Category Archives: Accountability

Accountability, Advice, Battles, Bible, Choices, Consequences, Family, Judgment, Scripture

SIBLING RIVALRY

AMOS 1:11

“This is what the LORD says: ‘For three offenses of Edom, and for four, I will not revoke its punishment, because he pursued his brother with the sword and stifled his compassion; his anger also tore continually, and he maintained his fury forever.’”

I had an older brother named Tim. He passed away this past July 27th. I miss him. I often think about our growing up years. Let me tell you – we definitely had sibling rivalry. We wrestled all the time. My mom would threaten us with a spanking if we didn’t stop. Even though we fought a lot, we loved each other. That’s what siblings do, right?

Edom was the descendants of Esau, Jacob’s brother. Remember, Jacob was the father of Israel who is the target of Amos’ prophecy. God always protected that relationship, even though it was strained. He never allowed Israel to invade and take Edom’s land. But after Edom turned on their “family” God had had enough. Judgment is sometimes delayed, but never forgotten.

APPLICATION

Let me ask you a question. Do you have a sibling with whom you have fought and argued with? Did you leave that in childhood or has it carried over into your lives as adults? What boundaries have you set in your relationship? Rivalries lead to heartbreak. Rivalries lead to hurt feelings. Rivalries are not healthy.

So, what do we do with them? We lay them down. We pray for peace and then pursue it. Sometimes that means saying those challenging words – I’m sorry. Yep! Those words are hard to get past our front teeth, aren’t they? But once we say them, we realize they are not terminal. Try it.

I learned a lot from my older brother. Little brothers watch their older brothers to learn how to play well with others. Little brothers learn how to do a lot of stuff just by watching their older brothers. I am thankful for my older brother. He loved well. He played hard. And he loved his Lord. See you soon, Tim.

Father, thank You for putting our siblings in our lives. We may not appreciate them when we are young, but you allow us time to see how much they mean to us.

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Accountability, Advocate, Battles, Bible, Destruction, Fire, God's Will, Judgment, Obedience, Redemption, Salvation, Scripture

HERE WE GO AGAIN

AMOS 1:10

“‘So I will send fire on the wall of Tyre, and it will consume her citadels.’”

I love American football. I love everything about it. It’s such a great sport. Anyone who has watched the game will notice something. Once a coach discovers a weakness in the other team’s defense, he will continue to exploit it. He will run plays which will allow his team to succeed. Unless the other team makes adjustments, they will certainly lose.

Once again, for the third time, the Lord is raining fire down on His enemies. He attacks the fortified towers or the citadels to show that nothing can hold back the judgment of the Almighty. Tyre’s walls and towers are no match for God. His wrath cannot be contained. They are helpless before Him.

APPLICATION

I pray that you know that you are no match for God. If you choose to fight against Him, you will lose. He knows all. None of your plans to outwit Him will work. No secrets are hidden. Your best decision is to submit to His lordship and accept Jesus as Your Savior.

So many of us fight against Him. We might not call it fighting, but it is. Unless we have surrendered our will to His, we are enemies of God. Until we give our hearts and lives to Jesus, we are pulling for the other side. But the very moment we take that first step toward the Savior, He rushes in to save us. Hallelujah. We simply lay down our desires and allow Him to refresh us.

I am so glad I have done that. I fought Him for years. I thought I was getting by. I thought I was fooling everyone. I said I believed in God, but my behavior said differently. I lived for pleasure and self-fulfillment. When I finally came to the end of myself, He moved in. I was changed instantly. My citadel is Jesus. He is the One who protects and fortifies me. And His walls are impenetrable. I am safe and secure inside His tower of defense. Are you?O God, You are such an awesome God. You are faithful to protect and defend me.

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Abiding, Accountability, Battles, Bible, Covenant, Enemies, Forgiveness, Judgment, Obedience

BROKEN COVENANT

AMOS 1:9

“This is what the LORD says: ‘For three offenses of Tyre, and for four, I will not revoke its punishment, because they turned an entire population over to Edom and did not remember the covenant of brotherhood.’”

Sometimes people break their contracts with each other. It could be a business contract or a personal matter. Marriages are contracts, and many of them are broken. No matter what kind of contract it is, all contracts are meant to be kept. But our human side gets in the way. We break them.

The Lord turns His attention now to Tyre, another enemy of Israel. As He begins to state their punishment, Israel is cheering. Amos’ prophecies are getting them all excited because all their enemies are going down. But here He mentions how they had not remembered “the covenant of brotherhood.” They had broken their treaties which had specified how to treat each other.

