Are We the Next Nineveh?

Nineveh's time has come! Though they had once avoided God's judgment by taking Jonah's message to heart and repenting, now, more than a one hundred years later, the wicked city will experience the full consequences of its sins.

Nineveh is marked by murder, cruelty, idolatry and social injustice. Nineveh is the capital city of the Assyrian Empire, now the most powerful nation in the world and seemingly the most invincible. But as we see in the book of Nahum, no one can stand against God, as this proud and powerful nation will be utterly destroyed because of their wickedness and rebellion against God.

I can't help but see the similarities between this ancient power of Nineveh and our own present day nation, the United States of America. Are we really any different from the wicked pagans of Nahum's day? We don't have to look far to see the truth....

1) Murder - I literally don't have to look far to see the effects of murder. Flint, Michigan (30 miles from where I live) has been named the murder capital of the United States. "Last year in Flint, population 102,000, there were 66 documented murders. The murder rate here is worse than those in Newark and St. Louis and New Orleans. It’s even worse than Baghdad’s" (Business Insider, April 16, 2011).

2) Cruelty - We can be a cruel group of people. All you have to do is watch a few minutes of one of the many "reality" shows to see that people are mean and have no problem with it. They will do whatever, to whomever, to get what they want. Better yet, you don't have to watch television to witness cruelty, spend some time with kids on a playground, teenagers in a school hallway or adults involved in a bitter divorce, etc.

3) Idolatry - We are a nation in love with our idols: our singing idols, dancing idols, acting idols, magical fiction idols, food idols, car idols, house idols, teen idols, people we will never meet but have to follow their every move idols......I think you get the idea. By definition, anything that takes our time and focus off of God and receives it instead, is an idol. Don't you think the Enemy celebrates as he watches our nation become consumed with our idol worship.

4) Social Injustice - The United States is a generous nation when it comes to supporting human rights, especially outside our boundaries. We are always the first to come to the aid of a hurting country...but what about those being treated unjustly in our own back yard?

I have recently become more aware of the horrendous injustice of human trafficking..."the illegal trade in human beings for the purposes of reproductive slavery, commercial sexual exploitation, forced labour, or a modern-day form of slavery (Wikipedia.com). This is not just happening in far away, foreign countries, this is a rapidly growing, money making industry in our own country!

Not long ago, I read an eye-opening book, The Slave Across the Street by Theresa Flores, which tells of a young girl who becomes enslaved into the dangerous world of sex trafficking - all while living at home with unsuspecting parents in an upper-class suburb of Detroit - 30 minutes from where I live! To learn more of Theresa Flores' story and her life today, visit her website www.traffickfree.com.

Nahum's book focuses on God's characteristics - patience, power, holiness and justice. As with the city of Nineveh, God shows these characteristics still today. In Nahum 1:3, we're told, The Lord is slow to anger and great in power; the Lord will not leave the guilty unpunished. We can have hope that the God who judged evil in Nahum's day is the same God who judges evil today. We can believe that God will show His perfect timing, power, holiness and goodness and the wicked will not be overlooked.

So what can we do while we wait for God's judgment? First remember, The Lord is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in Him (Nahum 1:7). Pray for our nation and its leaders ~ whether we agree with the way things are done in Washington, DC, it is our responsibility. Third, get involved! You may not be able to fix and change the entire problem, but you can help to change one life at a time.

BLOG COMMENT: Do you see other similarities between us and the people of Nineveh? What suggestions do you have to start making a difference in other people's lives?

What Am I To Do?

The age old question, asked by every believer, "What do you want me to do God?" The people in Micah's audience were asking the same thing. They had been warned of coming judgment and wanted to know how to win God's favor.

In Micah 6:6-7, the people suggest ways that they may please God - sacrifices, offerings, good works, etc, but in verse 8, Micah gives three things God is looking for. Three simple things? Not necessarily. God had made His wishes clear to the people of Israel and they are just as pertinent to us today!

He has showed you what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? Three things......

1) To act justly. The people in Micah's day were guilty of abusing the poor and comitting grave injustice toward the needy and God wanted it to stop. The word, just, defined as: conforming to a standard of correctness; righteous, describes God's character. And isn't that what we're suppose to be striving for? This should not have been new news to these people or to us either. Back in Ezekiel 18:27, God reminds the people then, But if a wicked man turns away from the wickedness he has committed and does what is just and right, he will save his life Would you consider yourself a just person; one who conforms to a standard of correctness - God's character of righteousness?

2) To love mercy. Mercy is defined as: compassionate, forgiving. Look, more characteristics of God! A little more challenging characteristics for us perhaps. Remember, I didn't say these were 3 easy steps! In a world of tough people, tough times, tough breaks and tough situations, we must do the right thing and show love, mercy, compassion and forgiveness. Micah 7:18-19 are great verses that describe these characteristics in God - Who is a God like you, who pardons sin and forgives the transgression of the remnant of his inheritance? (Israel) You do not stay angry forever but delight to show mercy. You will again have compassion on us; you will tread our sins underfoot and hurl (not toss or throw!) all our inquities into the depths of the sea.

