2 Chronicles 33:1-9 – “Manasseh was twelve years old when he became king, and he reigned fifty-five years in Jerusalem.  2 But he did evil in the sight of the Lord, according to the abominations of the nations whom the Lord had cast out before the children of Israel.  3 For he rebuilt the high places which Hezekiah his father had broken down; he raised up altars for the Baals, and made wooden images; and he worshiped all the host of heaven and served them.  4 He also built altars in the house of the Lord, of which the Lord had said, “In Jerusalem shall My name be forever.” 5 And he built altars for all the host of heaven in the two courts of the house of the Lord.  6 Also he caused his sons to pass through the fire in the Valley of the Son of Hinnom; he practiced soothsaying, used witchcraft and sorcery, and consulted mediums and spiritists.  He did much evil in the sight of the Lord, to provoke Him to anger.  7 He even set a carved image, the idol which he had made, in the house of God, of which God had said to David and to Solomon his son, “In this house and in Jerusalem, which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, I will put My name forever; 8 and I will not again remove the foot of Israel from the land which I have appointed for your fathers—only if they are careful to do all that I have commanded them, according to the whole law and the statutes and the ordinances by the hand of Moses.” 9 So Manasseh seduced Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem to do more evil than the nations whom the Lord had destroyed before the children of Israel.”

I realize that’s a lot of scripture for a short devotional, but it’s necessary.  Today, as I read, prayed, and pondered the Word of God today, I was encouraged to pray for those charged with leadership.   I was also encouraged by God’s incredible, immeasurable, and unfathomable love and mercy.

In 2 Chronicles 33, we have the life, acts, and progression of Manasseh, the son of Hezekiah, king of Judah.   Manasseh became king at 12 years of age.   He reigned for 55 years.   In verse 2, we read that his beginning was wicked.  He rebuilt the altars Hezekiah had torn down.   He rebuilt the shrines and idols of the gods of the land.   He practiced worship of the hosts of heaven in the two courts of the House of God.  (v. 4).   He, therefore, defiled the temple and even built altars in the temple to worship false gods.

However, it worsened, as we see in verse 6.    He made his son pass through the fire (human sacrifice).    He practiced “augury and soothsaying and sorcery, and inquired of the Chaldeans and familiar spirits…”   He was the epitome of evil.

Then, in verse 11, something happened.   The king of Assyria came and captured him and carried him captive to Babylon.   In verse 12, we read, “But when he was in distress, he prayed before the LORD his God and reverenced greatly the LORD GOD of his fathers.” Trouble brought him to his knees.     In verse 13, we find that God listened to his prayers.  “And he prayed before the LORD, and he (God) heard his voice and his prayer and brought him back to Jerusalem into his kingdom.  THEN Manasseh knew that the LORD was God.”

In verse 14, we read, “Now after this…”    In his transformed condition, he took action.  He began national restoration.  He built the outer walls of the city for national defense.   He took away the strange gods and idols from the House of God.  He built an altar to the LORD.

My encouragement was that if God changed Manasseh, the wicked king, he can change leaders today.   The Holy Spirit reminded me of God’s incredible love and mercy. Sometimes, it takes a dire situation to get our attention.  That is true individually and nationally.

God always hears prayers of repentance and grants mercy.   What we do with that mercy is up to us.   As some in Scripture, we can turn back to sin after God came through for them, or, as Manasseh, we can live differently and take righteous action.

I was impressed to fervently pray for those in leadership.  No matter how wicked, God’s grace can penetrate any heart.  God’s grace is immeasurable, and His mercy is everlasting!  We need to be careful not to cause Him to send distress to get our attention.  He invites us in now, so let’s surrender all now!

Let the peace of God that passes all human understanding fill your hearts and minds today!

2 Chronicles 20:3, 12 – “And Jehoshaphat feared, and set himself to seek the Lord, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah. ¹² O our God, will You not judge them? For we have no power against this great multitude that is coming against us; nor do we know what to do, but our eyes are upon You.”

As I read, prayed, and meditated on the Word today, I was intrigued by God’s attention to detail. In 2 Chronicles 20:3, we read, “And Jehoshaphat feared…”   That was not unexpected because a combined force assembled against him was much more powerful than his army. Then it says, “And he raised up his face to pray…” That caught my attention.

