Divided We Fall

Matthew 12:25
“And Jesus knew their thoughts, and said unto them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand:”

The dialogue from the verse above all happened because the Pharisees accused Jesus of having a devil. Why did they accuse Him of this? Because he cast a devil out of a man and they didn't like that He was getting more recognition than them. They were jealous of his fame, and they thought He would take their power away from them.

Bible Thoughts by Terry Hedderman

Tuesday, 9/27/16  Do you have eternal life or simply everlasting life?  John 17:3, And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent. Knowing a PERSON involves spending time and opening your ears and your heart.                  God can play rough... Hos 5:15, I will go and return to my place, till they acknowledge their offence, and seek my face: in their affliction they will seek me early. But do you really want that?

Losing What You Don't Like

Psalm 81:11-12
“But my people would not hearken to my voice; and Israel would none of me. So I gave them up unto their own hearts' lust: and they walked in their own counsels.”

God eventually got fed up with Israel and their constant complaining and straying from how He wanted them to live. They came to a point in their history where they wouldn't listen to His Word through the mouths of His prophets, so God chose to let them do what they wanted to do. The problem with this is that they lost what they didn't like. What they didn't like about God’s ways is what made them who they were and gave them the strength as a nation. They lost what they didn't like, but they didn't like what they got. Israel should have been content with what they had because what they didn't like is what made them happy.

Don’t Settle Down

Zechariah 1:12
“And it shall come to pass at that time, that I will search Jerusalem with candles, and punish the men that are settled on their lees: that say in their heart, The LORD will not do good, neither will he do evil.”

One of the common statements I heard people say about me when I was a young preacher was, “You will settle down.” Many people said this about my preaching because they didn't like the forwardness and style of my preaching. They felt that marriage would have a way of causing me to settle down. My desire is never to settle down.

You Fell! What Next?

Micah 7:8
“Rejoice not against me, O mine enemy: when I fall, I shall arise; when I sit in darkness, the LORD shall be a light unto me.”

The confidence that sin takes from an individual who has sinned is one of the greatest contributors that keeps them from recovering. Many people who sin has knocked down sit on the sidelines for the rest of their lives because they don't believe that they could ever do anything for the LORD again. The verse above disagrees with that mentality when it says, “Rejoice not against me, O mine enemy: when I fall, I shall arise…” This verse makes it clear that God is not done with a person who has been knocked down by sin. So you fell! What next? Five steps are prescribed to help the fallen make a complete recovery.

Turning the Page

Amos 5:4
“For thus saith the LORD unto the house of Israel, Seek ye me, and ye shall live:”

Two times in this chapter God tells His people to “seek” something. The first time is found in the verse above when He says, “Seek ye me, and ye shall live:” The second time is in verse 14 when He says, “Seek good, and not evil, that ye may live…” The result of seeking in both verses was life. God was giving Israel a chance to turn things around. They were facing God’s judgment, and He told them that if they would seek Him and good, they could turn things around and live.

It's All In Your Head ​​

Ezekiel 8:12
“Then said he unto me, Son of man, hast thou seen what the ancients of the house of Israel do in the dark, every man in the chambers of his imagery? for they say, The LORD seeth us not; the LORD hath forsaken the earth.”

Everyone has had someone say to them at some time, “It’s all in your head.” In other words, they are saying that what you say is going to happen is only something that you imagined. They want you to think that you are letting your imagination run wild. Most of the time this is true, but it is never true when it comes to sin.