In the solemn days of our times who will search His word, who will search their hearts? Shall we ignore God? Shall we desperately try to keep going and keep doing what we were doing before? If the locusts descended upon you and the whole earth shook should you not look to the heavens and cry out to God to know the error of your ways? The Lord tells us in His word that we should let our tears run down like a river day and night, that we should give ourselves no relief and no rest. We should rise up from our slumbers and cry out in the night. Do we observe any of this brothers and sisters? The Lord also told us in His word that the He has caused the appointed feasts and the Sabbaths to be forgotten, In His burning indignation He has spurned the king and the priest.The Lord has spurned His alter and abandoned His sanctuary.
Lam 2:7 The Lord hath cast off his altar, he hath abhorred his sanctuary, he hath given up into the hand of the enemy the walls of her palaces; they have made a noise in the house of the LORD, as in the day of a solemn feast.
One of our favorite portions of Scripture says “Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed because His compassion fails not. They are new every morning, great is His faithfulness. The Lord is my portion says my soul therefore I hope in Him” These words were penned in the midst of great affliction. They were the hearts cry of a man drowning in darkness, crying out to the living God. In the midst of those cries he discovers mercy and faithfulness and hope. Another favorite portion of Scripture is “If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land (2Ch 7:14) Do you ever wonder why we never quote verse 13, the verse that comes before ” if I shut up heaven that there be no rain, or if I command the locusts to devour the land, or if I send pestilence among my people.”
You see, we don’t like that part. We like all the benefits of Calvary but we do not like the cost. What cost you say, Jesus did it all. Yes He did but He directly commands us to take up our own crosses, every day. We are told that we must lift up the Lord Jesus Christ and He alone must be preeminent in the midst of our lives and in the midst of our gathering. We are the Ekklesia, we are the called out ones. And in the midst of those called out ones who gather together, Jesus and He alone is to be lifted up. He directs His people and He does it through the power of the Holy Spirit. And when we do indeed lift up Jesus and magnify Him, then the power of God comes down and rests upon us.
What is the Lord saying in the midst of a world consumed by darkness ? Is He saying “hold on, eventually you can go back to business as usual?” Really? You really think He is saying that? If He is not saying that then what is He saying to us in the days that we find ourselves in? Literally, everything in the world that can be shaken is being shaken. If we will not ask ourselves hard questions and search our hearts then the darkness of our hearts prevail and the storms shall continue to come and batter us only with every year the intensity increases, and I am talking about the spiritual state of our world, not the climate, although the judgment that rains down upon us is total. Like a building storm in a vast ocean the waves get higher and higher.
There is mercy to be found for the broken and the contrite. We have trampled His name in the street. Shall He cut of the rain, shall He send the locust? Or shall we return to our roots, our Biblical roots, all the way back to the beginning, the old paths? We have gotten terribly off track. We have so many centuries of tradition and error upon error that we bear little or no resemblance to what we read in 1 Cor 14. The simple organic worship of the called out ones. Ones who desire to be led, wholly led, not by men, not by traditions not by liturgy or by program and deadly routine. God is speaking to us loudly and clearly. The question is, are we listening? If we would indeed humble ourselves and turn from what? Our wicked ways! Who is He talking about here? The people who call themselves by His name. You, and me. Our wicked ways brothers and sisters. We have denied and defied the Word of God in favor of our wicked ways. You cry out “how are we wicked?” Then I will tell you We hold the covenants of God in our mouths and we declare His statutes. Yes indeed, it is part of our indictment.
And call upon me in the day of trouble: I will deliver you, and you shalt glorify me. But to the wicked God says, What business do you have declaring my statutes, or speaking my covenants ? Seeing that you hate instructions and put my words behind you (Psa 50:15-17) You see brothers and sisters He is not speaking to an unbelieving wicked world, He is speaking to those who call themselves by His name (If my people who are called by my name) It is theirs/our wicked ways He is speaking to.
The Lord tells us to call upon Him in the day of trouble. Call upon Him in repentance and contriteness and brokenness. If we do this and pray and seek His face, then He will hear from heaven and forgive our sin. What sin? All of our sin but especially the sin of having demoted Jesus to some kind of mascot or figurehead and raising up the idol of the pulpit in favor of actually hearing from God. We have a million little Moses who willingly ascend that pulpit every Sunday, elevating themselves and taking the place and the role and the authority of Jesus. These men should tremble and repent and we should too for allowing such a travesty to unfold. And in that trembling and in that repentance we shall find a merciful God whose mercies are new every morning.
