Caution!

Jer.7: ²³ “This is what I told them: ‘Obey me, and I will be your God, and you will be my people. Do everything as I say, and all will be well!’ ²⁴ “But my people would not listen to me. They kept doing whatever they wanted, following the stubborn desires of their evil hearts…”

It is interesting that twenty years before the people of Israel were taken away to Babylon, before God gave Nebuchadnezzar permission and access, prophet Jeremiah prophesied that God’s people will be removed from the land because of idolatry. Why do you think God’s people did not repent? Even today why do people ignore God’s ways? In fact, Isaiah also prophesied it; so, the person that was thirty years old would have been fifty years old. The person that was twenty would have been forty and those that were just born would have been twenty years old. Sometimes, when God speaks we do not pay attention or act on it. Why do people consistently ignore God’s ways even when God is clear about His precepts?

These were God’s people, they grew up in the temple. The laws were given to them, but they still ignored what God had said. I was listening to a program and someone was saying that they should stop using the Bible to swear in law makers and senators in Nigeria. They should bring the gods native to each one. The speaker was convinced that people would stop stealing because these other gods are less merciful. This God of the Bible is very patient. There are actually Christians that claim to have God’s favour and for this reason they continue to sin. We must never take God’s patience to mean weakness.

People that fall into this trap are actually not interested in having a relationship with God. To them, God is just God that rewards and punishes. They really do not care how He feels. They do not care if their actions make God happy or not. They want the God of breakthrough. If God says He will punish they will check if it is immediate punishment and if it is not, then they continue in their ways. But if you really love God, you want to please God, and you want to have a relationship with God. It would not matter if what He says comes to pass in twenty years, twenty weeks, twenty hours or if it is twenty minutes. What will be priority to you will be achieving alignment with God every minute. I hope this makes sense.

This same Nebuchadnezzar, God showed him a vision and Daniel told him the interpretation. Daniel actually said, “the person that has this dream, O king, not you your enemy is going to eat grass for seven years.” Daniel urged the king to repent before God. Months passed, nothing happened, and Nebuchadnezzar forgot [Dan.4:28-33]. Did that stop the fulfillment of God’s Word?

Prayer: Father, in Jesus Name, I will obey Your Word and You will not abandon my children, in Jesus Name. Amen!