The Prophetic Word - Day 167: We are lost and undone without Him.

“O Lord, I know that the path of [life of] a man is not in himself; It is not within [the limited ability of] man [even one at his best] to choose and direct his steps [in life]. O Lord, correct me [along with Your people], but with mercy and in just measure— Not in Your anger, or You will crush me and bring me to nothing.”

‭‭Jeremiah‬ ‭10‬:‭23‬-‭24‬ ‭AMP‬‬

When thinking about my father, one thing that always comes to my mind is that he never lost the joy of his salvation. Now, what I mean is, he never failed to react with deep, cheerful gratitude, when referencing what the Lord had done for him in terms of his own salvation.

I remember my father singing the song, “When My Savior Reached Down for Me”:

“I was near to despair when He came to me there

And He showed me that I could be free

Then He lifted me up out of Satan’s dark snare

When He reached down His hand for me

Chorus

When my Savior reached down for me

When He reached way down for me

I was lost and undone, without God or His Son

When He reached down His hand for me”

I still remember how he would illustrate the Lord’s reaching down for him, by putting his own large, wonderful hand down toward the ground, all the while crying tears of joy because of the depths from which the Lord had pulled him.

Yes, my father knew that he was headed to Hell, but had been redirected toward Glory through the mighty miracle of salvation.

I fully believe that the aspect of recognizing from what depths we were saved by the work of Jesus Christ, is lost in many modern churches.

You see, in an attempt to present a more “positive” message, what people need (in terms of salvation) is often represented as just a “sprucing up,” or a “bringing out of their best self.”

The reality is, we who are now saved, were all on our way to destruction; and, but for the grace of God through Jesus Christ, that would still be our destination.

As we remarked yesterday, it is tragic that many Christians—even spirit-filled Christians—tend to walk in their old ways of being and doing, never recognizing that the new life, the better way, comes by walking in consistent obedience to the Lord. We weren’t redeemed to continue walking in our old ways.

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths. Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the Lord and depart from evil. It will be health to your flesh, And strength to your bones.”

‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭3‬:‭5‬-‭8‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

Upon hearing the words of the proverbial writer that we should acknowledge the Lord in all of our ways, we may too quickly suppose that we’ve got that covered.

However, the sad reality may be that our idea of acknowledging the Lord in all our ways, is simply that we acknowledge that He exists, or that we express gratitude for the good things that come by His hand. But, that is not truly acknowledging the Lord in all of our ways.

The proverbial writer also instructed that we should be always reverent.

“Happy is the man who is always reverent, But he who hardens his heart will fall into calamity.”

‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭28‬:‭14‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

What being always reverent means is that everything we do is done within the context of the fear of God. That is, we eschew sin, while pursuing righteousness (God’s way of being and doing).

In our opening scripture we see the prophet Jeremiah acknowledging the reality that man—in isolation from God—is incapable of rightly ordering his own steps. Indeed, Jeremiah asks for the Lord’s correction to keep him from falling into the same judgment the disobedient children of God were experiencing.

Tomorrow we will look into how the Holy Spirit of God provides the ability to consistently pursue the path of righteousness.

Peace to you.

Jesus is coming! Get ready for Him!

#ThePropheticWord