It's time!!!
April 19, 2004
by Kelly Smith

       
Ezekiel 22:23-31
The Message Bible

God's Message came to me: "Son of man, tell her, You're a land that during the time I was angry with you got no rain, not so much as a spring shower.  The leaders among you became desperate, like roaring, ravaging lions killing indiscriminately.  they grabbed and looted, leaving widows in their wake.

"'Your priests violated my law and desecrated my holy things.  They can't tell the difference between right and wrong.  They're contemptuous of my holy Sabbaths, profaning me by trying to pull me down to their level.  Your politicians are like wolves prowling and killing and rapaciously taking whatever they want.  Your preachers cover up for the politicians by pretending to have received visions and special revelations.  They say, "this is what God, the Master, says..." when God hasn't said so much as one word.  Extortion is rife, robbery is epidemic, the poor and needy are abused, outsiders are kicked around at will, with no access to justice.'

Wow, just when you thought it was safe!  Here we go again!!  Actually, it hasn't ever stopped.  We in America, think that we are safe, but actually that is far from the truth.  Our leaders are doing almost everything they can to take God away from us.  

"I looked for someone to stand up for me against all this, to repair the defenses of the city, to take a stand for me and stand in the gap to protect this land so I wouldn't have to destroy it.  I couldn't find anyone.  Not one.  So I'll empty out my wrath on them, burn them to a crisp with my hot anger, serve them with the consequences of all they've done.  Decree of God, the Master.  

God is looking for someone, anyone to take a stand for this land, for His people, for His glory, for His Kingdom.  Are you willing to take a stand?  What is the price that you will have to pay?  What are you willing to do?  Are you willing to let God have His way in you?  Are you ready to get serious with God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit and allow them to do a mighty work within you?  

The thing is, that people everywhere think that if they live a good life, that is good enough.  Even in the Body of Christ, we find nominal Christians.  Those people who have accepted the Lord, but who have progressed no further except that they come to church every once in a while.  Some even show up every Sunday, but they don't study the Word, Scripture, the Bible on their own time.  They want to be spoon fed every week.  They are not willing to change.  But are you?  

If you have read this so far, then I believe that you are at least interested in changing or you are here to get encouraged.  In order to STAND for Christ, we first have to KNOW Him.  So without the study of Scripture, we can't go any further.  Some churches believe that only the priest can properly understand the Word of God, so only the priest should read the Bible.  This is a fallacy.  This is untrue; false!!!  The Word is for everyone, not just a select few.

Let me share a short story with you.  When I was first saved, I had a hard time reading the Bible.  I didn't get it.  My husband, being the loving man he is, took time to read to me while I would sew.  After a while, I started to read the Scriptures on my own.  I remember having read a passage and not understanding it, calling on God out of frustration and the knowledge of that Scripture opened up!  I understood what I had just read!  It was incredible!  This can happen for you too!

Now that you are in the Word, it is time to PRAY!  Not that you can't be praying before you are in the Word, but you can have a deeper prayer life.  Now it's Time to intercede (PRAY with the understanding of God's heart for people) for our families, our co-workers, our government officials, even the people on the street that you don't know.  This is the next step in taking a STAND because we understand now WHAT God wants because we KNOW Him intimately from studying the Word.  Without the love of Christ from the study of the Word, we can't understand the Heart of God for the people.  His heart's cry is for everyone to come to saving knowledge of His Son Jesus.  We can understand this in our head, but yet without the change in our hearts, we can't properly pray for others.  

"I looked for someone..."

Are you willing to be that SOMEONE???  Are you willing to change what you are doing now, not for your glory, but for the glory of the Risen King, Jesus?  Are you willing to take up your cross and carry the burden that you are meant to carry?  For some, this is scary, it might mean changing some things in your life.  Changing things that might be uncomfortable at first.  But I can tell you one thing, that any changes you do make in your life to glorify God and promote His Kingdom will come with a blessing.  

The price was already paid, but we are not our own.  Christ paid the price upon the cross, but we need to take up our cross daily...

Choose to be that someone that God can use and you will find peace and comfort on the rough road called the journey of life.  

 It's time!!!