Tragedy does not produce national revival. Only hunger for God will bring us to a place of a third great awakening! When are we as a church going to 'wake up' and realize that national tragedies only harden people's heart towards God.
I hear people say over and over again, "Well, another big tragedy, worse than our previous tragedies will strike and then people will finally come to God and we will have an awakening."
While this may 'sound religious' it is not based in Bible or in experience, Both the Bible and the past show us that judgment hardens men's heart, it does not soften them.
All the plagues of Egypt did not turn Egypt or the heart of Pharaoh to obedience to God. The more the plagues hit, the harder the hearts became towards God. Even when they lost their first born to the plagues, still later they turned in anger and ran after the Israel to destroy them at the red sea, but God once again intervened.
In 2001 the twin towers were hit and several thousand people died, and this did not bring America into an awakening.
In 2005, Hurricane Katrina devastated the coastline, the whole city of New Orleans under water, but this too did not bring about repentance or an national awakening.
In 2012 100 people died in Hurricane Sandy, and yet, we still have not repented as a nation.
Not to mention the Joplin tornado, the Oklahoma bombing, school shootings, increase in violence and drugs and the other tragedies that have happened since 1900. Do a search on the 10 worst natural tragedies in American history and 8 out of 10 have been since 1900, and even more tragic 4 out of 10 have been in the past 30 years. We are a generation that has been hit with more tragedies than any other generation in American history, yet instead of growing closer to God, the American public and our government are getting more and more hardened to Christianity and to Christ.
I just shake my head when I see head lines that say, "Big financial crisis coming, could this lead to our third great awakening?" No. it won't, when are we going to learn that
JUDGMENTS DON'T BRING PEOPLE CLOSER TO GOD!!!!
If a child is being disciplined for bad behavior, does it give them 'goose bump' feelings for the one handing out the discipline! It often turns them against the one handing out the discipline. It is the goodness of God that precedes an awakening, not judgments. Awakenings ride on the wave of God's mercy and grace! Romans 2:4 Or despise you the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance?
I have been saying since July that we should not set a date for God's judgment and that God is giving us grace right now, so that we can raise up an army that will go into the highways and the byways person to person to share the gospel. To learn more about this: http://www.praiseassemblyonline.com/saving-america-project.html
I do not believe September is going to hold judgment events from the blood moons, the Jewish seven year cycle, from asteroids, or shock waves because I feel that God is speaking to us a season of grace where his judgments are being withheld. I have been saying this since July http://www.praiseag.blogspot.com/2015/09/dont-get-wrapped-up-in-judgment-date.html
What does the Bible say? Does it say that Judgments lead to repentance? NO. It says that it is the goodness of God that leads men to repentance. What does judgments do? Judgments harden the heart!
We can sit comfortably in our pews and talk about Jewish feast, plagues, earthquakes, and prediction theories of God's wrath all we want to and it will not turn a nation to God. When men and women get off their high horses of knowledge and theories and begin to love people by going to their neighbors and their community with prayer, healing, and compassion we will see a third great awakening. When we stop speculating about God's timeline and we begin to bombard heaven with prayers on behalf of the lost and dying then we will see a third great awakening. Those that are lost are not in any way impressed by our so-called knowledge and theories of how and when and why God will destroy this earth. We have become a laughing stock to the nations with our self-imposed theories of destruction because with each new failed prediction we make ourselves of non-effect.
While we should warn of judgments, we make a fatal error when we set dates to these judgments. This is what Jonah did, and when the city was not destroyed within 40 days as he predicted he was angry with God. Jonah did not take into account the grace of God which can extend mercy and delay judgments, and this caused his prophecy to fail. Eventually Nineveh was overthrown, but it was long after Jonah was dead and buried. Just when we think we got it figured out and we try to put God in a 'time box' God proves to us that you can't put him in a box, for He is God! Had Jonah not set a date, his prophecy would not have failed! And this is what we are seeing from many prophets today. Judgments will not bring revival, only God's grace can do that.
Revelation 9:20 20The rest of mankind, who were not killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands, so as not to worship demons, and the idols of gold and of silver and of brass and of stone and of wood, which can neither see nor hear nor walk; 21and they did not repent of their murders nor of their sorceries nor of their immorality nor of their thefts.
What will bring the third great awakening? Only when people see in us something that makes them hunger for God. When we stretch out our hands of love. When we feed the hungry, heal the sick, open our homes to the afflicted, when we live the truth we are preaching, then with a hunger will our light break forth like the noon day. And our healing will come quickly.
Isaiah 58:7-9 …7"Is it not to divide your bread with the hungry And bring the homeless poor into the house; When you see the naked, to cover him; And not to hide yourself from your own flesh?8"Then your light will break out like the dawn, And your recovery will speedily spring forth; And your righteousness will go before you; The glory of the LORD will be your rear guard. 9"Then you will call, and the LORD will answer; You will cry, and He will say, 'Here I am.' If you remove the yoke from your midst, The pointing of the finger and speaking wickedness
The point is this. Judgments have never brought anything but destruction. Don't be so eager for God to judge us as a nation. His judgments will only harden people's hearts further, his judgments will not proceed revival, only when people are hungry for God because of the faith they see in us will we see a revival come to our nation!
We must do the works of God, live in the love of the gospel, walk in faith, heal the hurting, keep the faith. If we would live what we preach, revival would break out and the sinners would stop calling the church, 'hypocrites'
1 Peter 4:17
7For it is time for judgment to begin with the household of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God?
And remember if we want to SHOUT OUT the time of God's judgment, judgment begins in the HOUSE of GOD, so brace yourself. If we would do the works of God without hypocrisy we would see an awakening instead! It's time to stop pointing the finger and passing out blame church and it is time to get up and DO the works of God!
Would you like to join God's prayer army? Click the link below.
http://www.praiseassemblyonline.com/prayer-revolution.html
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