KJB Daily Devotion – Following Jesus Through Every Chapter
Date: Thursday, August 30, 2018
Chapters: Ezekiel 13-15
Message: The Stumblingblock
Hello My Friend,
Stumblingblock; Someone that encloses or shuts up others from knowing and seeing truth. Okay, so there are several religions that teach salvation through Christ, but they also shut people from the truth that salvation is only by grace through their faith in Christ alone. There are also many who acknowledge Christ, but merely as a prophet or martyr who died on the cross defending his faith and shut people from knowing the truth. Let me tell you, Jew or Gentile, those who put a stumblingblock before others to keep them from knowing the truth will have to answer to God. However, those who choose to believe these false religions also will answer to God for believing their lies, ignorance does not save anyone, the only way we are saved is through our faith in Christ alone. “He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son. But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.” – Revelation 21:7-8.
I grew up Catholic, and I swear, every day that passes by I am so grateful that God took me out of that religion. As questionable as it was years ago, it does not compare to what is going on today, a pope that changes the Word of God, allows women to run a church, child predators, not to mention that their doctrine itself has changed, and none of them even know what the Bible says as they have their own book they follow that they teach from because they believe no one can understand the real Bible. Let me tell you, if the religion takes you away from reading the Bible itself and makes up their own book of worship that alone is a sign that it is a stumblingblock. By the way, I just read that there is a group of people coming up with another version of the Bible that is gender neutral, they are taking out the he’s and she’s, and making everyone to be an it. Do you know how corrupt that is, talk about a stumblingblock? Do these people have any idea who angry that makes God? Oh, they will, because according to God these are all false prophets, and Jew or Gentile, they will answer to Him. While the captive Jews were in Babylon, the escapees, or so they thought, were out declaring their independence, and using God’s name to do it. Through Ezekiel, God warns the people of these false prophets.
“Son of man, prophesy against the prophets of Israel that prophesy, and say thou unto them that prophesy out of their own hearts, Hear ye the word of the LORD; Thus saith the Lord GOD; Woe unto the foolish prophets, that follow their own spirit, and have seen nothing! They have seen vanity and lying divination, saying, The LORD saith: and the LORD hath not sent them: and they have made others to hope that they would confirm the word. Have ye not seen a vain vision, and have ye not spoken a lying divination, whereas ye say, The LORD saith it; albeit I have not spoken? Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Because ye have spoken vanity, and seen lies, therefore, behold, I am against you, saith the Lord GOD. Because with lies ye have made the heart of the righteous sad, whom I have not made sad; and strengthened the hands of the wicked, that he should not return from his wicked way, by promising him life: Therefore ye shall see no more vanity, nor divine divinations: for I will deliver my people out of your hand: and ye shall know that I am the LORD.” – Ezekiel 13:2-3,6-8,22-23.
“and say thou unto them that prophesy out of their own hearts,” Anyone who goes against God’s Word, whether they change it to fit their sin, belief, or whatever it is that they think they know more than God, all they are doing it for is their for own agenda. Salvation does not give those with their own personal agendas the power to influence others to believe their lies and follow them. All these people are is a stumblingblock for those who truly want a relationship with God. And let me tell you, those who believe them will face judgment too, because they trusted the false prophet over His truths. “But take heed lest by any means this liberty of yours become a stumblingblock to them that are weak. For if any man see thee which hast knowledge sit at meat in the idol’s temple, shall not the conscience of him which is weak be emboldened to eat those things which are offered to idols;” – I Corinthians 8:9-10.
As much as God would love for every soul to be saved, it just does not happen, and once we die without being saved, there is no turning back. If you need more proof that we are accountable for our own actions, even though we may been deceived by a false prophet, there is plenty of it in God’s Word. Through Ezekiel, God, speaking to His Son, shows us that not only are the false prophets going to be held accountable to their deception, we are all accountable for our own soul.
“Son of man, these men have set up their idols in their heart, and put the stumblingblock of their iniquity before their face: should I be enquired of at all by them? For every one of the house of Israel, or of the stranger that sojourneth in Israel, which separateth himself from me, and setteth up his idols in his heart, and putteth the stumblingblock of his iniquity before his face, and cometh to a prophet to enquire of him concerning me; I the LORD will answer him by myself: And I will set my face against that man, and will make him a sign and a proverb, and I will cut him off from the midst of my people; and ye shall know that I am the LORD. And if the prophet be deceived when he hath spoken a thing, I the LORD have deceived that prophet, and I will stretch out my hand upon him, and will destroy him from the midst of my people Israel. And they shall bear the punishment of their iniquity: the punishment of the prophet shall be even as the punishment of him that seeketh unto him; That the house of Israel may go no more astray from me, neither be polluted any more with all their transgressions; but that they may be my people, and I may be their God, saith the Lord GOD.” – Ezekiel 14:3-10.
