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1. "Woe to the obstinate children," declares the LORD, "to those who carry out plans that are not mine, forming an alliance, but not by my Spirit, heaping sin upon sin;
2. who go down to Egypt without consulting me; who look for help to Pharaoh's protection, to Egypt's shade for refuge.
3. But Pharaoh's protection will be to your shame, Egypt's shade will bring you disgrace.
4. Though they hvae officials in Zoan and their envoys have arrived i Hanes,
5. everyone will be put to shame because of a people useless to them, who bring neither help nor adbantage, but only shame and disgrace."
6. A prophecy concerning the animals of the Negev: Through a lan of hardship and distress, of lions and lionesses, of adders and darting snakes, the envoys carry their riches on donkeys' backs, their treasures on teh humps of camels, to that unprofitale nation,
7. to Egypt, whose help is utterly useless. Therefore I call her Rahab the Do-Nothing.
8. Go now, write it on a tablet for them, inscribe it on a scroll, that for the days to come it may be an everlasting witness.
9. For these are rebellious people, deceitful children, children unwilling to listen to the LORD's instruction.
10. They say to the seers, "See no more visions!" and to the prophets, "Give us no more visions of what is right! Tell us pleasant things, peophesy things, prophesy illusion.
11. Leave thi way, get off this path, and stop confronting us with the Holy One of Israel!"
12. Therefore this is what the Holy One of Israel says: "Because you have rejected this message, relied on oppression and depended on deceit,
13. this sin will become for you like a high wall, cracked and bulging, that collapses suddenly, in an instant.
14. It will break in pieces like pottery, shattered mo mercilessly that among its pieces not a fragment will be found for taking coals from a hearth or scooping water out of a cistern."
15. This is what the Sovereign LORD, the Holy One of Israel, says: "In repentance and rest is your salvation, n quietness and trust is your strength, but you would have none of it.
16. You said, 'No, we will flee on horses.' Therefore you will flee! You said, 'We will ride off on swift horses.' Therefore your pursuers will be swift!
17. A thousand will flee at the threat of one; at the threat of five you will all fee away, till you are left like a flagstaff on a mountaintop, like a banner on a hill.'
18. Yet the LORD longs to be gracious to you; therefore he will rise up to show you compassion. For the LORD is a God of justice. Blessed are all who wait for him!
19. People of Zion, who live in Jerusalem, you will weep no more. How gracious he will be when you cry for help! As soon as he hears, he will answer you.
20. Although the LORD gives you the bread of advrsity and the wataer of affliction, your teachers will be hidden no more; with your own eyes you will see them.
21. Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, "This is the way; walk in it."
22. THen you will desecrate your idols overlaid with silver and your images covered with gold; you will throw them away like a menstrual cloth and say to them, "Away with you!"
23. He will also send you rain for the seed you sow in the ground, and the food that comes from the land will be rich and plentiful. In that day your cattle will graze in broad meadows.
24. The oxen and donkeys that work the soil will eat fodder and mash, spread out with fork and shovel.
25. In the day of great slaughter, when the towers fall, streamsof water will flow on every high mountain and every lofty hill.
26 The moon will shine like the sun, and the sunlight will be seven times brighter, like the light of seven full days, when the LORD binds up the bruises of his people and heals the wounds he inflicted.
27. See, the Name of the LORD comes from afar, with burning anger and dense clouds of smoke; his lips are full of wrath, and his tongue is a consuming fire.
28. His breath is like a rushing torrent, rising up to the neck. He shakes the nations in the sieve of destruction; he places in the jaws of the peoples a bit that leads them astray.
29. And you will sing as on the night you celebrate a holy festival; your hearts will rejoice as when people playing a pipes go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the Rock of Israel.
30. The LORD will cause people to hear his majestic voice and will make them see his arm coming down with raging anger and consuming fire, with cloudburst, thunderstorm and hail.
31. The voice of the LORD will shatter Assyria; ith his rod he will strike them down.
32. Every stroke the LORD lays on them with his punishing club will be to the music of timbrels and harps, as he fights them in battle with the blows of his arm.
33. Topheth has long been prepared; it has been made ready for the king. Its fire pit has been made deep and wood; the breath of the lORD, like a stream of burning sulfur, sets it ablaze.
