War and Empty Words!

In the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah’s reign, Sennacherib king of Assyria attacked all the fortified cities of Judah and captured them. Then the king of Assyria sent his field commander with a large army from Lachish to King Hezekiah at Jerusalem. When the commander stopped at the aqueduct of the Upper Pool, on the road to the Launderer’s Field, Eliakim son of Hilkiah the palace administrator, Shebna the secretary, and Joah son of Asaph the recorder went out to him. The field commander said to them, “Tell Hezekiah: “ ‘This is what the great king, the king of Assyria, says: On what are you basing this confidence of yours? You say you have counsel and might for war—but you speak only empty words. On whom are you depending, that you rebel against me? Look, I know you are depending on Egypt, that splintered reed of a staff, which pierces the hand of anyone who leans on it! Such is Pharaoh king of Egypt to all who depend on him. But if you say to me, “We are depending on the LORD our God”—isn’t he the one whose high places and altars Hezekiah removed, saying to Judah and Jerusalem, “You must worship before this altar”? “ ‘Come now, make a bargain with my master, the king of Assyria: I will give you two thousand horses—if you can put riders on them! How then can you repulse one officer of the least of my master’s officials, even though you are depending on Egypt for chariots and horsemen? Furthermore, have I come to attack and destroy this land without the LORD? The LORD himself told me to march against this country and destroy it.’ ”Then Eliakim, Shebna and Joah said to the field commander, “Please speak to your servants in Aramaic, since we understand it. Don’t speak to us in Hebrew in the hearing of the people on the wall.” But the commander replied, “Was it only to your master and you that my master sent me to say these things, and not to the people sitting on the wall—who, like you, will have to eat their own excrement and drink their own urine?” Then the commander stood and called out in Hebrew, “Hear the words of the great king, the king of Assyria!  This is what the king says: Do not let Hezekiah deceive you. He cannot deliver you! Do not let Hezekiah persuade you to trust in the LORD when he says, ‘The LORD will surely deliver us; this city will not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria.’ “Do not listen to Hezekiah. This is what the king of Assyria says: Make peace with me and come out to me. Then each of you will eat fruit from your own vine and fig tree and drink water from your own cistern, until I come and take you to a land like your own—a land of grain and new wine, a land of bread and vineyards.“Do not let Hezekiah mislead you when he says, ‘The LORD will deliver us.’ Have the gods of any nations ever delivered their lands from the hand of the king of Assyria? Where are the gods of Hamath and Arpad? Where are the gods of Sepharvaim? Have they rescued Samaria from my hand? Who of all the gods of these countries have been able to save their lands from me? How then can the LORD deliver Jerusalem from my hand?” But the people remained silent and said nothing in reply, because the king had commanded, “Do not answer him.”Then Eliakim son of Hilkiah the palace administrator, Shebna the secretary and Joah son of Asaph the recorder went to Hezekiah, with their clothes torn, and told him what the field commander had said. Isaiah 36 NIV

Oh what lessons we can learn by reviewing history about wars and words.

Liars didn’t just start lying in the 21st Century; they’ve been around for a long time–and they lied to gain an advantage over gullible people–people easily swayed and deluded.

In this passage of scripture–the field commander–(unnamed at this point) lies to Eliakim, Shebna, and Joah in the hearing of the people–attempting to make them doubt what they already knew–The Lord would deliver them. In other words–the commander was trying to “gaslight” the people, but the people refused to answer him because they had been warned not to say anything. And saying nothing, means more than spewing empty words that will only provoke violence.

Someone should read this passage to the #WHidiot before he gets us all killed with his empty rhetoric. He doesn’t have a foreign policy plan and has never had a plan. He didn’t realize the enormity of the job in the Oval Office and thought he could make up stuff as he went. His empty words–not understood by anyone–fell on the ears of the world watching and wondering, what he meant about Assad getting a message. Representative Maxine Waters had the best advice for him, “Shut up!” He needs to be quiet and stop trying to sound tough, when he’s shaking in his boots because he doesn’t have a clue and he won’t listen to anyone who does.

