“Amend Your Ways”

[angels4u]

“Amend Your Ways”
  

    The Prophet Jeremiah was given the very difficult calling of God to warn Judah of the approaching, devastating judgment that would soon come on Judah and Jerusalem and their inhabitants unless the people would hearken to His call to repent of their sin and iniquity.  God pled with His people through Jeremiah: “Return, thou backsliding Israel, saith the Lord; and I will not cause Mine anger to fall upon you:  for I am merciful, saith the Lord, and I will not keep anger for ever.  Only acknowledge thine iniquity, that thou hast transgressed against the Lord thy God....  Turn, O backsliding children…for I am married unto you….  Return, ye backsliding children, and I will heal your backslidings…” (Jer. 3:12-14, 22).   What a heart God had for His people!  What more gracious offer could He make to His sinning people who rejected His commandments and worshiped other gods? 

    Again and again God appealed earnestly through Jeremiah to His wayward people:  “Amend your ways and your doings....  If you thoroughly amend your ways and your doings...then I will let you dwell…in the land that I gave to your fathers, for ever and ever” (Jer. 7:3, 5, 7).

    But the leaders of the people continued on in their rebellious ways against the commandments of God.  They rejected warning after warning from God through Jeremiah and other prophets throughout the reign of several kings until God could bear the sin no longer.  In God’s time, judgment came as prophesied.  Many of the people were carried away in captivity to Babylon.  The cities of Judah became desolate.  Jerusalem was burned.

    Reading the story of Judah’s sad failure doubtlessly makes many of us feel like echoing loudly Jeremiah’s cry in our nations today, “Amend your ways and your doings!”  We feel deep concern as we see sin and iniquity abounding on every hand.  Judgment seems impending.  But knowing that the merciful heart of God is as great today as in Jeremiah’s day toward those who repent and do righteous deeds, we have hope and not despair.  “...Where sin abounded, grace did much more abound” (Rom. 5:20).  In this hour of extreme need, how thankful we can be that the Lord issues a call to repentance and prayer for the ultimate answer, which is His powerful intervention in revival power! 

 Amending MY Ways

    Revival in a nation begins with revival in the church, and revival in the church begins with you and me!  It is not safe to assume that I have no ways or deeds to amend.  The tendency is to compare ourselves with others and feel that we are doing all right, but it is essential to wait before the Lord and His Word, that we may examine and judge ourselves biblically.  Keeping a watchful eye on our ways and deeds and amending them where needed is essential if we are to pray effectively for revival. By Lois J. Stucky 

[Hands On]

That The Lord resorts to "The Rod" if need be, is in no doubt! See also how nicely the Lord explains to Habakkuk how people push God's warnings to the limit and do not take Him seriously "Look at the nations and watch and be utterly amazed. For I am going to do something in your days that you would not believe even if you were told.6.I am raising up the Babylonians, that ruthless and impetuous person. who sweep across the whole earth to seize dwelling-places not their own.7...a law to themselves and promote their own honour. (sic)"(NIV Hab.1;5-6)The Lord did so in those days, to people He loves. Therefore I see no reason why He should not do the same today, to His children who refuse to listen and obey His commandments regardless of the ultimate sacrifice of His only begotten Son. "(Jn 3:16)

Edited January 27, 2019 by Hands On
missing word "days"

[frienduff thaylorde]

9 hours ago, SelahSong said:

Great post, Angels…

God protects His own on an individual basis, and He is telling each one of us to personally mend our ways. God will take care of us and bless us TODAY if we will. I believe that the most important way to mend our ways is by studying His Word so that we may know Him and hear Him when He speaks to us.  Hallelujah! …Selah 

 

And now in these last days , and EVEN NOW ,   HE raises up his few and they warn , repent , repent for why will you die O house of Churches .

YE who make an image of an all inclusive God and have trampled the SON under foot for unity and peace ,  REPENT , REPENT lest ye go under the strong delusion

I think folks forget near the end A strong delusion is PURPOSEFULLY SENT .   And its sent to those who rejected the love of the truth .

