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Zeph. 3:1-2 - Woe to her who is rebellious and defiled, The tyrannical city! 2 She heeded no voice, She accepted no instruction. She did not trust in the LORD, She did not draw near to her God. NASU
Let us start with Moses leading the children of Israel out of Egypt and the time for this Exodus event would be 1446 BC. You will want to know that the nation of Israel consisted of 12 Tribes at this time. These 12 tribes would split after the death of King Solomon (approx. 930 BC) and they would be known as the N. Kingdom, or Israel, or the 10 tribes. All three of these names refer to the same people or place. The remaining part of this split would be known as the S. Kingdom, or Judah, or the 2 tribes. Also, you will want to keep in mind that the city Jerusalem was situated in Judah or the S. Kingdom. The prophet Zephaniah is talking about the city of Jerusalem and what remains of the S. Kingdom or Judah. Many believe the time to be around 630 BC. The N. Kingdom has already been conquered by the Assyrians in 722-721 BC. The destruction of the S. Kingdom is about to happen in 606 BC. They will be conquered by the Babylonians.
"Woe to her who is rebellious and defiled, The tyrannical city! She heeded no voice, She accepted no instruction. She did not trust in the LORD, She did not draw near to her God…" The Tyrannical city is a reference to Jerusalem which is a part of the S. Kingdom or Judah. This collapse is going to happen because the Jewish people would not listen to the prophets that were sent to them by God (Jeremiah, Zephaniah, Joel, and Habakkuk are a few of the prophets who spoke to Judah at this time). The Jewish people would not trust in the LORD and they would not draw near to God according to Zephaniah.
What caused the Israelites to not listen to God? One reason is they wanted to be like their neighbors. We can plainly see this in 1 Sam. 8:19-20 - Nevertheless, the people refused to listen to the voice of Samuel, and they said, "No, but there shall be a king over us, 20 that we also may be like all the nations, that our king may judge us and go out before us and fight our battles." They wanted to be like other nations. They had God as their king but this was not enough. They wanted a human king so they could be like other nations. When in bondage in Egypt they wanted to be like the Egyptians. When they lived near Assyria they wanted to be like the Assyrians. They have constantly wanted to be like their neighbors. If you will remember in the Garden of Eden the serpent tempted Eve with she could be like God if she would eat of the fruit of the knowledge of good and evil. The devil will always try and make you believe there is something wrong with you, there is something missing in your life, or that you could be happy if you owned this product, lived in this house, town or state. For the Israelites they engaged in offering sacrifices to other foreign gods, worshipped in ways strictly forbidden in their Torah and offered sacrifices to Baal, Molech or Ashtoreth in order to be like their neighbors. The fallacy in the devil's logic is it is all based on a lie. In the garden, Adam and Eve were already like God. You will remember God said, "Let Us create man in Our image..." (Gen.1:26). They were spirit beings as is God a Spirit Being. What causes people to sin is not being content with who God has made them to be. You don't have to look very far in our own country to see people who are discontent with who they are. What will happen is after they make the change they will likewise find out this doesn't lead them to being happier than before.
What was Israel and Judah's final outcome? God allowed both of them to be conquered by foreign countries. In 722-21 BC the Assyrians conquered the N. Kingdom and in 606 BC the Babylonians would conquer the S. Kingdom as previously stated. You will remember that in Jerusalem was the temple that Solomon built. The Jewish people never thought God would allow the temple they built to worship Him in would be destroyed, but it was. God doesn't care about the buildings we build. God cares about the lives we lead to Him. The best thing Christians can do for the USA is lead more people to become believers in Jesus Christ. Only God knows how long it will be until the collapse of the USA. So what causes a nation to collapse? The answer is Not Worshipping God according to His Word. Think About These: The person who expects to go to heaven must take time to study the route that will lead him/her there. Heaven is a state of thankfulness for having received what we didn't deserve and for not receiving what we did deserve. Stay Pumped, Gary A. Serago Minister of God's Word
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Joshua 14:7, 10-11 - "I was forty years old when Moses the servant of the LORD sent me from Kadesh-barnea to spy out the land,….and now behold, I am eighty-five years old today... 11 I am still as strong today as I was in the day Moses sent me; as my strength was then, so my strength is now, for war and for going out and coming in". NASU
Toby Keith sang a song and the lyrics were "I am not as good as I once was but I am as good once as I ever was". Well, Caleb says he was just as strong now as he was when he was 40 years old. Now that my friends is positive thinking something we all could probably use a little more of in our lives. If you need your batteries charged you can always do what Caleb did and that is set out on a new adventure.
