Weekly Devotion

The Israelites were a buzz of negativity. They didn't want to listen to Moses or to the two good reports given by Joshua and Caleb concerning the Promised Land. They simply chose to believe the ten negative reports and only wanted to turn back to Egypt in a frantic state. But finally after all the moaning, God had had enough because this certainly wasn't the first time that they had moaned and groaned and didn't want to trust Him since leaving Egypt. His glorious presence appeared to all the Israelites above the Tabernacle and He wanted to destroy them all. Moses immediately stepped in and pleaded with the Lord to be more patient and not to destroy them. And God listened. Instead He gave them what they feared most, death in the wilderness. He decided to let them wander for forty years in the wilderness, until all of them that had moaned were dead and then He will enter the land with their children. And to prove His point further, He struck the ten scouts who incited the people with the negative report, dead with a plague.

Was God being too harsh? No. They were the generation that saw more of God's power and wonders than any generation before or after them. No one had ever experienced God's glory and might as they did. They were truly privileged in that regard, but along with that privilege come responsibility. They were expected to believe God after all that they had seen, heard and experienced. Therefore the punishment was justified.

Jesus confirms this in the New Testament:

"But people who are not aware that they are doing wrong will be punished only lightly. Much is required from those to whom much is given, and much more is required from those to whom much more is given." Luke 12:48

The more you know and have, the more God expects from you. I think that is why Paul gets so angry with the churches in his letters when he accuses them of not moving on with the Lord. He asks them why they are still acting like the world even after all the revelations that they had received from him. He accuses them of still being immature in the faith, still drinking spiritual milk instead of eating a spiritual steak like they were supposed to by now.

This is quite a scary thought for me as I spend a lot of time studying the Bible. In all the ages Bibles/ Biblical teachings/ Biblical videos, seminars etc have never been more available than now. If you live in a Country with religious freedom, you don't really have an excuse for not advancing in the Christian life. I realize that every day that I learn more, more would be required from me. Things that I considered 'minor sins' to do a while back, I can't even consider justifying it for myself anymore. I need to grow and I need to share what I learn and that is not always easy. But I realize that the Lord requires it of me. It is scary, but also exciting as I also believe that more opportunities will open up the more one studies God's Word. God would not continue to require more and more of you without giving you the strength to be able to handle it. He will be with you. Just don't get cold feet like the Israelites did, they certainly regretted it!

Father thank you for entrusting us with a lot. Help us to be good stewards with what You have given us and to trust You for the outcome. We love You and look forward to a wonderful future with You! Amen

Twelve scouts were sent out to spy out the Promised Land. Ten of them returned with a devastating report. They were convinced that they will all die if they decide to take on the 'giants' in the Promised Land. And they shared their convictions with all the other Israelites and started to spread this negative report. The Israelites immediately believed them. Remember, it was merely an opinion that the ten scouts gave, it was certainly not facts especially with God around, but the people took it as the truth and started to wail and cry.

"Why is the Lord taking us to this country only to have us die in battle? Our wives and our little ones will be carried off as slaves! Let's get out of here and return to Egypt!" Numbers 14:3

They were devastated and didn't rationally think about this report. Worse yet, they didn't even want to listen to the two scouts who gave positive feedback! They were so consumed with the negativity going on around them. Joshua and Caleb tried to reason with them:

"Do not rebel against the Lord, and don't be afraid of the people of the land. They are helpless prey to us! They have no protection, but the Lord is with us! Do not be afraid of them!" Numbers 14:9

But the Israelites were too emotional and didn't think clearly, they lost perspective and even started talking about stoning Caleb and Joshua! They totally lost all faith that they had in the Lord. They were a mass of negativity.

It must have been so difficult for Joshua and Caleb to stand up to them and try to give them a different perspective. They were truly very brave men, standing up against an angry mob of two million!

Now today we might be required to stand up for what is right too, no matter how unpopular. And to be effective, make sure that you are standing up for what God has placed in your heart and that you do have all the facts. It can be a very difficult task, but take heart, God rewarded both Joshua and Caleb for standing up.