A Call To The Remnant 
madrekins said
Wow Amen Brother Frank. You have said exactly what the LORD has shown me and I’ve shared with a few. Just the other day I was sharing with my husband about the fact that much of scripture is talking to the church/believers. Not the unsaved. Look at who is being spoken to in Galatians, Ephesians, Romans, etc along w/ the (7) Churches in Revelation. And who is GOD speaking to in all the Old Testament? Israel. Yep, HIS chosen people which we are. We the mirror image of Israel the ones that reject HIM and HIS WAYS.
It should not be a wonder HE tells us to love and pray for Israel. Some of HIS church support Israel and pray for them and don’t realize that they are even praying for themselves at the time. While others of the church hate Israel and can’t figure out that we are called to love. If you can’t love Israel which you too are. Then how can you see yourself in eternity with the Father?
The church does NOT understand that we are grafted in to Israel. That all through the Old Testament people were being grafted in to Israel. Many leaving Egypt with Israel were NOT of the seed of Jacob. Rahab joined. Many joined after the rescue of Esther & Mordechai. The WORD says, they BECAME Jews in fear of the Jews (Esther 8:17).
(Romans 2:29) But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God.
(Revelation 3:9) Behold, I will make them of the synagogue of Satan, which SAY they are Jews, and are NOT, but do lie; behold, I will make them to come and worship before thy feet, and to know that I have loved thee.
(Synagogue of satan). They that choose to worship themselves NOT GOD. After the lusts of their own flesh. Doing things their way, NOT HIS.
Just as Israel did whenever GOD sent them into captivity (Ezekiel 36) and we too do in our trials every day. We reject GOD and take things into our own hands.
When we allow GOD to teach us through the Word instead of men. We learn that Caleb, Rahab, Ruth, Elijah, Moses father-in-law & wife etc etc were grafted in just like us.
So, IF you’re gonna curse Israel know without a doubt you will be cursing yourself as well.
We as Israel are to be a set apart people. Set apart for GODS Glory. They failed and so are we when we WILL NOT listen to HIS VOICE as they did NOT. When we choose to hear the voice of the man in the pulpit/Moses instead of reading GODS WORD and seeking HIM to be the ONE to teach us.
HIS WORD says, “Ye need no man to teach you.” (1 John 2:27)
GODS Glory comes about when we allow HIM to fight our battles for us just as HE did Israel’s bringing them out of Egypt. HE wants and deserves ALL the Glory to HIMSELF.
Prayer: Abba Father
Thank YOU for YOUR Compassion, Mercy & Grace.
May we seek to give ALL to YOU and hold NOTHING back for ourselves.
Help us take our hands off and allow YOU to receive what IS rightfully YOURS.
To Love, Praise and Worship YOU with ALL of our Heart, Soul, Mind & Strength as the Word tells us to.
We humbly ask this in YOUR SON JESUS NAME. AMEN.
Thanks again Brother Frank for being used of the LORD. HalleluYAH what a Wonderful YHVH we have.
Anonymous said
Another timely reminder Bro. Frank.
For many you raise a hard truth, “We like the benefits of Calvary but do not like the cost.”
As you said, many believers in Christ will argue – “What cost? Jesus did it all.” Yeah, he did what no other could do, in that way he indeed did it all to perfection. But to say we believers only have to believe that to be saved is missing the mark as the copious amount of warnings to God’s people spread throughout O.T and N.T amply attest to.
We must follow Jesus along the narrow way which leads to life – he is the way, the truth and the life. So we are to be in this world as strangers, pilgrims and aliens, having no part in this world’s lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes, and the pride of life. 1John 2:15-17.
Didn’t Jesus say words to the effect that nobody goes to war without first sitting down and calculating the cost etc., to make sure they are actually capable of such action in the first place? But then how can we know just what is in store for us in reality? So we take the plunge and then we learn what it means to follow Christ. But Jesus said, “He that endures to the end shall be saved.”
So press on towards the mark brethren.
Anonymous said
Hello Bro. Frank,
I have come back to your site a few times recently and have noticed that you’ve not posted anything new for almost a month. Because I am concerned that maybe all is not well with you I’m getting in touch to ask if you are alright. I surely hope so.
It’s not often that I comment on anything, so you don’t know me, but I would like you to know that so much of what you’ve written has been a blessing to me.
A fellow traveller to the Kingdom of God.
Jen
appolus said
Hi Jen, God bless you. I am in a season right now of writing hymns, it has taken much of my time. I just posted a link to them on here. There are 23 to date and more to come, Lord willing. I believe they shall be food for the saints who come after me if the Lord tarries. Thanks for reaching out, not sure if you do Facebook but I have a bit of a presence on there and post regularly. God bless you sister…..brother Frank