wonderful rendition of Christ and what he has done for us. And it is the best comparison between the old and new covenants.
First we establish who Jesus is. He speaks to us in these last days to bring us the revelation of God’s plan – and just what He wants to do through us.
Jesus is the heir of all things, being the exact representation of God’s nature. (If we’ve seen Jesus, we’ve seen the Father). But His magnificence is explained even more. Jesus “upholds all things by the Word of His power.” (V. 3) It was Jesus who spoke the world into existence, and the power in that word is still here today. The world is still spinning as it was in the beginning – and won’t stop until He tells it to. Think about that!
One Word of His power can create or destroy. When he speaks, things happen. Mind-boggling.
So this mighty, perfect Son of God paid the price for our sins and sat down at the right hand of his Father in heaven.
Now all the hosts of heaven – the angels and the demons are subject to Him. The demons have to flee when He tells them to. And the angels scurry about doing His will in the earth. They are ministering spirits sent to help those who inherit salvation.
Now we usually can’t see these spirits, but they are there. If you think about it, I bet there have been times when you knew they had to be helping you. Maybe a car accident avoided or a dangerous situation averted. Or maybe you knew that they helped you to find something you lost.
We have so many advantages as we walk with our God. As we pray, we can pray for angels to bring people across the paths of our loved ones who haven’t come to know Jesus yet. Using the authority delegated to us, as we speak God’s word, angels must obey us also.
They are at work on our behalf, so let’s be aware of them as much as we can. We will become more and more mindful of the benefits they provide.
We have everything we need for this abundant life we are living.
