Category Archives: Judgment

Belief, Danger, Judgment, Repentance, Scripture, Sin

DANGER, WILL ROBINSON!

ZEPHANIAH 2:2

“Before the decree takes effect—the day passes like chaff—before the burning anger of the LORD comes upon you, before the day of the LORD’S anger comes upon you.”

When I was a kid, there was a TV series called, “Lost in Space.” In this series there was a robot and a young boy named Will Robinson. Every time there was danger around, the robot would cry out this warning to Will – “Danger, Will Robinson!” Don’t you wish you had a robot to do that for you every time you got near danger spiritually?

Zephaniah continues his urging of the people to repent and gather themselves before “the decree takes effect” or “the burning anger of the Lord comes upon you” or “the day of the Lord’s anger comes upon you.” Wow! That was much better than the warning to Will Robinson by the robot. Zephaniah is giving clear warning that God’s judgment is coming.

APPLICATION

All through Scripture we are given warnings about the impending judgment of God. The prophets all warned us. The New Testament writers did as well. And of course, Jesus gave us warning after warning that those who did not come to Him would surely perish (John 3:16). Warning after warning after warning.

So, why don’t people heed the warning. Unbelief! People have stopped believing in sin. They have stopped believing there are consequences for their actions. Live like you want. There are no repercussions. The devil has them all blinded to the truth. He is so good at that.

Aren’t you glad your blinders are off? Aren’t you glad you know the truth? We must now shout out like that robot did to Will Robinson. We must announce, “Danger! Sin has consequences. Turn to Jesus Who can forgive you of your sins.” That isn’t a hard message to give. Tell someone today.

I was sinking deep in sin, far from the peaceful shore…but the Master of the sea heard my despairing cry, from the waters lifted me now safe am I.

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Accountability, Belief, Bible, Blind, Consequences, Deception, Following, Judgment, Scripture

BLIND LEADING THE BLIND

ZEPHANIAH 1:17

“I will bring distress on mankind so that they will walk like those who are blind, because they have sinned against the LORD; and their blood will be poured out like dust, and their flesh like dung.”

You’ve heard that expression, “the blind leading the blind.” It portrays a pretty, sad picture. I am not using this as a demeaning statement against the blind. Rather, I mean to imply the picture of the uninformed or willfully ignorant person leading others who follow them without verifying what they say. Thus, the statement.

The Lord tells us in today’s verse that those who do not follow Him are like that. They walk about aimlessly as a blind person who has no one to lead them. We know that can be dangerous. They could fall over obstacles. They could injure themselves seriously. Those who choose to walk blindly without the Lord will face judgment.

APPLICATION

Oh, friends, listen! Don’t walk blindly in this dark and dangerous world. Ask the Lord to open your eyes with the truths of His Word. Ask Him to show you the path He wants you to travel. Ask Him to send others into your life who can hold your hand when necessary to traverse those dangerous spots. Open your eyes.

We are all blind before Christ. None of us can see due to the sin that is born in us through the fall of Adam. But just like the scales that fell off of Paul’s eyes when he came to Christ, ask the Lord to remove those things that blind you to truth. God wants to open your eyes. Psalm 119:18 says, “Open my eyes, that I may behold wonderful things from Your Law.”

Most days I walk with my eyes open. But other days, I close my eyes to what I know is true just because I want to have my way. I bet you’ve never done that, right? My prayer for you and myself is that we will allow the Lord to open our eyes.

Open my eyes that I may see glimpses of truth thou hast for me.

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Bible, Evangelism, God's Will, Judgment, Scripture, Witnessing

THE DAY HAS ARRIVED

ZEPHANIAH 1:14

“The great day of the LORD is near, near and coming very quickly; listen, the day of the LORD! In it the warrior cries out bitterly.”

Those famous words of the mother, “You just wait til your father gets home.” For most children that meant that dad would be the one to deal out the discipline. That could range from a spanking to grounding. But the wait…that was the worst part. If you did something early in the day, you had all day to wait.

Zephaniah is restating those words of Joel 2:31 about the great and terrible day of the Lord. This “day” wasn’t a one-time event. God’s judgment fell on numerous days against His children because of their disobedience and rebellion. A day of the Lord meant chastisement. It meant correction. But we have to remember it was all done in love.

