IF MY PEOPLE WHO ARE CALLED BY MY NAME 2 CHRONICLES 7:14

2 CHRONICLES 7: 14
IF MY PEOPLE WHO ARE CALLED BY MY NAME

   This is a timely post, since our world seems to be upside down; turmoil; a feeling of total loss of control.  You hear some people quoting 2 Chronicles 7: 14, but what do you do when you hear that?  "If My people, which are called by My Name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek My Face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land."

   Let's dissect this verse: 

 1) If My people, which are called by My Name

    If you are a Christian, you carry the very Name of God.  So, let us not use His Name in vain.

2) shall humble themselves

    It is difficult to humble ourselves when we are convinced that we, alone, have accomplished much.  We must acknowledge God is our source of everything:  health, finances, strength, breath, family and friends who give us emotional support.  He is our source of everything.  Give Him praise for all the blessings in your life, continually.

3) and pray

    When we pray, we recognize the source of our wealth, our strength, our peace, our very lives.  Jesus died to make a way where we can boldly come before His throne and talk with Him, as our Abba (Father).  We don't have to ask a priest or anyone else to do this for us.  He has given us the power to do it ourselves.

4) and seek My Face

    When we earnestly "seek His face", we are in His Word, the Holy Bible, reading, studying, fasting, attending church.  How much time do you give Him daily?  Have we lost our collective awe of Him?

5) and turn from their wicked ways;

    How many "wicked ways" can we name related to our government?  How many can we name related to our neighbor?  Our church?  Ourselves?  To name a few, our government has legalized the murder of babies before they are born; they have promoted the homosexual lifestyle; they penalize marriage via the IRS, etc.  Our churches have included homosexuals in their staffing positions;  We spend time on the www, in front of the  television, we support sports on Sunday rather than keeping the sabbath holy; We do not honor our parents that God gave us.  We rob God by not tithing.  The list goes on and on.

6) then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land. 

    God honors obedience over sacrifice.  But He punishes those who bow down to foreign gods (including the god of self) to the third and fourth generations!  Why would you do this to your family?  (Deuteronomy 5:9)  We want Him to hear us and forgive us.  This reminds me of my Grand daughter who will not be denied the attention of any one she wants to see her.  She waves her hands, gets loud, jumps up and down; whatever it takes.  Let us put in the effort to get God's attention so He "will hear" us.

The revival starts with us.  Let us live this verse, so God WILL heal our land, and maybe put the fire in the hearts of our loved ones to also become His children.  "Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and all these things will be added unto you."  (Matthew 6:33)

Here is the pathway to salvation:     https://omaswisdom.blogspot.com/p/path-to-salvation.html.

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MATTHEW 21: 12-17 SPIRITUAL KING

MATTHEW 21: 12-17

SPIRITUAL KING

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12) And Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the money changers, and the seats of them that sold doves,

13) And said unto them, It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves.

14) And the blind and the lame came to Him in the temple; and He healed them.

15) And when the chief priests and scribes saw the wonderful things that He did, and the children crying in the temple, and saying, Hosanna to the Son of David; they were sore displeased,

16) And said unto Him, Hearest Thou what these say?  And Jesus saith unto them, Yea; have ye never read, Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings Thou hast perfected praise?

17) And He left them, and went out of the city into Bethany; and He lodged there.  King James Version  (KJV)  Public Domain

COMMENTARY

   Jesus had just made His triumphal entry as King into Jerusalem.  The crowds were welcoming Him as their King.  He came not with great armies to attack Rome.  His purpose was not to liberate God's chosen people from oppression by Rome, but to deliver people of all nations from the power of sin and death and provide a way to restore us to a Holy God. God cannot look at us in our sin but we are restored to His love through the sacrifice of His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ.  Jesus literally came to suffer and die for us.  What love!

Verse 12)  What would you say is man's greatest problem today?  social injustice?  deprivation and poverty?  oppression and cruelty?  Here is the way Dr. John MacArthur describes it:  Jesus's "mission never focused on those things, because they are not man's greatest problems.  It was the far more severe problem of sin that Jesus had come to conquer.  Men's problem with God is infinitely greater than their problem with other men."  When we get right with God through faith AND obedience, then we are better equipped to solve our problems with each other.