APPLICATION

What covenants have you made? Have you kept them? I pray you have. But if you have broken one or more, you can make it right. Don’t let anyone tell you different. If you have strayed from your covenant with God, He stands ready to forgive.

The most important covenant ever made was between God and us when He sent His Son die for us. That covenant is everlasting. God will never break it. And He holds us to it. When we accept His Son, He covenants with us. God takes His covenant seriously. We need to do the same. Consider the cost. It cost Him His only Son.

I love the fact that my God has made covenant with me. He pursued me. He loves me. He drew me to Himself, and I responded. I came to Him. He adopted me into His family. I am His forever. Thank You, Lord, for loving me. Thank You for making covenant with me.

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Abiding, Accountability, Bible, Brokenness, Choices, Destruction, Enemies, Faithfulness, Fighting, Humility, Judgment, Obedience, Rescue, Scripture

NOTHING LEFT

AMOS 1:8

“‘I will also eliminate every inhabitant from Ashdod, as well as him who holds the scepter, from Ashkelon; and I will direct My power against Ekron, and the remnant of the Philistines will perish,’ says the Lord GOD.”

Many years ago I served as a Group Leader for a boys’ cottage at a children’s home in Georgia. I took my boys, all 10 of them, to a pizza restaurant in a nearby town that had a pizza buffet. Now, I had ten teenage boys. Can you imagine the destruction they caused to that buffet? In fact, it was so bad the manager asked us to stop eating. Nothing was left!

The Lord is announcing total destruction to the Philistines. Even the remnant will perish. That’s pretty complete. God is thorough. He never does anything half-way. He is promising Israel this enemy will be destroyed in His time and in His way. I can just hear the people rejoicing.

APPLICATION

The Lord is still working that way. Everything He does in our lives is complete. The problem is we get in the way. We try to figure it out ourselves. And God will let us do that. He won’t move in and rescue us unless we seek Him. He is just that way. I guess you could say He is polite.

But listen, don’t depend on your smarts. Humble yourself and turn to Him. He will still ask you to be a part of what He wants to do in your life, but let Him lead. That’s hard for a lot of us, especially us men. We want to take charge. Lay it down. He will complete it if we will let Him. He will see it through.

I know the Lord will complete me, if I let Him. I have to come to the end of myself. When I do, He is there. And the finished product He produces is always better than what I could do. There is no comparison. So, why do I try to do it myself? I don’t know. I am still learning. I learn everyday.

I will lay my desires down, Lord, and let You lead. I know it always best when I do.

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Accountability, Bible, Eternity, Witnessing

CAN’T LOCK HIM OUT

AMOS 1:5

“‘I will also break the gate bar of Damascus, and eliminate every inhabitant from the Valley of Aven, as well as him who holds the scepter, from Beth-eden; so the people of Aram will be exiled to Kir,” says the LORD.’”

I can remember my older brother taunting me when we were growing up. You see, there was this story of a black bear that had wandered into my uncle’s garden next door years ago. We all knew the story. So, my brother would lock me out of the house and start calling for the bear. I, of course, was terrified I was going to be eaten by that bear. Don’t worry – I got my brother back, lol.

God cannot be locked out. Here in verse five of Amos 1, He attacks the barred gate of Damascus. You need to understand that these gates were heavily fortified and the bars that shut the gates were made of bronze and strong. But no gate can hold out Jehovah. He was issuing out judgment on Damascus, and nothing would stop Him.

APPLICATION

In our society today, we don’t want to talk about a wrathful God. We just want to talk about how loving He is. And He is loving. But God also will hold every person accountable for their sins that are not under the blood of Jesus. Our lost friends and family members need to know that. We don’t need to shrink away from telling them that.

I know that sounds harsh. But no one can hide from God at the end. No one will have a good enough excuse to be spared judgment. Those without Christ will face a certain damnation. How horrible! We wouldn’t wish that on anyone. So, today ask the Lord who you need to share Christ with. You may just change someone’s destiny.

We all have people around us we know need Jesus. What is worse – being a little uncomfortable sharing with them or seeing them go to hell. I know this is a rough blog this morning, but I am bound by the verse of the day. This is the Lord speaking through Amos. Listen carefully.

Put people in my path today, Lord, whom I can share Jesus with. Open their hearts to hear from You.