Their is only ONE reason GOD sends THIS delusion ,    SO they will believe a lie and be damned .    Do notice their is no repentance , on that delusion.

God don't send it so they can repent , HE SENDS it so all who rejected the love of the truth and chose pleasure in unrighteouness will believe a lie and be damned.

AND that is in new testmant writings .    LET all flee the false unity which is , has been and shall only increase .  AND SEEK CHRIST and fellowship with those

who call on the LORD from a pure heart , not feigned faith ,  PURE HEART .

All others must be warned repent , repent before its too late forever .   Cause for all who go under the strong delusion , IT IS TOO LATE .

GOD sends it for one reason ,  so they believe the lie and are damned .    Not the image of GOD that gets preached today .  

But as paul once said , we better behold BOTH the GOODNESS and SEVERITY of GOD .   BOTH .

And I warn us all , time is running out .    The same God of old test , is the same GOD forever .   WHILE HE does desire men to repent

HE WILL NOT acquit the wicked who reject HIM .  IT WONT HAPPEN .    And if we trod JESUS sayings under foot , WE have trod him under foot

and he will trod all under HIS FOOT who does so .   GOD will share His glory with NONE and the LAMB is the GLORY OF GOD .

THIER is no reocognition of willfull sin , other religions .  THIER IS ONLY CHRIST .    and the flesh profits nothing .    BETTER RUN TO JESUS with all that heart

and remain in HIM .  He gives us all we need , FOR HE ALONE IS , IS , IS ALL WE NEED . 

[turtletwo]

"If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land." 

(2 Chronicles 7:14)

[sugarbear]

How comforting to know He will fix us when we`re broke. 

[gordon7777]

Less comforting when we realise that the above quote of Chronicles left out the sense and meaning, even left out God's very words of warning which were also fulfilled too...

2 Chronicles 7:14-22 If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land. Now mine eyes shall be open, and mine ears attent unto the prayer that is made in this place. For now have I chosen and sanctified this house, that my name may be there for ever: and mine eyes and mine heart shall be there perpetually. And as for thee, if thou wilt walk before me, as David thy father walked, and do according to all that I have commanded thee, and shalt observe my statutes and my judgments; Then will I stablish the throne of thy kingdom, according as I have covenanted with David thy father, saying, There shall not fail thee a man to be ruler in Israel. But if ye turn away, and forsake my statutes and my commandments, which I have set before you, and shall go and serve other gods, and worship them; Then will I pluck them up by the roots out of my land which I have given them; and this house, which I have sanctified for my name, will I cast out of my sight, and will make it to be a proverb and a byword among all nations.And this house, which is high, shall be an astonishment to every one that passeth by it; so that he shall say, Why hath the Lord done thus unto this land, and unto this house?And it shall be answered, Because they forsook the Lord God of their fathers, which brought them forth out of the land of Egypt, and laid hold on other gods, and worshipped them, and served them: therefore hath he brought all this evil upon them.

If Solomon would obey the Lord, and not serve other Gods, Israel would continue. But if Solomon turned away from following the Lord, forsaking the Lords statutes and commandments, serving devils instead of being sanctified in the Lord, then all Israel would be cast off for the devil worshipping and complete evil they did likewise. This occured so everyone who does the same will know they will definately receive the same, because they pretended to turn to God but lied to Him:

Psalm 78:32-39 For all this they sinned still, and believed not for his wondrous works. Therefore their days did he consume in vanity, and their years in trouble.When he slew them, then they sought him: and they returned and enquired early after God.And they remembered that God was their rock, and the high God their redeemer.Nevertheless they did flatter him with their mouth, and they lied unto him with their tongues.For their heart was not right with him, neither were they stedfast in his covenant. But he, being full of compassion, forgave their iniquity, and destroyed them not: yea, many a time turned he his anger away, and did not stir up all his wrath. For he remembered that they were but flesh; a wind that passeth away, and cometh not again.

