September 1

Today's Reading - 2 Chronicles 4 - 6

(2 Chr 6:11 KJV) "And in it have I put the ark, wherein is the covenant of the LORD, that he made with the children of Israel."

In today's reading, we come across this verse which speaks of the placing of the Ark in the Holy of Holies in the completed temple. This time, it was handled correctly. If the priests would have borne the Ark with the staves that the Lord required, then Uzza would not have lost his life trying to stabilize the Ark on a cart. Anytime we disobey God, there is consequence. This was a joyous day in the nation of Israel when the temple was completed, and the cloud of the Glory of God settled on the temple, which meant that God gave His approval to the completed building. (1 Cor 15:24 KJV) "Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power." We see a similar scenario in the New Testament that on the Last Day, the entire body of believers will be given to God the Father, and will be accepted, because each true believer was blood bought by the Lord Jesus Christ, Our High Priest. In the Ark of the Covenant were the tablets that God gave Moses on Sinai and were the Law of the Old Covenant. In the "New Ark," the Lord Jesus Christ, is the New Covenant of Grace. (John 1:17 KJV) "For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ."

Whenever we look at the completed temple in the Old Testament, it definitely represents the entire body of believers. As we saw yesterday how the trees from the mountains were brought into the temple after they have been hewn to specifications, this is what God does with the believers. First of all, God has to kill us. He has to take that sin nature and kill it, before we can be useful to the Kingdom of God. (Rom 6:6 KJV) "Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin." Once we are able to stop serving sin, we will be able to serve God with a clean and clear conscience. After God kills the sin nature, He then retrains our minds with spiritual things. (1 Pet 2:5 KJV) "Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ."

The believer, with their new nature, now graduates from the things of the world (carnal), to the things of Heaven (spiritual). Because we are in the Covenant of Grace, we are able to assess situations on a spiritual level, rather than on a carnal or worldly level. This is because the Holy Spirit is living on the inside of every believer. Just as the letter of the Law was inside the Ark, the Spirit of Grace indwells us. The Bible compares each believer to a temple, because as there were holy things in the Old Temple, the Holiness of God now dwells in the New Temple. (1 Cor 3:16 KJV) "Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?" Thank the Lord today that He has taken residence in you!

 

(Avoiding Theatrical Prayer) -OR- (When To Shut Your Mouth In Prayer)

September 2

Today's Reading - 2 Chronicles 7 - 9

(2 Chr 7:15 KJV) "Now mine eyes shall be open, and mine ears attent unto the prayer that is made in this place."

In today's reading, we come across God's Promise that when His People pray, He will hear. This particular verse is speaking of the prayers that were sent up in the temple, and that God had promised the Israelites their prayers would be heard. (Pr 15:29 KJV) "The LORD is far from the wicked: but he heareth the prayer of the righteous." The temple was the official place where Israel communed with the Lord, and it was the very center of worship and life in Israel. Similarly, some today feel that their church is still the official place where they can commune with the Lord. This is true to a certain extent, as the Christians gather and discuss and hear the Word being taught. But those who are truly born again are able to pray anywhere they find themselves.

(Lk 18:1 KJV) "And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint;"

(1 Thess 5:17 KJV) "Pray without ceasing."

In June of 1776, the authors of the Declaration of Independence were at an impasse on some issues. Benjamin Franklin had suggested that they suspend the meeting for a season of prayer. This time, the Founding Fathers had refused. Not because they were atheists or were avoiding God, but the reason was that there was no ordained minister present to pray and conduct the prayer meeting. This shows you what disciplined church members they were. They relegated the spiritual matters to the church. However, they were in error, since a true child of God does not need the intervention of any clergy to pray to the Lord. Every child of God is a priest of the living God.

(Re 1:6 KJV) "And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen"

(Re 5:10 KJV) "And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth."

When one looks at the diversity of prayers in the Bible, we see there are many people who prayed in different ways. Look at the short, but pointed prayers of Nehemiah. They were under spiritual attack from the enemies, and so he prayed battlefield prayers that were short and to the point. We just read Solomon's prayer, which was long and detailed. Sometimes prayer is abused in the church today. The Wednesday Night Prayer Meeting can become a pulpit and a gossip column. Have you ever been in a prayer meeting when someone gets the turn to pray, and then prays around the world? What about the person who prays for someone and then goes into detail about their life? Then there is the person who tries to out do the person that prayed before them --you know, theatrics. Prayer is meant to be sincere communication between you and God. It is not meant to be used as a step for a personal agenda. The Pharisees did this so everyone would think how holy they were. God loathes this type of praying.