Verse 13)  Jesus had cleansed the temple a few years earlier and now, He did it again.  Not that it would stay that way.  Satan has his way of infiltrating the church through the evil of man's hearts.  But for this occasion, nobody questioned His authority as He overturned tables, money scattered, animals were running loose and fowl were flying.

   Dr. MacArthur's Commentary explains about how those in charge of the temple were desecrating it with dishonesty.  The chief priests and scribes were using the temple much like our congress uses their positions today:  for ill-gotten gain and power, with no concern for those who were seeking a way to better position themselves with God.

Verse 14) Even through all of the chaos, people went to Jesus, believing, and were healed.

Verse 15)  Those established powers (chief priests and scribes) agreed the things Jesus did were wonderful but they were power hungry and jealous.  We all know those established powers don't give it up easily.  They saw with earthly eyes, seeing only earthly things. When our focus is from a heavenly perspective our priorities tend to change.

   The children were saying, Hosanna to the Son of David.   The motive is not really spelled out to us, but whether from ignorance or hunger for power, the temple establishment is livid with this.  They pointed out to Jesus that the children were calling Him the Messiah!  Basically, He said, Yeah, I know.  You have the same choice to do the same thing but do not.  That made them extremely angry, murderous!

This is as old as time:  Mankind fights over what God means when He speaks.  Satan has a way of turning Truth to lies.  We HAVE to diligently search for the truth AND fight to keep and protect it.  If the temple staff had only studied Isaiah 53, they might have chose to join Jesus, even to the death!

Here is what the establishment should have known, what they should have studied to obtain the position they held: 

Isaiah 53

1) Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed?

2) For He shall grow up before Him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground:  He hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see Him, there is no beauty that we should desire Him.

3) He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief:  and we hid as it were our faces from Him; He was despised, and we esteemed Him not.

4) Surely He hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows:  yet we did esteem Him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.

5) But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities:  the chastisement of our peace was upon Him; and with His stripes we are healed.

6) All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on Him the iniquity of us all.

7) He was oppressed, and He was afflicted, yet He opened not His mouth:  He is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so He openeth not His mouth.

8) He was taken from prison and from judgment:  and who shall declare His generation?  for He was cut off out of the land of the living:  for the transgression of my people was He stricken.

9) And He made His grave with the wicked, and with the rich in His death; because He had done no violence, neither was any deceit in His mouth.

10)Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise Him; He hath put Him to grief:  when Thou shalt make His soul an offering for sin, He shall see His seed, He shall prolong His days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in His hand.

11) He shall see of the travail of His soul, and shall be satisfied:  by His knowledge shall My righteous servant justify many; for He shall bear their iniquities.

12) Therefore will I divide Him a portion with the great, and He shall divide the spoil with the strong; because He hath poured out His soul unto death:  and He was numbered with the transgressors; and He bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.  King James Version (KJV) Public Domain


   They could have even studied the Book of Daniel, Chapter 9, Verse 25:

Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks:  the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times.  (KJV)

   Anyway, that is on them.  You know, that before Jesus, everybody who died ended up in Hades:  saint and sinner, but they were separated by a great chasm that no one could breach.  You can read further about that in Luke:  16: 19-31.  After He died, He went to Hades and set the captives free.  He reclaimed His ownership of all that was created.  You could say it was His "victory dance".   He lives!  And because He lives, death has no power over us.

   The Apostle Paul says in 1 Corinthians 15: 55-57:  "O death, where is thy sting:  O grave, where is thy victory?  The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law.  But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. " (KJV)

  Jesus says in Revelation 1: 18 "I am He that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen' and have the keys of hell and of death."  (KJV)

   So, here is the bottom line:  we see with our eyes that Jesus is crucified.  He suffered such a horrible death at so many levels.  BUT He has the victory!  Whatever we go through in this life, whatever it appears to be through our earthly eyes, I promise you, we have the greatest Hope ever in Jesus!  Keep your eyes on Him.  Can I get an "Amen"?  He has already been where you are going and He has taken victory for you over that situation, even if you should breathe your last!  Oh, friend, it is my prayer that you understand this truth.  Be still and know that He is in control.

