Oh sinful nation, people weighed down with iniquity, brood of evildoers, depraved children! They have abandoned the LORD; they have despised the Holy One of Israel; they have turned their backs on Him.     Isaiah 1:4 HCSB

While this may sound like our nation today, this is actually Judah way back in the years somewhere between 740-680 B.C. The Israelites were God’s chosen people. But time and time again in the Old Testament we read these same words, “The Israelites did evil in the sight of the Lord.” The Israelites followed a pattern-they would do well and worship and praise the Lord, they would fall into sin and idolatry, God would warn them, they would be severely punished, they would cry out to God and repent, God would forgive them and restore them, they would do well for a while and start the whole cycle all over again.

Isaiah was God’s prophet. God sent this vision to him about the sinfulness of the Israelites. He called them a sinful nation. They had missed their mark or the goal that God had set for them. Sound familiar?

God tells Isaiah the Israelites have abandoned the Lord and have despised the Holy One of Israel. In Isaiah 1:1-5 the Lord tells Isaiah about the sins the Israelites have committed against Him. But in verse 6, the Lord asks Israel, “Will you continue to be stricken again, as you continue in your rebellion?” The Israelites have suffered greatly at the Lord’s hand before due to their disobedience. Their further disobedience would lead them to be captured by Nebuchadnezzar and be taken into captivity in Babylon.

God sent Isaiah and Jeremiah to warn them of the impending captivity that would befall them should they not get right with Him.

It’s easy for me to look at the Israelites and think, “Oh, those poor dummies. They just couldn’t get it right.” But then I would have to accept the fact that I can’t get it right either. Time and time again I mess up. There was a time in my life when I would faithfully attend church and read my Bible and pray for a season and then I would get distracted. I would miss a Sunday for one reason or another and before you know it, I was only attending sporadically. I had no time to read my Bible. I forgot to pray. Then something bad would happen and I would turn to God again and do well for a while and oh well you know the pattern. I was just like the Israelites.

I am happy to say that I was just like the Israelites because there came a time in my life when this whole yo-yo Christianity no longer worked for me. I had to commit. I had to surrender. I have to give it all over to Him. He had to be the most important thing in my life. He had to be more important than spending Sundays on the sofa watching Hallmark or Lifetime movies. He had to be more important than late Saturday nights out where I was too tired to make church. He had to be more important than anything that might get in the way of my spending time worshiping Him and being in fellowship with other Christians. I no longer live in the vicious cycle of sinful behavior.

I am still a sinner. I still struggle with sin. I pray daily for God to fill me with His Holy Spirit to help me to resist the temptation to sin. God’s Holy Spirit also convicts me when I sin so that I can repent and get right with God.

Have you grown tired of the pattern? Do you commit each week that next Sunday you are going to church, but then something gets in the way? That’s just the devil, don’t let him stop you.

We live in a wicked and perverse nation and a wicked and perverse world. I won’t just fault America, it’s a worldwide problem. Can I change the world? Probably not. But I can change me. I can change me and hopefully some of those around me will take notice and will want to change as well. I can pray for a ripple effect.

What about you? Do you need to change? Do you need to commit and surrender your life to Him? I do honestly believe that we are in the end times. I pray you won’t cover your ears and close your eyes. Now is the time to listen. Now is the time to learn what God’s will is for our lives and actively pursue it. Now is the time to trust in Him and surrender your life to Him before it’s too late. It’s the time to be diligent in church attendance, bible study and prayer. Now is the time to turn from sinful behavior and trust in Him and obey Him. Don’t delay.

Have a great day!