Read Isa. 48:1-22
God is telling them what is to happen in their future. One day they will again be captive in Babylon because of their obstinacy and hypocrisy. They said that they called on God's name but the truth is they were very comfortable in Babylon and didn't want to return to Israel. God promises to give them new prophecies since they refused to believe the last ones and tell them secrets he had previously kept from them. They have been through the furnace of affliction but it had not produced a humble people. But God is true to his promises and it is time for them to go back to Israel. God promises to lead them out and punish Babylon. He will use Cyrus of Persia to destroy the Babylonians. If they had only trusted in the Lord and followed his commands, they would have had peace like a river and lived in righteousness. They would have prospered and grew to be a mighty nation. Just as the Israelites had to flee Egypt in the days of Moses, they were called to flee the Babylonians. And just as the Lord provided for the Israelites in the wilderness, he would provide for them as they leave Babylon and go back to Israel. For the wicked among them, there will be no peace.
Lord, have mercy on us for trusting in idols of the world. Show us places in our hearts where we have not allowed you to reign.
Friday, October 21, 2011
Thursday, October 20, 2011
Thurs.'s Devo - Babylon's Last Stand
Read Isa. 47:1-15
God had sent Israel to Babylon to be disciplined. The Babylonians had been cruel and merciless to them and they never considered the consequence. Babylon, once the lady of kingdoms is about to be totally humiliated and disgraced by the Persians (539 B.C.) Babylon is compared to a half-naked slave girl working as a slave. This was new to Babylon since she had never been conquered before. She will no longer be the queen of kingdoms and her pride will be brought down to the ground. Once a wife and mother she will be reduced to a widow and childless. All her witchcraft and demonic power will not be able to help her. She trusted in her wickedness and her perverted wisdom and knowledge, but it cannot help her against God who is all wisdom. Everything that Babylon trusted in will not be of any help against God's judgment on her. None will be able to save her.
I pray that this doesn't happen to our nation. Lord may you see the righteous remnant and may it be enough to save us.
God had sent Israel to Babylon to be disciplined. The Babylonians had been cruel and merciless to them and they never considered the consequence. Babylon, once the lady of kingdoms is about to be totally humiliated and disgraced by the Persians (539 B.C.) Babylon is compared to a half-naked slave girl working as a slave. This was new to Babylon since she had never been conquered before. She will no longer be the queen of kingdoms and her pride will be brought down to the ground. Once a wife and mother she will be reduced to a widow and childless. All her witchcraft and demonic power will not be able to help her. She trusted in her wickedness and her perverted wisdom and knowledge, but it cannot help her against God who is all wisdom. Everything that Babylon trusted in will not be of any help against God's judgment on her. None will be able to save her.
I pray that this doesn't happen to our nation. Lord may you see the righteous remnant and may it be enough to save us.
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
Wed.'s Devo Lighten Your Burden
Read Isa. 46:1-13
What a picture of what bondage will do to you. Bel and Nebo are names of Babylonian gods. To worship them caused the people to become bent over with burdens too heavy for them to carry. Even the animals were stooped over from carrying them. Jesus told the people to take his yoke upon them and to learn of him because his yoke was easy and his burden light. Why do we choose to carry burdens when God has told us to roll them on him and he will carry them for us. In verse 3 God makes an appeal to his children who he carried in his womb and birthed them himself. How can they compare him to their gods that they make out of silver and gold who cannot live or answer their prayers? Don't they remember him who created the earth and told them what was to come in the end. He sent them prophets who rightly spoke for him and told them things to come that only God would be able to know. Even though it looks like to them that God is never going to deliver them.... he will. Everything that he has purposed will come to pass. Everything.
Lord, help us to not be like the Israelites in this chapter that went after other gods because they didn't want to wait on the Lord's salvation. Help us to roll all our concerns and fears on you because you want them. You want us to walk unencumbered to do your work.
What a picture of what bondage will do to you. Bel and Nebo are names of Babylonian gods. To worship them caused the people to become bent over with burdens too heavy for them to carry. Even the animals were stooped over from carrying them. Jesus told the people to take his yoke upon them and to learn of him because his yoke was easy and his burden light. Why do we choose to carry burdens when God has told us to roll them on him and he will carry them for us. In verse 3 God makes an appeal to his children who he carried in his womb and birthed them himself. How can they compare him to their gods that they make out of silver and gold who cannot live or answer their prayers? Don't they remember him who created the earth and told them what was to come in the end. He sent them prophets who rightly spoke for him and told them things to come that only God would be able to know. Even though it looks like to them that God is never going to deliver them.... he will. Everything that he has purposed will come to pass. Everything.
