Effie Darlene Barba

            God had been extremely long-suffering and patient with His people.  He displayed His Goodness to all of humanity.  Each time, they reached a point of no return in their depravity and their sin, He had no choice but to pour forth judgement.  Why?  Because humans tend to progress down paths of self-destruction, whether individually or nationally.  I cannot say that I am any different, were it not for God’s intervening hand of wrath and judgement in my life.  That has always been the loving merciful thing to do. Otherwise, I would not have come to realize just how wonderful it is to know Him.  He is the answer to every question that we have.  The climatic fulfillment of all my desires.  Furthermore, He is the Joy that nothing else can give.

            Because some of this is a very sensitive subject, let me begin by saying we do live in a broken world.  Desires, dreams, and hopes become so miscued, misdirected so easily.  Always feeling some gap of emptiness that we need to fill.  Our very Being and Existence depend on it.  Yet, every search for something new leads to a place of quiet desperation.  As Henry David Thoreau wrote, “The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation. What is called resignation is confirmed desperation.”[1]

To quote C S. Lewis, “
“If we find ourselves with a desire that nothing in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that we were made for another world.”

Most of my life, although a Christian, I kept searching for love and fulfillment; never realizing I already had it.  Much like God’s people whom He gave everything; yet they chased after other God’s and other pleasures.

So how is a Loving Merciful God provoked to display Wrath and Judgement?

Ezekiel through many parables, pictures and words tells us God was just and He had a wonderful reason.  So, as I often say in this day and time; God sometimes allows what He hates to accomplish what He loves.  His goal is to have a people upon whom He can lavish His love, fill with His joy, and share His glory. 

But for us to fully understand His Mercy, His Grace, His Justice and His Righteousness; it was necessary to allow us to see what the world would be without those things.  Hence evil is the absence of God.  Just as darkness is the absence of light.  Dark does not exist of its own.  It is the absence of light.  Evil is much the same it is the absence of God’s restraining hand.  Therefore, for us to understand righteousness, we must see what the lack of righteousness looks like in our own hearts.

So, what were the things God had to cleanse from the land before it destroyed them?

1.  Idolatry  –which God likened to their playing a harlot toward Him after He gave them everything

• They sacrificed their children–Ezekiel 16 ²⁰ Moreover thou hast taken thy sons and thy daughters, whom thou hast borne unto me, and these hast thou sacrificed unto them to be devoured. Is this of thy whoredoms a small matter,²¹ That thou hast slain my children, and delivered them to cause them to pass through the fire for them?²² And in all thine abominations and thy whoredoms thou hast not remembered the days of thy youth, when thou wast naked and bare, and wast polluted in thy blood.²³ And it came to pass after all thy wickedness, (woe, woe unto thee! saith the Lord God;) 

Ezekiel 23 further expounded on Why God’s Wrath and Judgement must come

³⁷ That they have committed adultery, and blood is in their hands, and with their idols have they committed adultery, and have also caused their sons, whom they bare unto me, to pass for them through the fire, to devour them. ³⁸ Moreover this they have done unto me: they have defiled my sanctuary in the same day, and have profaned my sabbaths. ³⁹ For when they had slain their children to their idols, then they came the same day into my sanctuary to profane it; and, lo, thus have they done in the midst of mine house.

  They had forsaken the sanctity of life itself—God is the author of life for every person.  Yet have we not done the same in this nation? 

David wrote in Psalms 139

¹³ For you formed my inward parts;
    you knitted me together in my mother’s womb.
¹⁴ I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.^[a]
Wonderful are your works;
    my soul knows it very well.
¹⁵ My frame was not hidden from you,
when I was being made in secret,
    intricately woven in the depths of the earth.
¹⁶ Your eyes saw my unformed substance;
in your book were written, every one of them,
    the days that were formed for me,
    when as yet there was none of them.

¹⁷ How precious to me are your thoughts, O God!
    How vast is the sum of them!
¹⁸ If I would count them, they are more than the sand.
    I awake, and I am still with you.

¹⁹ Oh that you would slay the wicked, O God!
    O men of blood, depart from me!
²⁰ They speak against you with malicious intent;
    your enemies take your name in vain.^[b]
21 Do I not hate those who hate you, O Lord?
    And do I not loathe those who rise up against you?
²² I hate them with complete hatred;
    I count them my enemies.

