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With the 40 day fast only two days away, many things are racing through my mind and occupying my conversations. Right now, the Lord is extending His hand in mercy toward the USA as a nation, offering us forgiveness if we rend our hearts and turn to Him. Yet, if we refuse to truly repent and tear our hearts (go to painful and costly measures to obey Him), He will judge our nation very soon.
We have been blessed in ways that other countries have never even imagined possible with economic abundance, political freedom, and spiritual renewal. And how have we lived before Him in light of this? It does not take a keen eye to know that we have delighted ourselves in ourselves, feeding the lusts of our flesh by overeating, big spending, casual immorality, and all while mocking the name and nature of God as though to say, "He doesn't see; He doesn't hear; He doesn't care." However, we are in the same predicament as those in each of the five case studies that I have gone through. If we refuse to come to Him willingly, He will do whatever is necessary to keep us from eternal torment, and the Twin Towers as well as hurricane Katrina will seem like mere whispers compared to the thunder of His voice.
That is why the Lord is giving us a window of mercy, and if we turn to Him willingly during this time, He will relent from bringing wrath. So, what does it mean to turn? What does it look like? Is it actually possible? Heartily and overwhelmingly the answer is yes. Turning is not some mystical event that happens to us, but actually it is a reality that is quite attainable.
It simply means two things:
1) coming to the Lord in prayer and repentance, with confession and gratitude. We do this with broken hearts, asking for forgiveness in faith that the blood of Jesus is enough to wash us from all sin and fill us with grace to walk in righteousness in relationship with the Holy Spirit. This is not a one-time event but a continual posture of the heart.
2) making daily decisions to refuse sin and choose obedience to the Word. This is where the tearing aspect really takes place, and it doesn't happen casually. It takes aggressive commitment and leaning on the Holy Spirit to choose righteousness in the little areas of life.
The Lord loves mercy, and therefore He really will receive us wholeheartedly if we turn to Him, just as a loving father receives back his lost son (Luke 15:11-32). Yet we really have to turn, for He also loves righteousness and hates wickedness. This is His name that He proclaimed to Moses in order for him to be able to rightly lead a rebellious people into righteousness: "The Lord, the Lord God, compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in lovingkindness and truth; who keeps lovingkindness for thousands, who forgives iniquity, transgression and sin; yet He will by no means leave the guilty (unrepentant) unpunished, visiting the iniquity of fathers on the children and on the grandchildren to the third and fourth generations" (Exodus 34:6-7).
He gave us the key to responding rightly to His name/nature instead of hardening our hearts like the generation of Moses did, "Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts, as when they provoked Me" (Hebrews 3:15). It is today--choice by choice, moment by moment. When you realize you've been walking in disobedience or sin, turn back to Him. No matter how many times it takes, turn to Him with sincerity, truly asking for forgiveness and strength to walk in holiness. He will give us what we ask (in word and deed) of Him. We must ask rightly, for many will ask to be hardened before the end, willfully choosing eternal torment rather than the fulfillment and joy of loosing their lives to follow Him to gain eternal life. We cannot afford to wait for tomorrow to respond, for He will come at an hour we do not know if we are not being attentive right now.
In response to this call to return to the Lord, I am going to be joining this national fast by doing 40 days of silence. I know the Lord has called me to proclaim the word of the Lord, and therefore I am committed to consecrating my lips and heart to Him and Him alone. So, you can e-mail me (which I will be doing on a limited basis) during this time, but I will not be able to talk on the phone, etc. Please read the post from Wednesday if you are unaware of what fast I am referring to. If you aren't planning on joining this fast, I would ask that you reconsider. Feel free to call me before Monday night to discuss options of what you could fast.
If you do not feel that fasting food would be a good option, or even if you are simply wondering about whether or not to fast, I will this: take out TV and/or secular music for forty days and spend time reading the Bible instead, and see if He does not encounter you. A media fast is one of the most necessary things during these 40 days, so if nothing else, turn to Him in this way. But I challenge you not to do the bare minimum. He is offering so much if we will only posture ourselves to receive it (for we cannot earn His gifts, but it does take an open heart to receive them).
37 comments:
Great post! Becky I added you to the World's Largest IHOP-KC blogroll would you consider adding me to yours? Thanks
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Just realized you already had me there....never mind I am slow this week:)
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