2 Kings 19:10-14 “This message is for King Hezekiah of Judah. Don’t let your God, in whom you trust, deceive you with promises that Jerusalem will not be captured by the king of Assyria. You know perfectly well what the kings of Assyria have done wherever they have gone. They have completely destroyed everyone who stood in their way! Why should you be any different? Have the gods of other nations rescued them – such nations as Gozan, Haran, Rezeph, and the people of Eden who were in Telassar? My predecessors destroyed them all! What happened to the king of Hamath and the king of Arpad? What happened to the kings of Sepharvaim, Hena, and Ivvah?”
The Assyrians were boastful, and did not know who I am. They were convinced that they were unconquerable. And, they made sure to plant doubt and fear into the hearts of my people. But, they were no match for me. So it is today. Your enemy has moved many from their trust in me into abject fear, and thus controls their behavior. Just as the king of Assyria was attempting to get the people of Judah to surrender to them without a fight, so your enemy does today. This is how they have turned your people into fearful, obedient, unquestioning followers. If you live in fear, you do not live in me. If you look to people to keep you safe and healthy, you do not trust in me. If you hand over the controls of your life to others – if you blindly obey those who do not represent me – then you are not following me. If you are not a Berean in every area of your life – but especially in those areas where others say they are speaking my Word, interpreting my commands, giving instruction that aligns with my desires – if you are not a Berean in all things spiritual and physical – then you are not following my commands, you are not following me, and you are wasting the gifts that I have given to you, my children, my special creation. You have been given the ability to think critically, to study and verify. You have been given the ability to reason, to overcome emotion with logic and fact. Yet, so many have allowed the enemy to guide them into fear, into blind obedience, into wrong thinking in the name of being “healthy”, of “caring for others”. Yet, nowhere in there, is care for or obedience to me. Wake up before it is too late. Your enemy seeks to separate you from me, and ultimately to destroy you. This is the same battle that has been raging since the beginning of time. This battle, however, is fiercer than at any time other than when they persecuted and murdered me. Your enemy is well aware that the end is approaching. As we move closer to your enemy’s ultimate demise, the attempts to destroy you are ramping up. It is a multi-pronged approach that comes at you from all sides. Your government. Your health industry. Your corporations. Your “news” sources. Your entertainment industry. My “church”. Your own family and friends. Critical eyes and ears, children. Verify before trusting. Pray before obeying. Seek me and me alone and I will keep you from falling into their pits. Step up, time is growing short.
Amanuensis 