3) To walk humbly with your God. Notice God didn't leave it at "walk humbly"? In a world of pride and self-sufficiency, we must learn to walk with God..not in front of Him or behind Him, but with Him. Humbly walking with God means doing so without arrogance or self-righteousness. Psalm 25:9, tells us what God will do - He guides the humble in what is right and teaches them His way. Do we want to know what is just and right? Humbly walk with God. Do you want to learn His way of love, mercy, compassion and forgiveness? Humbly walk with God.

These three steps, not necessarily easy steps, are what God requires of us. They are not some great mystery only made known to the super-spiritual. They are not impossible requests from God. He is not waiting to see how often we will fail - He is wanting to see how often we will attempt. Progress, not perfection is God's motto!! Only when we start living according to God's way, not our own way, will we begin to affect our home, our society and our world!

Freedom of Choice

Today we celebrate our nation's freedom - something we don't take for granted as we remember those who have sacrificed their lives for it. But there's another kind of freedom that's available to us as well. One that doesn't require a physical sacrifice, but a personal one; our freedom of choice.

Jonah used his freedom of choice when he decided to run away from God instead of obeying His command to go to the wicked city of Nineveh and warn them of their coming destruction. Jonah had grown up hating the people of Nineveh and in his mind, they deserved to be destroyed and he chose to have no part in their salvation.....first mistake.

Jonah used his freedom of choice when he offered himself as a sacrifice to calm a raging storm. Jonah had settled in on the ship headed 2000 miles opposite of the city of Nineveh when God "caught up with him!" This chose demonstrated how hatred for the people of Nineveh had warped his perspective. He was willing to die so the sailors could live but he was unwilling to obey God and take His message of life to the Ninevites....second mistake.

Jonah used his freedom of choice when he reconsidered his actions after spending 3 days and nights in the belly of a great fish. In Jonah 2, we see his prayer is one of thanksgiving; thankful for not having drowned, not a prayer of repentance. Jonah acknowledged the vow he made when he became a prophet of God and was now choosing to fulfill it - even if it meant doing something he didn't want to do.

Jonah used his freedom of choice when given a second chance, he responded to God with obedience, and went to Nineveh. His short, 8-word message, "40 more days and Nineveh will be overthrown" spoke directly to the heart of the people. They confessed, turned from their wickedness and in God's love and mercy, He spared the city of 600,000!

Jonah must have been thrilled! Afterall, he's just been a part of the largest revival in Bible history. You'd think he'd be celebrating God's goodness and thanking God for choosing him to be the one to deliver His message. In chapter 4, we see this isn't the case. Jonah is extremely angry and greatly displeased with God....third mistake.

The question to ask here is WHO needed the most transformation? Was it the hateful Ninevites or the hate-filled Jonah? Proverbs 27:19 says "As water reflects a face, so a man's heart reflects the man." Jonah's response to what God had chosen to do relected what was in his heart. And based on his actions, it was a heart full of self-centeredness, selfishness, self-pity and a lack of self-control.

God used His freedom of choice and responded to Jonah's moaning with a call for an attitude adjustment. God needed Jonah to see that his perspective and priorites were way off-base. He needed Jonah to realize, although he had the freedom of choice, God was in ultimate control. This is where the book of Jonah ends. God chooses not to tell us if Jonah ever gets the message and has a change of heart. But you have a choice - don't let your story end like this!

Are you using your freedom of choice to run away from God? Are there nasty attitudes in your life that you're choosing to ignore? Are there negative emotions that are controlling your actions? Today on Twitter, Rick Warren asked - The truth sets u free, BUT it makes you miserable until you face it. What are u pretending isnt a problem in your life?

I want to invite you to join us this month as we look at gaining FREEDOM from your hurts, habits and hangups. If you haven't signed up for my weekly e-newsletter, (delivered to your email every Weds.) use your freedom of choice and do so today! You'll receive a special thank-you bonus from me as well :) Simply go to http://www.pathfinderministries.org/purpose.html

Don't Mess With My Kids!

God is a very protective parent and when someone messes with His kids, in this case the Israelites, He doesn't ignore it. In the shortest book of the Old Testament (21 verses), Obadiah warns the nation of Edom of its upcoming destruction because of the way they have treated Israel.

As descendants of Esau, the Edomites are blood relatives of Israel, and of all people should have been the ones to rush to the aid of Israel's problems. Instead they participated in the attacks, looted their land and captured fugitives for the enemy! They will soon learn that an enemy of Israel is an enemy of God. Because of Edom's indifference, defiance of God, their cowardice and pride toward their blood brothers in Israel, Obadiah gives them God's message of upcoming disaster!