APPLICATION

As believers in Christ, we do not fear a day of the Lord. Our sins have been paid for by His Son, Jesus. We walk in covenant relationship with Him knowing that we are forgiven and free. But this freedom does not give us the liberty to live as we want. We still have to follow His commands.

The day of the Lord is coming for millions, though. All those who are not in Christ will face a judgment for their sins. And when He returns, it will be too late. No second chances. No reprieves. So, we must be His instruments to spread the good news to all we encounter. He is still using people to spread His message.

While we can be content in our relationship with Jesus, we cannot let others die without it. There are so many all around the world who will die today and spend eternity in darkness. How can you and I change that? Pray! Pray for believers all over the world to speak out and be bold. We can all do that.

Lord, I know You will return one day to take us home. Help us spread the word far and wide before that day.

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Apathy, Bible, Choices, Goodness, Harm, Judgment, Punishment, Scripture

APATHETIC HEARTS

ZEPHANIAH 1:12

“‘And it will come about at that time that I will search Jerusalem with lamps, and I will punish the people who are stagnant in spirit, who say in their hearts, “The LORD will not do good nor harm!”‘”

Apathy drives me crazy. Really, it does. I had rather have someone disagree with me so we can talk it out than have them do nothing. Those people don’t want to take a side. They don’t believe either side is worth it. So, they sit in the middle. We used to call them “mugwamps.” They sit on the fence post with their mug on one side and their wamp on the other.

The Lord says he will punish such people. He calls them stagnant in spirit. Wow! That’s harsh. They don’t believe the Lord will do good or harm. I know people like that. They have no need for God. They don’t hate Him. They just don’t have any use for Him. They fit right into this category described here in Zephaniah.

APPLICATION

What is your heart saying? I pray you are not like these people in Zephaniah’s day. It is time to choose whom you will serve. It is time to decide in your heart. Stop being stagnant. Trust in the Lord Jesus who does no harm. He only does good. Why? Because He is a good, good God.

We have been reading a lot about God’s judgment on Judah. That can get kind of depressing. But listen, God had much rather bless us than judge us. He had rather love on us than punish us. Because He is a holy God, He cannot let our disobedience go. He has to deal with it. However, lean into His love.

I am so glad I have decided to follow Jesus. The blessings He has bestowed on me have been too numerous to name. Have there been times when I disappointed Him? Unfortunately, yes. But He is right there to welcome me back into His warm embrace. He’ll welcome you, too.

I choose You, Lord. I know You do good to me. Help me do Your good in the lives of others.

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Abiding, Accountability, Bible, Covenant, Discipline, God's Will, Judgment, Scripture

ACCOUNTABILITY

ZEPHANIAH 1:8

“‘Then it will come about on the day of the LORD’S sacrifice that I will punish the princes, the king’s sons, and all who clothe themselves with foreign garments.’”

I have been privileged to be a leader in several Christian organizations and churches through my almost 44 years of ministry. I have served with several very good leaders. I have also had the misfortune to serve under some poor or maybe even bad leaders. What made the difference in those leaders? Accountability to God. Good leaders are not afraid of being held accountable to do the right thing.

The leaders of Judah had flirted with foreign powers. They had welcomed their idols and pagan worship. They had brought in all kinds of foreign influences which led the nation away from Yahweh. Now it is time to be held accountable. God, the maker of all creation, is now demanding they be judged for these offenses. If only they had “checked in” for often with the Lord, they may have corrected their paths.

APPLICATION

Good leaders seek out accountability. I once had a boss who really just left me alone. He trusted me to do my job, and I did it well. I finally asked him for more regular accountability. I wanted to make sure he was aware of what I was doing and that it lined up with his vision for the ministry. Bad leaders shirk accountability. Ironically, they usually hold their employees to higher level than they do themselves, though.

Let me ask you a question. You may not be a leader in an organization or church, but you will be held accountable for everything you do in Christ. 2 Corinthians 5:10 tells us, “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive compensation for his deeds done through the body, in accordance with what he has done, whether good or bad.” Are you ready for that?

I want to encourage you today to bring it all to the table. Uncover every detail. Confess it all to Jesus. Ask Him daily for your battle plan. Let Him direct your path. Then you can be accountable to Him. Knowing that you are in His will helps make sense of life here on earth.

