Part of my personal Bible reading for the last couple of months has been in the Old Testament books of Isaiah, Jeremiah and Ezekiel.  God used each of these prophets to address the sins of His people and to warn them of impending and imminent judgment.  Their messages were blunt, strong and sobering.

As I have been wading through the pages of these books I have tried to answer a key question — what is the central theme?  What is the “take away” for us from these very serious warnings and messages by three deeply committed and passionate prophets of God?

I think the theme is clearly revealed in Ezekiel’s words:

” … Repent and live.”  – Ezekiel 18:32 (NIV)

The whole focus of the prophets’ messages was about bringing people to repentance.  God is a gracious and forgiving God.  He responds to repentance.  Repentance attracts His mercy.

One of the greatest qualities we can develop is to be quick to repent.

Repentance involves feeling sorry for our sins.  It in involves brokenness and contriteness of heart.  It involves being aware of and deeply grieved over ugly parts of our personal character.  Real repentance involves action.  Repentant people change.  The clear sign that we have repented of something is a changed heart, changed attitudes and changed behavior.

To get to this wonderful point called repentance requires honesty.  We have to be honest with ourselves and with God.  We must own responsibility for our sins and failures instead of justifying them, rationalizing them or blaming them on others.  This kind of honesty with ourselves and with God is painful.  While it hurts, it also prepares us to experience the hope of change.

God will do great things in us and through us when a true spirit of repentance is present in our hearts.  Repentance releases life!

Pastor Dale

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What big challenges are you facing?

All through the Bible we see stories of people who faced big-time challenges.  Whether it is David facing Goliath, Daniel thrown into the lion’s den or Paul and Silas stuck in a Philippian prison, each of these folks came face-to-face with a challenging circumstance — with a situation that was much bigger than they were.

The common thread in these stories is faith.  When staring down difficulties, in unique and personal ways each of these individuals lived out their faith.  They all exercised confidence in the goodness, grace, power and promises of God.  They put their faith on the line.  They trusted God to do what only He could do for them.  And God did not disappoint them.

Recently I came across a Scripture verse that reminded me again of God’s great faithfulness — His trustworthiness in challenging times:

” … those who hope in me will not be disappointed.”  – Isaiah 49:23b (NIV)

The Hebrew word for “hope” means ” to wait, expect and look forward to.”  The word translated “disappointed” literally means, “to be confounded; to be ashamed or anxious; to dry up.”

When we as believers are faced with uncertainties and challenges, we can experience the comfort of true spiritual confidence.  We can possess an inner assurance that defies logic.   We don’t have to live in confusion, shame or anxiety.  We don’t have to shrivel up on the inside.  We can respond to our challenges with hope-filled faith.  We can look forward with eager anticipation to a demonstration of God’s faithfulness.

If you are staring down the barrel of a big problem, let hope and faith rise in your heart.  You will not be disappointed!

Pastor Dale

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It is interesting to observe that one of the things we are most consistently and seriously warned about in Scripture is anger. In fact, the Bible clearly teaches that, when we are angry, we are on very dangerous turf.

Take a look at a few verses:

“But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment …” — Matthew 5:22 (NIV)

“In your anger do not sin. Do not let the sun go down while you are stll angry, and do not give the devil a foothold. — Ephesians 4:26, 27 (NIV)

” … Everyone should be … slow to become angry, for man’s anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires.” — James 1:19, 20 (NIV)

We live in a very angry world. Anger is the modus operandi of many folks. This should not be the case for believers. We are instructed and commanded to d – anger, so that we can avoid very real spiritual, emotional and relational danger.

What are you doing to get the anger out of your life?

Refuse to let your anger lead you into danger!

Pastor Dale

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When the prophet Samuel was called by God to appoint a new king over Israel, following the spiritual decline of King Saul, God sent him to the home of a man named Jesse.  One of Jesse’s sons would be anointed with oil as Israel’s next king.

Jesse sent his first son, Eliab, to be interviewed by Samuel.  The prophet’s initial impression was “this must be the one.”  Eliab had the physical stature and mannerisms of a head of state.  God spoke some words to Samuel in that moment that teach us a very important truth about God and his view of us.  After telling Samuel that He had someone else in mind for Israel’s kingship, God then said to Samuel:

” … The Lord does not look at the things man looks at.  Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”  – 1 Samuel 16:7 (NIV)

The Lord reminded Samuel and us, that He sees deep inside of us.  He knows things about us that no one else knows, including the condition of our hearts.

While we often think of this in the negative sense; that God knows the hidden sins of our hearts, it is also important for us to consider another aspect of God’s statement to Samuel.  God not only knows the sinful condition of our hearts, He also knows the hurts, pains and wounds we are carrying in our hearts.  He knows and He cares about the inner brokenness that weighs us down, restricts our relationships and hinders our effectiveness for the Kingdom of God.

In addition to knowing and caring, God is committed to healing our hearts.  Look at the words of the psalmist that describe God’s attitude and actions toward people experiencing inner pain:

“He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.”  – Psalm 147:3 (NIV)

If you are carrying around pain, scars of the heart, deep wounds that have plagued your progress, know that God wants to make you whole.  He is willing to take your pain and release His healing grace into the deepest part of your soul.  He is our “heart healer!”

Pastor Dale

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