Warning

"But because the rest of you have forsaken the LORD

and have forgotten his Temple,

and because you have prepared feasts 

to honor the god of Fate

and have offered mixed wine to the god of Destiny,

now I will 'destine' you for the sword.

All of you will bow down before the executioner.

For when I called, you did not answer.

When I spoke, you did not listen.

 You deliberately sinned--before my very eyes--

and chose to do what you know I despise."

Isaiah 65:11-12 NLT

It's not a matter of ignorance, or a lack of knowledge of the consequences of following such a destructive path.  We've been warned.  Many have cautioned against such defiance toward the God of heaven and earth.  Yet we boldly legalized the slaughter of innocent babies, removed God from schools and the public arena, redefined gender roles and identity, and arrogantly changed the definition of marriage.  God despises our blatant sin celebrated as progress.  What do we do now?

Repent.  "Stop!" the mother commanded her toddler as he reached toward the burning candle.  This warning would do no good at all if the little boy didn't respond.   If he heard his mother's caution yet defiantly continued stretching his finger out to touch the flame, he'd come away with a burned finger, experiencing the consequences of his own foolish actions.  A warning is meant to be heeded.

God warns for a reason.  He is not just doing His duty as the Overseer of mankind.  He knows it is in man's best interest to live according to his Maker's intentions, in the way He intended for life to be lived.  Any other way wreaks havoc in His creation.  It must be aggravating to put so much care and thought into fashioning an entire world filled with humans made in your own image, only to have them come up with their own rules for living so they can do what they think will make them happy, completely ignoring their Creator's plans and purposes.  

But His anger is not like mine.  His is a righteous anger at man's defiance, and how long will we go on ignoring His cautions?  It is a dangerous thing to fall into the hands of a living God (Hebrews 10:31)!  Let us as individuals and ultimately as a nation choose to turn away from all that offends Him and toward Him as the Source of all good things.  But it must start with me.  If I am unwilling to repent of my own sin on a regular basis, as soon as God brings it to my attention, how can I expect those who are lost to stop doing what is wrong?

It is vital that mankind repent of our defiance, and it is the disciples of Christ who must take the lead in this need for humble submission to God and His intended purpose for His creation (2 Chronicles 7:14).

Pay Attention.  I'm constantly amazed at how easy it is for me to skim through life, distracted and half-way alert to what's happening around me.  My mind is usually preoccupied on solving some problem, mulling through a previous conversation or mentally checking of my list of things-to-do.  As I interact with those around me, I find myself giving less than my full attention to what is being said.  I'm guilty of not living fully in the moment.

This tendency to go through life half-way absent spills over into my relationship with God as well.  Every human is on some level aware of His existence, even if they do not acknowledge Him (Romans 1:20).  He left His mark everywhere so we are without excuse, are unable to say, "I didn't know You were real!"  As such, it is not His fault if I don't pay attention to the evidence of His constant work that is all around me, the guidance He consistently gives me, the outworking of His redemptive character that turns what was meant for evil into something beautiful.  If I don't see it, it's not for lack of its existence, but because I didn't look with my eyes wide open.

If I want to see God at work, I must give my full attention to what He is constantly busy doing.

Submit.  The parking tickets accumulated on the dash of his car.  No matter how many times he was cited for parking in the wrong place, however, he never changed his behavior.  Instead, he stuck to his guns, believing the law to be foolish so as not applying to him. He ended up owing thousands in outstanding violations because of his defiance.

God is always at work correcting the ungodly attitudes, words, behavior and thoughts of His people.  His correction is meant to get me on track so I will honor Him in all I do and reap the benefits of living in the way He intended for me to operate.  Still, all of His discipline only results in heartache if I don't submit to Him.  When I stubbornly insist on sticking to my guns, refusing to yield to His Hand, I'll reap the consequences of my noncooperation.  When I humbly accept His best, even when it goes against everything that makes sense to me, I'll find the blessing of obedience.

I can't expect to live the good life when I refuse to submit to God's correction and His purpose for my life.

Modern man has been warned by God.  Many have cautioned against the road down which we are barreling at top speed.  Still, all is not lost.  As one of His own people, there are some things I can do.  I can respond to His warnings by repenting of all that offends Him, interceding on behalf of my nation and setting an example for others to follow.  I can pay attention to His work all around me, drawing attention to His goodness to all who will listen.  And I can submit to His ways, leading the charge to obey at all costs.  While it may seem there's no stopping the downward spiral, there is a way to find forgiveness and restoration.  May we heed God's warnings now, before it is too late.

As I begin this day it is my prayer that I can stop fretting and start repenting.

When do I complain about the state of the culture yet fail to turn away from all the ways I've made provisions for my flesh (Romans 13:14)?

How can I make a commitment to seek God's face in all my ways?