KJB Daily Devotion – Following Jesus Through Every Chapter
Date: Monday, July 16, 2018
Chapters: Isaiah 13-17
Message: Influenced By Jesus
Hello My Friend,
As Christians, the more evil we see in the world the more we wonder if we will hear those trumpets sounding Christ’s return any day now. There is not a day that goes by where you do not hear someone say that all these horrible things happening are pure evil, and they really are. Satan is working overtime and is not stopping anytime soon, in fact, it is going to get much worse before Christ returns. As much as I really do not like talking about Satan I knew it was coming because I have felt his presence for a while now afflicting my physical health. The devil loves to play on our emotional wellbeing, he knows he cannot take our soul because it belongs to Jesus, but he can influence us in an attempt to hinder us from being effective in doing God’s work. I listened to a young man preach about serving God, doing whatever He asks, even when we do not understand, no questions asked, and that left me wondering how many times I allowed Satan to influence me through the afflictions he caused. Then I remember what Job said about God, “On the left hand, where he doth work, but I cannot behold him: he hideth himself on the right hand, that I cannot see him: But he knoweth the way that I take: when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold.” – Job 23:9-10.
“when he hath tried me,” Believe it or not, God does allow the devil to afflict us, He knows who His faithful are and while we may from time to time question God, we do not forsake Him because we know that He knows the way we take. I will never understand how people pick and choose what they want to believe from the Bible, it is all true, and everything will come to pass as He states. Now, after God gave some prophecies concerning the Messiah, His kingdom, and His judging the earth, and the state Israel was not in, through Isaiah, He gives us prophecies concerning those nations who turned on Israel, and of their destruction. You see, while God may chasten His people first, He will judge the wicked last, beginning with Babylon, which is a picture of the world.
“The noise of a multitude in the mountains, like as of a great people; a tumultuous noise of the kingdoms of nations gathered together: the LORD of hosts mustereth the host of the battle. They come from a far country, from the end of heaven, even the LORD, and the weapons of his indignation, to destroy the whole land. Howl ye; for the day of the LORD is at hand; it shall come as a destruction from the Almighty. And I will punish the world for their evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; and I will cause the arrogancy of the proud to cease, and will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible. I will make a man more precious than fine gold; even a man than the golden wedge of Ophir. Therefore I will shake the heavens, and the earth shall remove out of her place, in the wrath of the LORD of hosts, and in the day of his fierce anger. And Babylon, the glory of kingdoms, the beauty of the Chaldees’ excellency, shall be as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah.” – Isaiah 13:4-6,11-13,19.
“And I will punish the world for their evil,” There are some that say, “Since God created everything He created evil and that makes Him evil.” There are two problems with that statement, one, there are two different types of evil, natural and wicked, natural evil is disease, sickness, things that were passed on to us from the fall of man. And two, wicked evil, which is that caused by acts that are pure wicked, such as murder and wizardry. Wicked evil is not orchestrated by God at all, but by Satan, also known as Lucifer. Through Isaiah, God tells us a little about Lucifer and what he did that caused God to be so angry at him, that He not only cast him out of heaven, but gave him a horrible death sentence as well.
“How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High. Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit. They that see thee shall narrowly look upon thee, and consider thee, saying, Is this the man that made the earth to tremble, that did shake kingdoms; That made the world as a wilderness, and destroyed the cities thereof; that opened not the house of his prisoners? All the kings of the nations, even all of them, lie in glory, every one in his own house. But thou art cast out of thy grave like an abominable branch, and as the raiment of those that are slain, thrust through with a sword, that go down to the stones of the pit; as a carcase trodden under feet.” – Isaiah 14:12-19.
“Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell,” One would ask, and I even had children ask me this question, “Why has not God punished Satan already?” The answer to that question I believe has to do with God’s willingness to save all the souls He can before that horrible day in which the whole earth will be destroyed just as Babylon was. The truth of all this is, Satan cannot get us to do evil no more that God can get us to do good, we make choices, and that is what freewill is, the ability to choose. Both Jesus and Satan influence us by their actions, we choose whether or not we follow Jesus’s influence or Satan’s, even though we do not care to admit that, but we will all face Jesus for those choices, even Satan will, he may be in his glory right now, but he knows he will have to face Jesus too, and he has no idea when He will return either, which is why he is working overtime to take so many souls down there with him. “And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.” – Revelation 20:10.
God loves His people, in fact, He loves all of His creation, what He does not love is sin, and let me tell you, as wicked as the world is, there are some so called Christians that are even more wicked. It is the idleness of the faithful and the wickedness of the unfaithful that brings judgment to a nation of God, but God does not just stop with His people, all will judged, but first He begins with His people. Through Isaiah, God foretells the destruction of the cities of Syria and Israel.
“And in that day it shall come to pass, that the glory of Jacob shall be made thin, and the fatness of his flesh shall wax lean. And it shall be as when the harvestman gathereth the corn, and reapeth the ears with his arm; and it shall be as he that gathereth ears in the valley of Rephaim. Yet gleaning grapes shall be left in it, as the shaking of an olive tree, two or three berries in the top of the uppermost bough, four or five in the outmost fruitful branches thereof, saith the LORD God of Israel. At that day shall a man look to his Maker, and his eyes shall have respect to the Holy One of Israel. And he shall not look to the altars, the work of his hands, neither shall respect that which his fingers have made, either the groves, or the images. In that day shall his strong cities be as a forsaken bough, and an uppermost branch, which they left because of the children of Israel: and there shall be desolation. Because thou hast forgotten the God of thy salvation, and hast not been mindful of the rock of thy strength, therefore shalt thou plant pleasant plants, and shalt set it with strange slips:” – Isaiah 17:4-10.
“Because thou hast forgotten the God of thy salvation,” Every saved soul comes to a point in their lives where they question their faithfulness to God, circumstances and sin often cloud our faith. While a some of us will see that there is no where to turn, and are better off with the Saviour, many will forget the God of their salvation, and that is when judgment will come. Jesus is our Rock, our Judge, our only way to God, the Holy One of Israel, and will cut the unfruitful branches from His vine. One day all will bow to Him in respect, but only those whom are still on His vine will be saved from that horrible day in which the whole earth will be judged and only those remaining on His vine will be saved. “Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit. Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.” – John 15:2-6.
Jesus Christ Magnified: “The LORD of hosts hath sworn, saying, Surely as I have thought, so shall it come to pass; and as I have purposed, so shall it stand:” – Isaiah 14:24.
Today’s Prayer: God, Thank You for Your gift of salvation, we do not have to work to be saved from judgment, all we need to do is believe in and receive Your Son, who gave His life to save me forever. I know I am a sinner, but thanks to Jesus I am clean, all my sins have been removed, and I can now stand before You without judgment. While I can never do anything to lose my salvation, I do not want to have to give an account as to why I did not use every opportunity to proclaim Your Son as the source of my salvation. Lord, lead me and guide me, give me Your power, strength, wisdom, mercy, and grace to live in Your will and let me be led by the Holy Spirit and not my flesh. Give me boldness to speak Your truths and in fact, let Your voice speak through me. Let me not let any of my afflictions hinder me, rebuke the devil and his attempt to draw me away from You. Open my heart and keep it looking to Jesus whom I want to influence me. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina
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