transformed

Many would read these verses and immediately correlate it to our great nation, others would try to convince you its not so bad. Honestly I feel we are somewhere in the middle heading towards this demise. But there are things I know to be true about God in all this that brings hope.  You see there are many in the church today that would stand and call the fire of heaven down to burn up and destroy the iniquity that we have allowed to creep in and dominate areas of our society, kind of how the John and some of the apostles did in the new testament. At that time they didn't have a full understanding of the Father's heart but remembered the stories of a harsher time in the world and their history. I would also say that anyone today that would call down fire from heaven to destroy the people that are propagating the mess do not know the heart of the Father.  You see even buried in this Old Testament chunk of scripture is verse 9 that in my paraphrase says that because there is a remnant of believers the others will be spared. Oh and another thing that is called out is the ineffectiveness of those in the church that bring meaningless offerings to make themselves look good, to give an appearance of being connected to the Father but in fact are just going through the motions.  You see I fully believe that Abba wants to send fire from heaven to devour the unrighteous, but not like what happened in Sodom. He wants to send His holy fire through His Holy Spirit. He wants His remnant to be so full of His love, fire and passion to be so connected to Him that they live and breath His heart, His breath, His desire that all be saved. There is still hope for our country and our world but the hope comes from Him not in protests and standing on street corners corners shouting judgment at folks, but by first cleansing ourselves, then going out and building relationships and making disciples, true followers of Jesus that a full comprehension of Abba's heart that when asked why they are doing what the are doing respond with "I only do what I see the Father doing". We need to make a transformation like John did, he went from calling down fire from heaven to fully understanding the heart of Abba and taught the importance of love and worship to gain victory. We need to be transformed.

Isaiah 1:2-13 "Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth! For the Lord has spoken: I have nourished and brought up sons and have made them great and exalted, but they have rebelled against Me and broken away from Me. The ox [instinctively] knows his owner, and the donkey his master’s crib, but Israel does not know or recognize Me [as Lord], My people do not consider or understand. Ah, sinful nation, a people loaded with iniquity, offspring of  evildoers, sons who deal corruptly! They have forsaken the Lord, they have despised  and shown contempt and provoked the Holy One of Israel to anger, they have become utterly estranged  (alienated). Why should you be stricken and punished any more [since it brings no correction]? You will revolt more and more. The whole head is sick, and the whole heart is faint (feeble, sick, and nauseated). From the sole of the foot even to the head there is no  soundness or health in [the nation’s body]--but wounds and bruises and fresh and bleeding stripes; they have not been pressed out and closed up or bound up or softened with oil. [No one has troubled to seek a remedy.] [Because of your detestable disobedience] your country lies desolate, your cities are burned with fire; your land--strangers devour it in your very presence, and it is desolate, as overthrown by aliens. And the Daughter of Zion [Jerusalem] is left like a [deserted] booth in a vineyard, like a lodge in a garden of cucumbers, like a besieged city [spared, but in the midst of desolation]. Except the Lord of hosts had left us a very small remnant [of  survivors], we should have been like Sodom, and we should have been like Gomorrah. Hear [O Jerusalem] the word of the Lord, you rulers or judges of [another] Sodom! Give ear to the law and the teaching of our God, you people of [another] Gomorrah! To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices to Me [unless they are the offering of the heart]? says the Lord. I have had enough of the burnt offerings of rams and the fat of fed beasts [without obedience]; and I do not delight in the blood of bulls or of lambs or of he-goats [without  righteousness]. When you come to appear before Me, who requires of you that your [unholy feet] trample My courts? Bring no more offerings of vanity (emptiness, falsity,  vainglory, and futility); [your hollow offering of] incense is an abomination to Me; the New Moons and Sabbaths, the calling of assemblies, I cannot endure--[it is] iniquity and profanation, even the solemn meeting."