²³ Search me, O God, and know my heart!
    Try me and know my thoughts!^[c]
24 And see if there be any grievous way in me,
    and lead me in the way everlasting!^[d]

God’s Wrath and Judgement must come to cleanse

God allowed many trials in my life.  Perhaps I was a slow learner.  But each trial taught me more of Him.  Now I see how those were the things that transformed me so that I can live in His abiding steadfast Joy.  I do believe that this nation will face God’s Wrath and Judgement soon.  It must come before we destroy everything good that He has given us.  We like Israel and Judah are sacrificing our children on the altar of sexual desire, eroticism, and worldly pleasure. 

We have a duty to protect the children of this country who have now been under attack.  In the worship of sensuality and erotic nature, their innocence is under attack.  Trust me, I do remember the struggles for acceptance as a young girl.  Feelings as though I did not fit in; but that is part of transforming from a child dependent on one’s parents for everything as a baby to developing into maturity.  It is scary enough without people pressuring them or making them believe they were just made wrong.  WE must pray for and find ways to protect our children. 

[1] Thoreau, Henry David; Civil Disobedience and Other Essays

DO YOU KNOW CHRIST AS YOUR SAVIOR AND LORD? He is our only Hope in Life and Death! Our Joy is found in Him.

If you don’t know Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord: I urge you to go to my page titled How to Be Saved by clicking on this link. There is nothing more important than this; because He is the way, the truth and the life. Therefore, I urge you to seek Him today.

For Prayer or Comments

If you have a prayer request feel free to email me by clicking here

Furthermore, if you would like to share your story or thoughts, you can comment here

God’s Glory Revealed in Poetry

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DISCLOSURES

©Effie Darlene Barba, 2021
Disclosure of Material Connection: I have not received any compensation for writing this post. Furthermore, 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.

Credits

Photo licensed through Goodsalt.com

New English Translation (NET)

NET Bible® copyright ©1996-2017 by Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. http://netbible.com All rights reserved.

New King James Version (NKJV)

Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Amos 6: (NET) ¹⁴ Seek good and not evil so you can live!Then the Lord God of Heaven’s Armies just might be with you,
as you claim he is. ¹⁵ Hate what is wrong, love what is right.
Promote^[a] justice at the city gate.^[b] Maybe the Lord God of Heaven’s Armies will have mercy on^[c] those who are left from^[d] Joseph.^[e]

How many proclaim that they are on the side of God, yet do not know Him? Although, He is so close and has made Himself so easily found.  All that He requires of you is to seek Him as the greatest treasure because He is.  But how quickly do we want to add something to the formula that makes us worthy.  Never content to just rest in Him.  If only I could try harder.  Do better.  Strive to bring Him the offering I prefer, much like Cain did.  Serving Him my way.  Yet that is when sin is crouching at the door.  Unless we cast it aside, declaring to Satan.  “Yes, you are right that I am not good enough.  My own efforts are but filthy rags before God.  Yet, I am covered by the redemptive blood of Christ and cloaked in His righteousness, not my own”. 

Know the Lord God of Heaven’s Army is with You.

He has said in Proverbs 16:3 (NET), “Commit^[a] your works^[b] to the Lord, and your plans will be established.^[c]”  Commit it all to Him and so it is that is what my heart longs to do.  Quit striving to do it my way or prove that I am the “strong one” and rest in Him.  “⁴ Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. ⁵ I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. “(John 15, ESV)

What does all of this have to do with our lesson in Ezekiel?  Everything.  For the words of Amos came before the fall of Israel into the hands of the Assyrians.  He had warned them.  However humans often decide to worship God their way, not His.  Just as Nimrod tried to build a tower to heaven.  Or the people of Noah’s day chose to live as they believed was right.    Human strength and effort trying to make it to heaven.  Worshiping God as we see fit.  Believing if we try hard enough, He will accept us.  Blurring the truth, while accepting lies, we get farther away from God, just as they did. 

Ezekiel Foretells of Salvation and the Restoration of Israel

Thus Ezekiel preached to the exiles as he watches Jerusalem fall to Nebuchadnezzar.  Although many counterparts taught a feel-good sermon. Meanwhile, everything cave in around them.  Ezekiel, however, continued clinging fast to the truth. He declared God comes quickly to destroy the evil and thereby save a people, a remnant of His own.  Not because of works, but because of faith.    Only God can take dry dead bones and build an army.  He can take our dead, sin-filled hearts and make them alive to His spirit. 