“the punishment of the prophet shall be even as the punishment of him that seeketh unto him;” You see, both the false prophet and the one who believed face the same punishment? Why? Because they too are a stumblingblock, deceiving people believing what they believe and are taught. Look, changing God’s Word to suit the never ending corruption of the world does not make it true, any alteration is a lie, half truths are not truths, they are lies also. God continues to address this, pointing out further that we will all be accountable.
“Son of man, when the land sinneth against me by trespassing grievously, then will I stretch out mine hand upon it, and will break the staff of the bread thereof, and will send famine upon it, and will cut off man and beast from it: Though these three men, Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in it, they should deliver but their own souls by their righteousness, saith the Lord GOD. If I cause noisome beasts to pass through the land, and they spoil it, so that it be desolate, that no man may pass through because of the beasts: Though these three men were in it, as I live, saith the Lord GOD, they shall deliver neither sons nor daughters; they only shall be delivered, but the land shall be desolate. Yet, behold, therein shall be left a remnant that shall be brought forth, both sons and daughters: behold, they shall come forth unto you, and ye shall see their way and their doings: and ye shall be comforted concerning the evil that I have brought upon Jerusalem, even concerning all that I have brought upon it. And they shall comfort you, when ye see their ways and their doings: and ye shall know that I have not done without cause all that I have done in it, saith the Lord GOD.” – Ezekiel 14:13-16,22-23.
“they shall but deliver their own souls by their righteousness.” Was Noah, Daniel, and Job sinless? No. We all come short of the glory of God. What they all had in common was that they followed God with all their heart, Job did not even have a Bible to read, yet He feared God. Noah did not have a Bible either, yet He heard God speak and obeyed Him. God wants nothing to do with people that not only tell the lies, but believe them too, they have brought people to confusion, and sent many to hell because of their lies. We who know the truth and are saved by it have the responsibility to tell the world because they sure are not, we need to be proud that we are a sinner saved by the grace of God through our faith in Christ, not be ashamed of it. “But Israel, which followed after the law of righteousness, hath not attained to the law of righteousness. Wherefore? Because they sought it not by faith, but as it were by the works of the law. For they stumbled at that stumblingstone; As it is written, Behold, I lay in Sion a stumblingstone and rock of offence: and whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.” – Romans 9:31-33.
Since our own righteousness cannot save us, God made a way for us to be saved without the need of our own, and that is Jesus Christ. Since we are all a creation of God, He makes salvation as easy as knowing your A, B, C’s, A: Admit that you are a sinner, B: Believe in Christ, and C: Confess Jesus as your Saviour. So what happens to those who do not know their A, B, C’s? It is the devil that leads people away from the truth as they feed upon the lusts of their flesh, he is the true stumblingblock, and we must realize that any alteration from the Word of God creates a stumblingblock for those who need the truth, and we who know the truth must live the truth as to not become a stumblingblock for the lost.
“Unto you therefore which believe he is precious: but unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner, And a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence, even to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient: whereunto also they were appointed. But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light: Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy. Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul;” – I Peter 2:7-11.
Jesus Christ Magnified: “For every one of the house of Israel, or of the stranger that sojourneth in Israel, which separateth himself from me, and setteth up his idols in his heart, and putteth the stumblingblock of his iniquity before his face, and cometh to a prophet to enquire of him concerning me; I the LORD will answer him by myself: And I will set my face against that man, and will make him a sign and a proverb, and I will cut him off from the midst of my people; and ye shall know that I am the LORD.” – Ezekiel 14:7-8.
Today’s Prayer: Jesus, There is no doubt that there are many false prophets out there, and You warned us that even we can be deceived by them. Lord, let us not get caught up with anyone who teaches a doctrine other than Yours. Lead us and guide us, give us the wisdom we need to know Your truths and how to handle those that try to deceive us. Give us Your power to be a witness, Your strength to stand up to the truth, and let us be bold and willing vessels to teach it to those who so desperately need it. In Your name, Jesus, amen.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina
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