Also another point is that we can find ourselves in a situation where we are surrounded by negativity and we are keen on joining in. The negativity can be based on facts and we are inclined to agree, for example South Africa at the moment. There is rampant crime, discrimination, strikes, violence and corruption at the order of the day. We cannot deny it; it is negative and unfortunately true. But it is not going to help to go into a frantic negative frenzy about it. It is tempting to moan along with all our fellow citizens, but it is not going to change anything. I am not saying we should ignore what is going on and pretend that all is well. I am merely saying that we have better uses for our energy. We should rather pray for our country and our government, we should reach out and help the poor alongside with our churches as far as we can, we can try and make a difference by portraying God's standards to others etcetera. God has placed us here for a reason and He will also tell us to move on when our job here is done. It does not help to moan, it didn't bring the Israelites anywhere and it will not bring us anywhere. Rather focus on God and give the problem over to Him and ask Him for His guidance in your life.

Father please help us to stand up for what is right and not to join the masses in moaning and complaining. It is so easy to be negative and so difficult to be positive about Your future for us. Please forgive us our sin and lead us unto Your ways. In Jesus Name. Amen

This morning the Lord reminded me of His genealogy in Matthew 1. As I paged towards it I noticed in the genealogy of Jesus that five women were mentioned. Normally they only name the men as the origin of the man determines the tribe to who the Jew belongs to, but here in Matthew, five women were also mentioned. This tells me that this must be significant, so come let's take a quick look at these five interesting women.

First of all Tamar is mentioned. Now Tamar was the daughter in law of Judah. She was married to his son Er, but when his son Er died, he gave her in marriage to his second son Onan as was the custom of the day. But Onan also died and Judah was supposed to give Tamar to his youngest son, Shelah, but he was scared that Shelah would also die, so he told Tamar he will let her know when Shelah was old enough to marry her, but he never did. When Tamar realized that her father in law was not going to honor the custom of the day, she dressed herself as a prostitute and tricked Judah into sleeping with her, without him realizing who she was. She became pregnant with two sons, one of which was Perez, a predecessor of Jesus. She later revealed her identity to Judah and he admitted that he was in the wrong by not allowing her to have children by his son Shelah.

The second woman was Rahab. She was a prostitute in Jericho and she helped the spies of Israel escape when the leaders of Jericho came to kill them. She and her family were the only ones who escaped the massacre of Jericho. She joined the Israelites and she married Salmon, a descendant of Judah.

Next in line is Ruth. She was a Moabite woman, who married an Israelite, but when he died she left her own country and went to Israel, a foreign land to her, to care after her mother in law. There the Lord blessed her due to her faithfulness and gave her hand in marriage to Boaz, a rich farmer.

Then we all know Bathsheba. She was the one David committed adultery with. She became pregnant due to their lustful act and in the process her husband were murdered and her baby died. Later she became the mother of King Solomon, who is one of the most famous amongst Jesus' ancestors.

Then we come to Mary, the mother of Jesus. She was a lovely girl, a woman after God's heart, but she wasn't one of the 'important' people in town, she wasn't royalty and she wasn't the daughter of a high ranking Jewish official of some sort. No, she even calls herself 'a lowly servant girl'.

So in summary, we have a trickster, a prostitute, a foreigner, an adulterer and a servant girl as part of Jesus lineage. Wow, if I were to decide my own ancestry I would certainly have chosen more noble characters! But that is just the point; God doesn't look at people the way we look at them. He looks at the heart and He knows what we can become. All of these women have one thing in common, despite their background; they stood up and did the right thing when God led them to. They submitted themselves to God's plan and formed part of the 'big picture' even though some of them never knew they did.

God also has a role for us to play in His bigger plan. He wants to use each and every one of us no matter our background or seemingly weaknesses that we have. He wants to channel our energies into the right direction and wants to use the unique gifts He gave to each of us for His honor.

God uses ordinary people in extraordinary ways. God has the ability to change us from the inside out and to let His Spirit shine out for all to see. We should just be willing vessels that He can use for His Glory. It is an exciting journey and sometimes you won't even see the outcome and effect your life had, but one day you will and God will praise you for following Him and doing His Will. At the end of the day, that is all that matters; a loving Father proud of His children and what they have accomplished for Him.

