It's Time For The Nation To Choose

While walking along one of our local bush tracks recently, I heard the Lord say these words "It's time for the nation to choose". I had been in prayer about the drought that is currently reaching a critical point in our nation and pondering the causes of the drought both natural and spiritual. There are some very clear scriptural teachings which pertain to the amount of rain poured out upon a country and it's relation to that countries standing before God in heaven. Throughout history God has used droughts to get the attention of nations in an attempt to bring them back from the spiritually dark paths they had chosen. As the citizens of those nations were experiencing these droughts, they, like us would have felt extreme pressure and major inconvenience to their daily routines. God allows these things to occur because He is also concerned about the eternity that each member of that nation will face, if they don't turn back to Him and change the way they live. Time after time throughout history Israel (the nation God had called to be His own special people) turned away from His commandments and walking rightly before Him and began to follow false gods and set up idols, thereby allowing a great spiritual darkness to cover the land. God sent His prophets among them constantly, warning them of the error of their ways and of the judgement that was looming if they didn't turn back and serve Him alone. But Israel was stubborn and wanted to do their own thing, much like our nation today, and so time and time again the nation suffered famines and wars and pestilences. These were all described in the Bible as results of the nation's sin, and attempts by God to bring the nation back to Himself and the blessing and prosperity that ultimately follow. The causes that have brought our nation to this point are the same as those that led Israel to a turbulent history, when they could have chosen a glorious and fruitful path where God would have made them 'a light that shone into the whole world'. Cause and Effect Every nation in the world is made up of individual citizens, and each individual citizen has a position before the throne of God our creator. If we as individuals consider our ways and the teachings found within the scriptures of the Bible, we can find forgiveness from sin through Jesus Christ God's Son and our standing before the throne of God also changes. Where previously we were separated from God's blessing by our sins and rebellious ways, we are now accepted and beloved as dear children and the daily experience of God's favour shining upon us will be ours. But if we continue down the road of selfishness and rebellion before God we will pay the consequences of these actions eternally as individuals and as a nation continue to pay the price of not having right standing before our Creator. Jesus said that in the end days there would be wars and famines and pestilences in many places throughout the world, but He treats those nations that honour and worship Him differently to those who don't. Christianity has been the foundation stone that many nations have been built upon, our laws and our systems of government in many cases have come directly out of the teachings in the Bible. Following these principles allowed us to become strong and to prosper as a nation, but their has been an erosion of truth and integrity throughout our generation that has resulted in our current dire circumstances. We as a nation and individuals before God have exalted our own desires and ways above the ways that God our Heavenly Father would choose for us. We have turned our back on Him and His teachings in the Bible and accepted other standards of living that have led us astray. If people stop running around long enough to look at our society and how it is obviously destroying itself before our eyes, they may see that what we have now is a direct result of the bad decisions we have made and the ungodly laws we have accepted as a nation. It is time to stop listening to the so called 'experts' who have led us so far astray and away from the eternal wisdom of walking with God and in His ways, because sinful men will always choose ways that allow them to continue in their sin and rebellion. They will always seek to justify their sinfulness and 'prove' that man knows better than God, but in the end they will all stand before God individually and give an account of their lives before Him and try to explain why they rejected His offer of salvation through Jesus Christ. God loves us all individually and as a nation and wants us to consider our ways and choose the right path and the right future for our children and their children. Our nation is at a crossroad in its history, and must now decide in which direction its future lies. Warm Regards John Nolan Dads Uni Similar Teachings: The Case For Change (Deuteronomy 30 v 15-17) 15"See, I have set before you today life and good, death and evil, 16in that I command you today to love the Lord your God, to walk in His ways, and to keep His commandments, His statutes, and His judgments, that you may live and multiply; and the Lord your God will bless you in the land which you go to possess. 17But if your heart turns away so that you do not hear, and are drawn away, and worship other gods and serve them, 18I announce to you today that you shall surely perish; Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1979, 1980, 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.