Today’s Devotional – August 4th (Happy, Happy, Happy! Part 2)

By admin On February 2nd, 2021

.

.

Today’s Devotional – August 4th

.

.

.

.

Happy, Happy, Happy!

.

Part 2

To read Part 1, go here…August 3rd (Happy, Happy, Happy!)

.

.

.

.

.

Have you ever heard the expression, “Preaching the right sermon to the wrong crowd”? Well, there’s a lot of that going around in today’s Christendom!

.

An earlier devotional, “March 29th (Preaching to the Wrong Church!)“, dealt with this modern-day spiritual plague!

.

In that devotional, it was discussed how preachers today, like to talk to their congregation, as if they are all, “signed, sealed, and delivered saints”! 

.

And probably just the opposite is true!

.

Audience hands – cropped & altered – Wikimedia – Universal Public Domain

.

.

.

.

.

SODOM RISING

.

Yes, in this current generation of the great apostasy of today’s churches, the chances of finding http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Genesis19-17.jpg“ten righteous men” in any one congregation, are about as slim as they were in Sodom, on the day of her destruction!

.

And yet, pastors are preaching sermons that would be okay, if only they were preached to the Church of Philadelphia.

.

But what today’s church needs, is a sermon for the church of Laodicea… “knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked:” Revelation 3:17. 

.

This is the message we need to hear, today!

.

Picture – Lot Escapes Sodom – www.thebiblerevival.com offers free Bible clipart – Public Domain.

.

.

.

.

.

PREACHING TO THE WRONG CROWD

.

Now in yesterday’s devotional, a certain You-Tube evangelist/humorist was telling his audience how important it is to be rejoicing in the Lord, at all times!

.

Well, to tell the Church of Philadelphia that we need to “rejoice in the Lord always” would be a very correct message. But today’s church is anything but the church at Philadelphia! At best, we are the church at Laodicea! Both you and I and all of us need to hear sermons directed to that Lukewarm church!

.

The fact is, we need to be weeping and mourning! Paul said to “rejoice in the Lord always”. But he was addressing this statement to the Philippian church. They had every reason to rejoice! We don’t!

.

Audience hands – cropped & altered – Wikimedia – Universal Public Domain

.

.

.

.

.

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Inside_The_Peacocks_-_geograph.org.uk_-_601408.jpg“And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares”

Luke 21:34

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Multitask.jpg.

Unlike previous centuries in which God’s people suffered want and famine and persecution, “the god of this world” has now caused the pendulum to swing much to the opposite extreme! (2nd Corinthians 4:4)

.

In this decadent, cornucopian super-society, the distractions abound: television, Internet, radio, newspapers, magazines, novels, shopping malls, luxury vehicles, theaters, restaurants, vacation resorts, clubs, concerts, parties, BBQs, sports, politics, careers, lands, are just some of the long lists of distractions which Satan now entangles Christians into, all to the poverty of our soul!

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Berlin-neukoelln_satellite-dishes_20050314_p1010596.jpg.

And of course, a little of these might be okay. But the enemy of souls loves nothing more than to drown God’s people in these countless distractions!

.

Shopping Mall – Wikimedia – Share-Alike License

Multitask – Wikimedia – C.C. Share-alike License

Berlin neukoelln – TV satellite dishes – Wikimedia – C.C. Share-alike License

.

.

.

.

.

“And when they had brought their ships to land, they forsook all, and followed Him”

Luke 5:11

http://www.wikigallery.org/wiki/painting_65895/Edward-Armitage/Christ-Calling-the-Apostles-James-and-John--1869.

In contrast, the faithful disciples of Jesus “forsook all, and followed Him”.

.

http://lavistachurchofchrist.org/Pictures/The%20Early%20Church%20Artwork/target8.htmlAnd even the Apostle Paul confessed…

“But what things were gain to me,

those I counted loss for Christ.

Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss

for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord:

for whom I have suffered the loss of all things,

and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ…”

Philippians 3:7, 8

.

Those who are serious about saving their family should take to heart these many encouraging testimonies from those faithful saints who have gone before us!

.

Jesus Calls Disciples – Wikimedia – US Public Domain

Paul Shipwrecked – Acts 27:41-44 – www.lavistachurchofchrist.org – Public Domain

.

.

.

.

.

JOEL IS WHO WE NEED TO HEAR!

.

What we all need is to have the book of Joel preached to us. Oh no, not the part about seeing visions and dreaming dreams! No, we need to hear… “Awake, ye drunkards, and weep; and howl, all ye drinkers of wine, because of the new wine, for it is cut off from your mouth.” Joel 1:5

.

Yes, we have been drunken with the inebriating wine of Babylon, which is served up to us daily.

.

And if we watch a copious amount of television, as this certain aforementioned You-Tube pastor admits to watching, to some degree, then we are certainly drinking the poisonous cup of Babylonish wine, causing us to become giddy, lethargic, and irrelevant in Heaven’s estimation!

