A Case Against The People

Hosea 4:1-2 BSB (Berean Standard Bible)

 

The People’s Sins

 

1Hear the word of the LORD,

O children of Israel,

for the LORD has a case

against the people of the land:

“There is no truth, no loving devotion,

and no knowledge of God in the land!

2Cursing and lying,

murder and stealing,

and adultery are rampant;

one act of bloodshed follows another.”

 

Now I am going to relate this to our world and church (the people of God) today, focusing on mainly my own nation (the USA), which is what I know and understand. Now, under the Old Covenant God’s people were the Jews, Israel of that time, so they were God’s people by physical heritage, because they were descendants of Abraham. Today God’s people are all people (Jew and Gentile by physical birth) who have by faith in Jesus Christ denied self, died to sin, and chosen a path of obedience to the Lord, by the grace of God.

 

But not everyone who has received Jesus Christ into their lives by biblical faith in Him is presently living for the Lord in obedience to His commands. Many have returned to their sins and are living to please the flesh. And not everyone who professes faith in Jesus Christ ever did become true followers of Christ, for they immediately continued on in their sins and not in obedience to the Lord, because they were led to believe that God does not require of us repentance (turning from sin) and obedience to His commands.

 

Therefore, we have many people in my nation, and perhaps in the world as a whole, who are giving lip service to the Lord but by their actions they deny Him. Sin is still their practice, and not obedience to our Lord’s commands. So they have no loving devotion to God, for to love God is to obey His commands. And many of them will lie to whomever in order to cover up their sins. And adultery is definitely running rampant!! With the invention of home computers, the internet, but especially smart phones, many are adulterers.

 

So many professing Christians today are living in addiction to sexual immorality via the use of pornography coupled with self-gratification. So they hide what they do in secret, and they lie about it, or perhaps they are bold about what they do, but there is no indication of true remorse, and there is no genuine repentance because they keep repeating the same sinful patterns over and over, some of them their entire lives or most all of their lives. And many of them just keep making excuses for why they do that.

 

Hosea 4:6-9 BSB (Berean Standard Bible)

 

The Shepherd’s Sins

 

“6My people are destroyed

for lack of knowledge.

Because you have rejected knowledge,

I will also reject you as My priests.

Since you have forgotten the law of your God,

I will also forget your children.

7The more they multiplied,

the more they sinned against Me;

they exchanged their Glory

for a thing of disgrace.

8They feed on the sins of My people

and set their hearts on iniquity.

9And it shall be

like people, like priest.

I will punish both of them for their ways

and repay them for their deeds.”

 

We have many people (mostly men) serving as pastors and elders or bishops in today’s modern market-driven institutional “churches” who are charlatans and wolves in sheep’s clothing who are feeding lies to the people, saying what itching ears want to hear. They may teach some of the gospel, but not all of it. And many of them are telling the people that they do not have to repent and obey God to be saved. Or if they do teach that, it is more like a suggestion or a recommendation, but not as a requirement for salvation.

 

But the Scriptures teach that by faith in Jesus Christ, a faith which comes from God, and is gifted to us by God, and is persuaded of God, we must deny self, die to sin, and obey God as a matter of life practice, not necessarily in absolute sinless perfection. But lack of perfection is never to be used as an excuse for deliberate and habitual sin against God and for deliberate disobedience to His commands. For if sin is our practice, and not obedience to God, we will not inherit eternal life with God.

 

Hosea 5:4-7 BSB (Berean Standard Bible)

 

A Spirit of Prostitution

 

“4Their deeds do not permit them

to return to their God,

for a spirit of prostitution is within them,

and they do not know the LORD.

5Israel’s arrogance testifies against them;

Israel and Ephraim stumble in their iniquity;

even Judah stumbles with them.

6They go with their flocks and herds

to seek the LORD,

but they do not find Him;

He has withdrawn Himself from them.

7They have been unfaithful to the LORD;

for they have borne illegitimate children.

Now the New Moon will devour them

along with their land.”

 

I have heard many Christians excuse away habitual and deliberate sexual sin, claiming that the one addicted to sin just can’t help what they are doing. But is that biblical? Absolutely not! Or they will suggest counseling for them, much of which is psychological garbage they are feeding the addicts while pacifying them in their sins of idolatry and adultery. But the addicts’ deeds do not permit them to return to God, for an evil spirit of prostitution is within them, and they are not genuinely saved, i.e. they don’t know God.