He raised up his face (looked heavenward) and prayed.   That was the way Jesus prayed, looking up to heaven.   We bow our heads, but here he looks to heaven. That is a sign of trust.

In verse 12, his prayer is noteworthy.   He petitioned God to reveal Himself.   He made no pretense – “We have no strength (we can’t handle this problem).”    He admitted this was beyond his ability to solve – “We do not know what to do.”    We often try to figure it out and implement plans to solve the problem.   Jehoshaphat said, “We do not know what to do, BUT…”   That is the doorway to the answer. The ‘but‘ either hinders or helps. Here, it is expressive of faith. “BUT our eyes are upon You!”   The chorus, “Where Could I Go But to the Lord?”    Fills my heart.

After Jehoshaphat, the successive kings of Israel are listed, and their good and bad qualities are detailed.   In 2 Chronicles 25:2, we read about Amaziah, the 25-year-old king.   “And he did that, which was right in the sight of the LORD, BUT not with a perfect heart.” The ‘but’ is a doorway, but not one of faith, but of defeat. He did right, but he wasn’t right. Religious but not pure.   Doing but not being.   We face that danger, too.

In 2 Chronicles 26, we find Uzziah, who fell prey to the problem faced by all.    In verse 16, “But when he became very rich, his pride was lifted up exceedingly, so he transgressed against the LORD…”

Riches could be fame, position, or success. If we look at where we have arrived and begin to become self-important, we open the door to pride, which ultimately leads to destruction.

God wants us not just to do right but to be right.   He is not looking for our acts but our hearts.   He wants us to have pure hearts that keep us humble in our own eyes so we can be used by Him.   Pride shifts the dependence from God to self.    Jehoshaphat depended on God.   Ahaziah did it right, but it was not right.   Uzziah let pride ruin him.

God has an assignment for everyone, but only as we trust Him, purify our hearts, and resist pride can that assignment be completed.

May your day be filled with the wonders of God’s miracles and directives!  

Acts 22:14-15 – “And he (Ananias to Paul) said to me, The God of our fathers has appointed you to know His will and to see the Righteous One and to hear the voice of His mouth.  15 And you shall be a witness for Him before all men of all that you have seen and heard.”

What a day to be alive!  This is the day the Lord has made, and we have an endless number of reasons to rejoice and be glad.   Today, as I read, prayed, and meditated on the Word, I was drawn to something in Acts 22 that resonated powerfully.   Paul was relating his Damascus road experience.  The Light (Jesus) blinded him physically.  Ananias came to pray for him and said something interesting and revealing.

In Acts 22:14-15, we have the revelation of God’s appointment of Paul as an apostle of the Kingdom.  In it, there are four key elements worth noting.

• Know God’s will.
• See Jesus.
• Hear His voice.
• Witness for Him – (Gospel).

For us to complete the mission and commission of Jesus.  To be His witnesses and do the works He did, we have to “Know” Him and His Will.   To truly “Know” Him, we have to “See” Him and “Hear” His voice clearly and correctly.    It is only as we “See” with the eyes of the Spirit and “Hear” with spiritual ears that we can stand in the “Knowledge” of Him and be effective “Witnesses.”

We can only give what we have.   If we try to witness for Him without Knowing, Seeing, and Hearing Him, we become like the seven sons of Sceva.

The power or strength to live the Christian life and fulfill our assignment is established on the foundation of “Knowing, Seeing, and Hearing Jesus.”  If we “Know” Him, we have “Seen” Him.  Remember, Jesus said, “My sheep hear My voice and know Me.”   If Matthew 6:33 is a reality in our lives, and if He is “in” us and we are “in” Him, it is impossible not to serve Him.

The Harvest is ready, and the harvesters are few.   The preventative to distraction is Knowing, Seeing, and Hearing Him.  Divided hearts are distracted hearts.    People perish if the hearts of believers are divided.

When we “Know, See, and Hear Him,” a fire is ignited inside us, and He becomes our all.   We have a world to win, a winning message, an undefeatable power, and an eternal commission.   He is calling us to total surrender, will we?   The world’s eternity depends on our response.  If we know His Will, see His Face, and hear His Voice, it will be impossible not to respond.  It is Harvest time!

May your day be prosperous and joyous as you pursue God’s purposes for your life!  