Father, please help each and every one of us to follow You with devoted hearts, hearts overflowing with joy and love. Help us to reach out to those in need and to follow You wherever You may lead us. In Jesus Name. Amen

I would like to wish you all a happy new year. May God bless your endeavors, your family and your dreams, but above all may you grow closer to Him. And through growing closer to Him, I believe that this is the year that each of us must step in and do something for His Kingdom. The time to be lukewarm has come and gone. We need to be on fire for Christ. It is not optional anymore, it is a necessity. The world we live in have become increasingly cold and hostile and at best nonchalant about Christianity. Anything goes and everything has to be tolerated. Things are to be accepted in the name of 'peace' and people are trampled over in the name of economic and political advancement. Listen to what the Word has to say about the time we live in:

"…in the last days there would be scoffers whose purpose in life is to enjoy themselves in every evil way possible." Jude 1:18

"…in the last days there will be scoffers who will laugh at the truth and do every evil thing they desire." 2 Peter 3:3

"…in the last times some will turn away from what we believe; they will follow lying spirits and teachings that come from demons." 1 Timothy 4:1

"…in the last days there will be very difficult times. For people will love only themselves and their money. They will be boastful and proud, scoffing at God, disobedient to their parents, and ungrateful. They will consider nothing sacred. They will be unloving and unforgiving; they will slander others and have no self-control; they will be cruel and have no interest into what is good. They will betray their friends, be reckless, be puffed up with pride, and love pleasure rather than God. They will act religious, but they will reject the power that could make them godly." 2 Timothy 3:1-5

Does that all sound familiar? It all rings true if you just read the newspapers and listen to the news, no matter where you live in the world. But what really struck me was the last sentence, "…they will act religious." So for 2014 I want to challenge you to not 'act religious'. There are too many 'religious' people walking around today. I want to challenge you to be the true light that God created you to be. Stand up for what you know is right, take a stand for the Kingdom of God and above all, reach out to others and be different. Be the difference this world so desperately needs.

I love the song 'Live with abandon' from Newsboys. The song describes it perfectly. We need to live with abandon, we shouldn't look back and make excuses, we should look forward and give it our all. We should make the Kingdom of God our primary concern and live for the benefit of the Kingdom. Jesus came to give us a place in the Kingdom of God and we need to act as citizens of His glorious Kingdom. We need to keep our heads held high and we should reach out to those in need. If you live for the benefit of the Kingdom, worldly matters will start to look insignificant and you will be able to loosen yourself from the grip of this world and all the glitz and glamour it offers.

Look up and spend time with God. Fall in love with Jesus all over again and share His love with a broken world, then you will find yourself starting to live for His Name, totally sold out to Him. Then you will see, 2014 will be your best year yet!

Father thank you for a new year. Thank you for the blessings and for the opportunities that we know are waiting for us. Help us to follow You no matter what and help us to fulfill Your plan for our lives. You know best. We want to live with abandon, please help us to do just that. In Jesus' Name. Amen 

The twelve scouts went out to explore the Promised Land, the land of milk and honey promised to them. They came back and confirmed exactly what God had said, it is a beautiful wonderful land! Indeed a land of plenty and they brought back the fruit to prove it. But then they continued with their report of the land.

'But the people living there are powerful, and their cities and towns are fortified and very large. We also saw descendants of Anak who are living there!' Numbers 13:28

'The land we explored will swallow up any who go to live there. All the people we saw were huge. We even saw giants there, the descendants of Anak. We felt like grasshoppers next to them, and that is what we looked like to them!' Numbers 13:32, 33

They were scared to death! It was only Joshua and Caleb who wasn't. They believed in the power of the Almighty God and knew that with Him by their side, the so called 'giants' will evaporate into thin air. But the other ten scouts didn't believe that. They couldn't see further than the natural, they only saw the problems ahead.

It is actually amazing to think that they didn't trust God enough to take them into the Promised Land. They saw the ten plagues in Egypt, they saw God parting the Red Sea for them, they saw the miracle of the daily food that God provided for them, they actually heard His Voice and they saw Him moving with them every day in the form of a cloud/fire. They saw everything and yet they didn't believe in His power.

This made me think of the disciples too. Jesus performed the miracle of feeding five thousand men with only five loaves of bread and two fishes and the disciples were amazed. Right after that He sends the disciples away on a boat and He went up into the hills to pray. A storm came up and the disciples were in trouble. Jesus saw that and walked on the water to them, and when He climbed into the boat, the storm ceased. The disciples were amazed when they saw this, but notice this astonishing verse right after this event:

'They still didn't understand the significance of the miracle of the multiplied loaves, for their hearts were hard and they did not believe.' Mark 6:52

Really shocking if you think about it. And this proved to be true, for just a while after this, Jesus wanted to feed four thousand men and notice the reaction of the disciples:

"How are we supposed to find enough food for them here in the wilderness?" His disciples asked.' Mark 8:4

Amazing. They just saw the miracle of Jesus feeding five thousand and of Him walking on water and calming a storm and yet they didn't believe that He could feed these four thousand! They didn't truly believe in His power to help them at this stage. And the same was true of the Israelites, they have seen God at work and yet they didn't truly believe.