 

But this is not to say that it is impossible for them to be saved and to be delivered out of their addiction to sin. But addiction does have a strong control on people’s minds, hearts, and behaviors. But addiction to sin and Christianity do not mix together. For Jesus said that many will call Him, “Lord,” but they do not obey God, but they obey their sins, instead. And so they will not have eternal life with God unless they genuinely repent and die to addiction to sin and now walk faithfully in obedience to God’s commands.

 

[Matthew 7:13-14,21-23; Luke 9:23-26; John 10:27-30; Acts 26:18; Romans 1:18-32; Romans 2:5-10; Romans 3:23; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; Romans 12:1-2; 1 Corinthians 6:9-10,19-20; 1 Corinthians 10:1-22; 2 Corinthians 5:10,15,21; Galatians 5:16-24; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:17-32; Ephesians 5:3-6; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 3:1-19; Hebrews 4:1-13; Hebrews 10:19-39; Hebrews 12:1-2; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 John 1:1-10; 1 John 2:1-6; 1 John 3:4-10; Revelation 2:1-29; Revelation 3:1-22]

A Case Against The People

An Original Work / August 26, 2026

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

 

As the Deer

 

By Martin J. Nystrom

Based off Psalm 42:1

 

As the deer panteth for the water

So my soul longeth after You

You alone are my heart's desire

And I long to worship You

 

You alone are my strength, my shield

To You alone may my spirit yield

You alone are my heart's desire

And I long to worship You

 

[A Prayer of Devotion to God Alone]

Lying Tongues

You say one thing, but you do another. 

You say you’re pure, but have another lover. 

Your talk is cheap and your walk is failing.

You’re not sincere, so you can stop your railing. 

You play your games, and your lips do conquer.

You may fool some, but I have got your number.

You plead your case, and say you’re innocent.

Your sin declares, though, you must, in truth, repent.

You now can stop with all of your charades.

Your God knows all, which He surely can display.

In pride, you’ll fall from all you don’t repent;

If you keep on sinning, and you don’t relent.

So, give your all to Me, Your Lord, today,

And I will wipe all your guilt and sins away.

And you will walk in freedom from your sin

When you invite Me to come and live within.

An Original Work / April 9, 2018

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

Christ Died to Free us From Slavery to Sin

Love and Sacrifice

Hosea 3:1-5 BSB (Berean Standard Bible)

1Then the LORD said to me, “Go show love to your wife again, though she is loved by another and is an adulteress. Love her as the LORD loves the Israelites, though they turn to other gods and love to offer raisin cakes to idols.”

2So I bought her for fifteen shekels of silver and a homer and a lethech of barley. 3Then I said to her, “You must live with me for many days; you must not be promiscuous or belong to another, and I will do the same for you.”

4For the Israelites must live many days without king or prince, without sacrifice or sacred pillar, and without ephod or idol. 5Afterward, the people of Israel will return and seek the LORD their God and David their king. They will come trembling to the LORD and to His goodness in the last days.

The Gospel of Christ

When I read this passage of Scripture today from the book of Hosea, I immediately saw the gospel of our salvation. I see Hosea representing Jesus Christ here. And his wife (or x-wife, i.e. not his wife) is representing the people who are living in adultery against the Lord Jesus, many of whom have made professions of faith in Jesus Christ but who never died to sin or obeyed God in practice, and so never were of genuine faith, and many who once did follow the Lord in obedience but had since fallen back into sin. 

Jesus Christ loved us so much that He willingly gave up His throne in heaven, and came to earth, and let Himself be born as a human baby to a virgin woman, conceived of the Holy Spirit, and not of man. He allowed Himself to take on human flesh and to feel what we feel and to be tempted as we are tempted, yet without sin. He put himself out there among the people knowing that He would be hated and persecuted and ultimately put to death for speaking the truth of God’s Words for the people’s salvation.

And on that cross He bought us back for God out of our slavery to sin so we will now live for Him in obedience to His commands in holy living and no longer as slaves to sin (represented here by Hosea buying back the one who was his wife, but who was not his wife). Now Jesus gave His life up for the whole world, not just for the Jews who were His people but who were living in adultery against God. So this illustration is not going to be 100% “apples to apples,” i.e. an exact duplicate in every way to the book of Hosea.