1 John 3:20 – “For whenever our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and he knows everything.”  ESV

As I read, prayed, and mused on the Word today, a reality we all know exploded in my heart and mind.  That reality is God knows! God knows what?   He knows Everything!   There are several examples in the Book of Acts that leaped off the page at me this morning.

In Acts 8, Philip preached in Samaria and saw a great outpouring.  Then, the Holy Spirit said, “Philip, leave here and head south.”  There were no other instructions.  The directive was to head south into the desert.   Why?  The Ethiopian eunuch was seeking God while riding in a chariot.  God knew where he was and the condition of his heart.   Had Philip not been obedient, that man could have been lost for eternity.  God knows!

In Acts 9, Saul, the terrorizer, had his encounter with Jesus and was led into Damascus blind.   Ananias was directed to go to a specific house and pray for Saul.   As a result, Saul was healed, and I suggest that confirmation was an anchor in Paul’s life.  Had Ananias not been obedient, Saul might not have become Paul.   Of course, God could have found someone else, but Saul saw in a vision Ananias coming.  God knows!

Then, in Acts 10, Cornelius was praying, and an angel came and directed him to send to Joppa to a specific house and have Peter go to Caesarea.   Peter had the sheet vision which prepared his heart to understand.   He went, and Cornelius and those with him were saved and filled with the Holy Spirit.   Had Peter allowed his orthodoxy to prevail, this expansion of the kingdom might not have occurred, and the gospel might have been delayed in reaching the Gentiles.  God knows!

We must become explicitly obedient to the Holy Spirit, knowing that God knows!  God knows every detail and is watching!   Obedience is required!   Imagine what might happen when we explicitly obey the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

The reality that God knows is either a tremendous comfort or a terrifying thought!   I pray that it will bring peace today and every day!

Acts 3:15-21 – “You killed the Originator of life, whom God raised from the dead.  To this fact we are witnesses!  ¹⁶ And on the basis of faith in Jesus’ name, his very name has made this man—whom you see and know—strong.  The faith that is through Jesus has given him this complete health in the presence of you all.  ¹⁷ And now, brothers, I know you acted in ignorance, as your rulers did too.  ¹⁸ But the things God foretold long ago through all the prophets—that his Christ would suffer—he has fulfilled in this way.  ¹⁹ Therefore repent and turn back so that your sins may be wiped out, ²⁰ so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and so that he may send the Messiah appointed for you—that is, Jesus.  ²¹ This one heaven must receive until the time all things are restored, which God declared from times long ago through his holy prophets.”

As I read, prayed, and meditated on the Word of God today, I was challenged.   I felt like I was reading the unread in the Book of Acts.  What do I mean by the unread?  I mean the things that are skimmed over and unnoticed.

In Acts 3, we focus on the miracle of healing and give little emphasis to Peter’s charge to the onlookers.  In verses 15-19, he explained the miracle, but his message was in verse 19 – Repent!   That is the heart of God!  His miracles are evidence of His love and desire to restore us.

The religious rulers threatened them with excommunication.   Peter and John rejected the endorsement of tradition and religion in favor of obedience to God.   The result was a prayer meeting where they asked God for boldness to preach Jesus.

The result in Acts 4:31 was another outpouring of the Holy Spirit.   God’s answer to their prayer was another saturation with the Holy Spirit.   We sometimes overlook the fact that they did not seek that outpouring but boldness and courage to continue.   God’s answer was to saturate them again with the Holy Spirit.  The key to fulfilling His commission is saturation with the Holy Spirit.

When Steven related Israel’s history, he spoke of the burning bush.   God said to Moses, “You are standing on Holy ground.”   What made it Holy?   We take experiences and make shrines, but what made that spot Holy?  It was God’s Presence!   God’s Presence makes the place Holy ground.  We seek signs and make shrines.  Seek God, and wherever we are becomes Holy ground.

We are praying for revival, but we will not have it without promoting repentance.  Without repentance, there will be no revival.   Repentance brings us into the presence of God and opens the door to saturation in the Holy Spirit, which produces the boldness and power to bring conviction, the doorway to revival.

We want more of God and His power.  The only doorway through which it comes is Repentance!   If we want more of God and His power, we must submit ourselves totally to Him.  We do not need more programs.  We need His presence.  We are waiting for open doors of opportunity without realizing that when the saturation of the Holy Spirit comes, every door, every place, and every person is an opportunity.

It’s harvest time!   Let’s rejoice and come to Him in