I want to know, Lord, how I’m doing. Tell me and direct me in Your will.

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Accountability, Advice, Bible, Conviction, Correction, Forgiveness, Guilt, Judgment, Messages, Scripture

GETTING PERS0NAL

ZEPHANIAH 1:4

“‘So I will stretch out My hand against Judah and against all the inhabitants of Jerusalem. And I will eliminate the remnant of Baal from this place, and the names of the idolatrous priests along with the other priests.’”

Have you ever been in a conversation with someone who was complaining about people? You may actually agree with them and name a few people you have issues with. But then that person begins to name things about you that bother them. Whoa, wait a minute. Now they are getting personal. They are meddling too much, right?

I am sure those who heard Zephaniah’s message agreed with the first few verses, but now he’s getting personal. Now he is naming Judah and Jerusalem. But Zephaniah isn’t pulling any punches because he is delivering God’s message to the people. He is calling a spade a spade. Those in Judah and Jerusalem who have bowed to Baal and all those priests will be eliminated.

APPLICATION

How do you handle your Pastor’s sermons? As long as he is preaching on someone else’s sins, he’s fine. But when he starts naming yours, well…that’s a different story. How dare he get personal. How did he know about that sin? Was he watching me? Who told him about that?

I have preached a lot of sermons in my ministry, but I have never preached one pointed at one person. No one has divulged a sin of someone I needed to nail from the pulpit. But there have been numerous times when people came up to me after a message and told me how I had really spoken to them that day about their life. God’s Word will penetrate the hardest heart.

If you are a Pastor or have the ear of your Pastor, tell them to just preach the Word. Don’t get fancy with all your eloquence. Just preach the Truth. Let it convict those who hear the message and draw them to point of repentance. Our job is to simply deliver the message, like Zephaniah. It isn’t to judge.

Father, thank You for entrusting me with Your Truth. Help me deliver it faithfully.

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Abiding, Bible, Faith, Judgment, Scripture, Trust

ALL INCLUSIVE

ZEPHANIAH 1:3

“‘I will remove human and animal life; I will remove the birds of the sky and the fish of the sea, and the ruins along with the wicked; and I will eliminate mankind from the face of the earth,’ declares the LORD.”

Sometimes we pack stuff to go on a trip and mistakenly leave things out. That happened to me recently. I packed my pants, shirts, undershirts and socks. But I left out one important part of my wardrobe. Did you catch it? My underwear! When you pack, you need to pack the entire wardrobe. You have to include it all.

In the previous verse, Zephaniah said the Lord was going to destroy it all. Beginning with today’s verse the Lord begins to list everything included in “all.” All human and animal life will be gone. All birds and fish will disappear. God’s judgment is complete. He says He will not spare anything.

APPLICATION

Man, I am so glad that I won’t have to face God’s wrathful judgment. I will be judged for my works, but my place in heaven is guaranteed by the blood of the Lamb, the blood of His Son, Jesus. All I have belongs to Him. All I am is because of Him. I owe it all to Jesus. He is the author and perfecter of my faith (Hebrews 12:2).

What part of your “all” are you holding back? Are you afraid God is going to take it away from you and not give it back? Anything you give God is in safe hands. He will take your life and work in it every day to improve it. The more you yield to Him, the more He gives back, new and improved.

I want to encourage you today to give it all to Him. Every smidgeon of your being needs to be placed in His capable hands. Everything! And when you place it there, leave it there. Trust Him! If you start taking things back, you will never experience that peace that only come through Him.

Only trust Him, only trust Him, only trust Him now!

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Abiding, Belief, Bible, Devil, God's Will, Judgment, Relationships, Scripture

GOD’S FEET

HABAKKUK 3:12

“In indignation You marched through the earth; in anger You trampled the nations.”

I don’t know if you have ever heard the sound of an army marching. Depending on the size, it can be quite loud. You can hear the sound before you see the bodies, in most cases. In ancient times, armies would stomp their feet and even shout in an attempt to put fear into their enemies.

Habakkuk describes God as marching and trampling. His approach to the nations who do not know Him and who reject Him is no secret. They will stand in judgment. God’s anger, His wrath against sin must be satisfied. That is why He tramples the pagan. That is why He will judge all unbelievers.