Lord, help us to not be like the Israelites in this chapter that went after other gods because they didn't want to wait on the Lord's salvation. Help us to roll all our concerns and fears on you because you want them. You want us to walk unencumbered to do your work.
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
Tues.'s Devo - The Kingdoms of This World...
Read Isa. 45:12-25
God is speaking of the last days but it applies in our lives. He is saying that He who made man and earth has raised us up to build him a city of righteousness. When we set get set free of all our demons and become the body of Christ we were meant to be then even our enemies will come and bow at our feet. The world doesn't have the answers for the world's problems but God's people do. When we realize that God is the only answer we will shine like stars. Those that refuse to come to the Lord will be disgraced and their wisdom will look foolish compared to God's. Israel (God's people) will be free and safe during this time and forever more. God, who created this world, did not create it to be destroyed but for it to be inhabited.
So God is calling his people out of the bondage of the world to come together as one. In the end everyone will bow before God and those who have called the Lord their God will be justified and glorified and those who have been against God will burn.
God is raising up his people to places of authority in the earth and when the world runs out of answers they are going to see the wisdom of God's people and they are going to run to hear what they have to say. The kingdoms of this world will become the kingdoms of our God. (Rev. 11:15)
Lord, help us to run after your wisdom and have an answer from you.
God is speaking of the last days but it applies in our lives. He is saying that He who made man and earth has raised us up to build him a city of righteousness. When we set get set free of all our demons and become the body of Christ we were meant to be then even our enemies will come and bow at our feet. The world doesn't have the answers for the world's problems but God's people do. When we realize that God is the only answer we will shine like stars. Those that refuse to come to the Lord will be disgraced and their wisdom will look foolish compared to God's. Israel (God's people) will be free and safe during this time and forever more. God, who created this world, did not create it to be destroyed but for it to be inhabited.
So God is calling his people out of the bondage of the world to come together as one. In the end everyone will bow before God and those who have called the Lord their God will be justified and glorified and those who have been against God will burn.
God is raising up his people to places of authority in the earth and when the world runs out of answers they are going to see the wisdom of God's people and they are going to run to hear what they have to say. The kingdoms of this world will become the kingdoms of our God. (Rev. 11:15)
Lord, help us to run after your wisdom and have an answer from you.
Monday, October 17, 2011
Mon.'s Devo Things to Come
Read Isa. 45:4-11
I don't think I have ever seen this: God "surnamed" us (vs. 1). "Surnamed" in the Hebrew means to address by an additional name; to give flattering titles; to eulogize. It is like God is giving his people a nickname because he is so endeared to them. He surrounds them with his love and all to a people that don't even know him. Once again he is trying to draw them near to him. He wants them to be always aware of his loving presence. He is the one who creates light and dark, good and evil. Sometimes it is hard for us to realize that God actually causes affliction, adversity, and harm (all meanings of the word "evil"). He does and he does it for his purposes. His ways are higher than our ways (Isa. 55:9). He wants the heavens to drip righteousness and for salvation to spring up from the ground. Who are we to argue with the one who made us and fashioned us for a specific purpose? God welcomes us to ask him questions about himself and about the future so we will be prepared. It is God's great plan that he created this earth and man as his prized possession. He loves to share his plan with us.
Lord, cause us to hear your voice and the name that you have given to us. Show us things to come that we might learn to trust in you.
I don't think I have ever seen this: God "surnamed" us (vs. 1). "Surnamed" in the Hebrew means to address by an additional name; to give flattering titles; to eulogize. It is like God is giving his people a nickname because he is so endeared to them. He surrounds them with his love and all to a people that don't even know him. Once again he is trying to draw them near to him. He wants them to be always aware of his loving presence. He is the one who creates light and dark, good and evil. Sometimes it is hard for us to realize that God actually causes affliction, adversity, and harm (all meanings of the word "evil"). He does and he does it for his purposes. His ways are higher than our ways (Isa. 55:9). He wants the heavens to drip righteousness and for salvation to spring up from the ground. Who are we to argue with the one who made us and fashioned us for a specific purpose? God welcomes us to ask him questions about himself and about the future so we will be prepared. It is God's great plan that he created this earth and man as his prized possession. He loves to share his plan with us.
