Last Chance

Then Shecaniah (the son of Jehiel of the clan of Elam) said to me, "We acknowledge our sin against God, for we have married these heathen women. But there is hope for Israel in spite of this. Ezra 10:2 The Living Bible

Good Morning Girlfriends:

Opening up to the book of Ezra, reading through chapters 7-10, Ezra had put in a request to the king to be able to go back to his home land Jerusalem, which was granted for he found favor with God. God blessed Ezra with allowing many ordinary people to travel along with him, as well as other priests, Levites, singers, gatekeepers and Temple workers. The king sent along a letter with Ezra that stated that being the priest, the teacher of the law of the God of heaven, King Artaxerxes decreed, along with his council of seven, that any Jew in his realm including the priests and Levites, may return to Jerusalem as they were to take a copy of God's laws to Judah and Jerusalem with them. The king wanted a report to come back to him of the religious progress that was being made there. The king sent with them an extensive amount of gold and silver, which was an offering to God and they were to pick up any silver and gold offerings along the way from priests and Jews from the other provinces as well.

Their journey had taken them five months of travel across the land, in which God took them safely through, saving them from bandits along the way, until they reached their homeland destination. On their arrival it was not what Ezra had expected, as a Jewish leader approached Ezra, he filled him in that many of the Jewish people and even some of the priests and Levites had taken up horrible customs of the heathen people who lived in the land. The men of Israel had married women from the heathen nations. The holy people of God were being polluted by these mixed marriages, and Ezra learned that the political leaders were some of the worst offenders.

Ezra was completely baffled by what he was hearing as he stood there in embarrassment, he dropped to his knees and cried out before the Lord on behalf of the people for their great sin. Ezra was thankful that the Lord stayed with them, that He did not abandoned them, that the king of Persia had found favor in him. Ezra had layed on the ground in front of the Temple, weeping and praying and making confession, then a large crowd of men, women and children gathered around Ezra and cried with him. It was then that Shecaniah made the confession to acknowledge of their sin against God of marrying heathen women, and he declared before God that they would divorce the heathen women and that they would follow the commands and obey the laws of God.

Girlfriends, as we take a good look around, we can see that our nation is in the very same state as it was here in Ezra's time. People have fallen, slid back from the ways of the Lord and His commandments, things have snuck in that have taken some on a very slippery slope. Just as there were prophets back in Ezra's days who warned the people of this very thing, there are God's prophets today who have been and are still warning people to repent and get their lives turned around before it is too late. The first step is acknowledgment, the second is to repent of whatever the sin may be and the third step is to turn away from that sin and to follow God, stick to His commandments.

Girlfriends, would you stand with me today, and pray for our nation, pray for men and women all over this world that may be trapped in sin, that they would come before the Almighty God and repent and turn so that they too will have the chance to see heaven. I'm sure each of us knows people that we can pray for, somebody's son or daughter, friend, mother or father, there is always someone that we can lift up in prayer as we get in our quiet place before the Lord. God sent His son to die on the cross so that none would be lost, and when a person has the heart of the father, we don't want to see people not make heaven, so let's make it an urgent prayer to pray for those who have slidden back, fallen and is in need of help, Amen? If it was your son or daughter, mother or father or friend, it would be a great reassurance to know that someone was praying for them, Amen? We don't know when the trumpet will be sounded, so let's pray like never before.

Let's Pray,

Father God, I thank You that You first loved us. Lord, You are always so patient and compassionate with us, so much that at times I'm sure that we don't deserve it, but that how much of a good good father You are. Lord, I lift up people all over the world to you today, I'm asking that You would reveal Yourself in a way that could only be of You, Lord let people see You in a different way, then they ever have before. Let them see Jesus in a totally new way, let people feel Your presence as You draw them back to you. Let each person be brought under conviction that they will immediately repent and turn from their sin as they remember what You have already done for them. Lord You are a gracious God and You are a patient God and I thank You for who You are. Lord, I am believing that there will be many who turn themselves around and run back into Your loving arms in repentance. I give You all the praise, the glory and the honor in the Mighty name of Jesus, Amen.

Be blessed and pass the blessings on. Thank you for passing this message on.