(Mt 23:14 KJV) "Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye devour widows’ houses, and for a pretence make long prayer: therefore ye shall receive the greater damnation."

If you are into theatrics, then wisdom would dictate that you stay away from verbal prayer meetings, because your prayers won't be answered anyway. It is better to follow the Lord's advice and pray in private. There, the temptation of desired notoriety is absent. God hears our prayers, because of the Lord Jesus Christ. He answers according to His Will, not according to our desires --although sometimes, they may be in concert and God "will give us the desires of our heart." Prayer is not to be treated as a frivolous exercise, but is serious communion between you and God. Once we secure ourselves to a serious prayer life, our Christian Walk will begin to move in the right direction. So resist the protagonist mindset at Wednesday Night Prayer Meeting; but if you can't, then go, but don't pray out loud.

(Mt 6:5-8 KJV) "{5} And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. {6} But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly. {7} But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking. {8} Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him."

(Relying Upon The LORD For Deliverance)

September 3


Today's Reading - 2 Chronicles 10 - 13

(2 Chr 13:18 KJV) "Thus the children of Israel were brought under at that time, and the children of Judah prevailed, because they relied upon the LORD God of their fathers."

In today's reading, we come across this verse, which gives a great insight into how a Christian can have a victorious life. In the scenario in this chapter, we see that Israel and Judah were involved in a civil war, but Israel was routed and Judah had prevailed. Was it because Judah was much better at fighting than Israel, or did they have more wisdom? It was only because they relied upon God for deliverance. Sometimes we face situations which are absolutely beyond our control, and then when we rely on God, He works the situations out. Sometimes we not only face situations, but we face people who consistently seem to oppose the ministry and will do anything they can to try and ruin it. Have you ever encountered such a person who has nothing but critical things to say about you or your ministry? The worse thing is when they claim to be a Christian, and they oppose the ministry. That has always baffled me how someone can claim to be a Christian, but then opposes the efforts of other Christians. The apostle Paul faced this opposition in his ministry also. (2 Tim 4:14 KJV) "Alexander the coppersmith did me much evil: the Lord reward him according to his works:"

The apostle Paul knew the nature of the Lord, and that vengeance belonged to Him. Now, some Christians may think that they can get away with persecuting other Christians, but keep in mind our verse of the day. Both Israel and Judah were the people of God, but Judah had prevailed, because they were the ones who relied upon God for deliverance. Whenever we encounter persecution, whether it be from Christians or unbelievers, we can handle it the same way. Rely on God to deal with and remove the hindrance. Israel had tried to ambush Judah, but the Judeans had cried out unto the Lord and as a result, they were the ultimate victors in this struggle. Psalm 46:10 teaches us that we are to stand still and know that God is God. If we try to remove a hindrance, whether by the law or by ourselves, it usually only ends up with us having more anxiety and increased tribulation. When we hand these situations over to the Lord, we can have trust and confidence that He will handle the situation, according to the way He knows best. When Saul pursued David, it seemed like a never-ending situation, yet, because David trusted the Lord and acted accordingly, he was ultimately victorious over his enemies. Make it a habit to bring your difficulties before the Lord. Do what you can in the right spirit, but if it is to no avail, give it over to the Lord. (Lam 3:26 KJV) "It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the LORD."


(Remove The Idols And Be A Strong Testimony)

September 4

Today's Reading - 2 Chronicles 14 - 16

(2 Chr 15:7,8 KJV) "Be ye strong therefore, and let not your hands be weak: for your work shall be rewarded. {8} And when Asa heard these words, and the prophecy of Oded the prophet, he took courage, and put away the abominable idols out of all the land of Judah and Benjamin, and out of the cities which he had taken from mount Ephraim, and renewed the altar of the LORD, that was before the porch of the LORD."

In today's reading, we come across these verses, which ends up the prophecy of Azariah, who was the son of Oded. Asa was a good king and wanted to be obedient to God. The prophecy had begun with a warning that if the people were obedient to God, then He would be with them. On the other hand, if the people forsook God, then He would forsake them and they would be given over to their enemies. When Asa heard these words, he then began a program to rid the land of idols. They then went to Jerusalem and had a gathering for the purpose of giving an offering unto the Lord. During the ceremony, they made a vow that anyone in the land who did not seek the Lord their God was going to be put to death. Asa was so serious about this pledge unto the Lord that he even removed his mother from being queen, because she had made an idol in a grove.