What was it that Caleb was going to do once again? Josh.14:12 -"…give me this hill country about which the LORD spoke on that day, for you heard on that day that Anakim were there, with great fortified cities; perhaps the LORD will be with me, and I will drive them out as the LORD has spoken." NASU Caleb wants to do battle with the Anakim. Caleb wants to conquer knew territory. He wants to engage in another fight. Just like he had done many times before and how is he going to win this battle? He is going to win this battle with his faith in the LORD and the execution of a plan that has worked for him before. Caleb believes he can do anything as long as the LORD is with him.
Parents name their children Joshua and Caleb all the time but the 10 negative thinkers you never hear of again and I have never known a parent to name one of their sons after the 10 negative thinkers. There were 10 other spies who didn't believe the Israelites could conquer the land. One thing is for sure you must stay away from those who are negative thinkers because they will suck the life and energy right out of you.
What is the best way to pump new life into your body and mind? You really need to know the answer to that question because from time to time you are going to need to use this knowledge. Anyone can get mentally and physically tired and lose their focus. When this happens you must have a plan in place to get you out of this funk. So when you lose your focus what is your plan to get you back on top of your game? If you have ever watched or participated in high school or collegiate wrestling then you know that they have what is known as an overtime period, aka "sudden victory". Most wrestlers when they enter this period will use a takedown or an escape that they have practiced and executed a gazillion times. Why? Because it is something they know so well they can hit this move even when totally exhausted. So you need to have a move that you can execute to charge your batteries even when you are totally exhausted. Think About These: The plain fact is that most humans are happy when they are striving for something worthwhile. Every accomplishment, great or small, starts with the right decision, "I'll Try." Stay Pumped, Gary A. Serago Minister of God's Word Luke 5:1-5 - Now it happened that while the crowd was pressing around Him and listening to the word of God, He was standing by the lake of Gennesaret; … 3 And He got into one of the boats, which was Simon’s, and asked him to put out a little way from the land. And He sat down and began teaching the people from the boat. 4 When He had finished speaking, He said to Simon, “Put out into the deep water and let down your nets for a catch.” 5 Simon answered and said, “Master, we worked hard all night and caught nothing…
Serago are you trying to tell me God wants me to go fishing. No, not exactly, but I am sure some would not argue with God if that were His command. There are too many people who read the Bible and don't understand the background information of what is taking place.
He knows the best way to teach is to be separated from the people just a little and this would allow the people to hear His voice. He gets into Peter's boat and asks Peter to move the boat out into the water and this will allow His voice to project so that a larger number of people will be able to hear what He is saying. When His lesson is over He wants to bless Peter for the use of his boat and more importantly He wants to teach Peter a life lesson on TRUSTING GOD. Jesus says, "Put out into the deep water and let down your nets for a catch." There is only about 10 things wrong with that statement from a fisherman's point of view. Peter is the fisherman by trade here not Jesus. Pete had been fishing when you are supposed to and that is at night. The top of the water is cooler at night and the fish will come up to feed. It is now day and the sun has been heating up the top of the water so the fish swim to deeper water where it is cooler. Throwing their nets out now when the water has warmed is not going to help them catch any fish. Pete informs Jesus, we fished when we were supposed to and we caught nothing. Now you want us to throw out our nets when we are not supposed too. Is that correct? Peter probably wants to ask Jesus if He had ever fished in His life, but he didn't. Pete is at the crossroads of Dilemma and Frustration. He had pulled in his nets, if they needed to be fixed, he has fixed them. Now they're drying. It is time to go home. It is time to get some sleep because he will be back here later today with his crew and they once again will be going out all night trying to catch some fish.