In Ezekiel chapter 37, God commands him to preach to the dry, dead bones.  They came to life. Exiled, downtrodden, and rightfully punished for their sin. However, God gathered the nation of Israel together once mor, just as He promised. What a display of His work of Grace!  Because as a nation, they do not yet accept Jesus Christ as their Messiah. Therefore, it is only God’s mercy, grace and faithfulness marching forward fulfilling every prophecy. Although now, as a nation they do not believe in the atoning work of Christ; they will yet one day.  The dried-up bones of misappropriated faith now one day stand up in true faith. Transformed into the true faith of Salvation . Just as God’s Glory departed from the temple.  One day it will return.  That is what the remainder of Ezekiel tells us. 

Redemption

EZEKIEL 36 ²² “Therefore say to the house of Israel, Thus says the Lord God: It is not for your sake, O house of Israel, that I am about to act, but for the sake of my holy name, which you have profaned among the nations to which you came. ²³ And I will vindicate the holiness of my great name, which has been profaned among the nations, and which you have profaned among them. And the nations will know that I am the Lord, declares the Lord God, when through you I vindicate my holiness before their eyes. ²⁴ I will take you from the nations and gather you from all the countries and bring you into your own land. 

²⁵ I WILL SPRINKLE CLEAN WATER ON YOU, AND YOU SHALL BE CLEAN FROM ALL YOUR UNCLEANNESSES, AND FROM ALL YOUR IDOLS I WILL CLEANSE YOU. ²⁶ AND I WILL GIVE YOU A NEW HEART, AND A NEW SPIRIT I WILL PUT WITHIN YOU. AND I WILL REMOVE THE HEART OF STONE FROM YOUR FLESH AND GIVE YOU A HEART OF FLESH. ²⁷ AND I WILL PUT MY SPIRIT WITHIN YOU, AND CAUSE YOU TO WALK IN MY STATUTES AND BE CAREFUL TO OBEY MY RULES.^[A] 28 YOU SHALL DWELL IN THE LAND THAT I GAVE TO YOUR FATHERS, AND YOU SHALL BE MY PEOPLE, AND I WILL BE YOUR GOD. ²⁹ AND I WILL DELIVER YOU FROM ALL YOUR UNCLEANNESSES.

… ³¹ Then you will remember your evil ways, and your deeds that were not good, and you will loathe yourselves for your iniquities and your abominations. ³² It is not for your sake that I will act, declares the Lord God; let that be known to you.

Restoration

Ezekiel  36 ³³ “Thus says the Lord God: On the day that I cleanse you from all your iniquities, I will cause the cities to be inhabited, and the waste places shall be rebuilt. ³⁴ And the land that was desolate shall be tilled, instead of being the desolation that it was in the sight of all who passed by. ³⁵ And they will say, ‘This land that was desolate has become like the garden of Eden, and the waste and desolate and ruined cities are now fortified and inhabited.’ ³⁶ Then the nations that are left all around you shall know that I am the Lord; I have rebuilt the ruined places and replanted that which was desolate. I AM THE LORD; I HAVE SPOKEN, AND I WILL DO IT.

It is only He who can redeem and restore.  You cannot on your own do either. 

So How do You Know that the Lord God of Heaven’s Army is with You?

1.  Rest in His Promises
2.  Never forget that He has always accomplished all that He has planned and will not start failing now.
3. Do Not Believe the Lie of Self Righteousness by works. You cannot ever work your into heaven, because you can never build a tower high enough
4. It is always Christ in You, the hope of Glory
5. Take time just to be quiet and listen for Him to speak to your heart.
6. Stop striving to do it on your own—always beating yourself up for being who you are.   No one beats me up worse than I do over everything—always feeling not good enough.  Trying to work hard toward being better.  To an extent perhaps this is what is my motivational force; but sometimes it is ok to just seek the better part and sit alone with Jesus.  Like when Martha kept working hard to serve the people and clean the house, while Mary sat at Jesus’ feet.  Then when Martha rebuked Mary. Luke 10: ⁴¹ But the Lord^[a] answered her,^[b] “Martha, Martha,^[c] you are worried and troubled^[d] about many things, ⁴² but one thing^[e] is needed. Mary has chosen the best^[f] part; it will not be taken away from her.”
7. Never forget that our only true mission is to do whatever He asks.  Therefore, as His soldiers, we must learn to hear His voice.  WE do that through spending time alone with Him in scripture. 

