To Believe Or Not To Believe

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KJB Daily DevotionFollowing Jesus Through Every Chapter
Date: Monday, September 05, 2016
Chapters: Ezekiel 31-33
Message: To Believe Or Not To Believe

Hello My Friend,

BelieveBelieve, To be persuaded of the truth of something upon the declaration of another, or upon evidence furnished by reasons, arguments, and deductions of the mind, or by other circumstances, than personal knowledge. To the believer, God is good all the time, even when bad things happen we can trust Him because He is good. To the unbeliever, God cannot be good or trusted, because He makes evil things to happen. Can I tell you, God does not make evil things happen, the devil is the author of evil, but man is capable of making evil things happen all on their own. It all boils down to one thing, having faith in Him in the first place.

Jesus answered and said unto them, Verily I say unto you, If ye have faith, and doubt not, ye shall not only do this which is done to the fig tree, but also if ye shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; it shall be done. And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.” – Matthew 21:21,22.

Heard my preacher say yesterday that God does not make miracles happen like He did during Bible times. I disagree, we may not see God part the waters, but He can and has moved mountains. Since God replenished the earth after the flood, Egypt could never grasp the concept that all their man mad gods were unreal and powerless. He had been fighting with them since Abraham had Ishmael, the illegitimate child of an Egyptian woman that he had under the influence of his own wife. Now, God has placed judgment upon Egypt, not to destroy them completely, but to destroy them as a powerful nation. Through an illustration of a forest of trees, God continues to warn Egypt, this time for exalting themselves for their prosperity.

Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Because thou hast lifted up thyself in height, and he hath shot up his top among the thick boughs, and his heart is lifted up in his height; I have therefore delivered him into the hand of the mighty one of the heathen; he shall surely deal with him: I have driven him out for his wickedness. I made the nations to shake at the sound of his fall, when I cast him down to hell with them that descend into the pit: and all the trees of Eden, the choice and best of Lebanon, all that drink water, shall be comforted in the nether parts of the earth. They also went down into hell with him unto them that be slain with the sword; and they that were his arm, that dwelt under his shadow in the midst of the heathen.” – Ezekiel 31:10,11,16,17.

I have driven him out for his wickedness.” God allows Calamities to come, not to push people away, but to bring them closer to Him. We must admit that when things are going well we do not seek God out as much as we do when facing difficulties. It is not that we even do it on purpose, it is that we unconsciously see the need to only go to God when we really need Him. The problem with that is that it gives room for the devil to creep in and that is how people and nations fall. God did not want to see Egypt fall at all, through Ezekiel, God takes up a lamentation for them.

Son of man, wail for the multitude of Egypt, and cast them down, even her, and the daughters of the famous nations, unto the nether parts of the earth, with them that go down into the pit. Whom dost thou pass in beauty? go down, and be thou laid with the uncircumcised. They shall fall in the midst of them that are slain by the sword: she is delivered to the sword: draw her and all her multitudes. The strong among the mighty shall speak to him out of the midst of hell with them that help him: they are gone down, they lie uncircumcised, slain by the sword. For I have caused my terror in the land of the living: and he shall be laid in the midst of the uncircumcised with them that are slain with the sword, even Pharaoh and all his multitude, saith the Lord GOD.” – Ezekiel 32:18-21,32.

For I have caused my terror in the land of the living:” Terror, Extreme fear; violent dread; fright; fear that agitates the body and mind. Unbelief says, God is mean and cruel, and strikes down anyone for going against Him. Faith says, God is merciful and gracious, and would have none perish if they would only believe in His Son. There is nothing like extreme fear to get one to seek help from God and finding Christ.

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.  He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.” – John 3:16-18.

God it explains Himself, that He does not want to see anyone destroyed, but it sin is what destroys them. He sends Ezekiel back to Israel to remind them that their good works cannot save them on their own.

Therefore, O thou son of man, speak unto the house of Israel; Thus ye speak, saying, If our transgressions and our sins be upon us, and we pine away in them, how should we then live? Say unto them, As I live, saith the Lord GOD, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live: turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die, O house of Israel? Therefore, thou son of man, say unto the children of thy people, The righteousness of the righteous shall not deliver him in the day of his transgression: as for the wickedness of the wicked, he shall not fall thereby in the day that he turneth from his wickedness; neither shall the righteous be able to live for his righteousness in the day that he sinneth. Yet ye say, The way of the Lord is not equal. O ye house of Israel, I will judge you every one after his ways.” – Ezekiel 33:10-12,20.

but that the wicked turn from his way and live:” Our works can never, ever, ever, save us from hell, because all it takes is one sin to erase all the good we have done. There is only one person who is righteous all the time, and that is Jesus Christ. We who believe in Him and, by faith, receive Him as our Saviour, are not saved by any righteousness that we have done, but by His righteousness.

As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets; Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference: For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:” – Romans 3:10,11,21-24. Praise God!

Today’s Prayer: God, Not by our own righteousness are we saved, but by the righteousness of Your Son, who gave His life to save us are we saved. Thank You for making that great sacrifice, and for loving us so much that you are willing that none should perish. Lord, we who are saved, live by faith and not by sight, but often our faith becomes impaired by the things that we see, give us Your power to break through any unbelief, and help us to keep following Your Son, who is the only one who gives us the strengthen to keep believing and see great things happen through our belief. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina

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