When you and I have done something for the 1,000th or 10,000th time God just might want us to do it a totally different way. WHAT! Are you kidding me? This will never work in a million years, might be our thoughts. Yeah, that is probably what Peter was thinking. Can you just hear Peter talking to himself? It might have sounded like this: "This will never work. Everyone knows you fish at night, except this guy. If I had only worked faster I could've been off the boat and at home sleeping, but no I had double check those nets. I am such an idiot." Jesus wants Peter to trust him and as we can see Peter did NOT automatically trust God's Son. To help Peter grow in his faith God worked a miracle right there in front of him. Pete did something in a totally different way. He fished during the day with his nets and Jesus filled his nets with fish. If we will trust God a little He will pour out a blessing from heaven that will be enormous. What have we been doing the same way over and over again? What is it that God wants us to change? What have we been doing for years the same way that God wants us to try it a different way so that He can fill our nets with a blessing?
We might want to start where Peter finished and that is by bowing down to pray and telling the Lord that we are sinful because we have not fully trusted Him. What one thing does God want us to do today? Trust Him, would be the correct answer. Think About These: Never be afraid to trust your unknown future to a known God. God still speaks to those who take the time to listen. Stay Pumped, Gary A. Serago Minister of God's Word Revel. 2:2-3 - 'I know your deeds and your toil and perseverance, and that you cannot tolerate evil men, and you put to the test those who call themselves apostles, and they are not, and you found them to be false; and you have perseverance and have endured for My name's sake, and have not grown weary. NASU
· Fatigue Is The Enemy Of Us All In our scripture text today Jesus is commending the saints who live in Ephesus for they have not grown weary. In other words, they have not allowed "fatigue" to win the battle they have been fighting. (If anyone is interested Dr. Mark Ziese and I will be leading a tour March 31-April 11, 2025 to Ephesus. We will be visiting the sites of the 7 churches in Revelation for more info click on this link - https://mark-ziese.squarespace.com/trkiye-and-the-early-church ). The Christians at Ephesus had not grown weary or as we might say today they didn't allow fatigue to settle in and dampen their spirits. There are a lot of causes for fatigue. A person might have anxiety, depression, an unhealthy diet, emotional exhaustion and the list goes on. It can be cured by getting more sleep, changing your diet, associate with active positive people, have a good friend to share life with and simply exercise for 30 minutes a day. All of these can be used to help people eliminate fatigue. I think the best way of all to overcome fatigue is to have a daily walk with God, believe in Him and ask Him to guide on your journey to Him. · Doing Good Gal 6:9-10 - Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary. 10 So then, while we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, and especially to those who are of the household of the faith. Paul says there is a chance that even if we are doing good and helping people we could grow weary or become fatigued. I remember hearing that the average life span of a nurse working in the burn unit of the hospital was less than 18 months. I am sure we all would agree working in a burn unit of a hospital would definitely fit under the category of "doing good". Yet, it becomes very burdensome to the nurses seeing people severely burned everyday. They become weary or fatigued and transfer out of that unit. You may be involved in a vocation right now that drains you on a daily basis. Ask yourself if you believe this is where God wants you to be? If the answer is Yes, then ask God to give you the strength to overcome the challenges before you. · What About Christianity It might surprise you but ministers likewise become fatigued or grow weary in the ministry. When I was ministering in MD one young boy came up and told me when he grew up he was going to be a minister because he would only have to work one day a week. Well, I know some people jokingly say that but I guarantee you a minister of God will work more than one day a week. What keeps a man in the ministry is he knows this is where God wants him to be. Any time you have a job where you are serving people you can be sure you will be facing the challenges of fatigue or as the apostle Paul would say, "growing weary in well doing". · How To Protect Yourself I would say the best way to protect yourself from fatigue is by believing what you are doing is vitally important and God has placed you there for such a time as this (Esther 4:14). In order to do your job correctly you will need to ask God to give you