America

My beloved nation is under the judgement of God and she doesn't know it. How many of us Christians are crying out to God, "Oh Father that my nation may turn to You, let her heart go back to You, that she may be once again a nation under God." Our prayers are being answered but like everything in life there are not being answer in the way we would want it. It would be great if something supernatural happened and the hearts of people just turned back to God, but that's not how He works. His plans are greater than our plans and His thoughts higher than our thoughts.

I often find myself praying for my wonderful nation that is America. She was founded as a nation under God, a nation that trusted in the Lord, how did we get so far from Him? We have rebelled against our God by worshiping other idols. An idol is anything that takes your focus off God, so that could be a job, material possessions, family (it's not bad to love your family we are commanded to love one another but we are not to replace God with our family), TV, etc.

In the book of Amos Israel is being corrected, God is trying to bring them back to Him and this is what He says:

6 “I gave you cleanness of teeth in all your cities,

and lack of bread in all your places,

yet you did not return to me,”

declares the Lord.

  7 “I also withheld the rain from you

when there were yet three months to the harvest;

I would send rain on one city,

and send no rain on another city;

one field would have rain,

and the field on which it did not rain would wither;

  8 so two or three cities would wander to another city

to drink water, and would not be satisfied;

yet you did not return to me,”

declares the Lord.

  9 “I struck you with blight and mildew;

your many gardens and your vineyards,

your fig trees and your olive trees the locust devoured;

yet you did not return to me,”

declares the Lord.

  10 “I sent among you a pestilence after the manner of Egypt;

I killed your young men with the sword,

and carried away your horses,

and I made the stench of your camp go up into your nostrils;

yet you did not return to me,”

declares the Lord.

  11 “I overthrew some of you,

as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah,

and you were as a brand plucked out of the burning;

yet you did not return to me,”

declares the Lord.

  12 “Therefore thus I will do to you, O Israel;

because I will do this to you,

prepare to meet your God, O Israel!”

  13 For behold, he who forms the mountains and creates the wind,

and declares to man what is his thought,

who makes the morning darkness,

and treads on the heights of the earth—

the Lord, the God of hosts, is His name!

He wants us back and so we are going through financial difficulties and we are going through everything we are going through because He is trying to get our attention but it breaks my heart because He is saying to us "I cause the market to crash, the housing crisis was a waking call yet you did not turn to Me"

How long till this nation turns back to GOD. America when will you realize that you were a nation dedicated to God, therefore you are His whether you like it or not, you were created/formed as a nation under the God Almighty. How blessed are we to be His possession! All I can pray is God let Your will be done concerning my nation, I plead for mercy on her behalf.

Let Us Return

Come, and let us return to the LORD; 

For He has torn, but He will heal us;

He has stricken, but He will bind us up.

Hosea 6:1

How many times have you been wounded and in pain and your last thought is of returning to the God of Love. Our pain is so strong we direct our attention everywhere but His throne, why? Why are we so stubborn? His word says that if we go to Him, He will come to us, like the rain He will come to us. Is that not something to rejoice about? I know not all of us like rain but think of a really hot summer day, humidity is at 100%, there are no clouds in the sky and the sun is right on top of you, if you are like me you are going to wish for rain. And when that rain comes it will be refreshing, that's what Hosea means when he says, "...He will come to us like the rain, like the latter and former rain to the earth" (Hosea6:3)

We serve a loving God and if we turn to Him, He will surely turn to us. But sometimes it is the state of our heart that keeps Him away. How would you feel if God told you: 

O Ephraim, what shall I do to you?

O Judah, what shall I do to you?

For your faithfulness is like a morning cloud,

and like the early dew it goes away.

Hosea 6:4

Replace Ephraim and Judah and use your name instead, "O Ana, what shall I do to you? for your faithfulness is like a morning cloud" those are really harsh words. He longs for a faithful relationship with you. Just like we expect our husband or wife, boyfriend or girlfriend to be faithful to us, He expects and demands the same from us. He will not be fooled if you only give Him lip service He can tell where your heart is and if it's not completely surrendered to Him, He doesn't want your pitiful acts of "righteousness". Instead He says to you, "For I desire mercy and not sacrifice, and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings." (Hosea 6:6). Let's not focus so much on what the world is going to say and let's focus on what God is going to say about us. The Pharisees followed the law, they were devoted (at least they appeared to be), they fasted and prayed but they did it so others would see, they were looking for the praise of men and not of God. Let's not be like the Pharisees, let us live surrendered lives, lives that please God. Let our praise and honor come from God and not man. For it is written, "woe to you when all men speak well of you, for that is how their fathers treated the false prophets" Luke 6:26

Therefore say to them, 'Thus says the LORD of hosts, 

"Return to Me, says the LORD of hosts, 

"and I will return to you," says the LORD of hosts.

Zechariah 1