We Lose God's Protection When We Deny Him

The Law and the Prophets were given to us by God so that we might know Him and return the love He gives to us, 1 John 4:19, "We love him, because he first loved us." When we decide we know better than God, we break His laws and ignore His prophets, Isaiah 55:8-9, "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts." The results of that decision mean we live outside of God's protection. This is a disease that exposes us to all kinds of harm. The cure is to accept the savior God sent us to heal our wounds, Psalm 147:3, "He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds." and Jeremiah 30:17a, "For I will restore health unto thee, and I will heal thee of thy wounds, saith the Lord;" and Isaiah 53:5, "But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed." and 1 Peter 2:24, "Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed."

God reminds Israel of the protection He provided them, Judges 10:11-14, "And the Lord said unto the children of Israel, Did not I deliver you from the Egyptians, and from the Amorites, from the children of Ammon, and from the Philistines? The Zidonians also, and the Amalekites, and the Maonites, did oppress you; and ye cried to me, and I delivered you out of their hand. Yet ye have forsaken me, and served other gods: wherefore I will deliver you no more. Go and cry unto the gods which ye have chosen; let them deliver you in the time of your tribulation." and tells them to see if they can find anyone else to protect them.

Our sins separate us from Him, and His protection, Isaiah 59:1-2, "Behold, the Lord's hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear: But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear." But we can look to His Word to find our way back; 2 Timothy 3:16, "All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:"

The problem is we only want His protection when we need it. We are not interested in His wisdom when we are prospering, Proverbs 1:29-31, "For that they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of the Lord: They would none of my counsel: they despised all my reproof. Therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their own way, and be filled with their own devices."

We believe we can live a good life without His counsel; Psalms 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." The result of our arrogance is we are left to our own devices, 2 Chronicles 15:2, "And he went out to meet Asa and said to him, “Hear me, Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin: The Lord is with you while you are with him. If you seek him, he will be found by you, but if you forsake him, he will forsake you." and Romans 1:28, "And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done." 

He keeps it simple. He gives us the Bible, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit to guide us. If we reject them, John 12:48. "The one who rejects me and does not receive my words has a judge; the word that I have spoken will judge him on the last day." and Luke 12:9, "But the one who denies me before men will be denied before the angels of God." and James 4:4, "You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God." and 2 Timothy 2:12, "If we endure, we will also reign with him; if we deny him, he also will deny us;" and Matthew 7:23, "And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’"

He sent many prophets to the Israelites, and to us through His word, to teach them/us these lessons, and they/we ignored the messages, Hosea 5:4-6, "They will not frame their doings to turn unto their God: for the spirit of whoredoms is in the midst of them, and they have not known the Lord. And the pride of Israel doth testify to his face: therefore shall Israel and Ephraim fall in their iniquity: Judah also shall fall with them. They shall go with their flocks and with their herds to seek the Lord; but they shall not find him; he hath withdrawn himself from them." and Zechariah 7:12-13, "Yea, they made their hearts as an adamant stone, lest they should hear the law, and the words which the Lord of hosts hath sent in his spirit by the former prophets: therefore came a great wrath from the Lord of hosts. Therefore it is come to pass, that as he cried, and they would not hear; so they cried, and I would not hear, saith the Lord of hosts:" and 1 Samuel 28:16, "Then said Samuel, Wherefore then dost thou ask of me, seeing the Lord is departed from thee, and is become thine enemy?" and Jeremiah 7:13-16, "And now, because ye have done all these works, saith the Lord, and I spake unto you, rising up early and speaking, but ye heard not; and I called you, but ye answered not; Therefore will I do unto this house, which is called by my name, wherein ye trust, and unto the place which I gave to you and to your fathers, as I have done to Shiloh. And I will cast you out of my sight, as I have cast out all your brethren, even the whole seed of Ephraim. Therefore pray not thou for this people, neither lift up cry nor prayer for them, neither make intercession to me: for I will not hear thee." and Isaiah 1:16-20, "Wash you, make you clean; put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes; cease to do evil; Learn to do well; seek judgment, relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for the widow. Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool. If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land: But if ye refuse and rebel, ye shall be devoured with the sword: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it." and Ezekiel 8:12-13, 16-18, "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. He said also unto me, Turn thee yet again, and thou shalt see greater abominations that they do...And he brought me into the inner court of the Lord's house, and, behold, at the door of the temple of the Lord, between the porch and the altar, were about five and twenty men, with their backs toward the temple of the Lord, and their faces toward the east; and they worshipped the sun toward the east. Then he said unto me, Hast thou seen this, O son of man? Is it a light thing to the house of Judah that they commit the abominations which they commit here? for they have filled the land with violence, and have returned to provoke me to anger: and, lo, they put the branch to their nose. Therefore will I also deal in fury: mine eye shall not spare, neither will I have pity: and though they cry in mine ears with a loud voice, yet will I not hear them."

Jesus is the only way to be reborn and receive salvation; John 14:6, "Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me." He is not one of many ways, Acts 4:12, "Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved." He is the only way. We can ignore the many warnings, but to what end? Revelation 2:11, "He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death." This is our choice, this life only, or eternity with Jesus. I pick Jesus.

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