In our own families, if we want the blessing of the Lord to be upon it, we need to make sure that our own members are not harboring idols or desiring the things of the world above the Lord. Now, when it comes to unsaved members of our families, we cannot expect them to act in the same manner as a saved person. What we can do is to remove as much temptations from their path as we can. One example is to disallow the premium cable channels in the house, which contain much swearing and sex. What people do not see, they do not try to imitate.

The prophecy brings a good example to us also. As Christians, if we expect God to bless our ministries and lives, we cannot be found embracing the things of the world. Although the Lord Jesus Christ stated that He would never leave us nor forsake us, when we start fooling around with the world, it can feel like we have been separated from the Lord. Have you ever prayed and felt your prayers hit the ceiling and bounce back? I think we have all faced those times. It is one way that God gets our attention that something is not pleasing Him in our life. If we do an introspection, then we can expunge the unbiblical practice from our life.

Think about it for a minute, Asa removed his own mother from being queen in his obedience unto the Lord. This tells us that we may have unsaved family members or friends who are helping us go astray, and they must be removed. I am not speaking of putting your relatives out on the front lawn with their suitcases. I am speaking about avoiding their philosophies and refusing to follow anything, which may cause you to stray in your Christian Walk. Remember, unsaved family members are 24-hours of continual temptation and can draw us into their schemes, if we do not stay spiritually astute. It is our responsibility to be an example to them, not for them to be an influence on us. The name "Asa" means "Physician or cure." The only cure that we can give our family members is the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. If God saves them, then they will remove the idols out of their lives. It will be like going from the high places back to the temple with the other believers. Being a strong testimony to your family may require you to be rigid and unmovable. Let them see your stability in the Lord. God may use it to draw the other members of your family.

 

September 5

Today’s Reading - 2 Chronicles 17 - 19

(Speak From God's Word Despite Consequences)
(2 Chr 18:13 KJV) And Micaiah said, As the LORD liveth, even what my God saith, that will I speak.

In today’s reading we come across one of the most important sections of Scripture which deals with the acceptance of truth. Jehoshaphat wanted to know about going into battle and he wanted to be sure that this battle was of the Lord. He inquired if there were any true prophets of the Lord and Ahab says there was and gives an honest answer concerning Micaiah. Ahab stated that he “hated” him. Now why did Ahab hate Micaiah? We see the answer to that question in the above verse. Micaiah was only going to speak what the Lord directed him to. This should be the essence of every believer. Each believer should only speak what the Bible teaches. It is a shame that even Christians hate other Christians because they tell the truth. (Gal 4:16 KJV) Am I therefore become your enemy, because I tell you the truth? King Ahab did not like what Micaiah prophesied to him and had him incarcerated and only fed with bread and water. Yet, what was the outcome? The false prophets who licked the boots of king Ahab were wrong and Micaiah was one hundred percent correct.

Just because Ahab removed Micaiah out of his presence did not mean that what he spoke would not come to pass. When there are true Christians in a church and they bring the true Word of God, but the false teachers don’t like them, do they think that because they are kicked out that the matter is settled? Even on the Internet, I have seen some groups kick out those who bring the truth and just because one or two do not like it, they remove them out of sight. The following statement holds true, “Your belief system does not establish truth.” God’s Word is the only truth which the Christians should obey. Christians need to be very careful who they allow to do their thinking for them. This may sound strange but there are many Christians out there who relegate all their spiritual thinking to a preacher, radio teacher, or others. God gave us the Bible to prevent anyone from taking authority over us with false teachings. If Ahab would have listened to Micaiah, he might have lived a little longer and not go down in ignominious defeat. This is what happens when we spurn the truth and then create our own system of beliefs. The truth is that God will allow people to believe a lie and they will go deeper into deception. Voluntary deception caused Ahab his life. It can cause the loss of spiritual life too, thus plunging someone into eternal damnation. Be careful what spirit you hear. It could cost you eternal life.