But Jesus loved us even while we were yet sinners. And that is what God told Hosea to do. And Jesus bought us back for God with His blood shed for us on a cross, and Hosea bought his wife back for him. And Jesus redeemed us out of our lives of slavery to sin so we will now live for Him. And Hosea bought back his wife, and he instructed her that she must no longer be adulterous, but she must remain with her husband. And Jesus said if we are to come after Him we must deny self, take up our cross daily (die daily to sin and to self) and obey His commands, or we do not have life in Him.

And just as the Israelites of Hosea’s day were to give up their kings and their idolatries and their idols of worship and their adulteries, in order for God to be king of their lives, we who profess faith in Jesus Christ are required of God that we must deny self, die to sin, and obey God in life practice if we are to have eternal life with God. If we want to be saved from our sins, and to have Christ as our Lord, then we must submit to Christ as Lord, leave our lives of sin behind us, and obey God and His commands in life practice.

[Matthew 7:13-14,21-23; Luke 9:23-26; John 10:27-30; Acts 26:18; Romans 1:18-32; Romans 2:5-10; Romans 3:23; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; Romans 12:1-2; 1 Corinthians 6:9-10,19-20; 1 Corinthians 10:1-22; 2 Corinthians 5:10,15,21; Galatians 5:16-24; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:17-32; Ephesians 5:3-6; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 3:1-19; Hebrews 4:1-13; Hebrews 10:19-39; Hebrews 12:1-2; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 John 1:1-10; 1 John 2:1-6; 1 John 3:4-10; Revelation 2:1-29; Revelation 3:1-22] 

Christ Died to Free us From Slavery to Sin

An Original Work / August 26, 2026

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

Seek the Lord  

Based off Isaiah 55

An Original Work / July 20, 2012

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

Musical Instrumentation by Mark Bradley

“Come to Me all you who thirst; come to waters.

Listen to Me, and eat what’s good today,

And your soul will delight in richest of fare.

Give ear to Me, and you will live.

I have made an eternal covenant with you.

Wash in the blood of the Lamb.”

Seek the Lord while He may be found; call on Him. 

Let the wicked forsake his way, in truth.

Let him turn to the Lord, and he will receive mercy.

Freely, God pardons him.

“For My thoughts are not your thoughts,

Nor are your ways My ways,”

declares the Lord, our God.

“My word that goes out of My mouth is truthful.

It will not return to Me unfulfilled.

My word will accomplish all that I desire,

And achieve the goal I intend.

You will go in joy and be led forth in peace.

The mountains will burst into song… before you, 

And all of the trees clap their hands.”

https://vimeo.com/379408296

A Marriage Renewed

The Adulterous Church

 

I am reading in Hosea, chapter 2. The people of Israel, of the Old Covenant, were living in adultery against the Lord. They were chasing after “other lovers,” i.e. after the sinful pleasures that this world has to offer them. Their relationship with God was broken. And so God promised to bring judgment upon them, a judgment so severe that it would remove their ability to do the sinful things that they had been doing. But the goal was repentance, restoration, and renewal. The goal was to bring them back to God.

 

I live in the USA, so I can only speak for my nation, but from what I have been able to gather, from the things I have seen and witnessed and heard taking place, and from what I have read about and observed on a national level, it appears that the majority of those referring to themselves as “the children of God,” i.e. as Christians, are living very worldly lives, many of them convinced that God does not require of them that they deny self, die to sin, and obey our Lord in life practice. And so sin is still what they practice.

 

Thieves and liars and wolves in sheep’s clothing are leading many “church” congregations to believe the lies and to reject the truth of God’s word. And so many are accepting a diluted and altered gospel message which teaches that all God requires is that we profess faith in Him and then He does all the rest. But Jesus taught that if anyone would come after Him that they must deny self, take up their cross daily (die daily to sin and to self) and follow Him in walks of obedience to His commands in righteousness, by His grace.

