A Path of Destruction

I have heard stories of the devastation and destruction of the Florida coast and the path of destruction left behind from Hurricane Michael in just last year. I have not put my eyes on the damage, but the stories that eye witnesses tell are consistent about the depth of destruction. It hurts my heart to see people’s lives turned upside down by something like this.

I was reading in Lamentations about the total destruction and devastation of Jerusalem because of their sin. They were warned time and again. They chose to ignore the warning about what was coming. Jeremiah spoke consistently on behalf of God about what was coming if they continued to ignore God. He penned the book of Lamentations after the destruction happened. Check this out….

⁹ Jerusalem’s gates have sunk into the ground.
    He has smashed their locks and bars.
Her kings and princes have been exiled to distant lands;
    her law has ceased to exist.
Her prophets receive
    no more visions from the Lord.

¹⁰ The leaders of beautiful Jerusalem
    sit on the ground in silence.
They are clothed in burlap
    and throw dust on their heads.
The young women of Jerusalem
    hang their heads in shame.

¹¹ I have cried until the tears no longer come;
    my heart is broken.
My spirit is poured out in agony
    as I see the desperate plight of my people.(Lamentations 2:9-11a NLT)

I’ve seen first-hand the destruction of sin. I’ve seen lives torn apart and marriages destroyed by sin. I often seen sin as a process more than a trap. I think once we stick our toe in sin to “test” it out, we can still resist. We start manipulating our “flags” that are going off and we justify our behavior because we want what we want, and we’ll do whatever we need to in order to get it. That is ultimately very self-centered, which is what sin really revolves around.

I try to live my life in “destruction prevention mode”. I want to listen intently to the Lord as He speaks to me in so many different ways through His Word, His people and everyday events in my life. He is speaking and leading IF I will listen and pay attention to Him.  If I choose to ignore His instruction and His warnings about my sin, a path of destruction is coming. My sin behavior comes from a heart diseased with sin. I must consistently confess my sin before the Lord and repent. His grace is a free gift. His mercy is real. He wants to restore my soul quickly and completely. What I often want so darn badly is very temporary, but what He wants for me is eternal.

Pressing On!

Dwayne