strength daily to overcome all the obstacles that will come your way and know this "fatigue" will be one of those obstacles. Another way to protect yourself from fatigue is have a good friend that you can share open conversation with about your life challenges on a regular basis. The frequency of this is up to you. Lastly, if I were you I would develop an exercise program, get plenty of sleep and eat a balanced diet for starters. Think About These: Fatigue makes cowards of us all. - General George Patton & Coach Lombardi Don't stop when you're tired. Stop when you are done. - David Goggins Gold medals aren't really made of gold. They're made of sweat, determination, and a hard-to-find alloy called guts. - Coach Dan Gable Stay Pumped, Gary A. Serago Minister of God's Word Gen. 5:21-24 - Enoch lived sixty-five years, and became the father of Methuselah. 22 Then Enoch walked with God three hundred years after he became the father of Methuselah, and he had other sons and daughters. 23 So all the days of Enoch were three hundred and sixty-five years. 24 Enoch walked with God; and he was not, for God took him. NASU
When God was walking in the Garden of Eden Adam ran and hid himself from God (Gen.3:8). Enoch wasn't hiding from God he was walking with God. He was talking with God. It was like two friends out for a stroll. What an amazing relationship they must have had together. This just blows my mind when I think about this. Now I know that this has to be some type of a Theophany because no one can see God and live. His brilliance alone would blind us forever, but regardless Enoch is walking with God for 300 YEARS! What type of questions would you ask God? I mean you are with God and He can answer any question you have without hesitation. I hope you are walking with God today. I hope you talking with Him through prayer. He is able to help you live each day of your life. He can answer all of your questions, but you have to give Him time because He will answer your questions in His time not yours.
Gen. 5:5 - So all the days that Adam lived were nine hundred and thirty years, and he died. Gen. 5:8 - So all the days of Seth were nine hundred and twelve years, and he died. Gen. 5:11- So all the days of Enosh were nine hundred and five years, and he died. Gen. 5:14 -So all the days of Kenan were nine hundred and ten years, and he died. Gen. 5:23-24 - So all the days of Enoch were three hundred and sixty-five years. 24 Enoch walked with God; and he was not, for God took him. Enoch Never Died! I left out a few names on purpose. But you can go and read from Gen.5:15 - 23 and it says the same thing they had a son and lived X amount of years afterwards and then they DIED. Not so with Enoch. He never DIED. In fact, it says specifically that God TOOK him.
God took Adam and placed him in the Garden of Eden, God took a rib from Adam and made Eve, Eve took of the fruit and ate it, David took a stone from his bag and killed Goliath and David took Goliath sword and cut off his head and there are many many other times the word "took" was used. But here in Genesis 5 Enoch walked with God and he was no more for God "took" him. Notice what the Hebrew writer says about Enoch: By faith Enoch was taken up so that he would not see death; AND HE WAS NOT FOUND BECAUSE GOD TOOK HIM UP; for he obtained the witness that before his being taken up he was pleasing to God (Heb.11:5). Enoch didn't see death because he had such a pleasing relationship with God that God allowed him to leave this world without dying. He some how or another went through the change of putting off this mortal body for an immortal one. Yes, what happened to Enoch will happen to those who are still alive when Jesus returns and the apostle Paul writes about it this way: 1 Cor. 15:51-53 - Behold, I tell you a mystery; we will not all sleep, but we will all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. For this perishable must put on the imperishable, and this mortal must put on immortality. What will happen to those alive at the 2nd coming of Jesus is what happened to Enoch. He was changed because of his relationship with God. Those who are alive at Jesus' 2nd Coming will be changed also. If you have not been born again I highly recommend having that change take place so that when you die or Jesus returns you are ready. (Contact me if you need more information about being born again)
Our day is coming. Don't look back at the things you have done that you regret. Look to the future of things you are going to do and the greatest thing you can do is walk with God to the best of your ability. This my friends is what we are after today a testimony from God like the one Enoch had received: for he obtained the witness that before his being taken up he was pleasing to God. Think About This: Are you making it easier for other people to believe in God? Stay Pumped, Gary A. Serago Minister of God's Word |
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