| Subject: What is the effect? |
Author:
Vicky
|
[
Next Thread |
Previous Thread |
Next Message |
Previous Message
]
Date Posted: 03:16:21 10/31/05 Mon
Good morning ladies! I am currently about half way through my journey through the book of Isaiah. I read a chapter this morning that, personally, I find very frightening. Before I talk about that though, I want to share a couple of other thoughts that I had while spending time with the FATHER this morning.
Over the last 3 &1/2 years I have read through the book of Psalms over and over every month and in that time the FATHER has been so gracious as to engrave these WORDS of HIS onto the walls of my heart and my mind. There are few mornings that I come to the WORD that I don't have any idea about what I will read with my eyes; but always before I begin, I ask HIM to show me what HE would have me hear, and what HE would have me receive, understand, and then flesh out in my life. Perhaps you are thinking, "So what!" I say that because I so want this for each of you. My hearts' desire is that you would be so hungry for HIS WORD that you cannot get enough of it, and that you would hunger and long for more all the time.
This morning the FATHER showed me something really neat about how HIS WORD ties together. I began my time with HIM in Isaiah 39; as I already said, this chapter is frightening to me. After I read Isaiah 39 I turned over to Psalm 1 and WOW what a connection. I remember that Dr. Homer G. Lindsey used to say, "The best commentary on the WORD of GOD is the WORD of GOD." That rang true in my heart this morning.
In Isaiah 38 Hezekiah got sick and Isaiah came to him and said that the LORD had said for him to get his affairs in order, he was going to die. Hezekiah went to the LORD and prayed and asked GOD to spare his life, the LORD was moved by the tears of this Godly king and HE granted Hezekiah's request. In Isaiah 39 the King of Babylon sent an envoy with a letter and gift to Hezekiah. I suppose you could consider this get well wishes. As I read the chapter though my heart was grieved because of what happened. Hezekiah invited this group of strangers into his kingdom and basically took them on a tour of all that he had. Ladies, he invited the enemy into his palace and showed them around. (I don't believe that he realized at the time that they were the enemy.) Then Isaiah came to him and told him that what he had done was foolish and that these very people would come and carry off his own flesh and blood. Isaiah's reaction to this is frightening, and my prayer this morning was that my heart would not react this way when confronted with my own foolishness. Look at the last verses of this chapter. Isaiah 39:5-8 Then Isaiah said to Hezekiah, "Hear the WORD of the LORD ALMIGHTY; the time will surely come when everything in your palace, and all that your fathers have stored up until this day, will be carried off to Babylon. Nothing will be left, says the LORD. And some of your descendants, your own flesh and blood who will be born to you, will be taken away, and they will become eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon. "The WORD of the LORD you have spoken is good," Hezekiah replied. For he thought, "There will be peace and security in my lifetime."
It seems to me that Hezekiah was willing to sacrifice his own flesh and blood for his peace and security. Ladies, I will tell you that is a scary thought to me. I read this chapter many times over this morning and then I flipped over to Psalm 1. Let's look at the first verse in Psalm 1.
Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers. Think about Isaiah 39 in light of Psalm 1. Ladies, Hezekiah invited them into his palace and showed off everything he had. Was he aware that they were wicked? I do not know, but I have to question the wisdom of inviting in the leaders of another nation that you don't know anything about and showing them your armory and your treasury, and EVERYTHING you have. In countless ways though, I think we do this in our own lives. I believe that we allow the enemy of our soul to come in and wreak havoc in our lives because we aren't spending time with the ONE who will give us the wisdom and direction to keep the enemy out. Hezekiah may not have realized it, but HE was walking, standing, and then yes, even sitting with the wicked, and his family would end up paying a dear price for this foolish choice. Isaiah 39 said that they came from a distant land. If you think back to the book of Joshua when the children of Israel were going in and taking the promised land, the Gibeonites came to Joshua from a "distant land." Ladies, we are wise to check out those that we invite into our "palaces." The enemy doesn't always show up looking like an enemy. He can come wrapped in beautiful wrapping paper, but it serves us well to seek the counsel of our FATHER before we invite ANYONE into our "palace." Our children will often times, be the ones left to pick up the pieces of the poor choices that we make in our lives. I don't know about y'all, but I don't want my children to have to clean up after me when I am gone off of the scene. Remember, all that we know about Hezekiah up to this point is that he was a Godly king. Think about this today. Read Isaiah 38-39 and Psalm 1. Ask the FATHER to speak to your heart and to show you what HE has for you. HE HAS A WORD FOR YOU!
I leave you this morning with this question: What choices have you made lately that will effect those that come behind you? Will that effect be positive and draw them to the LORD JESUS, or will be that you have lead those who come behind you into captivity?
Have a great day. Know that HE has a plan for your life, A WONDERFUL PLAN that you could never have thought up on your own.
ONLY and ALWAYS Because of JESUS-
Vicky
[
Next Thread |
Previous Thread |
Next Message |
Previous Message
]
| |
Feedback: 