And I find myself sometimes in that position too. Sometimes the 'giants' in my life, the obstacles coming my way seem insurmountable, and I forget of all the various times that God has helped me in my life in the past. I forget that He is faithful and true. I forget that He told me to go on this path and that He will make everything work out according to His good Will. We need to look past the natural and into the supernatural. God wants to lead us unto new heights, but we need to let go of our insecurities and fears. He is Almighty and powerful and He can do anything. Believe it!

Father, thank you very much for our Promised Land that You want to lead us into. Please forgive us if we are scared and do not trust in Your power. Take our hands and lead the way. Thank you Jesus. Amen

Finally after all the hardship and complaining in the wilderness the Israelites reached the border of the Promised Land. Moses did what any good leader would do; he listened to the Lord and sent out twelve men to spy out the land, one from each tribe. He told them to see what the land was like. He wanted them to report back on everything, from the fertile soil, to the trees, to the fortified cities, everything. He wanted a clear picture of what the land was like, in order to plan their entrance. He even told them to bring back some of the samples of the crops that they do see.

And off they went. I think they must have been very excited to see this 'Promised Land' that the Lord was leading them to. He had promised that it was a land of milk and honey and they were looking forward to seeing it. They must have been nervous too, treading on unfamiliar territory, not knowing what to expect. But what they saw amazed them. It was the most wonderful country imaginable, God had been right! The cluster of grapes they cut down was so big that it took two of them to carry it on a pole.

"We arrived in the land you sent us to see, and it is indeed a magnificent country - a land flowing with milk and honey. Here is some of its fruit as proof." Numbers 13:27

God was certainly true to His Word and was about to provide them with the biggest harvest they had ever seen. I think Moses' heart must have been fluttering with joy! He must have been so excited to see and experience this wonderful country.

God is faithful and true to His Promises. We can trust Him when He promises us something. The whole Bible is full of God's promises and we can hold on to it. He promised us a Savior and He came and now He promises us a wonderful future ahead when He comes again and we need to hold on to it. I am quite certain the illustration of a Promised Land is given to us in order for us to imagine the Promised Land, the New Jerusalem, promised to us. Our stomachs should be fluttering with excitement and joy of what lies ahead. A picture of the New Jerusalem was shown to John and he tried to convey it to us in the book of Revelation. I'd like to share a few verses:

'And I saw the holy city, the New Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven like a beautiful bride prepared for her husband.' Revelation 21:2

'Look, the home of God is now with His people. He will live with them, and they will be His people. God Himself will be with them. He will remove all of their sorrows, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. For the old world and its evils are gone forever.' Revelation 21:3, 4

'The new Jerusalem was filled with the glory of the Lord and sparkled like a gem, crystal clear like jasper.' Revelation 21:11

'And the city has no need of sun or moon, for the glory of God illuminates the city and the Lamb is its light.' Revelation 21:23

I don't know about you, but it makes me very excited to read this! God promises something better for us. Thank God this world is not all there is! There is something much much better on the way! We can trust God's promises and look forward to it. He is faithful and true and it will come to pass at the right time. Are you ready?

Father thank you so much for this lovely city where all of Your children are going to live one day! We can't wait to join You there. Help us to be faithful now too and to praise You no matter what our circumstances. We love You and we thank you for Jesus who made all this possible by His death on the cross. Amen

Aaron and Miriam criticized Moses like we discussed last week. They criticized him because they were jealous of him. They wanted more honor and glory for themselves. But God exposed their true motives and punished them by giving Miriam leprosy. They were quickly very sorry about their sinful attitude that they had.

'Aaron cried out to Moses, "Oh my lord! Please don't punish us for this sin we have so foolishly committed. Don't let her be like a stillborn baby, already decayed at birth." Numbers 12:11, 12

They quickly saw how foolish they had been and were very sorry. King Saul was also very sorry because he didn't listen to the Lord. He was very sorry that he didn't listen when he spared King Agag and the best of the sheep and cattle instead of destroying them all as he was commanded by God to do.

