The Storm of the Lord!

See, the storm of the LORD will burst out in wrath, a whirlwind swirling down on the heads of the wicked.

The anger of the LORD will not turn back until he fully accomplishes the purposes of his heart.

In days to come you will understand it clearly.

I did not send these prophets, yet they have run with their message;

I did not speak to them, yet they have prophesied.

But if they had stood in my council, they would have proclaimed my words to my people and would have turned them from their evil ways and from their evil deeds.

Jeremiah 23:19-22

Yelling “Fire” in a crowded theater is either the act of a hero or a criminal. When the building is on fire and you deliver the warning to those who would otherwise perish you become the most honored of men. If you deliver the warning when there is no fire you are guilty of putting men at great risk as they desperately attempt to exit the structure.

I remember the first time I received a bulk mail piece that was made to look like it was a personal letter. For a few moments I was deceived by the message until I realized that the man writing and signing the letter certainly would have had no time to send me such a personal appeal. This practice has become so common that only a hand written letter with obvious personal references can be immediately identified as authentic.

Today when you hear a message that claims to be from God how do you determine if it is real?

One certain earmark of a “Word from God” is that it will cause God’s people to turn from their evil ways and their evil deeds. If I hear from God I am convicted about my sin and my need to turn away from it. A Word from God does not leave me at peace with my sin and claiming to enjoy His Grace to cover it.

When I “stand in the council of God” and listen to Him speak the message I bring from that encounter always includes repentance. In the presence of God I can clearly see how corrupt I am. My ways are not His ways and my ways are the things from which I need to repent.

If the preacher brings a message from His “encounter with God” and it does not encourage me to turn from evil I must reject it! Don’t forget “the storm of the LORD will burst out in wrath, a whirlwind swirling down on the heads of the wicked.”