A divine spark. A flash image. A scripture suspended before me. This series shares soul-to-soul watchwords that I believe the Lord has impressed on me for this season, hour, moment that we’re in.
This time He marked the season with a scripture (several subsequently) . . . it’s a definite wake-up call.
“I will take my stand at my watchpost and station myself on the tower, and look out to see what He will say to me.” —Habakkuk 2:1
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READING TIME: 3 to 4 MINUTES.
WATCHWORD GIVEN: BEGINNING OF NOVEMBER 2020
T his time the watchword was 2 Timothy 3. It hung, suspended in the air over my prayer chair when I awoke that morning. It loomed large.
We’re aware of the times—particularly that scripture—but when God does a mini billboard in your room, it’s a heads-up. It cements things. We. Are. In. Those. Days. It’s not a matter of “application” . . . it’s real and it’s now..
Prior to this, I’d been reading Isaiah, followed by Jeremiah, some Ezekiel, Hosea, then Ezekiel again. After revisiting 2 Timothy 3, I felt prompted to go back over Hosea for a comparison of the two.
But unintentionally I had started to read Titus 3 and found that it plays into the Hosea/2 Timothy 3 comparison as well. And with that, I soon realized that Ezekiel 22 and Jeremiah 22 also mirrored the “reminding” wording of Titus 3.
So let’s do some unpacking to hear from the Lord.
First, keep in mind that Hosea’s audience was the Northern Kingdom prior to its Assyrian captivity. His prophecies were fulfilled within 30 years of their delivery. Both Ezekiel and Jeremiah warned the Southern Kingdom (Judah) before their descent into Babylonian captivity.
Paul’s letter to Timothy refers to the days—the season—that would unfold immediately before the return of Jesus and the consummation of all things. Eerily, the three prophets of Israel/Judah along with Paul’s clarion call were voices crying out to a people whose sins and soul condition mirrored today’s world.
HOSEA & 2 TIMOTHY 3 & EZEKIEL 22
Critical words/images from Hosea (chapters 1-12) that relate to our times, to the current soul condition of humanity:
1. walking in spiritual adultery
2. having a faithlessness—a spirit of prostitution leads Israel away
3. demonstrating no love or acknowledgment of God—only cursing
4. lying, committing murder, stealing, adultery
5. breaking all bounds
6. spilling bloodshed that follows bloodshed—and stumbling day and night
7. ignoring the Law of God—exchanging their glory for something disgraceful
8. having an arrogance testifies against them
9. their sins are exposed, crimes revealed—deceit, thievery, robbery
10. acting senseless
11. speaking lies against God
12. following their deceitful hearts
The call: return to God, maintain love and His justice.
2 Timothy 3—its key descriptions of the last days’ mentality. They’ll sound quite familiar, in line with Hosea’s calling-out:
1. lovers of self
2. loving money
3. boastful, proud, abusive
4. disobedient and ungrateful
5. unholy, without love, unforgiving
6. slanderous
7. no self-control
8. brutal
9. not lovers of God
10. having a form of godliness but denying its power
The call: continue in what you’ve learned about God, love, patience, perseverance, and the sacred writings because “all Scripture is inspired by God and beneficial for teaching, for rebuke, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man or woman of God may be fully capable, equipped for every good work.”
Ezekiel 22 echoes both Hosea and 2 Timothy 3 loud and clear:
1. shedding blood
2. idolatry
3. oppressing strangers, orphans, widows
4. despising God’s holy things, profaning Shabbat (His Law)
5. slanderers
6. sexual uncleanness
7. steeped in bribery, taking interest
8. conspiracy among prophets, tearing prey
9. making no distinction between the holy and the common
10. oppressed the stranger without justice
The call: Hear, pay attention, for the time is coming when the Lord will deal with these indignations.
GOD WANTS: TITUS 3 & JEREMIAH 22
Titus 3 says to remember this:
1. be obedient—ready to do what’s good
2. slander no one
3. be peaceable, considerate
4. show true humility toward all humanity
Jeremiah 22 shows us what it means to know God:
1. do justice and righteousness
2. save those robbed by their oppressor
3. don’t mistreat others or do violence to the stranger, orphan, widow
4. don’t shed innocent blood
BROKEN SOULS: WALK THE RESTORATION
Humanity is fractured. You. Me. And everyone else. God made a way to repair that broken relationship with Him and with one another.
Here’s the 4-1-1 series on how your soul can be restored: God’s Roadmap to Heaven:The Broken Bridge, followed by the Roadmap to Heaven: The ABCS of Salvation Also, the third part of that short series is a Grow in the Lord resource, recommendations for solid biblical teaching/radio, etc.
CREDITS: Lighthouse with lightning photo by Michael Krahn on Unsplash.com
