Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying:  Who should I send?  Who will go for us?  I said:  Here I am. Send me.  And He replied:

Go!  Say to these people:  Keep listening, but do not understand; keep looking, but do not perceive  Dull the minds of these people; deafen their ears and blind their eyes; otherwise they might see with their eyes and hear with their ears, understand with their minds, turn back, and be healed.  Then I said, “Until when, Lord?”  And He replied:

Until cities lie in ruins without inhabitants, houses are without people, the land is ruined and desolate, and the Lord drives the people far away, leaving great emptiness in the land.   Isaiah 6:8-12  HCSB

My six year old niece is very intelligent and she loves to tell jokes.  She has many different reasons for why a chicken might cross the road.  Often times, she follows her joke with the phrase, “Get it?”.

So today, I wanted to ask you if you get it?  I am asking this because I have realized that a vast number of people just don’t get it.  But, as with everything else, the Bible explains this in our scripture passage today.  God explains clearly in our scripture passage today that for those that reject him, at some point, he will dull their minds, deafen their ears and blind their eyes.  In Matthew 13:13, Jesus refers to this Old Testament scripture passage and explains that this is why he often speaks to people in parables or short fictional stories.  He is trying to explain things to them in a way that they will understand. If you are a Christian who is trying to lead someone to the Lord, you must give this some consideration.  It has been my experience that I have shared scripture with those who are lost.  I have talked to them about giving their life (with its many problems) over to God.  But often times they look at me as if I have three heads.

Now I am going to be totally honest here.  I should be sharing God’s love with everyone I meet, but I try to let my life be a witness to them and perhaps draw them in that way.  For my loved ones, I consider it to be more urgent.  I want them to get it.  I want them to hear and understand.  I want them to see and perceive.  I want them to see with their eyes, hear with their ears, and understand with their minds.  But often times, I get eyes that roll.  Sometimes, I get the head turned sideways like my beagles do when I say something that they don’t understand.

So, this morning, I hope that you are reading this with open eyes, ears, and minds.  I hope that you are seeing, hearing, and understanding what I am saying here.  It’s not rocket science, but it does take faith to believe.

First and foremost, I want you to know that there is a heaven and there is a hell.  You are going to one of these places to spend eternity when you die or when the rapture happens, whichever comes first.  Secondly, I want you to know that there is one true God and there is a devil.  Now, perhaps because you have not seen either of them, you don’t believe.  Well, the thing here is that you have seen them, but you haven’t perceived them.  When you see the beauty and wonders all around you, like a glorious sunrise or beautiful fluffy white clouds against a brilliant blue sky, you are seeing God and His works.  When you see the evil in the world, you are seeing the devil and his works.

When you go and sit in church and the preacher says something that hits a little too close to home or gets into your personal business, you are hearing, but are you understanding?  I thank God for our pastor, Brother Dan Munson.  I thank God for the fact that he doesn’t candy coat it.  He tells it like it is.  He does this because he loves us and does not want to see us spend eternity in hell.  When you are choosing your church and your pastor or your televangelist by the ones that make you feel good every time you hear them, you are hearing but you are not understanding, just sayin’.  You are doing what our pastor calls getting your ears tickled.

If you get nothing else out of this blog this morning, I want you to know this.  Heaven is real and so is hell.  There are good and evil forces that are at war for your soul.  You are going to have to make a choice.  If you choose to do nothing then you are choosing to close your eyes, your ears and your minds.  If you choose to turn to God, know that you can be healed.  You can spend eternity in heaven with God the Father.

My prayer for you today is that you get it.  I pray that you understand the urgency of turning to your Lord and Savior.  None of us know how much time we have left here.  Age has nothing to do with it.  We could be called into eternity at any time.  The question is where will you spend it?  Get it?

Have a great day!