DO YOU KNOW CHRIST AS YOUR SAVIOR AND LORD? He is our only Hope in Life and Death! Our Joy is found in Him.

If you don’t know Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord: I urge you to go to my page titled How to Be Saved by clicking on this link. There is nothing more important than this; because He is the way, the truth and the life. Therefore, I urge you to seek Him today.

For Prayer or Comments

If you have a prayer request feel free to email me by clicking here

Furthermore, if you would like to share your story or thoughts, you can comment here

God’s Glory Revealed in Poetry

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DISCLOSURES

©Effie Darlene Barba, 2021
Disclosure of Material Connection: I have not received any compensation for writing this post. Furthermore, 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.

Credits

Photo licensed through Goodsalt.com

New English Translation (NET)

NET Bible® copyright ©1996-2017 by Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. http://netbible.com All rights reserved.

New King James Version (NKJV)

Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

        This week has been a test in No Fear in Life or Death.  First, I battled an upper respiratory cold.  In the day of Covid Hysteria that could have been daunting.  How do I trust God to keep me and my patients safe in such a time as this?  If truly I believe God Wins, regardless of all that happens around me; then I must trust Him both in life and death because He is on His throne.  No one lives or dies; but that He has decreed it.  He “works all things according to the counsel of his will” (Ephesians 1:11 ESV). All things! 

        That brings me to when I walked out of work late on Thursday evening into a very dark parking lot.  As the door closed behind me with no way to go back in, I stepped out to the opening where I saw a man standing by my car.  Another car parked next to mine, had the passenger door open.  I whispered a prayer, yet I felt no fear as I began to the walk over to my car.  Trusting the guiding hand of the Holy Spirit who bid me on, I had no fear.

The man, somewhat scruffy in appearance, smoking a cigarette with arms covered in tattoos, sat down in the passenger set of the other car with the window down.  He said, “Sorry, we are just sitting here talking” as I neared.  I got into my car and left. (God must have whispered in his ear, “not worth it-sit down.” Even sinners hear His commanding voice. )

A thought

        It reminded of the burdened heart I had carried earlier in the week, feeling as though a failure in life.  When I had wondered how it was God chose me.  Yet, He did.  He reminded me that He had covered all my sins; therefore, I have no fear in life or death.

In Life or Death, No Fear

        Recently I have become more engrossed in the study of the Holy Spirit, seeking Him.  Oh, perhaps that is where I get it wrong. How do I seek for that which I already have indwelling within me? Rather, I am learning to trust Him as I turn over all control to Him, each morning and then throughout the day as necessary. For He is “Christ in you, the hope of Glory” Colossians 1:27.  The Holy Spirit guides us along this journey. Therefore, we grow ever more like Jesus. Thereby, as we face trials, we learn to have no fear in life or death, as we lean in and trust the Omnipotent, Omniscient God who has demonstrated throughout history to be trustworthy. 

        Every word of the Holy Bible He left us IS proof of His trustworthiness and His Power.  There we come to know all His attributes and the depth of His enduring love for us.  He spared no opportunity to demonstrate to us that He is omnipotent.  Each action of the Old Testament presents another proof. 

        So, all this to bring us to the story of the city of Tyre, her Prince, and her King.  As we look at this note how it is that we can fully trust that God wins.  Therefore, we have no fear in life or death. 

The City of Tyre

        Tyre was the city of all cities in its day.  Everyone looked to it for its beauty, its wealth, and its accessibility.  An envy of all who surrounded it. Initially, they enjoyed great trade relations with Judah and Israel.  Particularly known for the cedars of Lebanon and their purple dye, their wealth and renown grew. 

        It was so beautifully laid out with a main city and a separate island, presenting the perfect area for trade.  Yet, they became proud of their wealth, beauty and overly confident of their natural island defenses.  They, though formerly trade partners with Solomon, developed jealousy and rivalry toward Jerusalem.  Hence, they were gleeful when Israel, then Judah fell, believing they were superior.  Never did they realize their fortune had been God’s gift to them.  Instead, they worshiped Baal.  Then, Ezekiel prophesied.

