Your High Places for Sin

“’The sin of Judah is written with a pen of iron; with a point of diamond it is engraved on the tablet of their heart, and on the horns of their altars, while their children remember their altars and their Asherim, beside every green tree and on the high hills, on the mountains in the open country. Your wealth and all your treasures I will give for spoil as the price of your high places for sin throughout all your territory. You shall loosen your hand from your heritage that I gave to you, and I will make you serve your enemies in a land that you do not know, for in my anger a fire is kindled that shall burn forever.

“Thus says the Lord:

‘Cursed is the man who trusts in man

    and makes flesh his strength,

    whose heart turns away from the Lord.

He is like a shrub in the desert,

    and shall not see any good come.

He shall dwell in the parched places of the wilderness,

    in an uninhabited salt land.

“’Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord,

    whose trust is the Lord.

He is like a tree planted by water,

    that sends out its roots by the stream,

and does not fear when heat comes,

    for its leaves remain green,

and is not anxious in the year of drought,

    for it does not cease to bear fruit.’” (Jeremiah 17:1-8 ESV)

I live in the United States of America in the USA state of South Carolina. I have lived in the USA my entire 74 years of life, so it is the only country that I know, and I can’t say that I know it well. But I have definitely had my eyes opened to so much these past 20 years since the Lord has been teaching me about what is really going on within my nation and within the world as a whole, as well. And so when I read this passage of Scripture this morning, my nation is what came to mind immediately.

Although our leaders have promoted this idea that we are a Christian nation, who are one united people under the one true God (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit), that really is not the case. Yes, Christianity is the primary religion of our nation, but not everyone who professes to be a Christian really is one. So many who say they believe in Jesus do not submit to him as Lord of their lives, and they do not follow him in obedience to his commands, and they have not forsaken their sinful practices to live holy lives pleasing to God.

They may or may not be religious people, but it appears that the vast majority who call themselves Christians do not meet the biblical requirements for what it means to be a follower of Jesus Christ, in practice. And this is evident in the things that they talk about and by how they conduct their lives day in and day out. For we are known by our fruit, not by just what our lips profess. And so many who profess faith in Jesus Christ are not living to please the Lord but still to please the flesh (Romans 8:1-14).

Therefore, what is called “church” here in America is not the biblical church, the body of Christ, the people of God who love and worship him by giving their lives to him as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to the Lord, no longer conformed to the ways of this sinful world (Romans 12:1-2). But what is called “church” is primarily businesses created in the minds of human beings with the purpose to attract the world to their businesses, and so they are marketing their businesses to the world via worldly means and methods.

And in order to attract the world to their gatherings, they have diluted and altered the character of God/Christ Jesus, and of his gospel message, and of his true church, his body, his holy people. And so many of these gatherings are for the purpose to entertain the world and the ungodly. And so they are not sharing the truth of the gospel which says we must deny self, die daily to sin, and follow Jesus in obedience if we want to have salvation from sin and eternal life with God (Luke 9:23-26). And many are giving people a free pass to keep sinning while claiming Jesus as Savior and heaven as their home.

And I believe that God is presently judging our nation and its people and especially his church – those who have parted from his words and his ways and who have gone the way of the world to serve the flesh and not God. And I believe we can see these judgments of God coming at us via the decisions that our leaders are making for this nation and how that is impacting us, as a people, financially, spiritually, emotionally, and with regard to security and safety. I believe if we are paying attention to what is happening that we can see “the handwriting on the wall” for our nation.

So, here is the counsel for us. If we put our trust in humans, in our government heads, in pastors, and/or in our military to save us from what ails us as a nation, we are headed to disaster. And that is where I believe we are headed right now, for far too many people are trusting certain humans to “save” them from other humans without considering whether or not any of these humans are on the side of God, in truth, and whether or not they are on our side, the side of the people.

So, instead of turning to other humans to “save” us from what ails us as a nation, we need to be looking to God. For he is the only one who can save us. For what ails us as a nation is sin, and he is the only one to rescue us (to deliver us) out of slavery to sin and to change us into people who will honor God and who will obey him and who will serve him with our lives, instead of the flesh. Only via surrender of our lives to Jesus Christ will any of us find true peace and safety and purpose and deliverance from sin and from self.

For Our Nation  

An Original Work / September 11, 2012

Bombs are bursting. Night is falling.

Jesus Christ is gently calling

You to follow Him in all ways.

Trust Him with your life today.

Make Him your Lord and your Savior.

Turn from your sin. Follow Jesus.

He will forgive you of your sin;

Cleanse your heart, made new within.

Men betraying: Our trust fraying.

On our knees to God we’re praying,

Seeking God to give us answers

That are only found in Him.

God is sovereign over all things.

Nothing from His mind escaping.

He has all things under His command,

And will work all for good.

Jesus Christ is gently calling

You to follow Him in all ways.

Men deceiving: We’re believing

In our Lord, and interceding

For our nation and its people

To obey their God today.

He is our hope for our future.

For our wounds He offers suture.

He is all we need for this life.

Trust Him with your life today.

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