 

(Appointed Singers To The Frontlines)

September 6

Today's Reading - 2 Chronicles 20-22

(2 Chr 20:21 KJV) "And when he had consulted with the people, he appointed singers unto the LORD, and that should praise the beauty of holiness, as they went out before the army, and to say, Praise the LORD; for his mercy endureth for ever."

In today's reading, we come across a chapter where we see King Jehoshaphat facing two old time enemies, the Moabites and the Ammonites. These two groups show us that sin affects everyone. Both of these groups were started by the incestuous relationship between Lot and his two daughters (Gen. 19:33-38). Thousands of years later, they are still the enemies of Israel. Never think that the things you do today do not carry with them the ability to have the consequences of those actions affecting a future generation.

Back to Jehoshaphat. Here was a good king facing a formidable foe. What was the first thing Jehoshaphat did? --He sought the Lord! He did not get the army in battle gear, nor did he start a military draft. He sought the Lord, and isn't it interesting, some of the language he used when he prayed. He was reminding God of His Greatness and how God dealt with enemies of Israel in the past. Was it God that needed to know how He dealt with the enemies of Israel? No, God remembers every detail of the struggle of Israel. This prayer shows us how Jehoshaphat knew God, and His history of protecting Israel. This is a good prayer example for us. When we begin to face a formidable foe in our life, it is good to review the way God has helped and protected us in the past. When we remember the works of God in your life, it is a reminder to us how dependent we are upon God, and it tells the Lord that we cherish the way He has intervened in our lives and helped us out.

The next great lesson we learn from this passage is the method used to fight the enemy. When Jehoshaphat prayed and Jahaziel was given the answer, it may have seemed strange to the people what was to happen. By the way, if you are praying for something, then never overlook the possibility of God giving the answer to your prayer to another person. Instead of God giving them the positions of the army to best attack and route or flank the enemy, God told them to go to the battlefield, but do nothing except watch the salvation of the Lord. So what is the next step? --OUT COMES THE CHOIR!!!! Can you imagine if a foreign force invaded the United States, and instead of our Armed Forces meeting the invasion head on, they were standing on the sidelines while 50,000 Christians were singing, "A Mighty Fortress Is Our God" heading toward them? The invaders would not know what to do! When the singers of Israel went out on the battlefield, God had allowed the Ammonites and the Moabites to destroy each other, and Judah was saved.

When you are facing those tough times, send out the singers in front of you too. Pull out one of those old hymnals and sing of the majesty and Power of God. Don't set up the defense, set up the choir. When you begin to allow the joy of the Lord to reign in your life, especially at tough times, you will also experience the strengthening of the Lord.

 

(Beware Drifting, Decline & Departure) -OR- (Avoid Compromises & Severe Consequences)

September 7

Today's Reading - 2 Chronicles 23 - 25

(2 Chr 24:17 KJV) "Now after the death of Jehoiada came the princes of Judah, and made obeisance to the king. Then the king hearkened unto them."

In today's reading, we come across this verse, which teaches how a nation or an individual can go into spiritual and moral decline. Jehoiada was a godly priest and was very influential, but when he died, instead of the king seeking for another godly man to take his place, he began to take counsel and find friendship with the princes of Judah and when we look at the next verse we see that one of the first things they did was to leave the house of God and proceeded to build idols in groves. Today we can liken this to someone leaving the church, and then starting their own religion. Of course, we can see many cults which have prospered outside the church and have drawn many adherents.

The fact that the king had followed the unbelieving princes of Judah, shows how fast a moral decline can plunge a country into darkness. They would not get away with what they did. Any time a person or a country leaves from following the Lord, severe consequences always follow. When Zechariah, Jehoiada's son, had prophesied unto the king that because they left the Lord, the Lord would forsake them also. This enraged the leaders so much that the king had given consent to have him stoned. God responded to their evil by sending the Syrian army against them by the end of the year, those princes who initiated the evil in the land were dead.