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Accountability, Advice, Bible, Commands, Consequences, Destruction, Eternity, Fire, God's Will, Holiness, Holy Spirit, Inspirational, Judgment, Scripture

BURNED UP

AMOS 1:4

“‘So I will send fire upon the house of Hazael, and it will consume the citadels of Ben-hadad.’”

Fires burn everything in their path. Here in the U.S., forest fires happen occasionally. Our brave fire fighters risk their lives to protect people’s homes and property from the encroaching flames. Hours and hours are spent dousing the flames with water and flame retardants in an attempt to slow down their approach. But fires consume quickly and are very hard to stop.

God is promising fire, probably literal fire, upon the house of Hazael. He was a wicked ruler who gained his throne by bloodshed. He was told by the prophet Elisha about the evil things he would do. He fulfilled them all. So, God’s judgment upon him was right. Hazael thought himself above God. He found out differently.

APPLICATION

I don’t think we have to worry about God sending fire upon our citadels. But we do need to be aware of God’s commandments. He gives us His Word to follow to protect us, not deprive us. Some Christians live as if God is the ultimate party pooper. Not true. The “fun” of the world seldom, if ever, is productive. God would rather us live abundant lives in His presence.

Just as Elisha foretold Hazael’s sins, God knows how and when we will sin. He knows everything. He also knows you have the power to not sin, if you surrender to Him. Our hearts and our flesh are wicked. Left unrestrained we would slide right back into a life of sin. But because we have the Holy Spirit in us, we can resist the urge to sin. You do not have to sin!

When I read in 2 Kings 8 about the atrocities of Hazael, which Elisha predicted, I realize just how close I am to doing the same without Christ in my life. Evil will be around us until we are taken to heaven or until Christ returns to set up His reign here on earth. I choose to live holy because I love my Lord and want to please Him. Will you choose holiness today?

I want to live holy today, O Lord. Help me surrender to Your Will today.

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Accountability, Battles, Bible, Enemies, Hope, Judgment, Opponents, Punishment, Scripture, Suffering

IN HIS CROSSHAIRS

AMOS 1:3

“This is what the LORD says: ‘For three offenses of Damascus, and for four, I will not revoke its punishment, because they threshed Gilead with iron sledges.’”

For you non-hunters reading my blog, the phrase “in His crosshairs” is a hunting term. It means you have your target in your sight. You are focused completely on the target you are aiming at. You may have other targets around, but at the moment, only this target is of importance. You have it right where you want it.

Damascus is the first of many targets the Lord had in His crosshairs. Of course, the audience that is hearing this from Amos is delighted he is talking about Damascus. They were an enemy of Israel. The Lord does judge our enemies in His perfect timing. Because of the way they had treated Gilead, they would be punished.

APPLICATION

Are there people in your life who are “threshing” you? Their treatment of you is harsh and unrelenting. They seem to get joy in seeing you hurt and suffering. Take courage, my brother. Have hope, my sister. The Lord is not blind to this. Remember that everything that touches us as believers has to go through His hands first. He is completely aware of what is happening.

We have to trust that if He is allowing these things in our lives, He is using them to make us more like His Son. He is allowing the “threshing” to knock off the chaff and reveal the pure grain underneath. The chaff has to be removed. It will be blown away revealing the grain underneath. Whatever is happening right now in your life, remember that God is aware.

I want my enemies zapped right now, don’t you? I want to see them pay for what they have done to me. That’s only human. Ah, therein lies the problem. We need to be concerned with the spiritual, not the flesh. As children of God, we trust Him to execute His judgment perfectly in His time. And He will. Trust Him.

As I see the “Damascus” in my life, I want relief. But Lord I trust You to teach me with whatever instrument You choose.

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Accountability, Advocate, Battles, Bible, Blameless, Choices, Confession, Enemies, God's Will, Salvation, Scripture

WIPED OUT

JOEL 3:19

“Egypt will become a wasteland, and Edom will become a desolate wilderness, because of the violence done to the sons of Judah, in whose land they have shed innocent blood.”

I love movies where the bad guys get it. That may sound bad. Sorry! But I love for right to triumph. I like to see the righteous win. This world has way too much bad stuff happening. It seems that evil is winning all the time. I don’t have to go into details. You know what I am talking about. So, when I can see things end right in a movie, that pleases me.

God defended the innocent. He wiped out Egypt and Edom for their crimes against Judah. They had done violence against them and now it was payback time. But it was the Lord God who did the repaying. His vengeance is always right. When He judges it is always just. And Egypt and Edom were found guilty.

