02/09/2012 - DISASTROUS CONFESSION

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Therefore he said to Judah, “Let us build these cities and make walls around them, and towers, gates, and bars, while the land is yet before us, because we have sought the LORD our God; we have sought Him, and He has given us rest on every side.” So they built and prospered.

II Chronicles 14:7

There are things in life we should not even have attempted to do, and yet we did them only to regret them later; things we did in the past which we have never thought could be the cause for so much misfortune, and mainly for preventing God from acting on our behalf. What happened to king Asa in the past explains what we’re going to study in this lesson. I hope it’ll serve as a warning sign to all my readers.

Although he was the successor of Abijah – an awkward ruler of the people of God – Asa, his son, began reigning well and soon started doing what was right in the eyes of the Lord. As a result, the divine hand came upon his life and all over his kingdom causing that king to be very successful. However, because he was not watchful he ended up making a foolish decision: he called the Israelites and instructed them to take advantage of the prosperity that had come upon them by building walls and towers to protect them during the hard times that were drawing near. Well, the Most High, who had led Asa into victory, would continue to assist him – just as He still does to us today.

The devil tempts us in a myriad of ways until we fall prey to his snares. He comes to us as if we were his friends, talking us into doing what we shouldn’t. The problem comes up when we begin behaving just like those who do not know the Word and get carried away by the lies of Satan. Instead of doing so we, the children of God, need to be prepared to avoid doing anything that is not in accordance with the Holy Scriptures. Actually, only the Word of the Lord should guide us. However, many Christians say, out of pride, that they do whatever their heart tells them to do because it never fails. Nevertheless, the Bible states that men’s heart is deceitful and desperately wicked (Jeremiah 17:9), and the Word cannot have contradictions.

How much infidelity has been committed because individuals, driven by the voice of their own heart, think that another person would be a better match for them instead of the one to whom they got married! In all probability, many of my readers have become victims of their hearts. Yet, even thought they’re aware of the fact that such attitude doesn’t please the Lord, many still give in to the hellish offers whenever they’re tempted by Satan.

The fear of the Lord that king Asa had was a blessing to his reign, but all of a sudden, when he became afraid of being invaded he came up with the idea of building fortresses. That ruler said that that work had to be done while the land was yet before them. However, a demon used Zerah, the Ethiopian, who came out against that king along with an army of a million soldiers (II Chronicles 14:9-15).

Judah could have continued to be extremely prosperous; after all, God had placed the right person to lead that people. Yet, Asa failed to observe the Law of the Lord and began doing what his weak and deceitful heart told him to. Do not emulate that king and don’t ever do what your inner self tells you to. He who walks in the paths of the Lord will never be condemned. There’s protection in the divine paths and the best thing is that the filthy ones do not walk on those ways.

In Christ, with love,

R. R. Soares