I found an article from Bible.org that I'd like to share with you. It looks at some personal application we can make from this short, but powerful book of Obadiah.

1) Pride deceives and leads to more sin. How true! When we think we're "getting away" with sin, we are deceived and challenged to do more dangerous things.

2) Sin follows a downward path. Our sins progress starting with complacency, then promotion, then finally participation. You've heard of the slippery slope?

3) God will keep His word. God is faithful! Obadiah said Edom's judgment would be complete and in fact it was! The entire nation of Edom, and its people, were destroyed forever.

4) God will punish sin. God sees who is mistreating His children and will judge them accordingly. It shows us that God is in control and will punish sin in His own way and in His perfect timing. This is important for us to know and believe when we face tough times.

5) God will protect His own. God is good and love us. He will care and protect us from our enemies.

These last two ideas that God is in control and that God is good are extremely important to living the Christian life. There principles are often repeated throughout the entire Bible. Unfortunately for us, we want to be in control! We want God's blessing, but we want to call the shots as well. We sometimes struggle with believing God can and will take care of us, so we take matters into our own hands and we find ourselves living points 1 & 2 - deceived by pride and following sin down a destructive path!

God is good all the time - all the time, God is good! So when we face difficulties, it doesn't mean God is not there or that He doesn't love us. The difficulties are for our own character and spiritual development. We can get through the tough times if we believe in God's goodness and faithfulness.

Prophecy, as in Obadiah, is not just gee whiz information for our heads so we can know what God did and will do in the going to preserve His people!

* Bible.org/ Hampton Keathley IV

BLOG COMMENT: Have you ever tried to take control out of God's hands and into your own? What were the results?

You Cows of Bashan...

Being referred to a cow is never a good thing! In this case, the wealthy women of Israel were compared to the sleek, pampered and well-fed cows of Bashan! (Bashan was known for its lush pastures and fine cattle. Amos 4:1) Certainly, that description wouldn't apply to any of us today or would it?

Amos, a lowly shepherd and cultivator of sycamore trees from Judah, was called by God to go to Israel and warn the Israelites of His coming judgment. God wanted Amos to remind His people of three things that He was not pleased with - their idol worship, their complacency and their oppression of the poor, to the point of selling them into slavery. If they kept this up and did not repent and turn back to God, Israel would be conquered and the rich would themselves become slaves. But because of the peace and prosperity of Israel during this time, Amos' message fell on deaf ears.

So back to the cows....could we, as American women, be described this way by God? Is He tired of our "idol worship", smugness and ignoring the needs of people around us? Are we guilty of sitting back and basking in our own sleek, pampered and well-fed glory? Just a little to think about today!

Although we may not worship false gods as in Amos' day, we do have our idols. Anything that takes our eyes off God and/or takes center stage in our life is an idol. The time and energy we spend devoted to temporary pleasure and distraction (watching tv, on the computer, working endless hours, on the phone/texting, playing video games, shopping for more stuff we don't need, etc) are simply ways of putting things and activities ahead of our relationship with God, and like with the Israelites, the day will come when He will not be ignored and replaced by "idols" any longer.

It's easy to fall into the mode of complacency or smugness. The "cows of Bashan" were proud women who looked down on those less privileged. God is not pleased with this attitude and we know how He feels about pride (He hates it by the way!) Our pride and focus on our own pleasure can itself become an idol that separates us from God. Do you tend to look down on others who don't know as much as you do about God, the Bible, the Christian faith? Do you (in your private thoughts) scoff at people who don't dress, act or fit the description you think a godly woman should? God was tired of these "holier than thou cows" (couldn't resist) and would soon put them in a position of humility. Do you really want God to do that with you? It's better to change ourselves, with God's help, then to have Him change us!

Finally, are we guilty of ignoring the needs of those around us as these women were? There are hurting people in our midst, yet sometimes are eyes are so used to looking at ourselves, that we can't see anything or anyone else. God may call us to help the poor in other nations and that's great. But He also may want us to reach out to those in our own town, neighborhood or family. We cannot let the obsession with our idol worship and our self-righteous smugness blind us from the needs right in front of us. What small thing can you do today to reach out to someone in need? A card, a meal, a phone call, a visit, helping pay a bill, a ride, an encouraging word, a prayer, a hug, etc.

We must not be women who consider ourselves too proud, prosperous and pampered or we may find ourselves in the same place as the cows of Bashan! Amos was a fiery spokesman for God, not because of his education or birth, but because he was obedient when the call of God came. You too can be God's spokesperson. Listen for what He wants you to say and do what He asks! Then watch as the power of God works through you as you serve Him!

Here's a great blog by Shona Neff on the same subject!

BLOG COMMENT: What words of warning would you give our society's "cows of Bashan" ?

