Repent Until There Is Restoration

The Ammonites also crossed to the west side of the Jordan and attacked Judah, Benjamin, and Ephraim. The Israelites were in great distress. Finally, they cried out to the LORD for help, saying, “We have sinned against you because we have abandoned you as our God and have served the images of Baal.” The LORD replied, “Did I not rescue you from the Egyptians, the Amorites, the Ammonites, the Philistines, the Sidonians, the Amalekites, and the Maonites? When they oppressed you, you cried out to me for help, and I rescued you. Yet you have abandoned me and served other gods. So I will not rescue you anymore. Go and cry out to the gods you have chosen! Let them rescue you in your hour of distress!” But the Israelites pleaded with the LORD and said, “We have sinned. Punish us as you see fit, only rescue us today from our enemies.” Then the Israelites put aside their foreign gods and served the LORD. And he was grieved by their misery. [Judges 10.9-15]

Why do we insist upon sin? We do so because there is nothing good in man left to himself.

The comparison of this passage of scripture to the USA today is remarkable. 

It will not be enough to simply claim that, once upon a time, we were a Godly nation.

It will not be enough to casually suggest that everyone pray through these rough times.

It will not be enough just to try to get through this COVID-19 pandemic so we can return to life as usual.

It will not be enough to sing Christian songs on rooftops and have a good cry in so doing.

It will not be enough to preach messages of comfort and peace when there has been no genuine repentance.

It will not be enough until God's people humble themselves and pray and seek God's face, and turn from their wicked ways!

In my lifetime, the USA cried out to God because of the events of 9/11. But nothing changed except security practices.

In my lifetime, here we are again - everybody "praying" and yet COVID-19 has not been stopped. The spiritual climate is so charged at this moment that worldly people are even allying against Godly people arguing that it will not be faith that gets us through this pandemic, but science.

Church, it is time to wake up! We are currently at risk of losing more ground than at any time in history depending on our demonstration of the power of God or our demonstration of powerless religion at this time. We supposedly embrace the only hope the world has for avoiding catastrophe - are we offering it? Or, have we so offended God with our powerless, Godless religion that He would say to us, "You are getting what you have prepared for!"? Is God saying, "Go read your worthless religious books on the doctrines of suffering that have nothing to do with me - see what rescue they give!"? 

Will we hold to our religion or repent? This question is not for the world, but for God's people!

You see, in the Church's slumber, she has inadvertently adopted some baseless religious ideas, called them doctrines, and slipped off into a powerless existence. She has begun to look and act just like the world with its kingdoms of science, medicine, politics, social order, and finance. Yes, even the Church has made priority of these kingdoms over the Kingdom of God and, naturally, taken on all the "benefits" of these lesser kingdoms - benefits that are no benefit at all, but instead, curses. We have experienced all the curses of disobedience with the world and made them out to be "just the way it is" making the Bible and prayer out to be some kind of pacifier for these times instead of the very weapons of God to demonstrate God's Kingdom over the kingdoms of this world!

And, for the record, the demonstration of God's power is not so I will have a new car or lavish wealth. The demonstration of God's power is to establish God's rule and authority, as it is in heaven, on earth. No sickness, disease, economic or social disaster can stand in the way of God's Kingdom and power any more than it stood in Jesus' way. Period.

"But we repented and nothing happened..." Really? No, we 'think' we repented, but all we really did was perform a religious abra-cadabra as if God was some kind of genie in a bottle to be manipulated at will. Hello - that's not going to work. 

There is only one solution: repent until there is restoration. 

Who will sign up?

Father, forgive me for religious exercises that have nothing to do with repentance...