When Israel was a child,
I loved him,
and I called
my son out of Egypt.
But as the saying goes,
“The more they were called,
the more they rebelled.”
They never stopped offering
incense and sacrifices
to the idols of Baal.
I took Israel by the arm
and taught them to walk.
But they would not admit
that I was the one
who had healed them.
I led them with kindness
and with love,
not with ropes.
I held them close to me;
I bent down to feed them.
But they trusted Egypt
instead of returning to me;
Assyria will rule them.
War will visit their cities,
and their plans will fail.
My people are determined
to reject me for a god
they think is stronger,
but he can’t help.
Hosea 11:1-7
When a man, or a nation rejects Almighty God and bans Him from their personal and national life, they come to believe the lie that says "Now we are truly free!" It is because "freedom" itself is redefined to mean "life and liberties without consequences!"
A man wants no accountability for his life or any of his actions.
Freedom means then that I can do whatever I want to do and I can do it whenever I desire without dealing with negative feedback. That is not freedom. It is rather selfish rebellion against God Himself.
I suppose the first symptom of a life or nation turning away from God is when praise that once was common becomes increasingly rare. The man or people still cry out to God when things go wrong and troubles come, but the "good times" can be lived quite nicely without God.
Then comes the final sign that the death warrant has been signed. When a man or a nation suffers terribly and does not call out to God for His help, then you know the final stage has come! You know a man is truly an atheist when he clings on to his lack of faith in a "foxhole." When a man is at great risk of losing his life and he makes no move toward God then you know he really has no faith!
In the United States now when we suffer greatly from hurricanes, tornadoes and other widespread traumas there seems to be no mention of God from any of our national leaders. But there is much talk about how "strong" we are and that we will recover, but we do not call on people to pray for help and guidance from on high.
The monumental foolishness of rejecting the only God who can help is really beyond belief! Any fool knows that you must know what is in the bill before you pass it! Forget all the plans to restore, rebuild or repair the country. Turn back to God and encourage everyone you know to do the same thing.
"Lord Jesus we have sinned and rejected the only God who can help us in our desperate plight. Have mercy Lord and call us back to You. In Jesus Name, Amen!"
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