While he was running his mouth, the king of Jordan looked stunned at the ignorance displayed by the so-called president of the United States. What a joke we are to those watching this ship sink!

It would be interesting if he ever did any homework about anyone he’s hosting at the White House and it would even be more interesting if he learned diplomacy and etiquette for a real leader.  Attempting to have “policy talks” with King Abdullah and his 35 years of military service compared to a repeat draft dodger–is laughable at best! The idiot-in-chief knows nothing about being in the military, procedure or foreign policy, nor does his son-in-law, or daughter. And they’re in the White House advising him because what…?

At any rate, The Lord delivered and Hezekiah proved to be faithful to the God of Heaven and remained steadfast in his belief that His God–was God.

Wouldn’t it be wonderful to know that we had a “modern-day Hezekiah” praying and acting on our behalf–even in the face of danger–knowing that God is not a man that He should lie?

Unfortunately, we don’t have a Hezekiah in the White House and we know because he suffers from a “savior-complex,” thinking he has all the answers and he alone can fix stuff. So the rest of us–who do know God, must pray and be faithful unto Him who is able to deliver us and not count on the #WHidiot and his empty words or we shall surely fall by the wayside.

 

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He Took Care of Them!

“So the LORD saved Hezekiah and the people of Jerusalem from the hand of Sennacherib king of Assyria and from the hand of all others. He took care of them on every side.” (2 Chronicles 32:22 NIV)

No matter who insults The Lord of Heaven, no matter how powerful a group of people think they are, they matter how barbaric they are, Our God saves to the utmost all those who openly acknowledge Him and whose confidence is in Him, alone.

Like all of the histories revealed in the Bible, this one–about the King of Assyria (Sennacherib) and how he taunted the people of Jerusalem about how their God would not save them, reminds us that since God took of those who looked to Him for deliverance from an evil king, He will take care of those who are stilling looking to Him for deliverance from evil.

When we know that God will take care of us, we can say with confidence God’s Will in the earth will reign no matter how evil the world looks. And just like He sent an angel to destroy all of those who fought against His chosen people, He will do it again and again. If we don’t believe this, all we have to do is watch and see the hand of The Lord in all things. He is the same God, with the same love, and the same purpose for His people–all who love and obey Him.

We are reminded in this segment of Scripture that all those who oppose themselves against the Living God, have an appointed end and they will withdraw from their attack on God’s people in disgrace. All we–God’s people have to do–is pray and remain confident of the end of the matter–God will take care of us and destroy those who oppose Him.

Our role in the 21st Century is to remain faithful to the God of Heaven, the God who created all things and without whom, nothing was ever created. We stand firm in the face of opposition to all those who attempt to demean and undermine our faith. We stand firm in the face of those trials and persecutions of our faith from those who choose to live in opposition to God’s Word. We stand firm–against the evil that is encroaching the land and we pray, believing that our God will take care of us and nothing the enemy has planned will come to fruition and they will slink away, when the whole world sees their demise. No weapon formed against us shall ever prosper when we are obedient to our God! He took care of those in Jerusalem then and He will take care of all of us who believe Him, now.

Run and Tell That!

“For if you return to the LORD, your relatives and your children will be treated mercifully by their captors, and they will be able to return to this land. For the LORD your God is gracious and merciful. If you return to him, he will not continue to turn his face from you.” (2 Chronicles 30:9 NLT)

When King Hezekiah sent runners throughout the nation, urging the people to return to God and His ways, many ignored the runners and the admonition the letters contained. They laughed and made fun of them, but there were some who listened and obeyed. And God, turned the hearts of the tribe of Judah to one heart, in obedience, and blessed them for their obedience.

