Thursday, April 16, 2026
The Focus of a Nation Determines the Fate
1 Samuel 8:4-9 "4 So all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah.
5 They said to him, “You are old, and your sons do not follow your ways; now appoint a king to lead[b] us, such as all the other nations have.”
6 But when they said, “Give us a king to lead us,” this displeased Samuel; so he prayed to the Lord.
7 And the Lord told him: “Listen to all that the people are saying to you; it is not you they have rejected, but they have rejected me as their king.
8 As they have done from the day I brought them up out of Egypt until this day, forsaking me and serving other gods, so they are doing to you.
9 Now listen to them; but warn them solemnly and let them know what the king who will reign over them will claim as his rights.”"
Sound Familiar?!!!!!
When a nation is more focused on its secular leader making them safe and comfortable than they are on God, the nation is lost and will not be coming back.
5 They said to him, “You are old, and your sons do not follow your ways; now appoint a king to lead[b] us, such as all the other nations have.”
6 But when they said, “Give us a king to lead us,” this displeased Samuel; so he prayed to the Lord.
7 And the Lord told him: “Listen to all that the people are saying to you; it is not you they have rejected, but they have rejected me as their king.
8 As they have done from the day I brought them up out of Egypt until this day, forsaking me and serving other gods, so they are doing to you.
9 Now listen to them; but warn them solemnly and let them know what the king who will reign over them will claim as his rights.”"
Sound Familiar?!!!!!
When a nation is more focused on its secular leader making them safe and comfortable than they are on God, the nation is lost and will not be coming back.
Coming Out From Among Them
Everyone likes to think they are a "good person", we have a much higher view of ourselves than is true because most do not see the perfection of God. Like Eve, mankind wants to think they can be like God without Him.
Genesis 3:4-6 "…4 “You will not surely die,” the serpent told her. 5 “For God knows that in the day you eat of it, your eyes will be opened and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” 6 When the woman saw that the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eyes, and that it was desirable for obtaining wisdom, she took the fruit and ate it. She also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate it."
The devil lied to Eve and he lies to us today. Even worse he causes others to believe lies about their family and friends to divide relationships just like he did in the garden with Eve.
Because we are living in the end times we are accustomed to "self-thinking", believing we have done nothing wrong while destroying relationships, while accepting sin and rudeness as normal.
Luke 18:7-9 "…7 Will not God bring about justice for His elect who cry out to Him day and night? Will He continue to defer their help? 8 I tell you, He will promptly carry out justice on their behalf. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on earth?” 9 To some who trusted in their own righteousness and viewed others with contempt, He also told this parable:"
Where faith in God is missing, so also is love, because God is love.
When self is exalted it is not possible to love anyone else."
It is a challenge in our day to love people inspite of the rudeness and crassness of the world around us. The more time we spend in the world the more we become like it. This is why God commands us to speak the truths of God to the unsaved when directed by the Holy Spirit, while at the same time maintaining our distance in terms of our constant companions.
2 Corinthians 6:17 "17 Therefore, come out from their midst and be separate,” says the Lord.
“And do not touch what is unclean;
And I will welcome you."
We must live in the world, interact with the world but we do not have to become one of those who love the world and its' ways. There is great joy in relationships that are walking the same path with the same resolve to follow Christ.
James 5:7-8 "Be patient, then, brothers, until the Lord’s coming. See how the farmer awaits the precious fruit of the soil—how patient he is for the fall and spring rains. You, too, be patient and strengthen your hearts, because the Lord’s coming is near."
Genesis 3:4-6 "…4 “You will not surely die,” the serpent told her. 5 “For God knows that in the day you eat of it, your eyes will be opened and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” 6 When the woman saw that the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eyes, and that it was desirable for obtaining wisdom, she took the fruit and ate it. She also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate it."
The devil lied to Eve and he lies to us today. Even worse he causes others to believe lies about their family and friends to divide relationships just like he did in the garden with Eve.
Because we are living in the end times we are accustomed to "self-thinking", believing we have done nothing wrong while destroying relationships, while accepting sin and rudeness as normal.
Luke 18:7-9 "…7 Will not God bring about justice for His elect who cry out to Him day and night? Will He continue to defer their help? 8 I tell you, He will promptly carry out justice on their behalf. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on earth?” 9 To some who trusted in their own righteousness and viewed others with contempt, He also told this parable:"
Where faith in God is missing, so also is love, because God is love.
When self is exalted it is not possible to love anyone else."
It is a challenge in our day to love people inspite of the rudeness and crassness of the world around us. The more time we spend in the world the more we become like it. This is why God commands us to speak the truths of God to the unsaved when directed by the Holy Spirit, while at the same time maintaining our distance in terms of our constant companions.
2 Corinthians 6:17 "17 Therefore, come out from their midst and be separate,” says the Lord.
“And do not touch what is unclean;
And I will welcome you."
We must live in the world, interact with the world but we do not have to become one of those who love the world and its' ways. There is great joy in relationships that are walking the same path with the same resolve to follow Christ.
James 5:7-8 "Be patient, then, brothers, until the Lord’s coming. See how the farmer awaits the precious fruit of the soil—how patient he is for the fall and spring rains. You, too, be patient and strengthen your hearts, because the Lord’s coming is near."
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