'Then Saul finally admitted (to Samuel), "Yes, I have sinned. I have disobeyed your instructions and the Lord's command, for I was afraid of the people and did what they demanded. Oh, please, forgive my sin now and go with me to worship the Lord." 1 Samuel 15:24, 25

Despite Saul's temporary remorse, the consequences of his actions were that the kingdom was torn from him and given to the lineage of David.

David sinned too and was also very sorry afterwards. He had an affair with Bathsheba, got her pregnant and murdered her husband. And when he was confronted with it by Nathan the prophet, he confessed his sin and was very sorry. But despite his remorse the baby of the affair died and the sword was a constant threat to his family.

There are many other examples in the Bible like Samson who lost his eyesight and died after being seduced by Delilah, Jephthah who lost his daughter after making a rash vow etcetera, but the point is we need to think before we act. Our foolish actions sometimes look so appropriate and reasonable when we act upon them, but afterward we can clearly see how foolish and stupid they were. My Bible's commentary puts it nicely:

'Get rid of foolish ideas, before they turn into foolish actions. This requires eliminating our wrong thoughts and motives.'

I think that is one of the reasons why Paul says:

'Let heaven fill your thoughts. Do not think only about things down here on earth.' Colossians 3:2

It is when the earth and all its pleasures fill our thoughts that we act foolishly.  We need to concentrate on Jesus and what He is planning for us and how He wants us to live, only then will our actions become heavenly and not foolish. I am positive that we will also have a better life here on earth as we don't have to deal with all the consequences of our stupid actions too.

Father please forgive our foolish actions. We easily act foolishly. Please help us and warn us by Your Spirit before we act like fools. We'd rather act like Your heavenly people and have peace around us. Thank you Lord. Amen   

The Israelites were mumbling and groaning about their lot in the wilderness and it was all getting too much for Moses. He cried out to the Lord for help and the Lord gave him 70 other men who could help him in his task of leading the Israelites. It would ease his burden somewhat. But soon after this Miriam and Aaron started to criticize Moses too. Poor Moses, his own family, who was also in the leadership of Israel, with Aaron as the High Priest, started to turn against him. How awful. Poor Moses must have felt so alone. The two people he relied on the most, turned against him. They criticized him because he had married a Cushite woman. Now why they were so upset about that, we can only guess. Plus what happened to his first wife, Zipporah, a Midianite, we don't know either. But it soon becomes clear that they were using Moses' supposedly wrong marriage as a smoke screen of why they really were upset:

'They said, "Has the Lord spoken only through Moses? Hasn't He spoken through us too?" Numbers 12:2

The real issue was that they were jealous of Moses and jealous of his close relationship with God. They didn't like his growing influence over the people and that he had so much authority. They wanted some of that authority for themselves. Aaron was already the High Priest and Miriam was seen as a prophet and had a high standing as Moses' sister, but they both wanted more. They wanted more recognition and they wanted more power. They forgot all about Moses' hardships and what he had to go through to lead these people out of Egypt. They only saw the position he had now and they wanted part of it. And instead of dealing with the sinful attitude in their hearts, they decided to attack Moses. They couldn't attack his character, because his behavior was exemplary, so they decided to attack his wife and use this as a smoke screen for their jealousy.

God of course knew their hearts and what it was really about and He was furious and struck Miriam with leprosy. Aaron and Miriam were soon very sorry about their sinful attitude and begged Moses to help them, which he did. Moses prayed to the Lord and the Lord said that after seven days of exclusion of the camp, Miriam will be healed.

Wow, Moses is really remarkable. He wasn't angry with them, he didn't retaliate, he left the problem with God and even stood up for them when he felt God's punishment was too severe. I wonder what I would have done…

We often use smoke screens to attack people we don't like. We are so glad when they do something wrong, so that we can finally have something to use against them, even if the issue is not that big. We should make sure that when we are in a disagreement over something, that we really are addressing the issue at hand and not arguing over some built up jealousy that we might have. And vice versa. You can sometimes be attacked over trivial matters and criticized over issues that you deem to be small, remember that you might be criticized over an issue that they might be struggling with. Don't take such criticism seriously; don't even waste your time on it. Give it to God; He will handle it according to His good will.

And in general, even if there is no underlying jealousy or issue, don't argue over trivial matters and ruin a relationship. It really is not worth it. I have seen so many people argue about things that are really so stupid! Don't fall into that trap, relationships are far too important. Rather focus on all the good things of that person, rather than on the small issues. It really isn't worth your breath.

