The rod of God has come down upon this our nation! Do you not feel it? Why have we not fallen upon our knees in repentance? Are we to sit in silence as we watch all that is happening? Should not we who proclaim the truth of the Gospel message not be the voice crying forth in the wilderness to make the way for Jesus? Oh, I do hear a few voices; but will anyone heed their voices. I watch as Franklin Graham proclaims truth on his twitter account, only to be attacked. Michael Youssef unashamedly proclaims truth. While John McArthur reminds us of God’s holiness and our call to be Holy with Him as Lord over our life. But how many are listening to their pleas?
Or are their words falling on death ears? God is a merciful, gracious, and loving—yes; but that is why God must enact judgement as well. The rod of God must destroy the harlot of idolatry and lascivious living, so that we might be brought into the light. Only in His righteousness and truth can true joy be found. All this other “stuff” which draws our hearts away from Him is wood, hay, and stubble that must be burned from our lives that we might find Him as the precious treasure He is. So, who should truly fear the rod of God?
All who do not call upon Him as Lord, Master, and Savior. All who have not humbly come before Him acknowledging their unworthiness, accepting the gift of salvation paid for with the blood of Jesus Christ. To then arise clothed in His righteousness. Equipped with His Armor to proclaim the gospel message to all of whom we meet without fear or compromise.
The Rod of God-Who should fear?
All who do not know Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior must be afraid of the rod of God. At the same time those of us who know Him, welcome His rod. Because we know the Rod of God is directing us away from danger and into His protecting arms of love. But, for all others, heed the warning of Micah.
Micah 2 Beware wicked schemers,[a]
those who devise calamity as they lie in bed.[b]
As soon as morning dawns they carry out their plans,[c]
because they have the power to do so.
2 They confiscate the fields they desire
and seize the houses they want.[d]
They defraud people of their homes[e]
and deprive people of the land they have inherited.[f]
3 Therefore the Lord says this:
“Look, I am devising disaster for this nation![g]
It will be like a yoke from which you cannot free your neck.[h]
You will no longer[i] walk proudly,
for it will be a time of catastrophe. (NET)
As a nation, have we not fallen? Are we not falling further still? When will we awaken from our slumber? How can we continue down this path toward destruction? Are we not seeing Revelation 18 being played out before our very eyes?
Revelation 18:1-8
And after these things I saw another angel come down from heaven, having great power; and the earth was lightened with his glory.
2 And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird.
3 For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies.
4 And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.
5 For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities.
6 Reward her even as she rewarded you, and double unto her double according to her works: in the cup which she hath filled fill to her double.
7 How much she hath glorified herself, and lived deliciously, so much torment and sorrow give her: for she saith in her heart, I sit a queen, and am no widow, and shall see no sorrow.
8 Therefore shall her plagues come in one day, death, and mourning, and famine; and she shall be utterly burned with fire: for strong is the Lord God who judgeth her.
What surrounds us now? A plaque, death, mourning, financial distress (famine) and fires being set by riotors. Burning our cities. Destroying our land. Filling our hearts with despair!
God is Screaming “Repent”–Pleading with Us to Come
Micah 6
8 He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?
9 The Lord’s voice crieth unto the city, and the man of wisdom shall see thy name: hear ye the rod, and who hath appointed it.
“Hear ye the rod, and who hath appointed it.” The rod of God is calling to us to repent. He knows that our rebellious hearts so bent on sin destroys all that we have. We have forsaken Him, our only hope for peace and joy. Only in Him can we find peace and joy.
Proverbs 5
My son, attend unto my wisdom, and bow thine ear to my understanding:
2 That thou mayest regard discretion, and that thy lips may keep knowledge.
3 For the lips of a strange woman drop as an honeycomb, and her mouth is smoother than oil:
4 But her end is bitter as wormwood, sharp as a two-edged sword.
5 Her feet go down to death; her steps take hold on hell.
6 Lest thou shouldest ponder the path of life, her ways are moveable, that thou canst not know them.
7 Hear me now therefore, O ye children, and depart not from the words of my mouth.
8 Remove thy way far from her, and come not nigh the door of her house:
Isaiah 40
3 The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God.
4 Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low: and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain:
5 And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.
John 1: 23 (John the Baptist) said, I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord, as said the prophet Esaias.
24 And they which were sent were of the Pharisees.
25 And they asked him, and said unto him, Why baptizest thou then, if thou be not that Christ, nor Elias, neither that prophet?
26 John answered them, saying, I baptize with water: but there standeth one among you, whom ye know not;
27 He it is, who coming after me is preferred before me, whose shoe’s latchet I am not worthy to unloose.
28 These things were done in Bethabara beyond Jordan, where John was baptizing.
29 The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.
The Conclusion:
Micah 7 7 Therefore I will look unto the Lord; I will wait for the God of my salvation: my God will hear me.
8 Rejoice not against me, O mine enemy: when I fall, I shall arise; when I sit in darkness, the Lord shall be a light unto me.
9 I will bear the indignation of the Lord, because I have sinned against him, until he plead my cause, and execute judgment for me: he will bring me forth to the light, and I shall behold his righteousness.
[bctt tweet=”It is BECAUSE God loves us, He cannot allow us to continue down this path of destruction! The Rod of God is shouting, Repent and come unto me all ye who labor and are heavy burdened.” username=”effiedarlene”]
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©Effie Darlene Barba, 2020
Disclosure of Material Connection: I have not received any compensation for writing this post. I have no material connection to the brands, products, or services that I have mentioned except for my own books. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.
New English Translation (NET)
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