Lord, cause us to hear your voice and the name that you have given to us. Show us things to come that we might learn to trust in you.
Friday, October 14, 2011
Fri.'s Devo - The Secrets of God
Read Isa. 45:1-3
I absolutely love this chapter. It is full of wisdom about God. When God opens gates it is for us to come into a place we have never been before. There are places we can achieve in the spirit that are new but only God can reveal. If we are hungry and want to grow in our walk with God he will take us down roads that have been hard before. He will make the road straight which means prosperous, pleasant and right. It will fit us and our gifts. Things that have been a hindrance to us will be demolished by God. He will reveal secrets to us that have not been revealed before. I love those times. I have asked God questions that I didn't think were answerable to man and God has told me the answers because I asked. He longs for a people that want to know him and his ways. We wrongly think that we are not suppose to know the mysteries of God but he loves to share them with people that love and honor him. So ask him a hard question and see what he says.
Lord, help us to grow in our relationship with you. Thank you for your willingness to share with us your secrets.
I absolutely love this chapter. It is full of wisdom about God. When God opens gates it is for us to come into a place we have never been before. There are places we can achieve in the spirit that are new but only God can reveal. If we are hungry and want to grow in our walk with God he will take us down roads that have been hard before. He will make the road straight which means prosperous, pleasant and right. It will fit us and our gifts. Things that have been a hindrance to us will be demolished by God. He will reveal secrets to us that have not been revealed before. I love those times. I have asked God questions that I didn't think were answerable to man and God has told me the answers because I asked. He longs for a people that want to know him and his ways. We wrongly think that we are not suppose to know the mysteries of God but he loves to share them with people that love and honor him. So ask him a hard question and see what he says.
Lord, help us to grow in our relationship with you. Thank you for your willingness to share with us your secrets.
Thursday, October 13, 2011
Thurs.'s Devo - God Alone
Read Isa. 44:1-28
God loves to call things that aren't as if they were. God sees the end from the beginning so he never sees us in sin; he sees us in righteousness. God called Jacob and Israel to be his own possession and all of their offspring. He calls them "Jesurun" which means "upright". God speaks to the day that he will come to Israel and pour out his spirit so that all that are desiring him will be satisfied. He promises to not only pour his spirit but to bless them with many descendents. They may separate themselves by family saying "I am of Israel, or I am from Jacob", but God says they are all his and that He alone is their father. All other gods are good for nothing and when they die they will be ashamed to find out they were worshiping gods that were empty and man-made. They went to great pains to have the best idols made of the best wood and iron all for naught. The same wood that they made an idol and worshiped was the same wood they used to burn and make themselves warm. God made the tree that the wood came from and the earth that it is planted in. How stupid it is to worship things when you can worship the creator of the things. God decides who will be exalted and who will be abased. He alone is in control and He alone deserves our worship.
Lord, forgive us for thinking you can not help. You hold the future of the universe in your hand. You alone are God.
God loves to call things that aren't as if they were. God sees the end from the beginning so he never sees us in sin; he sees us in righteousness. God called Jacob and Israel to be his own possession and all of their offspring. He calls them "Jesurun" which means "upright". God speaks to the day that he will come to Israel and pour out his spirit so that all that are desiring him will be satisfied. He promises to not only pour his spirit but to bless them with many descendents. They may separate themselves by family saying "I am of Israel, or I am from Jacob", but God says they are all his and that He alone is their father. All other gods are good for nothing and when they die they will be ashamed to find out they were worshiping gods that were empty and man-made. They went to great pains to have the best idols made of the best wood and iron all for naught. The same wood that they made an idol and worshiped was the same wood they used to burn and make themselves warm. God made the tree that the wood came from and the earth that it is planted in. How stupid it is to worship things when you can worship the creator of the things. God decides who will be exalted and who will be abased. He alone is in control and He alone deserves our worship.
Lord, forgive us for thinking you can not help. You hold the future of the universe in your hand. You alone are God.
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