I'm Following Jesus – Page 1359 – Mark 8:34 And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.

King James Bible Study – “And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.” – Mark 8:34

Date: Sunday, August 02, 2020
Chapters: II Chronicles 32, II Kings 20-21
Message: A Matter of Faith

Hello My Friend,

I was driving through downtown Orlando when I saw something that warmed my heart. There were Christians standing on the street corners with signs encouraging people to come to know Jesus, they even had it written in Spanish as well. Normally, street preaching does not phase me, but this touched me as it reminded me what God said to Elijah when he felt he was the only one left in a town full of wickedness, [I Kings 19:18 Yet I have left me seven thousand in Israel, all the knees which have not bowed unto Baal, and every mouth which hath not kissed him.]

We are in a battle here, and quite frankly, the numbers are stacked against those whom have trusted Christ as their Saviour. The devil is at odds with all who choose Christ, and is determined to prove to God that we would cave given the right situation. All I got to say is that one day in the house of God is better than a thousand out of it. Until God brings us home we are going to be afflicted, but we can rise above it and get the victory. II Chronicles gives us more details about the time that Isaiah prophesied in Jerusalem, and when Sennacherib invaded Judah during Hezekiah’s reign, and how he sought God’s help and defeated them. God wanted us to see that it does not matter our rank, whatever position we are in when we serve Him in it we succeed.

[II Chronicles 32:1-3,5-8 After these things, and the establishment thereof, Sennacherib king of Assyria came, and entered into Judah, and encamped against the fenced cities, and thought to win them for himself. 2 And when Hezekiah saw that Sennacherib was come, and that he was purposed to fight against Jerusalem, 3 He took counsel with his princes and his mighty men to stop the waters of the fountains which were without the city: and they did help him. 5 Also he strengthened himself, and built up all the wall that was broken, and raised it up to the towers, and another wall without, and repaired Millo in the city of David, and made darts and shields in abundance. 6 And he set captains of war over the people, and gathered them together to him in the street of the gate of the city, and spake comfortably to them, saying, 7 Be strong and courageous, be not afraid nor dismayed for the king of Assyria, nor for all the multitude that is with him: for there be more with us than with him: 8 With him is an arm of flesh; but with us is the LORD our God to help us, and to fight our battles. And the people rested themselves upon the words of Hezekiah king of Judah.]

[for there be more with us than with him:] No matter how large the number of people who come against us, our number is much greater because we have Christ with us. Christ is the one who fights our battles for us when we put our faith and trust in Him, [Deuteronomy 20:4 For the LORD your God is he that goeth with you, to fight for you against your enemies, to save you.]

We can understand the affliction someone goes through when they are not being faithful to God, but when they are faithful to God, we tend to wonder why. If there is one thing I learned truly come to understand this year, it is that God is in every circumstance, every battle, and every trial. We just need to look beyond the surface of our emotions to see that He fights every battle for us. Since Christ is on our side, we can expect the devil to show up and try to get us to doubt Him, and that is what he did when he sent Sennacherib to Jerusalem.

[II Chronicles 32:11-15,20 Doth not Hezekiah persuade you to give over yourselves to die by famine and by thirst, saying, The LORD our God shall deliver us out of the hand of the king of Assyria? 12 Hath not the same Hezekiah taken away his high places and his altars, and commanded Judah and Jerusalem, saying, Ye shall worship before one altar, and burn incense upon it? 13 Know ye not what I and my fathers have done unto all the people of other lands? were the gods of the nations of those lands any ways able to deliver their lands out of mine hand? 14 Who was there among all the gods of those nations that my fathers utterly destroyed, that could deliver his people out of mine hand, that your God should be able to deliver you out of mine hand? 15 Now therefore let not Hezekiah deceive you, nor persuade you on this manner, neither yet believe him: for no god of any nation or kingdom was able to deliver his people out of mine hand, and out of the hand of my fathers: how much less shall your God deliver you out of mine hand? 20 And for this cause Hezekiah the king, and the prophet Isaiah the son of Amoz, prayed and cried to heaven.]

[how much less shall your God deliver you out of mine hand?] This is another tactic of the enemy, to intimidate us out of trusting God. Of course, the enemy is going to prevail if we are trusting in some man made god to save us, when we trust in the Almighty and only living God, we are the who get the victory, [I John 5:4 For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.]

We really do not need a lot of faith, in fact, all it has to be is the size of a mustard seed and God will move a mountain, we just need some faith. God was about to prove Hezekiah’s faith again when He allowed the devil to afflict his body. Shortly after their victory, Hezekiah became deathly ill, it was then that Isaiah came to him to tell him that he was going to die. With his face turned away from him, and with tears in his eyes, he pleads with God to extend his life. And before Isaiah even left the property, God sent him back with an answer.