 

[Matthew 7:13-14,21-23; Luke 9:23-26; John 10:27-30; Acts 26:18; Romans 1:18-32; Romans 2:5-10; Romans 3:23; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; Romans 12:1-2; 1 Corinthians 6:9-10,19-20; 1 Corinthians 10:1-22; 2 Corinthians 5:10,15,21; Galatians 5:16-24; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:17-32; Ephesians 5:3-6; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 3:1-19; Hebrews 4:1-13; Hebrews 10:19-39; Hebrews 12:1-2; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 John 1:1-10; 1 John 2:1-6; 1 John 3:4-10; Revelation 2:1-29; Revelation 3:1-22]

 

God’s Mercy to Israel

 

Hosea 2:16-20,23 BSB (Berean Standard Bible)

 

16In that day,”

declares the LORD,

“you will call Me ‘my Husband,’

and no longer call Me ‘my Master.’

17For I will remove from her lips the names of the Baals;

no longer will their names be invoked.

 

18On that day I will make a covenant for them

with the beasts of the field and the birds of the air

and the creatures that crawl on the ground.

And I will abolish bow and sword

and battle in the land,

and will make them lie down in safety.

19So I will betroth you to Me forever;

I will betroth you in righteousness and justice,

in loving devotion and compassion.

20And I will betroth you in faithfulness,

and you will know the LORD.”

 

23And I will sow her as My own in the land,

and I will have compassion on ‘No Compassion.’

I will say to those called ‘Not My People,’

‘You are My people,’

and they will say,

‘You are my God.’”

 

God is grieved over the rebellion and sinful practices of those who proclaim Him as Lord and Savior of their lives. For, if we are people of faith in Jesus Christ, that is a marriage contract. That is a marriage relationship. Jesus is now our husband, and we who believe in Him are His bride. So if we have returned to making sin our practice, and not obedience to God, that is adultery against our Lord. Or if we never died to sin, and if we never obeyed God in practice, it means we were never in relationship with Jesus Christ.

 

So He is calling all who profess His name to repent of their sins and to now follow Jesus in obedience to His commands. He is calling all who say they know Jesus to truly walk with Him in daily fellowship with Him in following Him wherever He leads. We who are of faith in Jesus Christ are His bride, and He is our husband, so we need to live like that is a reality in our lives. No longer should we stray. No longer should we go after the sinful pleasures of the flesh. But now we who are His people should live like He is our God.

 

A Marriage Renewed

An Original Work / August 26, 2026

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

 

Seek My Face 

 

An Original Work / June 10, 2011

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

 

Seek My face; hear My voice

Calling you, “Make the choice.

Won’t you hear Me just now?

Turn from sin; humbly bow.

Trust in Me as your Lord,

Walk in fellowship with Me.

I will enter your heart,

Give you life eternally.

 

“Won’t you sit at My feet;

Hear Me teach; daily meet?

Won’t you pray; share your heart;

Let My grace now impart;

Comfort you with My love,

Give you peace from up above?

I will tenderly say,

‘You are Mine, I’m yours always.’

 

“One day I will return

To receive you, My bride;

Relieve you from your fears;

Wipe the tears from your eyes.

Watch for Me; be prepared

To meet Me up in the air.

I will give you a crown,

And you’ll wear a pure white gown.”

 

https://vimeo.com/126019649

Do You Feel What God Feels?

Forward: There exists a difference of opinion and beliefs among the Bible commentators of old as to whether or not this is to be taken literally or figuratively. I don’t think we can resolve that issue. So the best we can do is to learn from it the lesson that God has for us to learn which does NOT give all Christians permission to marry someone of ill repute, i.e. a prostitute.

 

Hosea 1:2-9 BSB (Berean Standard Bible)

 

2When the LORD first spoke through Hosea, He told him, “Go, take a prostitute as your wife and have children of adultery, because this land is flagrantly prostituting itself by departing from the LORD.”

 

3So Hosea went and married Gomer daughter of Diblaim, and she conceived and bore him a son.

 

4Then the LORD said to Hosea, “Name him Jezreel, for soon I will bring the bloodshed of Jezreel upon the house of Jehu, and I will put an end to the kingdom of Israel. 5And on that day I will break the bow of Israel in the Valley of Jezreel.”

 

6Gomer again conceived and gave birth to a daughter, and the LORD said to Hosea, “Name her Lo-ruhamah, for I will no longer have compassion on the house of Israel, that I should ever forgive them. 7Yet I will have compassion on the house of Judah, and I will save them—not by bow or sword or war, not by horses and cavalry, but by the LORD their God.”