Here is a good example that we can learn from. If we ever choose to forsake the Lord in any part of our lives, or even if the country where we reside forsakes the teachings of the Lord, then we can expect evil to move in and judgment to come. In the early 1600's, the Netherlands was a strong biblical country, but now Amsterdam is the pornography capital of the world, and I am sure that this really disturbs the believers there. I am not picking on the Netherlands, but to show a principle. In 1618, the Synod of Dort was held there, and Calvinism was declared the national religion. How can a country go from declaring biblical principles nationally, to the pornography capital of the world? There are two ways this can happen: The first, we saw in our verse today, and that is radical departure. The second way is drifting. When we make Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego compromises here and there, we can become blind to those Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego compromises, not thinking they are significant. King Joash was very foolish to follow the pagan advice of the princes. These princes probably had in mind some type of financial desires with the surrounding nations, and wanted to find a common ground --and religion will always be a common ground. It is also interesting to note that as soon as the Godly influence was away from the king, the unbelievers moved in. This means that Satan already had his people in place and ready to act. This is why we must be very careful as to the advice we take, because Satan is right there to derail us as fast and as completely as possible. Make friends with the Jehoiadas of this world, and you will maintain strength in your Christian Walk.

(Fear NOT! Prepare Your Ways Before The LORD)

September 8

Today's Reading - 2 Chronicles 26 - 29

(2 Chr 27:6 KJV) "So Jotham became mighty, because he prepared his ways before the LORD his God."

In today's reading, we come across this verse concerning King Jotham who chose to walk in the good ways of his father Uzziah. The name "Jotham" means "perfection of the Lord." I am sure when Jotham was growing up in the palace, he probably saw many of the decisions his father made according to the ways of the Lord. So at an early age, he began to be trained that following the Lord's ways is the wisest thing anyone can do. It was later on in life when he saw his father make unwise decisions, which caused the Lord to judge him and made him be a leper all the days of his life. Jotham saw his father in the day of obedience, as well as the days of disobedience. Seeing the Lord bring a judgment upon his father probably propelled him into following the ways of the Lord. In our verse, we see that because he prepared his ways before the Lord, he became a mighty king. He was victorious over his enemies. The Ammonites even paid him tribute for three years. What a principle for us to inculcate into our own lives. When the believer will order their ways before the Lord, they too, shall become mighty in the Lord. Remember Gideon and how fearful he was to the point that he put out the fleece twice to test the Lord? Then Gideon eventually rested in the Lord, and was able to defeat the Midianites with three-hundred men.

When Christians live their lives in timidity, they will accomplish very little because of fear. This is not to say there are not timid Christians in the world. Many may be like that, not because they are ashamed of the Lord or their testimony, but many of them choose to stay behind the scenes. Staying behind the scenes does not disqualify them from becoming mighty in the Lord. Being mighty in the Lord does not necessarily mean you are going to lead an army, but it means that you will be strong in whatever area the Lord has placed you. If you build your life on biblical principles as Jotham did, then when you begin to face the enemies of God --and there are many!-- you will be strong and will prevail.

The word "victory" is definitely part of the Christian vocabulary. We do not have to live beneath our circumstances, but we can live above them. If Jotham would have feared when the Ammonites came against him, then half the battle would have been won for the enemy. Fear in a Christian weakens our defenses, but if we order our ways before the Lord, then we shall be mighty, and fear will not have a place in any decisions we make. Whenever we make a decision with biblical principles, we are excluding fear from the equation. Faith in the Lord always removes fear. Jotham probably learned that principle when he was young, and that is why he became a strong king. If we learn it early in our Christian Walk, then we will yield the same fruit. There is a great difference between building our life on faith in the Lord, and building it on the fears from the world. Choose you this day whom you will serve!


(Committing Fully To Serve With All Your Heart)

September 9

Today's Reading - 2 Chronicles 30 - 32

(2 Chr 31:21 KJV) "And in every work that he began in the service of the house of God, and in the law, and in the commandments, to seek his God, he did it with all his heart, and prospered."

In today's reading, we come across this verse, which presents a mighty principle for success in the Christian Walk. As we progress in our lives, we will encounter works for the Lord that He has ordained for us to do.

(Eph 2:10 KJV) "For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them."

These can be a range of any type of works, from evangelism to visitation. God will only assign us works that He has empowered us to do, according to the spiritual gift or gifts that He has placed within us at the moment of salvation. We see that Hezekiah had set his heart to the work of the Lord, properly and fully. He did not go into any work sloppily and half-heartedly. This is a great principle for us to follow whenever we engage in any type of spiritual activity. If we desire to go to the mission field, we must totally be committed to the task. Anything less than full commitment in the Christian life will breed disaster. If we are called upon to do something in our church, maybe for a special event or an on-going job, before we accept any responsibility, we better make sure we intend on committing ourselves fully.

(Eccl 9:10 KJV) "Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest."