.

Joel the Prophet – www.wikiart.com – Public Domain

.

.

.

.

.

‘Come, lie all night in sackcloth!”

.

Listen to more of Joel… 

“Gird yourselves, and lament, ye priests:

howl, ye ministers of the altar:

come, lie all night in sackcloth, ye ministers of my God…

Sanctify ye a fast, call a solemn assembly,

gather the elders and all the inhabitants of the land

into the house of the LORD your God,

and cry unto the LORD.

Alas for the day! for the day of the LORD is at hand,

and as a destruction from the Almighty shall it come.”

Joel 1:13-15.

.

We have been called, in Peter’s letter, to be a royal priesthood! We are the only true priesthood in these last moments of time! There is no other priesthood but us!

.

And as priests, God’s priesthood needs to weep and howl for the apostate condition of the Church and even their own family members, but mostly for their own self!

.

Joel the Prophet – www.wikiart.com – Public Domain

.

.

.

.

.

OLD TESTAMENT PROPHECIES ARE FOR US!

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/38/Tissot_Habakkuk.jpg

.

And don’t think that those Old Testament rebukes are not in the New Testament! Listen to the New Testament…

Ye adulterers and adulteresses,

know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God?

whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God….

Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep:

let your laughter be turned to mourning,

and your joy to heaviness.

Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord,

and He shall lift you up.”

James 4:4-6, 8-10

.

This above passage from James is every bit as fiery as any Old Testament command!

.

And we should not think this command from James is for a mere one-day sorrow and tears! No, until we are all completely cleansed from every single sin which that book of James lays to our charge, then we need to keep weeping and begging and pleading for God’s mercy and cleansing!

.

Habakkuk by James Tissot – Wikimedia Commons – US Public Domain

.

.

.

.

.

“GOOD NEWS FROM A FAR COUNTRY!”

Proverbs 25:25

.

But the Good News is, that our failures are God’s opportunities! And God can turn our failures into far greater blessings than had we not fallen at all!

.

And so, let’s turn off all hedonistic entertainment of this Neo-Sodomic society and begin to fulfill the Book of Joel’s admonition to spiritually fall down and to literally weep and howl and beg and plead for God to return with a blessing for the Church-Elect, and for our family!

.

And let’s continue to do so, until we see our children rise up and take the-mantle-of-that-double-portion-of-God’s-indwelling-Spirit, and begin to walk, even as Jesus walked!

.

Elijah and Elisha by G. Dore – www.christianimagesource.com – Public Domain

.

.

.

.

TODAY’S PRAYER…

“Dear Lord, Seeing that we are in such a world-loving and apostate condition, let me see the true message for this hour, and not be deceived by those so-called “healthy, wealthy, and happy” gospels… 

Prayer-for-USA-Wikimedia–300×192

.

.

.

.

.

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Question_book_magnify2.svgREAD MORE…

To explore deeper into this subject, please read… “Floodwaters of the False Prophet: “Atheism & Psychology”” or you can also read… “January 4 (The gospel according to Pollyanna).”

Question book magnify svg – Wikimedia – GNU license

.

.

.

.

THE END

.Orion Constellation at Eagle Ridge

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

TODAY’S FEATURED HEAVENLY SIGN

Info & pics of constellations on this site from Wikipedia & International Astronomical Union (click here)

 

.

.

.

WHY IS THIS WOMAN RUNNING SO FAST?

.

(THE FLEEING WOMAN OF REVELATION 12: (The Fleeing Woman of Revelation 12 sketch above can be seen in winter in the northern sky. It is Ursa Major, AKA The Great Bear, and her right leg and her torso is commonly known as the The Big Dipper . She appears like this in the early fall in the pre-dawn hours, and is running westward. The pathway with Bible books of course, are the artist’s embellishment)

.

.

 

.

.

.

.

.

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Question_book_magnify2.svg

READ MORE…

To explore deeper into this subject, please read… “Running The Christian Race (Part 2, Sensual Music)” 

.

.

.

.

.

Valley of Decision ConstellationTOMORROW:

“August 5th (Valley Of Decision, Now! Part 1)”

Valley of Decision Constellation

.

 

.

.

 

.

.

.

20+ MINUTE AUDIO JEREMIAH STUDY

.

ALL ‘NOBLE BEREANS’ (open-minded seekers of Bible truth) ARE ENCOURAGED TO BEGIN FOLLOWING THIS 650+ AUDIO BIBLE STUDY THROUGH THE BOOK OF JEREMIAH EACH DAY ON THIS DAILY DEVOTIONAL. 

.

THIS IS STUDY #214 IS PRESENTED BY THE LATE HAROLD CAMPING…

.

.

.

.

 

.

 

Comments are closed.





Discover more from Signs Of Heaven

Subscribe now to keep reading and get access to the full archive.

Continue reading