Prayers, Answered and Not, And Repentance

Then one night the LORD appeared to Solomon and said, "I have heard your prayer and have chosen this Temple as the place for making sacrifices. At times I might shut up the heavens so that no rain falls, or command grasshoppers to devour your crops, or send plagues among you. Then if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and restore their land. My eyes will be open and My ears attentive to every prayer made in this place. For I have chosen this Temple and set it apart to be holy--a place where My name will be honored forever. I will always watch over it, for it is dear to My heart. "As for you, if you faithfully follow Me as David your father did, obeying all My commands, decrees, and regulations, then I will establish the throne of your dynasty. For I made this covenant with your father, David, when I said, 'One of your descendants will always rule over Israel.' "But if you or your descendants abandon Me and disobey the decrees and commands I have given you, and if you serve and worship other gods, then I will uproot the people from this land that I have given them. I will reject this Temple that I have made holy to honor My name. I will make it an object of mockery and ridicule among the nations. And though this Temple is impressive now, all who pass by will be appalled. They will ask, 'Why did the LORD do such terrible things to this land and to this Temple?' "And the answer will be, 'Because His people abandoned the LORD, the God of their ancestors, who brought them out of Egypt, and they worshiped other gods instead and bowed down to them. That is why He has brought all these disasters on them.'"  - 2 Chronicles 7:12-22

Oh, what a sinful nation they are--loaded down with a burden of guilt. They are evil people, corrupt children who have rejected the LORD. They have despised the Holy One of Israel and turned their backs on Him. Why do you continue to invite punishment? Must you rebel forever? Your head is injured, and your heart is sick. You are battered from head to foot--covered with bruises, welts, and infected wounds--without any soothing ointments or bandages. Your country lies in ruins, and your towns are burned. Foreigners plunder your fields before your eyes and destroy everything they see. Beautiful Jerusalem stands abandoned like a watchman's shelter in a vineyard, like a lean-to in a cucumber field after the harvest, like a helpless city under siege. If the LORD of Heaven's Armies had not spared a few of us, we would have been wiped out like Sodom, destroyed like Gomorrah. Listen to the LORD, you leaders of "Sodom." Listen to the law of our God, people of "Gomorrah." "What makes you think I want all your sacrifices?" says the LORD. "I am sick of your burnt offerings of rams and the fat of fattened cattle. I get no pleasure from the blood of bulls and lambs and goats. When you come to worship Me, who asked you to parade through My courts with all your ceremony? Stop bringing Me your meaningless gifts; the incense of your offerings disgusts Me! As for your celebrations of the new moon and the Sabbath and your special days for fasting--they are all sinful and false. I want no more of your pious meetings. I hate your new moon celebrations and your annual festivals. They are a burden to Me. I cannot stand them! When you lift up your hands in prayer, I will not look. Though you offer many prayers, I will not listen, for your hands are covered with the blood of innocent victims. Wash yourselves and be clean! Get your sins out of My sight. Give up your evil ways. Learn to do good. Seek justice. Help the oppressed. Defend the cause of orphans. Fight for the rights of widows. "Come now, let's settle this," says the LORD. "Though your sins are like scarlet, I will make them as white as snow. Though they are red like crimson, I will make them as white as wool. If you will only obey Me, you will have plenty to eat. But if you turn away and refuse to listen, you will be devoured by the sword of your enemies. I, the LORD, have spoken!"  - Isaiah 1:4-20