Jude 1:4-8  For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ.I will therefore put you in remembrance, though ye once knew this, how that the Lord, having saved the people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed them that believed not. And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day.Even as Sodom and Gomorrha, and the cities about them in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh, are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire.Likewise also these filthy dreamers defile the flesh, despise dominion, and speak evil of dignities.

Now we better understand what God means exactly and what God did on this whole world to let us know what amend our ways are and why:

Isaiah 55:6-9 Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near: Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.

A greater than Solomon is here, is told, it is not that Solomon and all Israel failed, it is because all are failure without Christ, and if we believe in Christ it is to be more than conquerers and overcoming this world as He overcame and doing all things through Christ who strengthens me.

Revelation 3:21 To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.

 

Matthew 12:42 The queen of the south shall rise up in the judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: for she came from the uttermost parts of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and, behold, a greater than Solomon is here.

 

 

 

[sugarbear]

God's word is very clear that He wants to "fix"us when we're broken. VERY comforting!!! He did judge the wicked and will AGAIN judge the wicked in the future as He is a JUST God. That being said, His love is greater than His judgements. He doesn't wish for ANYONE to perish. John 3:16,17 He's not sitting up in Heaven excited about having to judge people. He's excited when we believe in Jesus and confess our sins and allow His Holy Spirit to change us. Yes... judgement has been and WILL be extreme, but He gives us SOOOOOOO many opportunities to get right with Him. I still say it's a great, encouraging, comforting thought that He's so loving, so willing to "fix" us when we're broken. 

[turtletwo]

11 hours ago, sugarbear said:

I still say it's a great, encouraging, comforting thought that He's so loving, so willing to "fix" us when we're broken. 

@sugarbear I agree. When I read your post the following prophecy about Jesus came to mind: "The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me, Because the LORD has anointed me To bring good news to the afflicted; He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to captives And freedom to prisoners." (Isaiah 61:1)

Confirmed in Luke 4:18 "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised know He came to bring salvation to all who would receive Him."

We know that Jesus came to be a sacrifice for the whole world and offer salvation to us. AND He came to bind up the brokenhearted/heal the brokenhearted as shown in the scriptures above.

I praise the Lord who fixes the broken. 

[gordon7777]

Although you have to read the scriptures carefully to notice what has just been told.

Luke 4:18 confirms that Christ came to preach to the poor. That is poor in spirit, because their spirit is not rich with God, they require the Holy Spirit to be given to them. Healing the broken hearted, is the calling for all those who sigh and cry for all the abominations on earth, not crying for their own lives. (This is God from Heaven after all and His ways are not mans ways or thoughts)  Preaching deliverance to the captives, those captured by the devil to death. Recovering of sight again is spiritual, in Gods gifts of the Spirit He came to give, (He gave no other gift but those of the Holy Spirit) Set free from sin those who are bruised, and that is a complete list of salvation, and not what a person may consider God fixing of what's broken in their lives:

 

Matthew 5:3 Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

 

Luke 12:21 So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is notrich toward God.

James 2:5 Hearken, my beloved brethren, Hath not God chosen the poor of this world rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which he hath promised to them that love him?

Ezekiel 9:4 And the Lord said unto him, Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and set a mark upon the foreheads of the men that sigh and that cry for all the abominations that be done in the midst thereof.

Jeremiah 23:9 Mine heart within me is broken because of the prophets; all my bones shake; I am like a drunken man, and like a man whom wine hath overcome, because of the Lord, and because of the words of his holiness.

Hebrews 2:14  Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil;15 And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.

John 9:39 And Jesus said, For judgment I am come into this world, that they which see not might see; and that they which see might be made blind.

 

John 8:34 Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin.35 And the servant abideth not in the house for ever: but the Son abideth ever.36 If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.

 

John 7:39 (But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yetgiven; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.)

Romans 6:6 Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.7 For he that is dead is freed from sin.

 

 

Edited April 26, 2019 by gordon7777
Jeremiah 23:9 John 9:39 for more context