“Son of man, because Tyre has said against Jerusalem, ‘Aha! The gateway of the peoples has been broken! Everything will come my way, and I will become rich now that she is devastated’; therefore, this is what the Sovereign Lord Jehovah says: ‘Here I am against you, O Tyre, and I will bring up many nations against you, just as the sea brings up its waves. They will destroy the walls of Tyre and tear down her towers, and I will scrape away soil and make her a shining, bare rock. She will become a drying yard for dragnets in the midst of the sea.’ (Ezekiel 26: 2-5)

God Wins

        Within years of this prediction, Nebuchadnezzar sent his army to destroy Tyre, the city.  There was as predicted a very long battle according to historians lasting 13 years.  Then some might say, because the island city still stood at that time—ah God’s prediction failed.  But not so, in 332 BC when Alexander the Great overtook Tyre and as promised the walls and towers were used to create land between the island city and the former city.  All was destroyed. 

Today there are some of the remaining structures from the later Roman empire; however, none of the original Phoenician towers survived.  They were used to be the landfill between the island and the land.

They will destroy the walls of Tyre and tear down her towers, and I will scrape away soil and make her a shining, bare rock.  Ezekiel 26:5 had come to pass, just as God had said.

        Then as we read of God’s edict in Ezekiel 28, He predicts all that will happen to the Prince of Tyre.  This already came true.  But look at the switch over from the Prince of Tyre to the King of Tyre halfway through the chapter.  The Prince of Tyre had declared himself a god but was merely a man.  Yet, the King of Tyre was Satan, Himself and His defeat is as certain as was that of the Prince of Tyre.   

The Proud Should Fear in Life and Death, Because God Wins

Thus says the Lord God:

“Because your heart is proud,
    and you have said, ‘I am a god,
I sit in the seat of the gods,
    in the heart of the seas,’
yet you are but a man, and no god,
    though you make your heart like the heart of a god—
³ you are indeed wiser than Daniel;
    no secret is hidden from you;
⁴ by your wisdom and your understanding
    you have made wealth for yourself,
and have gathered gold and silver
    into your treasuries;
⁵ by your great wisdom in your trade
    you have increased your wealth,
    and your heart has become proud in your wealth—

⁶ therefore thus says the Lord God:
Because you make your heart
    like the heart of a god,
⁷ therefore, behold, I will bring foreigners upon you,
    the most ruthless of the nations;
and they shall draw their swords against the beauty of your wisdom
    and defile your splendor.

⁸ They shall thrust you down into the pit,
    and you shall die the death of the slain
    in the heart of the seas.
⁹ Will you still say, ‘I am a god,’
    in the presence of those who kill you,
though you are but a man, and no god,
    in the hands of those who slay you?
¹⁰ You shall die the death of the uncircumcised
    by the hand of foreigners;
    for I have spoken, declares the Lord God.”

    Ezekiel 28: 1-10

Therefore, those who do not know Jesus as Savior, you should be afraid.  For there is no hope for those who believe themselves to be the god of their own destiny. 

God Wins Against Satan

Thus says the Lord God:

“You were the signet of perfection,^[a]
    full of wisdom and perfect in beauty.
¹³ You were in Eden, the garden of God;
    every precious stone was your covering,
sardius, topaz, and diamond,
    beryl, onyx, and jasper,
sapphire,^[b] emerald, and carbuncle;
    and crafted in gold were your settings
    and your engravings.^[c]
On the day that you were created
    they were prepared.
¹⁴ You were an anointed guardian cherub.
    I placed you;^[d] you were on the holy mountain of God;
    in the midst of the stones of fire you walked.
¹⁵ You were blameless in your ways
    from the day you were created,
    till unrighteousness was found in you.

¹⁶ In the abundance of your trade
    you were filled with violence in your midst, and you sinned;
so I cast you as a profane thing from the mountain of God,
    and I destroyed you,^[e] O guardian cherub,
    from the midst of the stones of fire.
¹⁷ Your heart was proud because of your beauty;
    you corrupted your wisdom for the sake of your splendor.
I cast you to the ground;
    I exposed you before kings,
    to feast their eyes on you.
¹⁸ By the multitude of your iniquities,
    in the unrighteousness of your trade
    you profaned your sanctuaries;
so I brought fire out from your midst;
    it consumed you,
and I turned you to ashes on the earth
    in the sight of all who saw you.
¹⁹ All who know you among the peoples
    are appalled at you;
you have come to a dreadful end
    and shall be no more forever.”

                                    Ezekiel 28 (ESV)

Concluding Thought

Satan will come to a dreadful end and shall be no more forever.  That is as exacting a prophecy as all the others that have already come true.  For that reason, all who trust in Jesus as their Lord and Savior have no fear in life or death. 