"Write this letter to the angel of the church in Ephesus. This is the message from the One who holds the seven stars in His right hand, the One who walks among the seven gold lampstands: "I know all the things you do. I have seen your hard work and your patient endurance. I know you don't tolerate evil people. You have examined the claims of those who say they are apostles but are not. You have discovered they are liars. You have patiently suffered for Me without quitting. "But I have this complaint against you. You don't love Me or each other as you did at first! Look how far you have fallen! Turn back to Me and do the works you did at first. If you don't repent, I will come and remove your lampstand from its place among the churches. But this is in your favor: You hate the evil deeds of the Nicolaitans, just as I do. "Anyone with ears to hear must listen to the Spirit and understand what He is saying to the churches. To everyone who is victorious I will give fruit from the tree of life in the paradise of God. "Write this letter to the angel of the church in Smyrna. This is the message from the One who is the First and the Last, who was dead but is now alive: "I know about your suffering and your poverty--but you are rich! I know the blasphemy of those opposing you. They say they are Jews, but they are not, because their synagogue belongs to Satan. Don't be afraid of what you are about to suffer. The devil will throw some of you into prison to test you. You will suffer for ten days. But if you remain faithful even when facing death, I will give you the crown of life. "Anyone with ears to hear must listen to the Spirit and understand what He is saying to the churches. Whoever is victorious will not be harmed by the second death. "Write this letter to the angel of the church in Pergamum. This is the message from the One with the sharp two-edged sword: "I know that you live in the city where Satan has his throne, yet you have remained loyal to Me. You refused to deny Me even when Antipas, My faithful witness, was martyred among you there in Satan's city. "But I have a few complaints against you. You tolerate some among you whose teaching is like that of Balaam, who showed Balak how to trip up the people of Israel. He taught them to sin by eating food offered to idols and by committing sexual sin. In a similar way, you have some Nicolaitans among you who follow the same teaching. Repent of your sin, or I will come to you suddenly and fight against them with the sword of My mouth. "Anyone with ears to hear must listen to the Spirit and understand what He is saying to the churches. To everyone who is victorious I will give some of the manna that has been hidden away in heaven. And I will give to each one a white stone, and on the stone will be engraved a new name that no one understands except the one who receives it. "Write this letter to the angel of the church in Thyatira. This is the message from the Son of God, whose eyes are like flames of fire, whose feet are like polished bronze: "I know all the things you do. I have seen your love, your faith, your service, and your patient endurance. And I can see your constant improvement in all these things. "But I have this complaint against you. You are permitting that woman--that Jezebel who calls herself a prophet--to lead My servants astray. She teaches them to commit sexual sin and to eat food offered to idols. I gave her time to repent, but she does not want to turn away from her immorality. "Therefore, I will throw her on a bed of suffering, and those who commit adultery with her will suffer greatly unless they repent and turn away from her evil deeds. I will strike her children dead. Then all the churches will know that I am the One who searches out the thoughts and intentions of every person. And I will give to each of you whatever you deserve. "But I also have a message for the rest of you in Thyatira who have not followed this false teaching ('deeper truths,' as they call them--depths of Satan, actually). I will ask nothing more of you except that you hold tightly to what you have until I come. To all who are victorious, who obey Me to the very end, To them I will give authority over all the nations. They will rule the nations with an iron rod and smash them like clay pots. They will have the same authority I received from My Father, and I will also give them the morning star! "Anyone with ears to hear must listen to the Spirit and understand what He is saying to the churches.  - Revelation 2:1-29

"Write this letter to the angel of the church in Sardis. This is the message from the One who has the sevenfold Spirit of God and the seven stars: "I know all the things you do, and that you have a reputation for being alive--but you are dead. Wake up! Strengthen what little remains, for even what is left is almost dead. I find that your actions do not meet the requirements of My God. Go back to what you heard and believed at first; hold to it firmly. Repent and turn to Me again. If you don't wake up, I will come to you suddenly, as unexpected as a thief. "Yet there are some in the church in Sardis who have not soiled their clothes with evil. They will walk with Me in white, for they are worthy. All who are victorious will be clothed in white. I will never erase their names from the Book of Life, but I will announce before My Father and His angels that they are Mine. "Anyone with ears to hear must listen to the Spirit and understand what He is saying to the churches. "Write this letter to the angel of the church in Philadelphia. This is the message from the One who is holy and true, the One who has the key of David. What He opens, no one can close; and what He closes, no one can open: "I know all the things you do, and I have opened a door for you that no one can close. You have little strength, yet you obeyed My word and did not deny Me. Look, I will force those who belong to Satan's synagogue--those liars who say they are Jews but are not--to come and bow down at your feet. They will acknowledge that you are the ones I love. "Because you have obeyed My command to persevere, I will protect you from the great time of testing that will come upon the whole world to test those who belong to this world. I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take away your crown. All who are victorious will become pillars in the Temple of My God, and they will never have to leave it. And I will write on them the name of My God, and they will be citizens in the city of My God--the new Jerusalem that comes down from heaven from My God. And I will also write on them My new name. "Anyone with ears to hear must listen to the Spirit and understand what He is saying to the churches. "Write this letter to the angel of the church in Laodicea. This is the message from the One who is the Amen--the faithful and true witness, the beginning of God's new creation: "I know all the things you do, that you are neither hot nor cold. I wish that you were one or the other! But since you are like lukewarm water, neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of My mouth! You say, 'I am rich. I have everything I want. I don't need a thing!' And you don't realize that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked. So I advise you to buy gold from Me--gold that has been purified by fire. Then you will be rich. Also buy white garments from Me so you will not be shamed by your nakedness, and ointment for your eyes so you will be able to see. I correct and discipline everyone I love. So be diligent and turn from your indifference. "Look! I stand at the door and knock. If you hear My voice and open the door, I will come in, and we will share a meal together as friends. Those who are victorious will sit with Me on My throne, just as I was victorious and sat with My Father on His throne. "Anyone with ears to hear must listen to the Spirit and understand what He is saying to the churches."  - Revelation 3:1-22

 - -

Testing (Revealed)

The Test

For the LORD your God is testing you, to know whether you love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul.   - Deuteronomy 13:3b

And so in the matter of the envoys of the princes of Babylon, who had been sent to him [Hezekiah] to inquire about the sign that had been done in the land, God left him to himself, in order to test him and to know all that was in his heart.   - 2 Chronicles 32:31

Genesis 22:1-2, 11-12  After these things God tested Abraham and said to him, "Abraham!" And he said, "Here I am."   - 2 -   He said, "Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you." - 11 -  But the angel of the LORD called to him from heaven and said, "Abraham, Abraham!" And he said, "Here I am."   - 12 -   He said, "Do not lay your hand on the boy or do anything to him, for now I know that you fear God, seeing you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me."