 

8After she had weaned Lo-ruhamah, Gomer conceived and gave birth to a son. 9And the LORD said, “Name him Lo-ammi, for you are not My people, and I am not your God.”

 

My Understanding

 

Hosea was a servant of the Lord. God did something with him that might seem a bit strange and unusual in our world today, yet something that was not all that unusual for God with His prophets of old. He often had His prophets act out prophecies, or for the prophets themselves, and their family members, to represent or to symbolize the messages God wanted to give to His people.

 

For instance, Isaiah said that he and his children were “signs and symbols” in Israel from the LORD Almighty (see Isaiah 8). And, here, in Hosea, we have a picture of God asking Hosea to marry an adulterous woman and to bear children of unfaithfulness, because they, as well, were to be signs and symbols in Israel concerning Israel’s spiritual condition, and with regard to Israel’s relationship with God.

 

I believe, as well, that what God asked Hosea to do allowed Hosea to feel some of what God felt concerning the children of Israel and their relationship with Him, which helped Hosea to write in such a way to where he could actually feel, from personal experience, what he was writing about.

 

The Lord has often done this with me through dreams and visions, which serve as allegories - illustrative and symbolic works in which the characters and events are to be understood as representing other things, and expressing deeper spiritual truths. When the Lord does that, He gives me insight, from His perspective, into situations that I might not, in the natural, have any indication about or might not understand the deep spiritual truths the Lord has for me to see in the circumstances of my life and in my world.

 

So, sometimes God allows us to walk in His shoes a little so we know what He sees, thinks, and feels, as though we are experiencing it ourselves. It helps us then to know God’s heart, and to be more passionate and compassionate in ministry, I believe. And that is what He did with Hosea.

 

The Situation of The Time

 

The people of Israel were guilty of the vilest adultery in departing from the Lord. So, God planned to judge the house of Jehu for the massacre of Jezreel, and said He was going to put an end to the kingdom of Israel. He said He would no longer show love to the house of Israel, nor would He offer them forgiveness.

 

Yet, He would show love to the house of Judah and He would save them by the Lord their God, not by weapons of warfare. He said that Israel was no longer His people, and that He was not their God. Yet, there was hope. One day the Israelites would be like the sand on the seashore. In place of where it was said to them, “You are not my people,” they would be called “sons of the living God.”

 

What this reminds me of is how the physical nation of Israel rejected Jesus Christ as their Messiah, so they, as a nation, ceased to be the children of God. Scripture teaches us that unbelieving Jews are now the same as Gentiles, i.e. they are considered to be descended from Ishmael, not from Isaac, whereas those who believe in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior are those who are the children of promise, and thus they are true Israel.

 

The physical city of Jerusalem is now synonymous with Hagar, because she is still in slavery with her children, whereas the spiritual city of Jerusalem, from above, is the mother of true followers of Jesus Christ. All unbelieving Jews and Gentiles are children of the slave woman, whereas all believers in Jesus Christ are the children of the free woman (see Galatians 4:21-31).

 

Israel Today: [Matthew 21:43; John 8:18-19,38-47; John 10:16; Romans 2:28-29; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; Romans 9:4-8,25-28; Romans 11:1-36; 1 Corinthians 3:16-17; 1 Corinthians 10:1-22; 2 Corinthians 6:14-18; Galatians 3:16,26-29; Galatians 4:22-31; Ephesians 2:11-22; Ephesians 3:1-6; Colossians 3:12-15; Titus 2:14; Hebrews 3:1-19; Hebrews 4:1-16; Hebrews 8:6-13; 1 Peter 2:9-10,24; 1 John 2:22; Jude 1:5; Revelation 2:9; Revelation 3:9; see also Genesis 17:7-9; Genesis 18:19]

 

In Summation

 

Sometimes God allows us who are of faith in Jesus Christ to go through difficult circumstances so that we can feel what God feels, and so it will deepen our relationships with the Lord, so we will draw closer to God, and so we will now follow Him wherever He leads us in doing whatever He has called us to do, even if it is somewhat different from what is generally regarded as “normal.” And if we end up being writers, it will give us greater passion regarding the things which we write about, too, by God’s grace.