[II Kings 20:1-5 In those days was Hezekiah sick unto death. And the prophet Isaiah the son of Amoz came to him, and said unto him, Thus saith the LORD, Set thine house in order; for thou shalt die, and not live. 2 Then he turned his face to the wall, and prayed unto the LORD, saying, 3 I beseech thee, O LORD, remember now how I have walked before thee in truth and with a perfect heart, and have done that which is good in thy sight. And Hezekiah wept sore. 4 And it came to pass, afore Isaiah was gone out into the middle court, that the word of the LORD came to him, saying, 5 Turn again, and tell Hezekiah the captain of my people, Thus saith the LORD, the God of David thy father, I have heard thy prayer, I have seen thy tears: behold, I will heal thee: on the third day thou shalt go up unto the house of the LORD.]

[I have heard thy prayer,] How amazing is it when you discover that God has heard your prayer? Sometimes He does let us know right away, other times it takes days, months, or even years for Him to let us know that, and yet other times we are long gone and in heaven before that happens. You see, God hears every prayer of every sincere heart, everything else is in His time. After God healed Hezekiah news got out, it was then that the king of Babylon came to visit with him and Hezekiah made a very unwise decision to show them all the treasures and weapons in the kingdom as well as the temple. God sent Isaiah to warn him of what was to come for doing that.

[II Kings 20:14-19 Then came Isaiah the prophet unto king Hezekiah, and said unto him, What said these men? and from whence came they unto thee? And Hezekiah said, They are come from a far country, even from Babylon. 15 And he said, What have they seen in thine house? And Hezekiah answered, All the things that are in mine house have they seen: there is nothing among my treasures that I have not shewed them. 16 And Isaiah said unto Hezekiah, Hear the word of the LORD. 17 Behold, the days come, that all that is in thine house, and that which thy fathers have laid up in store unto this day, shall be carried into Babylon: nothing shall be left, saith the LORD. 18 And of thy sons that shall issue from thee, which thou shalt beget, shall they take away; and they shall be eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon. 19 Then said Hezekiah unto Isaiah, Good is the word of the LORD which thou hast spoken. And he said, Is it not good, if peace and truth be in my days?]

[Good is the word of the LORD which thou hast spoken.] Hezekiah was the first king in centuries to accept a judgment from God, and not turn on Him when it was given. One of the major issues that my country falters is that it wants to tell the world our secrets. You know, transparency is a good thing, when it comes to being upfront in how the government handles our finances, protects our country, and our well being as a nation, but exposing our strengths and weaknesses to the world is only ammunition for them to attack, and when they do, we would not be able to fight them. And let me tell you, all it takes is one wicked person to be in office to turn the country into something as wicked as the devil himself. Now, you would think that with Hezekiah’s success as a godly king that his son, Manasseh would follow in his footsteps, but sadly he was did more to provoke God than even the heathens. In the fifty-five years he reigned he managed to turn Jerusalem upside down. .

[II Kings 21:1-6 Manasseh was twelve years old when he began to reign, and reigned fifty and five years in Jerusalem. And his mother’s name was Hephzibah. 2 And he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD, after the abominations of the heathen, whom the LORD cast out before the children of Israel. 3 For he built up again the high places which Hezekiah his father had destroyed; and he reared up altars for Baal, and made a grove, as did Ahab king of Israel; and worshipped all the host of heaven, and served them. 4 And he built altars in the house of the LORD, of which the LORD said, In Jerusalem will I put my name. 5 And he built altars for all the host of heaven in the two courts of the house of the LORD. 6 And he made his son pass through the fire, and observed times, and used enchantments, and dealt with familiar spirits and wizards: he wrought much wickedness in the sight of the LORD, to provoke him to anger.]

[he wrought much wickedness in the sight of the LORD,] Gay pride, transgender, abortion, mass murder, same sex marriage, legal drug use, drunkenness, lewdness, these are all things provoking God, the minor attacks we are getting are warnings of the judgment that is about to come if we do not get our act together and get rid of all these things that are an abomination to God. There is hope for all, even the worse offenders can be saved from judgment, many already have, it is all a matter of faith, [I Corinthians 6:9-11 Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, 10 Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. 11 And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.]

Today’s Prayer: God, Thank You for your faith in us, and for Your faithfulness, even when we are not always living by faith. Everything from our salvation to enduring life while You have us here is all about faith, and You have proven time and time again that faith even the size of a mustard seed can move mountains. I know that the Bible is not some ordinary book, it is Your Word, holy, pure, alive, and it gives life to all who want You in their lives. Reading Your Word, studying it, and following it will never return void as we allow the Holy Spirit to guide us to what truly is and is not acceptable to You. Lord, as our nations face judgment because they choose to live by the very things that are an abomination to You, give us Your hedge of protection from all its evil, fill us with Your power, strength, wisdom, and guidance to stand by Your Word, even if we get persecuted for it. We have nothing to fear, when we keep our faith and trust in You. I ask these things in Your name, Jesus. Amen.

God Bless You, I am praying for you,

Christina

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