What is Your Destiny?
Hosea 7:13-14 “Woe to them, because they have strayed from me! Destruction to them, because they have rebelled against me! I long to redeem them but they speak about me falsely. They do not cry out to me from their hearts but wail on their beds. They slash themselves, appealing to their gods for grain and new wine, but they turn away from me.”
Hosea was God’s prophet to Israel, warning them of God’s judgment because of their unfaithfulness. God rebuked them because they strayed from His commands. Not only did they stray, but they betrayed Him with their words and actions and then, when life was difficult and painful and they suffered the consequences of their rebellion, they cried out to anyone but God, as if false gods could save them.
It doesn’t seem much has changed.
People today will look to anyone and anything but God for rescue.. Hard hearts refuse to submit. They don’t want to bend the knee to the Father, but they will sacrifice their well-being, their peace, their future, their relationships- everything is fair game when they’re in pursuit of their ‘salvation’....everything but bowing to Christ. They pursue other teachings, practices, people, yet they will not reach out to the Father for the free gift of salvation. Is it pride? “I need to earn it” or is it disbelief? “It’s got to be more complicated than that” or, perhaps it is a disdain for anything holy. Whatever the case, it boils down to deception and rebellion.
2 Thessalonians 2:9-12 also warns us of the danger of deception and of hardened hearts.. “The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with how Satan works. He will use all sorts of displays of power through signs and wonders that serve the lie, and all the ways that wickedness deceives those who are perishing. They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. For this reason God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie and so that all will be condemned who have not believed the truth but have delighted in wickedness.” They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. How heartbreaking is that? The lifeline is there! The Rescuer is at-the-ready, but they refuse, sealing their condemnation and cutting themselves off from an eternity of blessing and an inheritance in the Kingdom.
Friends, this deception is here, now, and more is coming. The Enemy wants us to turn our faces away from the Lord and wallow in our misery. He delights in hearing us cry out in desperation, wailing for relief and he’s elated if we harden our hearts and refuse His rescue. This should drive us to our knees for our sons and daughters, especially if they do not know the Lord.
Finally, Revelation 16:8-10 paints a vivid picture of just how resolute these hardened hearts are. “The fourth angel poured out his bowl on the sun, and the sun was allowed to scorch people with fire. They were seared by the intense heat and they cursed the name of God, who had control over these plagues, but they refused to repent and glorify him. The fifth angel poured out his bowl on the throne of the beast, and its kingdom was plunged into darkness. People gnawed their tongues in agony and cursed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores, but they refused to repent of what they had done.” - It’s a horrific picture and so heartbreaking, because all they would need to do is cry out to Jesus and be saved, yet they refuse.
As Hosea 7 says, God longs to redeem them. 2 Peter 3:9 also says “The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” God is holding back His hand. He’s delaying His judgement. He doesn’t want anyone to suffer eternal punishment, but wants all to come to repentance. Can we pray today for those family members who don’t know the Lord? Pray for softened hearts willing to repent and follow Christ and eyes that clearly see God’s salvation and desire it more than anything this world could offer. There is so much at stake, friends. Pray and pray some more.
Maybe you’re reading this and you don’t have assurance of where you will spend eternity. Do you want to know the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savoir? Do you want freedom from sin and a peace that passes understanding?
We are all sinners. Romans 3:23 says “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” There is no way we could ever make ourselves worthy of Him.
Our deserved punishment is eternal death, separated from God. Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”
Oh, but we don’t have to be eternally condemned, because Jesus paid the price for our sin, He covered our debt when He died on the cross. Romans 5:8 “But God demonstrates His own love for us in this; While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
And God says to us, that if we” confess with our mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in our heart that God raised Him from the dead, we will be saved.” Romans 10:9
The lifeline is there and along with it forgiveness of all you’ve ever done, redemption from the fate you thought you were destined to and justification in the eyes of God, because when He looks at you, He sees the blood of Jesus that’s washed you clean. You have a hope and a future. You’re a child of God!!
If you confessed with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, would you share with us? Send a message or reply to this post. We would love to pray for you as you begin your life with Jesus Christ!
Pray without ceasing.