What Have the Locust Eaten?

What has been eaten by the deadly locusts in your life? Have they devoured precious time that you'll never get back? According to the book of Joel, the kingdom of Judah had just experienced vast destruction by a swarm of desert locust. They had destroyed the crops, vineyards and livestock. The people had been impacted with famine and starvation and their spiritual lives suffered as there was nothing left to bring to the temple for sin offerings.

Note: A desert locust swarm can be 460 square miles in size and pack between 40-80 million locusts into less that half a square mile! Each locust can eat its weight in plants each day, so a swarm of such size would eat 423 million pounds of plants every day!

After Joel's admonishment for the people to return to God "for He is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love" (2:13b), God assures the people of Judah that He will "restore to you the years that the locust have eaten" (2:25a). He was telling them that He would restore their land to what is was before the locust plague. They would be prosperous again - if only they would turn from their sinful ways and return to Him. One can only wonder if God allowed the locust attack to get their attention; to bring them to a place of complete nothingness in order to see what God was waiting and willing to do for them.

What have the locust eaten in your life? What feels dead and without hope? Is it a relationship that's been attacked by the locust of anger, revenge and unforgiveness? Are you ready for God to restore it? He will, but you have to give it over to Him first; let go and let God handle it.

What about a dream you once had for your life? Have the locust of busyness and distractions of life caused you to give up on it? Have they eaten away at your motivation and the once felt strong determination? If it's a dream from God, He's ready to restore it; to give it new life again.

What about your joy and fruitfulness for God? Have the locust of unconfessed sin, attitudes needing adjustment and worldly temptations eaten away at your walk with God? The people in Joel's day suffered when their "joy and gladness withered away." Has that happened to you?

What about the years you've wasted; years you wish you could go back and live differently? Although we can't change the events and choices of years we've already lived, we can't let the locust of guilt and shame kill our hope for the future.

Remember, God's mercies are new every morning (Lamentations 3:23) and He is a gracious, compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love God - ready to restore what has been eaten by the locust - and return to us the blessings we don't deserve, but blessings He desires for us! Spend time with Him today - asking for and accepting His restoration.

BLOG COMMENT: Do you have an example of God's restoration in your life? Are there still areas where the locust have destroyed and you need God to bring them back to life?

You Want Me to Do WHAT?

Have you ever been asked to do something that made no sense at all? Has God ever told you something He wants you to do, but you can't believe He would ask such a thing of you? No doubt Hosea questioned God's commands when it came to his wife and his marriage.

If you're not familiar with Hosea's story, it begins with God telling him to "Go, take yourself an adulterous wife..." (Hosea 1:2) Now, that's not the best marital advice to be giving young people today, but as usual, God had a purpose and a plan. There's several thoughts on why God asked Hosea to seek out a woman who he knew would be unfaithful to him. First, it would help Hosea understand God's anguish. God's "bride", the Israelites, had become unfaithful and adulterous toward Him and it was breaking His heart. Secondly, Hosea's marriage would provide a real-life example of God's marriage to Israel. Hosea was a prophet and his job was to communicate God's unconditional love to the Israelites. With God's power, Hosea was able to show that same kind of love to his unfaithful wife, Gomer, and people took notice.

Has God ever asked you to do something that was painful or uncomfortable? Do you ever think it could be for the purpose of being a real-life example for people to see Him at work in your own life? People are drawn to people who know where they are coming from. We tend to trust people's advice when we know they have experienced the same thing we are struggling with. Next time you question something God is asking you to do, stop and think about the people your discomfort may encourage.

Not only did Hosea show God's unconditional love, he was also asked to show God's unfathomable forgiveness. In Hosea 3: 1, God gives Hosea another command - "Go, show your 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...."

As Believers, we have experienced God's unfathomable forgiveness in our own lives! But are we just as willing to show it to others? Luke 12: 48 reminds us that "From everyone who has been given much (forgiveness, etc.) much will be demanded/required..." Although hurting and with an aching heart, Hosea had to chose to reclaim his wayward wife, just as we must chose to reclaim broken relationships in our own life. Grab a hold of God's power and like Hosea, make the choice to do the unthinkable - forgive those who have hurt and betrayed you. Don't let bitterness take the place of unconditional love. Don't let anger and the thoughts of revenge, over-rule God's desire for us to live at peace with one another. It's not worth the energy it takes to hate!

Like Hosea, God wants us to show others unconditional love and unfathomable forgiveness. He may be asking you to do some pretty strange things in order for these to be shown, but consider it a vote of confidence from Him! As with Hosea, He will give you the power and ability to do the unthinkable. Are you up for the challenge?

BLOG COMMENT: Can you relate to Hosea in any way? Has God ever asked you to do something completely opposite of what you had in mind? Share with us what you learned and how your obedience impacted others.....