Daily Devotional for Sunday February 10, 2008

Acts of Fallen Nature or God's Judgment

(2 Chronicles 7:14; 2 Timothy 3:1-5; 2 Peter 3:3-4; Matthew 24:3-14)

Are all of the tornadoes, forest fires, hurricanes, massive storms, and > other acts of nature God's judgment on this nation? As the debate over > global warning drones on, as we see more and more deadly and destructive > acts of nature, it causes many people to question if we are starting to > see > God's judgment on this nation. Is God starting to unleash His wrath on a > nation who has turned its back on Him and His Truth. > > The answer right away is NO! What we are witnessing is nothing more than > fallen nature doing what it has done since man sinned in the Garden and > will > do until God ends this world as we know it. I've warned you in the past > that > with every destructive act of nature you will get emails, read and hear in > the media, people claiming these acts of fallen nature are "God's > judgment." > > Every time we have a natural disaster like the storms this past week, I > have > received emails from different people and groups claiming this was God > exercising His judgment on our nation. I also get emails about > "prophecies" > that had been given weeks before in regarding a pending act of nature. A > prophecy that fallen nature will do what it has done since man sinned in > the > Garden of Eden is like prophesying the sun will rise in the east tomorrow. > > Let me once again put into proper perspective that what happened this past > week and the other natural disasters we see occur are simply fallen nature > at work. To play the game of going back and trying to tie every act of > fallen nature to sin in the area that was affected is a foolish game. If > that was the case, cities like San Francisco and Las Vegas should have > been > raised to the ground a long time ago. Actually, you can make a case for > gross wickedness in almost every city and town that would warrant God's > judgment and the death and destruction we see after each one of these > events. > > You see my friend, what is really happening is man KNOWS that he is living > in rebellion to God and His Word and man KNOWS that God's judgment is > coming. Let me say that again because I don't want you to miss this > critical > point. Man KNOWS that he is living in rebellion to God and His Word and > man > KNOWS that God's judgment is coming! That is why man is trying so hard to > explain a simple act of fallen nature as God's judgment for our sin. Man > knows that God's judgment is not only due, but coming! > > Listen, you don't have to be a Bible scholar to read the words of Paul to > Timothy in 2 Timothy Chapter 3, the words of Peter in 2 Peter Chapter 3, > or > the words of our Lord in Matthew Chapter 24 as they describe the signs of > the "last days." No man knows the hour the Lord will return but the Bible > is > clear He may come back at any moment in the "twinkling of an eye." We are > in > the last days, Christ is coming back at any second, and because of our > gross > sin, wickedness, and rebellion to God and His Word we are DUE His > judgment. > > I laugh when some in the news media describe one of these natural > disasters > we witness are of "Biblical proportions." Please know that when God does > bring His judgment on this nation, whatever method He may use, you won't > have to wonder or speculate if this was God's judgment or not. It will be > death and destruction on an unprecedented scale and of a magnitude > EVERYONE > will know without a doubt THIS WAS GOD'S JUDGMENT! > > When it is God's judgment, you see unprecedented death and destruction in > 20, 30, or 50 major cities involving 20 to 30 complete states and 80 to > 100 > million people! You will be looking at trillions of dollars of property > destroyed, the complete infrastructure of transportation, electric, > communications, water and sewage obliterated, hundreds of thousands of > people dead, and the entire economy of the nation crippled and brought to > a > screeching halt. > > My friend, there won't be any response by all the governments of the world > nor all the resources on this planet that will be adequate. Life as we > know > it today will cease to exist. Just like in the isolated tragedies we watch > on the news after each one of these natural disasters, people's lives will > be reduced to simply trying to survive from one day to the next. Just > living > will be the biggest challenge each day for tens of millions of people. > > I love you and care about you so much! I assure you that I am not trying > to > scare you today, only be honest with you. If God spared not His judgment > on > His very people for their sins, why do we think He will spare us His > judgment for our sins? We not only deserve but are due, no OVERDUE, the > judgment of God for our gross wickedness. Unless this nation repents, > turns > back to the God of the Bible and follows Him, it is not a matter of if, > only > when God's judgment will be unleashed on this nation. > > *When it happens, there won't be anyone speculating if or if not this was > the hand of God!!! > > Let me encourage you today. I tell you often that the only thing you will > take from this life into eternity is your relationship with Jesus Christ.. > You can lose your home and all your possessions, you can lose you > business, > you can lose your job, you can lose those you love so much, but the one > thing that can never be taken from you is your relationship with Christ. > That is the ONE THING that you can't lose or have taken from you. That is > why I stress so much each day how critical and important that relationship > is to each one of us. > > One of the shining moments throughout the aftermath of these natural > disasters is the response of the church. GOD'S PEOPLE ALWAYS STEP UP TO > THE > PLATE AND ANSWER THE CALL IN TIMES OF CRISIS! It is no longer about being > Catholic, Baptist, Methodist, or Pentecostal. It has been the Body of > Christ > reaching out to hurting people and bringing Christ to them in a real and > tangible way. The church should be proud of the role they play in bringing > hope and comfort to those who suffer such loss and devastation during > these > disasters. > > Let me share this insight with you. When God does judge this nation and > unleash His wrath upon it, it will be those who know Christ as their > Savior > who will rise up and be the lone beacon of light in the darkness. Gone > will > be the beautiful multi-million dollar churches, those who become the voice > for God no longer will be living in mansions, flying around in private > jets, > and acting like Hollywood celebrities, all of the ways we have found to > divide ourselves will no longer exist as the body of Christ truly becomes > one, and the basic Truth of the Gospel will be the sole hope left for the > people who will be looking for answers. It will be one of the greatest > harvest of souls in human history as millions cling to the only answer > they > have left, JESUS CHRIST! > > I will be praying for you today. Praying that you will take time to pray > for > this nation God has blessed us with. Sadly we have taken for granted and > squandered our blessings. God is not going to sit back and watch us > continue > to slaughter over 4,000 innocent babies every day. God is not going to sit > back and watch His Holy Institution of Marriage be redefined. God is not > going to sit back and watch His plan for the family perverted. God is not > going to sit back and watch the gross sexual perversion that exists today. > God is not going to bless us for being involved in giving away the land He > personally gave to Israel. At some point, God's patience will run out and > He > will unleash His wrath on this once great nation that used to honor and > follow Him. > > Pray with me today that as a nation we get on our knees, repent, ask God > to > forgive us for our sins and that we will turn our hearts and lives back to > Him. If we don't then it is only a matter of time before we really do see > the wrath of God poured out on this land and the life we know today will > no > longer exist. God is giving us one last chance. Will we take it?