 

Sometimes we have to experience things for ourselves before we really feel in our inner beings what God wants us to be passionate about enough to where we will speak the hard truths to the people, many of whom will not listen, because they will regard our words as “too hard.” So He will take us trough trials and tribulations to test our faith and to strengthen us in our faith and to make us more passionate and compassionate people who are not just speaking words, but who literally feel what we are speaking of.

 

And right now, in the year 2026, there are so many people professing faith in Jesus Christ who are living like the Israelites of Hosea’s day who God was chiding for their adulteries. So many are living immoral lives, in sexual immorality, in idolatry, in adultery, and in unfaithfulness to God and to their spouses (if they are married). And those who are deliberately and habitually sinning against God are not regarded of God as those who belong to Him. So they will not be saved, and they will not inherit eternal life with God.

 

The only path to salvation from sin and to eternal life with God is through biblical faith in Jesus Christ which requires death to sin and walks of obedience to our Lord in surrender to Him as Lord (Master) of their lives.

 

[Matthew 7:13-14,21-23; Luke 9:23-26; John 10:27-30; Acts 26:18; Romans 1:18-32; Romans 2:5-10; Romans 3:23; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; Romans 12:1-2; 1 Corinthians 6:9-10,19-20; 1 Corinthians 10:1-22; 2 Corinthians 5:10,15,21; Galatians 5:16-24; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:17-32; Ephesians 5:3-6; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 3:1-19; Hebrews 4:1-13; Hebrews 10:19-39; Hebrews 12:1-2; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 John 1:1-10; 1 John 2:1-6; 1 John 3:4-10; Revelation 2:1-29; Revelation 3:1-22]

 

Do You Feel What God Feels?

An Original Work / August 25, 2026

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

 

As the Deer

 

By Martin J. Nystrom

Based off Psalm 42:1

 

As the deer panteth for the water

So my soul longeth after You

You alone are my heart's desire

And I long to worship You

 

You alone are my strength, my shield

To You alone may my spirit yield

You alone are my heart's desire

And I long to worship You

 

[A Prayer of Devotion to God Alone]

Eyes and Ears

Eyes to see and ears to hear,

Jesus, keep me ever near.

Help me walk with You each day,

Read Your Word, and daily pray.

May I listen, Lord, to You.

Do what You say; follow through.

May I always persevere,

As, to Your truths, I adhere.

May I have the mind of Christ,

Have His passion through my life;

Love my neighbor, brothers, too,

Always telling them the truth.

Love You, Jesus, You’re my all.

With Your help, I will not fall.

Lead me, guide me in The Way.

By Your grace, may I not stray.

An Original Work / April 7, 2018

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

Time is Not our Friend

I am reading in Daniel, chapter 9, today. Daniel understood, according to the word of the Lord, that the desolation of Jerusalem would last seventy years. So he turned his attention to the Lord God to seek Him by prayer and petition, with fasting, sackcloth, and ashes. And he prayed for his nation, for his people. And I, Sue J Love, understand that in these last days that all the earth will be under the judgment of Almighty God and so I pray for my loved ones, for my nation, and for the people of the earth to turn their hearts to God in biblical repentance with a commitment to follow Him in obedience.

 

Daniel 9:4-6 BSB (Berean Standard Bible)

 

And I prayed to the LORD my God and confessed, “O, Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps His covenant of loving devotion to those who love Him and keep His commandments, 5we have sinned and done wrong. We have acted wickedly and rebelled. We have turned away from Your commandments and ordinances. 6We have not listened to Your servants the prophets, who spoke in Your name to our kings, leaders, fathers, and all the people of the land.”

 

There are many people in our world today professing faith in Jesus Christ with their lips only, but their hearts are far from God. They make professions of faith which are not followed up with action. They profess loyalty and devotion to God, but their words are not sincere. They might confess their sins with their lips, and say, “I’m sorry,” but then go right back to the same sinful habits they have maintained for a very long while. So they make promises which they do not intend to keep. For sin rules their hearts.

 

For they are selfish and self-centered and self-indulgent people who love their sins more than anything else. They have no guilt or shame about the sins they commit against God, and against other humans, habitually and deliberately. And they may even proclaim love and devotion to God and to their spouses (if they are married) and yet continue to cheat on both of them as a matter of habit. And so many of them today are addicted to sexual immorality which they keep returning to over and over again.

