Turn to the Lord

II Chronicles 30:7-9 (KJV) Says, "And be not ye like your fathers, and like your brethren, which trespassed against the Lord God of their fathers, who therefore gave them up to desolation, as ye see. Now be ye not stiffnecked, as your fathers were, but yield yourselves unto the Lord, and enter into his sanctuary, which he hath sanctified for ever:  and serve the Lord your God, that the fierceness of his wrath may turn away from you. For if ye turn again unto the Lord, your brethren and your children shall find compassion before them that lead them captive, so that they shall come again into this land:  for the Lord your God is gracious and merciful, and will not turn away his face from you, if ye return unto him."

Let me begin by saying that there are consequences for living in disobedience to God. We are all God's children and he loves us tremendously. Just as a parent doesn't reward their children for disobedience; God as our Heavenly Father will not reward us for ours. In the above passage of scripture the children of Israel have clearly sinned, and have turned their backs on God. Because of this they have found themselves in a state of desolation. Note also, that more times than one throughout history they found themselves in captivity secondary to their sin and disobedience. It often took drastic consequences for them to repent of their sins, and turn back to God.

God is the same today as yesterday, and he will remain the same always, his Word promises us that. Always remember too, that God has never broken not one single promise. With that said, the above passage of scripture applies to us today; in that there are consequences for our sins as well. We suffer ourselves in many ways when we refuse to turn back to God and live our lives in obedience to him.

The great news is that God is waiting eagerly for us to repent of our sins, and turn back to him. It is made clear in his Word that he desires for us to surrender our lives to him, find a good Church, serve him, and live our lives in obedience to him. We are told that God is gracious and merciful toward us, and that he will not turn his face from us, if we will only return to him; yet many refuse to do so and instead continue to live their lives in a state of worry, misery, and struggle.

Many people have the wrong idea as to what living a Christian life in obedience to the Lord looks like. Some feel that it would mean living a strict life that is nothing short of boring, and that could not be further from the truth. When you surrender your life to the Lord and live in obedience to him you are choosing to live the greatest life you could ever possibly hope to live. It is a life of joy, divine peace, and so much more.

When we first surrender our lives to God and begin living in obedience to him we can expect, of course, that Satan is not pleased. He will try to discourage us with trials and temptations in an attempt to draw us away from our walk with God. If we remain steadfast in our faith and trust in God, however, Satan will soon recognize that he cannot cause us to waver in our faith. Satan will attempt to work through situations, our thoughts, and even people to draw us away from God, but with strong faith and focus on our creator he will not win the battle and he will eventually give up.

If you are in a situation where you're facing problems of any sort in your life that you feel have you captive, whether it be relationship issues, financial problems, health issues, or any other problem, I urge you to turn to God. There is no problem so great that God cannot handle it. Go to him in prayer and ask forgiveness for your sins, repent, and begin this moment living in obedience to him. Remain steadfast in your faith, and keep your focus on him at all times. Take your worries and cares to him in prayer, and leave them there, and serve him with a joyful heart. The rewards of doing so are so great that there are no words that could ever possibly do them justice.

If you have not accepted Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior I urge you to make the decision to do that immediately, right where you are. Simply go to God in prayer, ask him to forgive you of all your sins, tell him you believe that Jesus died on the cross for your sins, and that he rose again, and ask him to come into your heart and be your Lord and Savior. If you pray this prayer and you are sincere about it in your heart then he will save your soul and give you the precious gift of eternal life. God is loving forgiving, kind, compassionate, understanding, and so much more. He loves you tremendously and he is eagerly waiting for you to cry out to him, to accept him, and to walk side by side with him.

If you accepted Christ as your Personal Lord and Savior, or if you were backslid and have decided to get back on track then you have made a priceless and most rewarding decision. You have made the decision to live the greatest life you could ever possibly hope to live, and you will never live a single second of your life alone as Christ will be with you every step of the way.

If you have a prayer request and would like me to pray for you, leave me a message and I will be more than happy to do so. May God bless you.