DO YOU KNOW CHRIST AS YOUR SAVIOR AND LORD? He is our only Hope in Life and Death! Our Joy is found in Him.

If you don’t know Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord: I urge you to go to my page titled How to Be Saved by clicking on this link. There is nothing more important than this; because He is the way, the truth and the life. Therefore, I urge you to seek Him today.

For Prayer or Comments

If you have a prayer request feel free to email me by clicking here

Furthermore, if you would like to share your story or thoughts, you can comment here

God’s Glory Revealed in Poetry

PREVIOUS

DISCLOSURES

©Effie Darlene Barba, 2021
Disclosure of Material Connection: I have not received any compensation for writing this post. Furthermore, 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.

Credits

Photo licensed through Goodsalt.com

New English Translation (NET)

NET Bible® copyright ©1996-2017 by Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. http://netbible.com All rights reserved.

New King James Version (NKJV)

Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

The message to Ezekiel in chapter 12 begins with, “you are living in the midst of a rebellious house.^[a] They have eyes to see, but do not see, and ears to hear, but do not hear,^[b] because they are a rebellious house.”   Is that not what we face today?  All around us we hear the clamoring of people all shouting to say that they are the only ones who know truth.  Professing to be wise, they became fools (Romans 1:22).   Ezekiel was called by God to warn the people that judgement was here.  Time had run out; but for the few who might believe, there was hope.  He had seen Jesus sitting upon His throne in a vision and that was enough for hm to do the hard things in Life’s Darkest Hours.

People had ceased to listen to God. It had not been the first time, nor the second, but perhaps the millionth time since the creation.  Lured by all the beauty and riches they had been so graciously given; they were blinded to the true riches that God held in store for them.  As such they cast Him aside, like a child playing in a sandbox never realizing the ocean is just around the corner.  But don’t we do the same? 

So, it is in Chapter 12, God tells Ezekiel to pack his bags and move them down the street.  Then he was to dig through the wall of his house to carry his things again to the street with a hood that covered his face.  This was to arouse the attention of the people.  To pique their curiosity enough that they would ask him. “Why?” 

In Life’s Darkest Hours

Are we not in a similar situation?  There is a pandemic.  Tornadoes spin across the earth with devastation in their path.  Wars and rumors of war rage globally.  Violence fills our streets.  In a time when the churches have greater opportunity to spread the gospel, who are listening?  Of those who attend church, how many are there to truly worship Jesus, giving Him the glory?  Or how many go merely to check off a box for the week, hoping the pastor or someone says something to tickle their fancy, making them feel better about who they are.  Maybe for a moment, our fear and anger will subside.

The message that Ezekiel was to tell them once he had their attention was a bleak one.  It was life’s darkest hour for them. All the extensions of time for the city of Jerusalem over.  The king will be taken to Babylon. His eyes will be gouged out.  Judgement now inevitable.  The only ray of hope was for the few who would repent and believe. 

AND US?

As we look around us, do we not also see the signs?  Unless this nation repents, there is no holding off the judgement that is coming or is already here.  And not only our nation, but the world.  So, are we listening?  Are we, in the darkest hours of life, willing to proclaim to all who will listen that Jesus is More!  He is more precious than all this stuff we are holding onto in this world.    Ezekiel knew that truth and therefore did all that God commanded him.  His desire was that  some would hear, for as many as would believe, would be saved.  The remnant represented God’s grace pressing forward to the coming of Jesus Christ.  And we, must be looking forward because one day Jesus will return to claim His throne.

Their Crimes Enumerated

Ezekiel was told of all their Sins

If you ever thought that God was or is unjustified in His wrath, read the atrocities as expressed in Ezekiel 13 through 19.  However, as you read them, note they are the same as ours.  Ezekiel lived in what would seem for him the darkest hour.  Afterall, he was already in exile.  What gave him strength for the journey? He knew Jesus was more wonderful and more precious. Whatever the cost to worship, Ezekiel knew Jesus is worth it.  He is worthy of all honor and praise.  Jesus is more righteous and glorious than we can even comprehend.  Therefore, knowing He is worthy, we are willing to give our all for Him.  Just to know Him.  Is there any price too great to pay for the precious chance of knowing Him for eternity?  Furthermore, because of that, what price is too great to pay for the salvation of one soul?