 

But what did Daniel say here? He said that God is one who keeps His covenant of loving devotion to those who love Him and who keep His commandments. And the New Testament apostles taught the same truth as this, so this is not just old covenant teaching, but it is also new covenant teaching. For us to be in genuine relationship with God/Christ, and to have salvation from sin and eternal life with God, we must obey His commands as a matter of life practice. For if we love God, we will obey our Lord.

 

Daniel 9:9-10 BSB (Berean Standard Bible)

 

“9To the Lord our God belong compassion and forgiveness, even though we have rebelled against Him 10and have not obeyed the voice of the LORD our God to walk in His laws, which He set before us through His servants the prophets.”

 

Many people professing faith in Jesus Christ today are misconstruing God’s grace into a license to keep on in their sins without punishment. They take two verses like this out of context and they teach and/or they believe that God’s grace covers all their sins, even their deliberate and habitual sins against the Lord and their refusal to bow the knee to the Lord to walk in obedience to His commands. But the Scriptures make it clear that if sin is our habit, and not obedience to God, that we do not have salvation from sin.

 

But because that is not what they believe, even though they know right from wrong, and they know what the Scriptures teach on this subject, they continue in their deliberate and habitual sins, in disobeying God and His commands, and in being unfaithful to God (and to spouse if married). But God’s grace is not free license to continue in sin. God’s grace is training us to renounce all ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives while we await our Lord’s return (Titus 2:11-14).

 

Daniel 9:13-14 BSB (Berean Standard Bible)

 

“13Just as it is written in the Law of Moses, all this disaster has come upon us, yet we have not sought the favor of the LORD our God by turning from our iniquities and giving attention to Your truth. 14Therefore the LORD has kept the calamity in store and brought it upon us. For the LORD our God is righteous in all He does; yet we have not obeyed His voice.”

 

We are now living in a time, in our nations, and in the world as a whole, when, if we are paying close attention, we will see that the prophecies regarding these last days are being fulfilled right before our eyes on a daily basis. God is judging the nations of this world. And he is judging the people of this world who have rejected Jesus as their Messiah and all who profess the name of Jesus but for whom He is not Lord of their lives, for they are still “lord” of their own lives, still living according to their sinful desires.

 

So, keep watch on what is going on in the world, but don’t follow just one political party. And don’t follow just one news site. And don’t follow just one leader, which includes pastors, elders, presidents, kings, and other rulers. Be those who surrender to the Lord Jesus, who are paying close attention to His teachings, and who are living according to His will and to His commands. And pray for much discernment to know who is telling the truth and who is lying to the people, for deception abounds in our world and church today.

 

And then be spiritually, mentally, and physically prepared for what is coming next. For God’s judgments are on this earth. And “the beast” is rising and is consuming the nations and the people of this world. And we the people of this world are being brought into a one world order of “the beast” one step at a time. And do not put your hope and your trust in kings and presidents and pastors and politicians to save you. Repent of all known sins and follow the Lord Jesus in full obedience and surrender from this day forward.

 

[Matthew 7:13-14,21-23; Luke 9:23-26; John 10:27-30; Acts 26:18; Romans 1:18-32; Romans 2:5-10; Romans 3:23; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; Romans 12:1-2; 1 Corinthians 6:9-10,19-20; 1 Corinthians 10:1-22; 2 Corinthians 5:10,15,21; Galatians 5:16-24; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:17-32; Ephesians 5:3-6; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 3:1-19; Hebrews 4:1-13; Hebrews 10:19-39; Hebrews 12:1-2; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 John 1:1-10; 1 John 2:1-6; 1 John 3:4-10; Revelation 2:1-29; Revelation 3:1-22]

 

Time is Not our Friend

An Original Work / August 25, 2026

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

 

As the Deer

 

By Martin J. Nystrom

Based off Psalm 42:1

 

As the deer panteth for the water

So my soul longeth after You

You alone are my heart's desire

And I long to worship You

 

You alone are my strength, my shield

To You alone may my spirit yield

You alone are my heart's desire

And I long to worship You

 

[A Prayer of Devotion to God Alone]