Lord, thank you for the relationships that You have given us. Thank you that You have blessed us with loved ones in our lives. Please forgive us that we sometimes argue with them over stupid matters and help us to rather focus on the attitude in our hearts. Amen

The Israelites started complaining again, something that they were very good at. First they complained about the hardship they had to bear and God punished them for it as we saw last week. Then they started to complain about the manna that God gave them.

"Oh, for some meat!" They exclaimed. "We remember all the fish we used to eat for free in Egypt. And we had all the cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions and garlic we wanted. But now our appetites are gone, and day after day we have nothing to eat but this manna!" Numbers 11:5, 6

They complained about God's provision, instead of going to Him and asking Him politely for a variation of the manna He provided. Plus they had the audacity to long back to Egypt! Suddenly they remembered all the good things that they had in Egypt and forgot all about the terrible beatings and torture that they had to endure at the hand of Pharaoh. They conveniently forgot all about that and complained about what they had now. They witnessed the miracle of manna every morning when they woke up, but it wasn't good enough anymore. They wanted more.

It was quite shocking for me when I read this, how could they complain so much? But then I realized that I would most probably have done the same. Unfortunately I have to admit it. Have you ever tried to go on a diet of Pronutro and fruit/vegetables for two years? Pronutro has all the vitamins and minerals that you need and combined with fruit/vegetables and water you are good to go! I don't know if I will last a month! Maybe I would if I made a promise to God, or if I am fasting, I would but I don't think I will make a year, never mind two years! We are just as bad as they were and therefore we need to learn the lesson God wants us to learn here. I am convinced that these 'stories' are in the Bible to help us to not to make the same mistakes that they did.

First of all, be grateful for what you have, instead of longing for what you don't have. We all have so much to be grateful for, health, a job, friends, family, food, children etcetera. If you have a car, don't long for a better one, if you have a house, be grateful, if you are healthy, praise the Lord, if you have plenty of friends, cherish them, if you have food, thank God for it, if you have children, don't compare them to other children. Of course we can have dreams and plan towards it, but first be grateful with what you have. And second of all, go to God before you start complaining about things to your loved ones as I discussed last week. Talk the problem over with Him and receive His guidance and help.

But above all remember, don't complain recklessly to your friends and wish for something 'better', you might just get what you ask for and it could have grave consequences like it did for the Israelites. God sent them meat, but He sent a plague along with it.

'So the people went out and caught quail all that day and throughout the night and all the next day too. No one gathered less than fifty bushels! They spread the quail out all over the camp. But while they were still eating the meat, the anger of the Lord blazed against the people, and He caused a severe plague to break out among them. So that place was called 'the graves of craving' - because they buried the people there who had craved meat from Egypt.' Numbers 11:32 - 35

Father thank you so very much for all that You have graciously given us! You are bountiful in mercy and grace and we love You so much! Please forgive us if we do complain, we have so much to be grateful for. Thank you Lord. Amen  

America, My Beloved Country, how I long for you. How I long for you to love Me again as you use to. You were My pride and joy, a nation seeking and loving Me. You were like a dear child sitting on My lap, embracing Me with an innocent love. Where has that innocence gone? You have grown into a teenager not interested in your Father. A teenager too clever for advice, a teenager set on following his own way. And I am like a parent praying that you will get through this and grow into a responsible lovely adult. I really wish that you will choose the way I taught you since the beginning.

Walk in My ways, riddled with peace and joy. Take My hand and let Me lead you. The cross road is approaching where you need to choose; My narrow way or the highway of man. The cross road is approaching and a whole host in heaven is cheering you on to make the right choice. I have so much to offer you, so much for you to learn, but you need to make the choice on your own.

Worship Me with an extravagant love and turn back to Me. Find your joy in Me again, don't forsake your First Love like the church in Ephesus did. No, submit to Me and My divine guidance. Only I know what is best for you. A tidal wave of love is waiting to crash over your shores, but without your commitment to Me it cannot come. Hear the sound of the rams horn blowing, calling you into submission to My Name. I want to take you in My arms and cuddle you like a new born baby and protect you from all onslaughts to come. But you are resisting Me. Stop doing that, rather embrace Me with your love and all will fall into place.

I love you America, I have not forsaken you. Don't turn your back on Me, but rather turn towards Me, the true Life of this world, and be filled with My Spirit. America, love Me again, and I will be like a great warrior beside you, crushing every weapon aimed against you. I am you only hope.