APPLICATION

God isn’t making some kind of surprise attack. He is not sneaking in covertly to try to ambush people. He has made known very publicly His requirements. God is not trying to trick people or mislead them so He can zap them. No! God wants all men to come to Him. He sent His own Son to die to make that possible.

So, why do so many people reject Him? Why are so many still left in the world who do not know Him? Because the enemy is working overtime to prevent any others from coming to a saving knowledge of Jesus. It is our job to tell them. How will they know unless we go?

This Christmas, tell someone about Jesus. Maybe while you are out shopping, share Jesus with the cashier at the store. Perhaps you could give a tract to some people at the mall. Maybe you could give gift bags to someone who is homeless and include a message about Jesus. Find some way this Christmas to bring someone to Christ.

Father, I do not fear Your footsteps because I know I belong to You.

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Accused, Bible, Forgiveness, Judgment, Safety, Salvation, Scripture, Security

BOW AND ARROWS

HABAKKUK 3:9

“You removed Your bow from its holder, the arrows of Your word were sworn. Selah. You divided the earth with rivers.”

I have a crossbow which I use to hunt. I have yet to claim a deer with it, but I am ready should the opportunity come. That bow is no good to me if I keep it in its case. It is also no good if I do not load it with a bolt (an arrow for a crossbow). But once I pull it out of its case and load it with a bolt, it is ready to be used.

God’s judgment is pictured here by Habakkuk as an unsheathed bow that has its arrows ready to shoot. God’s word of promise to execute judgment are true, just like His aim. We may not see it coming, much like an arrow shot from a distance. But it is coming, and God never misses His target. “But God will shoot at them with an arrow; Suddenly they will be wounded.” Psalm 64:7

APPLICATION

I do not fear God’s arrows of judgment because I have laid my sins at the foot of the cross. My sins have been paid for by my Savior and Lord. I can walk in victory each day, knowing that there is no need to look over my shoulder fearing God’s wrath. It has been satisfied by the blood of the Lamb.

The enemy will try to insinuate that I am not secure in Christ. He will try to get me to question the power of the cross. All those are lies, told to try to get me off my mission. My mission is to point others to Jesus. I want to see them walk in the same victory I am walking in each day.

How about you? Do you walk in fear or victory? Do you walk as if you are defeated? If you are a child of God, if you have placed your faith in Jesus, there is no need to walk that way. You have been promised a home with Him in eternity. Nothing can change that. You are safe and secure. Walk that way.

Thank You, Lord, for the knowledge that You do execute judgment where necessary, but I am free from judgment because of Christ.

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Affliction, Battles, Bible, Enemies, God's Will, Judgment, Justice, Oppression, Restoration, Scripture

LOOK WHO IS SHAKING NOW

HABAKKUK 3:7          

“I saw the tents of Cushan under distress, the tent curtains of the land of Midian were trembling.”

People who boast and brag about their exploits can get on your last nerve. Am I right? I am not saying that we should feel that way, but it is hard to constantly hear that stuff. It is especially hard when you know they have hurt people in the process. You see the wake of destruction they have left. Yet they brag about it. It makes you wonder sometimes if God knows what they are doing.

Oh, He does. Habakkuk tells us so right here. Cushan and Midian had been thorns in the side of Israel for years. Midian used to raid Israel and leave nothing for the people. They would leave them impoverished. Both of these nations disappear after their defeats. All their successes vanish into thin air. God will have His vengeance on His children’s oppressors in due time.

APPLICATION

Perhaps you are being oppressed by someone right now. You feel there is no escape. You pray and are wondering if God is even hearing you. Oh, child of God, our God never sleeps and never slumbers. He is totally aware of your circumstances and is preparing to answer you in His perfect time.

So why does God allow suffering in our lives at the hands of unrighteous people? All I can tell you is that everything that touches our lives as believers goes through God’s hands first. I do not understand why He allows certain trials in certain people’s lives. I only know I can trust Him to see me through the trials He places in mine.

It is not my place to plot revenge on those who harm me. God will avenge me in due course. I may not be alive when that happens, but He will handle the situation according to His perfect will in my life. Do you believe that? Do you trust Him? Just allow Him to work. He loves you with an everlasting love.

I trust You, Lord, even when I can’t see You working. I know You are there.

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