   For more on eternal salvation, click here: https://omaswisdom.blogspot.com/p/path-to-salvation.html.

If this ministry is a blessing to you, please pray for us that God will use us for His good pleasure.  You are encouraged to leave us a comment with your thoughts on this post.

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THE NAMES OF GOD----JEHOVAH TSABA

THE NAMES OF GOD----JEHOVAH TSABA
SLAYING YOUR GIANTS

   Let's talk about giants for a minute.  Is there a giant that has come into your life of which you are terrified?  Something that has you paralyzed with fear?  This Name of God means "Army" or "Host".  Let us review the most famous battle ever against a giant, Goliath:

1 Samuel 17:  1) Now the Philistines gathered their forces for war and assembled at Sokoh in Judah.  They pitched camp at Ephes Dammim, between Sokoh and Azekah.  

2) Saul and the Israelites assembled and camped in the Valley of Elah and drew up their battle line to meet the Philistines.

3)The Philistines occupied one hill and the Israelites another, with the valley between them.  (NIV)

   This was a typical battle, with each side positioning and drawing up battle plans.  It was typical, until the Philistines presented Goliath!  He stood 9 foot 9 inches tall.  This guy was huge and so was his armor that he wore.  Even his spear was huge and heavy.  But when he opened his mouth and issued a challenge to the Israelites, they were terrified!

   This intimidation went on for forty days. Day after day for forty days Goliath stood in front of the Israeli Army and issued the challenge to "send one man to fight him and the winner takes all of the opposing army, people, land, livestock, etc.  Just send the best man you have to fight."  For forty days, the Israelis cowered in fear, paralyzed to act.  It seems the longer we sit facing a giant, the bigger and more powerful it appears.

   Then, one who had a relationship with The Most High God showed up to feed his brothers, who were in Saul's army.   He could see the situation through heavenly sight.  He understood that Goliath had no relationship with God, instead, he was goading the Creator of all things, the God of Israel.  Here is David's response  (also 1 Samuel 17):

45) Then said David to the Philistine, Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield:  but I come to thee in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, Whom thou hast defied.

46) This day will the Lord deliver thee into mine hand; and I will smite thee, and take thine head from thee; and I will give the carcases of the host of the Philistines this day unto the fowls of the air, and to the wild beasts of the earth; that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel  (King James Version)

   Here's the game changer:  Satan was attacking with all he had to offer, which is of this world.  But little David fought from his position as a child of the living God, the "God of the armies of Israel".  He had a different perspective from the other Israelites:   He had the spiritual insight to see that this battle was God's.  Our battles belong to God.  How big is your God?  Mine is bigger than ANY situation here on this Earth.   We do not fight against flesh and bone, but against powers and principalities!

   This is from the Apostle Paul, found in Ephesians 6:

10) Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of His might.

11) Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.

12) For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

13) Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.   (King James Version)

   Yea, let us BE STRONG IN THE LORD, AND IN THE POWER OF HIS MIGHT.".  He can surely defeat ANY giant that gets in your way, for sure.  Nothing will thwart God's will for your life.  Lean upon Him.  He will fight your battles and have victory.




Do you have a relationship with this powerful God?  It is through faith in His only begotten Son that we can enjoy a close relationship with Him.  click here for more on that:    https://omaswisdom.blogspot.com/p/path-to-salvation.html.


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MATTHEW 21: 1 - 11 JESUS' TRIUMPHAL ENTRY INTO JERUSALEM

PALM SUNDAY
JESUS TRIUMPHAL ENTRY INTO JERUSALEM

MATTHEW 21: 1 - 11

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1) And when they drew nigh unto Jerusalem, and were come to Bethpage, unto the mount of Olives, then sent Jesus two disciples,

2) Saying unto them, Go into the village over against you, and straightway ye shall find an ass tied, and a colt with her:  loose them, and bring them unto me.