'Obstinate' has a dictionary meaning of "stubbornly refusing to change one's opinion or chosen course of action, despite attempts to persuade one to do so. God came as Jesus and showed us the largest possible love to persuade us; tell us how much he loves us-even to death. The word "love" has been mistreated and misunderstood through light uses in our daily lives. However we must know when God says he loves us, he really really loves us. More than all the pain, mockery and death. Before this 'LOVE', what can I do but feel surging pang of gratefulness and thankfulness. God has plans for me and this I believe wholeheartedly. He tells me that "to those who carry out plans that are not mine, forming an alliance, but not by my Spirit, heaping sin upon sin;...without consulting me;...will be to your shame,...will bring you disgrace....only shame and disgrace." Nobody wants that! But Satan uses our weakness too well and makes it seem tempting, like he did to Adam and Eve. All the so-called success this earth, or rather, Satan offers...it will not shake me because I know and am so thankful to know the truth. God so loved the world he gave his one and only son so I can rejoice throughout my life on earth, carrying out his plans for me. I will seek with focused mind to hold onto the visions/ what is right throughout my life. He offers us love. Faith. Peace. Happiness. ...All that cannot be shown, not even imitated by all the things that Satan offers. Satan will blind me with my weaknesses but with God fighting in me, such life will be no more. It will take a strong decision making in the Christ to overthrow my idols. I can't pray without serious heart and hope all will be well. Let me live REAL, pray REAL., live REAL, believe REAL, SHOW the fighting God through my life. LORD I am thirsty to live as close to you as possible. I am not going to flee from you. I will not ask to be freed from you. I am so weak and yes sometimes I will feel that urge to return to my own sinful nature. But "In repentance and rest [will be my] salvation, in quietness and trust [will be my strength]". You called me as your child when I have done nothing...you continue to show your compassion...but let me not be fooled by that phrase, thinking I can live however I want to. You are also God of justice and love. And that love means you won't leave me to digress. You will be strict on where I head towards and I pray that you will always be strict on me because that way I will be able to live that REAL life. You guide me through the voice of the Holy Spirit: "This is the way, walk in it". When you speak to me, I pray that my heart will AGREE to the Holy Spirit, desecrate my idols overlaid with evil glories and images covered in temporary wealth. "[I] will throw them away like a menstrual cloth and say to them, "Away with you!"". Let me never forget who you are. Who you REALLY are. Never underestimate the love of Christ!!! Never doubt your presence and your plan!!! In ALL circumstances, in ALL circumstances and in ALL circumstances I declare that I shall be glad because you are REAL. Because you are REALLY ALIVE!!! My heart will rejoice every moment and share it with others. I love you so much...<3
...SATAN HAS NEVER RESTED, IS NOT RESTING AND WILL NOT REST. HE IS FULLY FOCUSED FOR THE DESTRUCTION OF THE CHILDREN OF JESUS. BUT KNOW THIS, GOD IS NOT LIKE THAT ZEUS-LIKE IMAGE CREATED BY SATAN. HE IS NOT LIKE THAT HUMANLY GOD THAT HAS FEASTS ON CLOUDS. HE. ALSO. NEVER. RESTS. IT WAS ALWAYS ME WHO RESTED, WHO TURNED SIDEWAYS, WHO LOST FOCUS. NO WONDER I LIVED SPIRITUALLY DOWN LIKE A DRUNKARD. I CAN BE SO MUCH MORE!! I AM SO MUCH MORE!! BECAUSE OUR LORD IS SO MUCH MORE THAT I CAN EVER IMAGINE!! I CAN BEAT SATAN-ONLY IF I ALSO NEVER REST AND NEVER LOSE FOCUS IN JESUS. PRAY ALL THE TIME, PRAISE ALL THE TIME, SHOUT OUT LOUD THE NAME OF JESUS CHIRST BECAUSE IN HIS NAME THERE IS POWER AND SUCCESS. IT'S WAR I WILL START, SERIOUSLY FROM THIS HOUR. I WILL ENTER THIS BATTLE FIELD, KNOWING I WILL SUCCEED BECAUSE JESUS HAS ALREADY WON THIS FIGHT. WEAK LIFE WILL BE NO MORE. COME AT ME SATAN, I'M WITH JESUS.