2 Kings 18:13-19:37, Acts 26:1-17, Psalms 149:1-9, Proverbs 18:8

What God said to me – Have you ever had the wind knocked out of you?  One moment everything is fine and out of the blue you take a blow and suddenly can’t breathe.  It is frightening and hard to think straight.  Sometimes life seems like that – everything seems to be going well and out of the blue you take a hit – you lose your job – you get a bad medical report – you have an accident – a loved one dies.  How do you react?  Look at Hezekiah, King of Judah.  Jerusalem was surrounded by the Assyrian army.  They were savage and cruel, and they had already taken the Northern Kingdom of Israel into captivity.  Their king sent a message to Hezekiah proclaiming their coming destruction and how they had destroyed every other nation and their gods and how Hezekiah’s God would not save them either.  Hezekiah took the enemy’s letter and brought it into My house and laid it out before Me and prayed.  I answered his prayer through My prophet, Isaiah, and one of the things I told him was that this was not a surprise to Me – I planned it long ago.  Remember that no matter what you are facing and how blindsided you are by it, “I AM” not taken by surprise.  I planned it from long ago and “I AM” at work in it and through it.  Like Hezekiah, come lay it out before Me and pray – then trust My plan.

2 Kings 17:1-18:12, Acts 20, Psalms 148:1-14, Proverbs 18:6-7

What God said to me – The history of Israel should be a cautionary tale to society today.  Judgment fell because they rejected My Law and My Covenant and all of My warnings and they followed vanity and became vain.  Vanity actually has two meanings – one is to be conceited and prideful and full of oneself and the other is to be empty and worthless.  One leads to the other.  When you fill up your life with yourself, you will eventually become empty, like a glass with a hole in the bottom.  You were not made to worship anything or anyone but Me, least of all yourself.   The only way for you to live a full and fulfilling life is for you to quit trying to fill it yourself and allow Me, the Living Water, to fill you.  Israel even tried to straddle both worlds by saying they feared Me but still worshipped idols.  However it doesn’t work that way – it can’t.  “I AM” a jealous God.  You must be wholly devoted to Me.  Choose you each day, each moment who you will serve.

2 Kings 15-16, Acts 19:13-41, Psalms 147:1-20, Proverbs 18:4-5

What God said to me – Judgment is a terrible thing.  Because of My love and My desire that people should come to repentance, I hold off judgment.  “I AM” patient and desire all to come to repentance, and yet few take advantage of My mercy.  They think that My withholding My hand means judgment will never come.  That couldn’t be further from the truth.  The world is at the brink.  I will not hold back for much longer. All that I have said, I will do.  The time is short for repentance.  Tell them.