3) And if any man say ought unto you, ye shall say, The Lord hath need of them; and straightway he will send them.

4) All this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying,

5) Tell ye the daughter of Sion, Behold, thy King cometh unto thee, meek, and sitting upon an ass, and a colt the foal of an ass.

6) And the disciples went, and did as Jesus commanded them,

7) And brought the ass, and the colt, and put on them their clothes, and they set Him thereon.

8) And a very great multitude spread their garments in the way; others cut down branches from the trees, and strawed them in the way.

9) And the multitudes that went before, and that followed, cried, saying, Hosanna to the Son of David:  Blessed is He that cometh in the Name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest.

10)  And when He was come into Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, Who is this?

11) And the multitude said, This is Jesus the prophet of Nazareth of Galilee.  King James Version (KJV) Public Domain

COMMENTARY

   To begin with, let me say this event was also recorded in Mark 11: 1 - 11, Luke 19: 29 - 40, and John 12: 12 - 19.

   Jesus had visited Mary, Martha, and Lazarus in Bethany six days prior to the Passover (John 12: 1 - 3).  He knew what lay ahead of Him and He must have taken comfort in the love of His friends.

   Then He made His triumphal entry into Jerusalem through the East Gate.  Dr. John MacArthur surmises that He actually entered the city on the Monday before Passover, which would have fulfilled the Mosaic requirement that the sacrificial lamb be selected on the 10th day of the first month and kept in the household until the 14th, at which time it was to be sacrificed.  He was received by His people on the 10th, and crucified on the 14th, The True Sacrificial Lamb for the sins of the world.

   He initiated His own coronation.  He sent His disciples to bring a donkey and her colt for His entry into the capital of the Jews, His chosen people.  No one else had been on the colt.  Being God, Jesus knew there would be a donkey and her colt there and the owners would gladly offer them to Him.  Since no one else had ever been on the colt, you can see that it had been reserved especially for Him.

Zechariah had prophesied about this event:  "Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem:  behold, thy King cometh unto thee:  He is just and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass."  Zechariah 9:9  King James Version

   Jesus entered Jerusalem riding on the colt of the donkey.  There was a multitude of people in the City and they were all caught up in the excitement of King Jesus coming to set up His kingdom and put the Romans in their place.  The crowd were laying their garments in His pathway, symbolic of their respect for Him and their submission.  The palm branches were symbolic of salvation and joy.

   The crowd was crying "Hosanna to the Son of David; blessed is He who comes in the Name of the Lord.  Hosanna in the highest!"   But they were to be proved to be fickle.  He came to conquer sin and death but they wanted a King to defeat Rome and take care of their desires and needs in this world.  Honestly, I don't see where any of that has changed today, do you?  I hear too many "preachers" preaching a "name it and claim it" doctrine.    I have to ask, what is more important:  your eternal soul or whether or not you drive a big, fancy car?

   The people wanted Jesus to conform to the kind of king they imagined.  They wanted Him on their own terms, and would not bow to Him any other way; even if He was the Son of God.  Woah!  But we are the same way today, are we not?  When He doesn't "perform" for us when we name it and claim it, we don't have any use for Him.  We have to stop believing this way!  Truly, I say, "if not God, then Who can you trust?  Who can be your God?  There is no other!"  Friend, trust Him now!  for more information on how to become a child of God,  click here:    https://omaswisdom.blogspot.com/p/path-to-salvation.html.  There is peace and joy in belonging to Him, no matter what happens in this world!

   When the people asked who Jesus was, let me assure you, they knew.  They had been in the synagogues being taught about Him.  Today, we know who He is through being taught in church, on television, on the radio, etc.  They knew Him but rejected Him, they didn't need Him.  They surely didn't need Him to point out their sin and have them repent!  But if He wanted to conquer the Romans, that would be o.k.

What do you think?  Who do you say Jesus Christ is?  You are encouraged to leave a comment with your thoughts.  We would love to hear from you.

And please, if this ministry is a blessing to you, please pray that God uses us mightily.  And share this post on your favorite social media, if you will.  Thank you