Isaiah 26:13 O Lord our God, masters besides You have had dominion over us; but by You only we make mention of Your name.
Haggai 2:6-7 For thus says the Lord of hosts: Once more (it is a little
while) I will shake heaven and earth, the sea and dry land;
7 And I will shake all nations, and they shall come to the Desire of all
nations, and I will fill this temple with glory, says the Lord of hosts.
Haggai 2:20, 22 And again the Word of the Lord came to Haggai on the
twenty-fourth day of the month, saying,
22 I will shake heaven and earth. I will overthrow the throne of kingdoms; I
will destroy the strength of the Gentile kingdoms.
The churches are a failure. The mainline denominational churches, Pentecostal churches, Charismatic churches, Move of God and Sonship churches, and so-called Kingdom churches; they are all failures, and that includes us! It will probably take a season of massive tribulation for God to even get a handful that He can work through and bring forth His Kingdom. Where is the hunger for righteousness? Where is the willingness to lay aside one’s life that the Lord might have a channel through which He may work His will?
Many Christians cannot serve the Lord as they should because they are serving too many other lords. The things of this world have captivated the hearts of many of God’s people. I had a lady to tell me, “I know I am not being fed like I should be in my church. There just isn’t much of God there, but I can’t leave it because I have friends there. I don’t want to leave my friends.” Her friends had become her lord. Another Christian said, “I know there isn’t a church here that is really ministering a Word from God, but this is where my job is.” His job was more important than his relationship with God.
How about the god of the credit card? Have you been lured into that trap? “I know God has called me, but I can’t walk in what He has for me because I owe too much money to the credit card companies.” One line in an old Tennessee Ernie Ford song goes like this: “Saint Peter don’t you call me ‘cause I can’t go. I own my soul to the company store.” That is true for too many Christians. I can tell you how to get out of credit card debt. It is quite simple; cut up your credit cards and throw them in the trash. “I can’t do that. My wife and I wouldn’t be able to eat steak at our favorite restaurant every Friday evening.” Sorry Lord; the steak is more important. “Well, we just need more income. If the Lord would help us get more money, we could get out of debt and serve Him.” I hate to burst your bubble, but God isn’t going to do that. Learn to live on less.
Years ago I used to smoke. I knew I had to quit smoking, but I was hooked. Cigarettes had become my lord; I was serving them. However, I really didn’t want to give them up. One day I ran into a friend of mine I hadn’t seen in a several years. I had heard that he had quit smoking. So I asked him about it. He said, “Yeah, I quit! I was tired of waking up in the morning coughing my head off!” And I answered, “Wasn’t it hard? You must have had a very difficult time.” His response to that was, “No, it wasn’t hard. Anybody that can’t put them down and never pick them up again ain’t no man!” Needless to say, I walked away under more conviction than ever. I knew I had to quit, so I did what most Christians would do. I started praying. “Lord, I need help. I need to quit smoking, but it is hard, Lord. I need You to deliver me from the nicotine.” No response. So I prayed some more. “Lord, will You take away this dreadful habit?” To that question I got a response. He said, “I didn’t get you started with them.”
The same lust that causes a person to be addicted to cigarettes causes a person to keep adding on to their credit card debt. Cut up those cards! Then you won’t be adding to your debt. “But we needed a new TV!” You needed a new TV so you could contaminate your spirit watching R rated movies, huh?
The answer to credit card debt is not more money. Get rid of the cards; learn how to live within your means! The number one problem is that we still need the things of this world. We love it more than God. Listen, when Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego stood in front of that fiery furnace, knowing they were about to be tossed in they didn’t start praying for rain. Learn this: God does not make the circumstances the miracle; He makes His people the miracle. What is your fiery furnace? What are the circumstances that are keeping you from God’s will. Stop praying for God to change the circumstances and go through them! When Moses and the children of Israel were facing the Red Sea with the Egyptians coming from behind, they stood their crying, “Oh, what did we let Moses bring us out of Egypt?” God spoke to Moses and said, “What are you crying out to Me for? Tell the people to go forward!” It is time for us to grow up. Stop feeling sorry for yourself and go forward!
James 4:4 Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.
Hebrews 12:25-29 See that you do not refuse Him who speaks. For if they did
not escape who refused Him who spoke on earth, much more shall we not escape if
we turn away from Him who speaks from heaven,
26 Whose voice shook the earth; but now He has promised, saying, Yet once
more I shake not only earth, but also heaven.
27 Now this, Yet once more, indicates the removal of those things that are
being shaken, as of things that are made, that the things which cannot be shaken
may remain.
28 Therefore, since we are receiving a Kingdom which cannot be shaken, let
us have grace, by which we may serve God acceptably with reverence and fear.
29 For our God is a consuming fire.
The Day of the Lord is upon us! Do you know what the Day of the Lord is? It is the day when God requires us to have only one Lord – Him! There is going to be a shaking! And if you’re lucky God is going to ignore your crying and kicking, and shake you until you are free from every other lord.
Copyright © 2004 by Henry DuBose