It was 1857. No embers from earlier church revivals .  The churches in the United States were dying and the USA was declining rapidly with them.  Conflicts over slavery saw a nation was violently divided. Spiritually, the people had walked away from God and as the time passed, all appeared to be heading for disaster. Furthermore, a huge influx of immigrants arrived while the United States was already heading toward financial hard times.  Financial Panic set in and financial devastation was just around the corner. There was one church in New York, that as a last stitch effort hired a lay man to begin visiting people door to door.  Having a compassion for people and a heart for Christ, Jeremy Lamphier was that one man.  But how can one man, stand strong transforming a nation defying all odds?

            His diligent attempts to grow the church failed. Then, he thought, prayer was needed.   He posted fliers throughout the city announcing a prayer meeting during the lunch hour for all who wished to stop by, beginning September 23, 1857.  When the day arrived, he placed 20 chairs in the 3^rd floor room and waited.  At first it appeared no one would come.  So, he sat and prayed alone.  Then, gradually one by one six men arrived. 

The following week there were 20 and then forty.  On October 10, 1857 the stock market crashed, banks closed, railroads went bankrupt, factories closed, and unemployment rose.  However, the numbers in the prayer meetings climbed to over 10,000 and spread throughout the nation and later around the world.  Revival came from one man who had the idea to simply meet to pray.   The civil war still came, life was hard.  Meanwhile, millions around the world came to know Christ as Savior, defying all odds.

One Man Standing Strong, Defying All Odds

In 605 BC, King Nebuchadnezzar made his first invasion into Jerusalem and took captive the “brightest and the smartest of the royal line” to train them, indoctrinate them and use them for his advantage.  Among these were Daniel.  To ascertain their willingness to bow down, he had them castrated, placed them among the eunuchs, and ordered their names be changed.  The new names were ones attached to pagan worship and pagan Gods, removing their own names which signified their faith in God.  Additionally, he commanded their food be that from his own table; knowing this would defy their religious practices.  In everything, he wanted them to become his puppets for political gain. 

Despite his youth, Daniel stood strong defying all odds and ultimately transforming a nation.  But part of that we will see later.  But what were the characteristics of this young man that we can learn from?  How are we to stand strong defying all odds so that we too can transform our nation?

Daniel 1:

³ Then the king commanded Ashpenaz, his chief eunuch, to bring some of the people of Israel, both of the royal family^[a] and of the nobility, ⁴ youths without blemish, of good appearance and skillful in all wisdom, endowed with knowledge, understanding learning, and competent to stand in the king’s palace, and to teach them the literature and language of the Chaldeans. ⁵ The king assigned them a daily portion of the food that the king ate, and of the wine that he drank. They were to be educated for three years, and at the end of that time they were to stand before the king. 

⁶ Among these were Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah of the tribe of Judah. ⁷ And the chief of the eunuchs gave them names: Daniel he called Belteshazzar, Hananiah he called Shadrach, Mishael he called Meshach, and Azariah he called Abednego.

Daniel’s Faithfulness

⁸ But Daniel resolved that he would not defile himself with the king’s food, or with the wine that he drank. Therefore he asked the chief of the eunuchs to allow him not to defile himself. ⁹ And God gave Daniel favor and compassion in the sight of the chief of the eunuchs, ¹⁰ and the chief of the eunuchs said to Daniel, “I fear my lord the king, who assigned your food and your drink; for why should he see that you were in worse condition than the youths who are of your own age? So you would endanger my head with the king.” 

¹¹ Then Daniel said to the steward whom the chief of the eunuchs had assigned over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, ¹² “Test your servants for ten days; let us be given vegetables to eat and water to drink. ¹³ Then let our appearance and the appearance of the youths who eat the king’s food be observed by you, and deal with your servants according to what you see.” ¹⁴ So he listened to them in this matter, and tested them for ten days. ¹⁵ At the end of ten days it was seen that they were better in appearance and fatter in flesh than all the youths who ate the king’s food. ¹⁶ So the steward took away their food and the wine they were to drink, and gave them vegetables.

Defying All Odds by God’s Strength

¹⁷ As for these four youths, God gave them learning and skill in all literature and wisdom. Daniel had understanding in all visions and dreams. ¹⁸ At the end of the time, when the king had commanded that they should be brought in, the chief of the eunuchs brought them in before Nebuchadnezzar. ¹⁹ And the king spoke with them. And among all of them none was found like Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. Therefore, they stood before the king. ²⁰ And in every matter of wisdom and understanding about which the king inquired of them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and enchanters that were in all his kingdom.

How to Stand Strong, Defying All Odds, Transforming a Nation

1.  Trust God.  It begins with an unwavering faith; but that kind of faith comes as we ask for it.  Sometimes that means we go through trials.  As we see God work through our trials, our faith grows.
2. Prayer
3. Study to know more of Him
4. Determine to Follow God, regardless of how hard it may look at times.
5. Never forget, the victory already is ours

There have been no great revivals that were not started with at least one man praying fervently for this.  As we continue the study in Daniel, we will find that his secret was spending time with God in prayer.  He and his friends joined together in prayer as well and this was what gave them strength, faith, and hope. 

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.

            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

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.