*Deuteronomy 8:1-20  "The whole commandment that I command you today you shall be careful to do, that you may live and multiply, and go in and possess the land that the LORD swore to give to your fathers.   - 2 -   And you shall remember the whole way that the LORD your God has led you these forty years in the wilderness, that he might humble you, testing you to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep his commandments or not.   - 3 -   And he humbled you and let you hunger and fed you with manna, which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that he might make you know that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD.   - 4 -   Your clothing did not wear out on you and your foot did not swell these forty years.   - 5 -   Know then in your heart that, as a man disciplines his son, the LORD your God disciplines you.   - 6 -   So you shall keep the commandments of the LORD your God by walking in his ways and by fearing him.   - 7 -   For the LORD your God is bringing you into a good land, a land of brooks of water, of fountains and springs, flowing out in the valleys and hills,   - 8 -   a land of wheat and barley, of vines and fig trees and pomegranates, a land of olive trees and honey,   - 9 -   a land in which you will eat bread without scarcity, in which you will lack nothing, a land whose stones are iron, and out of whose hills you can dig copper.   - 10 -   And you shall eat and be full, and you shall bless the LORD your God for the good land he has given you.   - 11 -   "Take care lest you forget the LORD your God by not keeping his commandments and his rules and his statutes, which I command you today,   - 12 -   lest, when you have eaten and are full and have built good houses and live in them,   - 13 -   and when your herds and flocks multiply and your silver and gold is multiplied and all that you have is multiplied,   - 14 -   then your heart be lifted up, and you forget the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery,   - 15 -   who led you through the great and terrifying wilderness, with its fiery serpents and scorpions and thirsty ground where there was no water, who brought you water out of the flinty rock,   - 16 -   who fed you in the wilderness with manna that your fathers did not know, that he might humble you and test you, to do you good in the end.   - 17 -   Beware lest you say in your heart, 'My power and the might of my hand have gotten me this wealth.'   - 18 -   You shall remember the LORD your God, for it is he who gives you power to get wealth, that he may confirm his covenant that he swore to your fathers, as it is this day.   - 19 -   And if you forget the LORD your God and go after other gods and serve them and worship them, I solemnly warn you today that you shall surely perish.   - 20 -   Like the nations that the LORD makes to perish before you, so shall you perish, because you would not obey the voice of the LORD your God.

Job 1:9-11  Then Satan answered the LORD and said, "Does Job fear God for no reason?   - 10 -   Have you not put a hedge around him and his house and all that he has, on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land.   - 11 -   But stretch out your hand and touch all that he has, and he will curse you to your face."

Job 1:20-22  Then Job arose and tore his robe and shaved his head and fell on the ground and worshiped.   - 21 -   And he said, "Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked shall I return. The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD."   - 22 -   In all this Job did not sin or charge God with wrong.

Job 2:4-5  Then Satan answered the LORD and said, "Skin for skin! All that a man has he will give for his life.   - 5 -   But stretch out your hand and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will curse you to your face."

Job 2:10  But he said to her, "You speak as one of the foolish women would speak. Shall we receive good from God, and shall we not receive evil?" In all this Job did not sin with his lips.

Psalms 139:23-24  Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts!   - 24 -   And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!

Proverbs 17:3  The crucible is for silver, and the furnace is for gold, and the LORD tests hearts.

1 Peter 1:6-7  In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials,   - 7 -   so that the tested genuineness of your faith--more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire--may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

 - - - - - - - - - -

*Proverbs 30:1-9  The words of Agur son of Jakeh. The oracle. The man declares, I am weary, O God; I am weary, O God, and worn out.   - 2 -   Surely I am too stupid to be a man. I have not the understanding of a man.   - 3 -   I have not learned wisdom, nor have I knowledge of the Holy One.   - 4 -   Who has ascended to heaven and come down? Who has gathered the wind in his fists? Who has wrapped up the waters in a garment? Who has established all the ends of the earth? What is his name, and what is his son's name? Surely you know!   - 5 -   Every word of God proves true; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him.   - 6 -   Do not add to his words, lest he rebuke you and you be found a liar.   - 7 -   Two things I ask of you; deny them not to me before I die:   - 8 -   Remove far from me falsehood and lying; give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with the food that is needful for me,   - 9 -   lest I be full and deny you and say, "Who is the LORD?" or lest I be poor and steal and profane the name of my God.

Power, Love, Self Control, Adoption, Spirit of-

For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity,
but of power, love, and self-discipline.   - 2 Timothy 1:7

So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. 

Instead, you received God's Spirit when He adopted you as His own children. Now we call Him, "Abba, Father."   - Romans 8:15