Carol J German

“The cross was never meant to fit into your lifestyle; it was meant to change it.” (@shejourneyswithhim)

As a believer in Christ, one can never remain unchanged, unmoved, nor unbroken in their flesh. God is constantly battling for your saved soul. There is an urgency placed upon your faith that needs attention daily or else you will fall prey to the ways of this world.

There were four men; a grandfather, his son, grandson and great-grandson, who lived to please God yet also loved the ways of the world too. God called them to positions where they had opportunity to lead others. Unfortunately, their dual love affair cost them and the people they led dearly. God became angry and had to withhold blessings because of it.

You see in this family line how easy it is for a believer to lose their step and to fall away from God.

In 2 Chronicles 25-28 you read about four kings that led Judah. Their reigns began when they were young adults, ages 16-25, and they reigned for 113 years. The common thread between all kings back in the Old Testament was this, if you follow God and His ways, peace will prevail and people will have enough provision. But if you choose to become lazy with God, you will face consequences. People followed the king in how he lived his life, so it was important for kings to live righteously if they wanted God’s blessing.

It is no different today. Every believer has God living within them. You are to live a changed, moved by the Holy Spirit, broken over your sins kind of life. You walk moment-by-moment in repentance and dependency upon God who leads every part of your life until He takes you home. Anything less can be likened to these men who became kings.

Look at the sins that caused these men to falter. Amaziah did what pleased God, but he did not live wholeheartedly for Him; see chapter 25. While he lived godly, he became unwilling to listen to truth. He became uninterested. Perhaps his victories that he achieved dulled his heart. He liked worldly success. You read how he was unwilling to listen to truth and in the end he had turned away from the Lord and he died.

Amaziah’s son, Uzziah, stepped up to be king. He started out living righteously until his success got the best of him. He became proud; read chapter 26. In his pride, he became lazy with the things of God. God had to knock him down. He was stricken with leprosy and died alone.

Then you read about Uzziah’s son, Jotham, in chapter 27. He lived righteously throughout his 16 years as king. While he did what was pleasing to the Lord, God established him well for he was careful to live in obedience to God. His only fault, we read about, is that while he followed God closely, he did not lead the people of Judah to walk in obedience. They continued living in carnal ways. He did not lead people away from their disobedience. He died at the age of 41.

Finally, Ahaz steps up to be king. In chapter 28, you read how the ripple effect occurs when disobedience is allowed to run free. He did his own thing. He followed the kings of Israel rather than God and worshipped the things in the world more. God’s children became lazy, careless, and carnal. Ahaz was met with defeat and people taken captive all because they chose to abandon the Lord!

Despite what they deserved by their careless ways, God offered hope and a plan to redirect His people back to following Him. People listened and changed their carnal ways and God provided abundantly for them. Unfortunately, Ahaz ignored God. Instead of seeking counsel from God, he sought help from pagan nations. He did nothing to help people walk with God. Pride got the best of Ahaz which blinded his thinking.

“Since these gods helped the kings of Aram, they will help me too.”²³

This folly way of thinking led to his ruin and the ruin of all of Judah. Ahaz died leaving a mess for his son Hezekiah. Will he have a changed heart and bring God back into the picture? Keep reading 2 Chronicles to find out.

Let God speak to you. Are you living like one of these kings? Maybe you started out walking with the Lord, but something’s changed. God’s a bit boring. His Word is ho-hum. You are really not interested in spending time with Him. What has happened to cause you to abandon God? Notice these kings, even in their rebellion, they still looked like believers on the outside. No matter what has taken place, God wants you to come back. Your eternal life is at stake! Return in repentance and you will be met with love, grace, and mercy.

It’s a new year, make it a new you! If you are paying any kind of attention, you should realize that events are taking place globally for Revelations to occur. This means Jesus is coming for His Church very soon. May he not find you living carelessly. You can’t love both the world and Jesus together. Jesus says in Matthew 6:24, “No one can serve two masters. for you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.” Don’t fall prey to this world.