When a nation and the people trust in God it goes well with them, but when they stop trusting in God, and when they defy God, things go bad with them.
I want to read for you what happened to a king of Judah that stopped trusting in God. I read from 2 Chronicles chapter 16. “In the 36th year of Asa’s reign, Baasha king of Israel came up against Judah and fortified Ramah in order to prevent anyone from going out or coming in to Asa king of Judah. Then Asa brought out silver and gold from the treasures of the house of the Lord and the King’s house and sent them to Ben-hadad king of Aram, who lived in Damascus, saying. “Let there be a treaty between you and me, as between my father and your father. Behold, I have sent you silver and gold; go break your treaty with Baasha king of Israel so that he will withdraw from me.” So Ben-hadad listened to King Asa and sent the commanders of his armies against the cities of Israel, and they conquered by Ijon, Dan, AbelmaÃm and all the stores cities of Naphtali. When Baasha heard of it, he ceased fortifying Ramah and stopped his work. Then King Asa brought all Judah, and they carried away the stones of Rama and its timber with which Baasha had been building, and with them he fortified Geba and Mispah. At that time Hanani the seer came to Asa king of Judah and said to him, “Because you have relied on the king of Aram and have not relied on the Lord your God, therefore the army of the king of Aram has escaped out of your hand. Were not the Ethiopians and Lubim an immense army with very many chariots and horsemen? Yet because you relied on the Lord, He delivered them into your hand. For the eyes of the Lord move to and fro throughout the earth that He may strongly support those whose heart is completely His. You have acted foolishly in this. Indeed from now on you will surely have wars. Then Asa was angry with the seer and put him in prison, for he was enraged at him for this. And Asa oppressed some of the people at the same time.” We further read in verse 12 , “In the 39th year of his reign Asa became diseased in his feet. His disease was severe, yet even in his disease he did
not seek the Lord but the physicians.”
And that is the mistake that many people make. That is the mistake that a nation makes when they stopped trusting in God. This is a statement of what used to be, (Displaying a dollar bill) and what has been taken off the currency. “IN GOD WE TRUST.”
When we stop trusting in God, God takes his hand of protection away from us, and we will suffer. We will be afflicted. God protects those who trust in Him but those who deny Him, He will certainly also deny. If we turn back to God, if we obey Him, if we trust Him; He will protect us. But if we scoff Him and mock Him, and trust in ourselves and make allegiances with other nations, then God takes His hand away from us and we will perish. The nation and the people that puts its trust in God, will be exalted, but those who turn away from God will be afflicted, will perish. Is your trust in God? Or do you trust in yourself, and other people, in alliances with other people, in your own abilities, and army; or do you trust in God. Trust in God and you will never be defeated.
May Jesus bless you.
finalcall07 