We may not have “literal runners” who are running through the land with a cry of “return to The Lord,” but we do have many people who are using whatever access they have to people to encourage all to “return” to The Lord. Our fingers are running through keyboards typing messages of encouragement and repentance. Our satellites are transmitting messages of hope and encouragement via televisions, Internet, and still–radios. So, in a sense, we have runners who are still urging people to turn to God. And the message–is pretty much the same–if you return to The Lord and His Ways, your children will be treated mercifully…”

When I wrote my blog yesterday about “Cursed Children” I was remembering all those things that I was taught as a child: how to clean house, make a bed, respect elders, say grace over food, say prayers at night, work to do good in school, knowing right from wrong, never lie or steal, and most of all to remember there is God–who sees everything and knows everything we do and will reveal it to others. This is what I was taught and the lessons were deeply embedded, thoroughly entrenched in my mind and soul to the point that these are the same things I taught my children. I pray they will teach them to their children.

If the time comes–that I can no longer be a runner for The Lord–I want my grandchildren to pick up the baton and run on–urging all they meet to return to The Lord and be blessed.

Simply put–if we don’t return to The Lord and His Ways (not our own), we will remain captive to the dictates of our flesh and soon see the results of that captivity that may even result in captivity by enemies of God. Nothing is out of the realm of possibility. If we refuse to acknowledge God, why should He acknowledge us when we are assailed from every side by those who hate Him and then–some of us–laugh and make fun of those who were runners–trying to tell us the truth?

I’m sure there are a number of people who are laughing and making fun of my blog-posts daily. I’m sure they share the laughter with those who are like-minded. But I am equally sure that there are some who will read and heed what is being said and encourage others to return to The Lord before it’s too late.

If you must laugh at what I do–laugh–full belly-laughs with tears running down your face and your body shaking so hard you can barely stand. The more you laugh at what I say, the more The Lord will bless what I do–because it is all about Him, not me! He knows those who are His and He also knows those who are counterfeit believers–pretending to know Him, but really do not have a clue. If they did know Him, they would not promote hatred of others–for any reason.They will receive the reward for their actions and it will not be a place reserved for them in heaven, unless they “return to The Lord” completely and allow Him to govern their lives and especially their tongues and fingers.

Now, Run and Tell That!

Greater Power With Us!

“Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or discouraged because of the king of Assyria and the vast army with him, for there is a greater power with us than with him” (2 Chronicles 32:7 NIV).

A wise Christian leader will always encourage those who follow them to not be afraid of the things they see, but to have faith in the One they cannot see, but know is there.

Throughout the Bible we see the words, “be strong and courageous” and “do not be afraid” of anything. People who are fearful make hasty decisions that usually end up causing even more problems than they would have incurred if they had faith and waited.

When faced with obstacles and challenges that appear to overwhelm us, we must remember that we have the greater power within us than the power in the world. This is why we are reminded that “Greater is He who is in us than he who is in the world.” The enemy may think he has the upper-hand in our lives, but if we remain focused on the promises of God and obey Him only, we have no need to fear what the enemy may do.

Does this mean we never have problems? Absolutely not! We will have trials and tribulations–Jesus told us that, but He also said in John 16, “don’t worry about them because He had overcome the world.” In other words, He has already prepared the solution before the problem arises.

Think about things this way. Is there anything the enemy does that God cannot turn around in our favor? No! There is nothing too hard for God. Even when we think it appears that God has failed us, He has simply allowed us to go through so He can get the glory in our lives.  We have to develop our faith in God so we can stand and face the enemy in our life (whatever that enemy is–drugs, alcohol, pornography, sexual sin, stealing, lying, fear, etc.), so we can be like Daniel–no matter what happens–we will not worship other gods or be fearful of what man can do because we are never alone–God is always with us!

Hezekiah was faced with the possibility of an entire tribe being destroyed by Assyria. He knew that his military would not fight if they were fearful so he encouraged them to have faith in God, rather than be concerned with mere men in the Assyrian army. We must not be afraid of what mere men can do, for their lives are just as limited as ours, but we (who have a relationship with God) have the promise of eternity with Jesus!  Remember it is not by power or might that we achieve victory, but by the Spirit of  The Lord, working on our behalf.

No matter what happens in the world today; especially when we can see the influence of the enemy roaming wildly, stirring up hatred and violence; we must keep our focus and our faith in God and never fear. “Perfect love (unconditional love) casts out fear.”