APPLICATION

Which side of right and wrong are you on? Well Carl, I wouldn’t be reading a devotional if I was on the wrong side. Oh really? Are you sure about that? A lot of people are doing religious stuff but are still on the wrong side. They are pretending. They present themselves as righteous but are living unholy lives. There lives are not surrendered to Jesus. They are just going through the motions.

I am not saying that is you. I just want you to examine yourself. Are you totally surrendered to Jesus? Does He have your heart 100 percent? When given a choice, do you choose the things of the world or the things of Christ? Christ is our Master, and we must obey Him in all things. We must choose what is right according to His Word no matter the cost.

Right and wrong. Good and evil. The choice has been around since creation. Most days I choose what is right and good. Other days I fall victim to my flesh and choose the wrong thing. I am thankful that my heart belongs to Jesus, and His Spirit convicts me and draws me back. I do not have to fear being wiped out by God. He has already wiped out my sins.

O Lord, I am thankful You have wiped out my sins. Forgive me when I fall short.

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Accountability, Advocate, Bible, Consequences, Disciplemaking, Encouragement, Following, Heaven, Hell, Judgment, Obedience, Redemption, Salvation, Scripture

DECISIONS

JOEL 3:14

“Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision! For the day of the LORD is near in the valley of decision.”

I have mentioned in this blog site several times that I worked over thirty years in the child welfare field. Most of those years were spent in administration. In those roles I had to supervise staff as well as deal with the children in crisis. Decisions were a daily thing, and sometimes those decisions had to be made quickly and decisively. I didn’t have time to mull it over. Thank the Lord, most of the time I decided correctly.

Here we are in Joel 3:14 at “the valley of decision.” The Hebrew word for “decision” can mean sharp-pointed or strict decision. Of course, Joel says this is “the day of the Lord” which refers to a day of judgment. Also, the word “multitude” has an interesting meaning. It can mean murmur or roar. You can almost hear the crowds of nations gathered around. It was literally a sea of humanity.

APPLICATION

Have you made the most important decision of your life? There is no bigger one than asking Jesus to be your Savior. This decision will not only change your life. It will also change your eternity. Before making that decision, your eternity was set. You were doomed to an eternal hell with no hope, separated from God. But once you make that decision, your new eternity rests in glory, the dwelling place of God.

How many people do you know right now will be facing the “day of the Lord” without that hope of glory? Judgment day is a certain thing. And God’s judgment on that day will be like some of my decisions I had to make – swift and decisive. The difference between His judgment and my decisions is His is always right. He always judges correctly.

Aren’t you glad you know Him? If you do, the day of the Lord holds no fear for you. Your destiny is safely in the hands of Jesus, literally. The scars in Jesus’ hands points to the fact of His death and sacrifice for you. Don’t you want to share that with someone else? Do that today.

I am so thankful, Lord, that judgment day holds no fear for me. I am confident of my place in heaven.

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Accountability, Angels, Bible, Disciplemaking, Eternity, Harvest, Hope, Judgment

HARVEST TIME

JOEL 3:13

“Put in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe. Come, tread the grapes, for the wine press is full; the vats overflow, for their wickedness is great.”

I grew up in South Georgia in a very rural community. Farms were all around me. I had cousins, uncles and grandparents who were farmers. So, I understand harvest time. I grew up being a part of harvesting the crops. I distinctly remember bringing in beans, peas, corn and watermelons. Those were fond memories, and I am thankful I had that experience.

But Joel isn’t talking about that kind of harvest in today’s verse. He’s referring to an end time harvest. The enemies of Judah were going to be judged by a holy God. He is sending His angels to swing the sickle. Our enemies will one day be judged “for their wickedness is great.”

APPLICATION

Let me ask you a question. Are you ready for the harvest? One day the Lord is going to return for His church. Will you be taken up in that great harvest of believers across this world? In one blink of an eye, we will be taken up. Or will you be left behind to put the pieces together.

We are going through some challenges right now in my country. We are seeing store shelves empty. Prices are increasing. Things are getting tough. But can you imagine how it’s going to be after the Rapture? Can you imagine how countries around the world are going to react to the sudden loss of thousands of people? You don’t want to be here to see that.

I am so thankful that my “harvest ticket” has been punched. I know I’m going with the first trumpet. I’m ready. But I know too many people, including some family members, who will be left behind. That grieves me. Will you join me in praying for the lost? We don’t want to leave anyone behind.

Father, thank You for assuring my place in eternity. I do not fear the harvest of believers because I know I will be among them.

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