Ezekiel had to see everyone as potentially a part of the remnant.  In other words, we need to begin to see everyone we meet as potential converts for Jesus as well.  No one is outside of the possibility of being save.  For some all we can do is pray.  Yet, when the spirit calls us to speak, we speak.  Ezekiel took no pleasure in condemning even those who were walking contrary to God, and neither should we be.

Special Note

How often do we forget the debt of sin He has forgiven us?  At the same time, how often do we choose to criticize those around us.  Should we not remember the debt of sin we are forgiven daily?  And thereby pray for those whom God has placed in leadership within the church and the nation.  At minimum, we need to understand that those who are in church ministry are facing daily a barrage of attacks by Satan who wants to silence them or destroy their testimony. Would you or I be able to withstand the attack they face?  Or do we take the time to try to understand the pressure they might feel. 

Afterall Ezekiel had been told by God that he would be responsible for the people if he failed to speak when God asked him to.  I, too, at times have been guilty of this, which is why I must every moment try to be conscious of the Holy Spirits guidance.  Reading and studying God’s word.  Soaking it in.  Like an athlete we must train. 

STEPS OF TRAINING

1.  Diet—God’s word
2. Exercise—Put to action what we have read
3. Rest- Trust in His word.  All that God prophesied in the Old Testament historically came true just as He said.  WE can trust the same to be in the future for us. 
4. Pray—there never is a time He is not present, knowing where we are or what we are doing.  Yet, prayer is our connection to His heart, so we might feel His presence more.
5. Always striving to beat our own best score—knowing in Him we have the victory.

In the darkest hours, remember Jesus is more

Ezekiel 20, God has Ezekiel remind the Elders of how patient God has been through the ages.  Repetitively, God stretched out His hands to redeem His people.  And repetitively they have turned their back on Him.  I urge you to read it.

Then, let us look at how He still marched forward.  Then the God of this universe, the creator of all came to earth as a baby.  So fragile, born to a poor family.  Laid in a manger.  Our King.  The word of God made flesh and dwelt among us.  All this so that we might have the chance to be saved. 

Therefore, in our darkest hour, our strength comes from knowing Jesus is More.  He is the only truth we need to know.  In John 14:6 Jesus said, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life.^[c] No one comes to the Father except through me. 

Did not Jesus tell Pilate “You say that I am a king. For this reason, I was born, and for this reason I came into the world—to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to^[dc] my voice.” And Pilate’s reply?  ³⁸ Pilate asked,^[dd] “What is truth?” (John 18).   

The answer:  Jesus is truth and Jesus is more than we could ever hope for in this world. 

C.S. Lewis wrote:

“It may be possible for each to think too much of his own potential glory hereafter; it is hardly possible for him to think too often or too deeply about that of his neighbor. The load, or weight, or burden of my neighbor’s glory should be laid daily on my back, a load so heavy that only humility can carry it, and the backs of the proud will be broken. …

“It is a serious thing to live in a society of possible gods and goddesses, to remember that the dullest most uninteresting person you can talk to may one day be a creature which,if you saw it now, you would be strongly tempted to worship, or else a horror and a corruption such as you now meet, if at all, only in a nightmare. All day long we are, in some degree helping each other to one or the other of these destinations

“It is in light of these overwhelming possibilities, it is with the awe and the circumspection proper to them, that we should conduct all our dealings with one another, all friendships, all loves, all play, all politics. There are no ordinary people. You have never talked to a mere mortal. Nations, cultures, arts, civilizations — these are mortal, and their life is to ours as the life of a gnat. But it is immortals whom we joke with, work with, marry, snub and exploit. … Next to the Blessed Sacrament itself, your neighbor is the holiest object presented to your senses.”
― C.S. Lewis, The Weight of Glory

So, Therefore, in the darkest hours of life

Let us each have the longing to ask the Holy Spirit to place this burden upon our hearts as well as we go into this a New Year.  Knowing Jesus is more, let us determine to proclaim this truth to the world around us.

DO YOU KNOW CHRIST AS YOUR SAVIOR AND LORD? He is our only Hope in Life and Death! Our Joy is found in Him.

If you don’t know Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord: I urge you to go to my page titled How to Be Saved by clicking on this link. There is nothing more important than this; because He is the way, the truth and the life. Therefore, I urge you to seek Him today.

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DISCLOSURES

©Effie Darlene Barba, 2021
Disclosure of Material Connection: I have not received any compensation for writing this post. Furthermore, 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.

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