God does not expect us to volunteer in the arena of works where He has not empowered us. For example, if you know nothing about electricity, you are not going to help wire up a church, or if you are deathly afraid of public speaking, you are not going to be a speaker at a church function. Our hearts may be in the right place, but it is incumbent upon us that we volunteer where we are qualified. Still, one of the big problems is not necessarily people volunteering where they are not qualified, but it is people volunteering and getting off to a good start, then later when they face opposition, or the project is not going well, they want to resign. Sadly, this happens because they do not go into their work intently enough to take them over the rough times. Hezekiah had sought the Lord with all his heart, which means that he did the reforms with his eye focused on the Lord, and not the opposition.

(Prov 22:29 KJV) "Seest thou a man diligent in his business? he shall stand before kings; he shall not stand before mean men."

Here is a good verse, which goes in concert with our daily verse. Hezekiah prospered because he was diligent in the Lord's business. Do you know of any Christians like that who have committed themselves wholly to the task at hand, and God prospers their efforts? If you do, and maybe you would like to know their secret, then ask them. The Lord's Work is not easy, and those who want to seek full-time ministry must realize that the ministry Work does not end at 5:00pm, like a day job does. This is why one must be fully devoted, and they must count the costs, along with the price their family must pay too. Going to work every day is going in concert with the world system, but going into ministry goes against the world system, and there will be many straining events. Therefore, if a person is not fully dedicated, they will fall like Peter did when the young girl accused him of being with Jesus. So before we take on any spiritual projects, we must count the costs, and also see what our past patterns of involvement were, because we must be honest. If you are the type that tends to leave at the first sign of trouble, then don't volunteer. But if you are the type that thrives on challenge, then you will have many doors open for your help. Always choose your service wisely, and dedicate yourself fully to the Lord and His Work.

 

(No Sin Or Sinner Greater Than The Grace Of God)

September 10

Today's Reading - 2 Chronicles 33 - 36

(2 Chr 33:13 KJV) "And prayed unto him: and he was entreated of him, and heard his supplication, and brought him again to Jerusalem into his kingdom. Then Manasseh knew that the LORD he was God."

In today's reading, we come across this verse, which ends a life of sin and debauchery by King Manasseh. I like to call this one of the greatest conversions in the Bible. King Manasseh was an idol worshipper and even allowed his children to become burned sacrifices unto false gods. Manasseh was the son of King Hezekiah who did good things in the sight of the Lord. This can also be an example to parents that ,sometimes, when children are reared up, they may be taught all kinds of biblical principles, yet they may not become saved.

For example, a close friend of mine has a son who was deeply involved in a cult some years ago. Many times, they spoke on the phone and discussed spiritual matters. They never closed the door on each other and kept communication wide open. After some time, my friend stopped arguing with his son and prayed that if he was going to become saved, then God would have to show him the Truth. A few months later, my friend gets a call from his son telling him that he became saved. The prior discussions laid the groundwork, and the Holy Spirit drove home those Truths until God saved him. Now he is a vibrant Christian and great testimony, and looks back at the teachings he once held. He is now a great apologist for true Christianity.

This scenario happened to Manasseh. It was not until God moved in his life did he realize who the real God was. Manasseh became saved, and then tried to undo what he had done. Sometimes when we witness to people, they tell us they are too bad and that God doesn't want them. But the great Truth is that Christ came to redeem His People from the pit of Hell, and there is no sin or sinner that is greater than the Grace of God. Here is the Grace of God reaching a man who had murdered his own children in a sacrifice to a false god.

(Rom 5:20 KJV) "Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound:"

When we witness to people, sometimes we also want to see the results right away, but God may have a season of time before a person becomes saved. This is why we should always be ready to give a witness and be ready to reel them in. Salvation is never on our timetable, but it is always on God's. Manasseh's example is a great witnessing tool to show others that no one is above the Grace of God. Look at some of the other people in the Bible that God saved from sinful, corrupt lives. Paul was killing Christians! Moses murdered an Egyptian! Aaron made a golden idol! Zacchaeus was a cheating tax collector! So it doesn't matter what a person did, when God is ready to forgive and save a person, He removes those sins and readies that person for service, and then Heaven. So the next time you feel unworthy for the Kingdom of Heaven, re-read the story of Manasseh, and then give Glory to God for His "Amazing Grace."

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