Time with Abba, Singing Praising 親親爸父，唱詩歌頌 : DAY 325 (2018) - Swift Repentance or Swift Destruction (Please click here for English podcast)

*If this is your first time to have daily devotion or you have not had daily devotion for a long time, I suggest you to use this link for a 40 days of daily devotion through Jesus' Sermon on the Mount, my Break.Build blog/podcast:

40 Days Break.Build daily devotion:

http://www.breakbuild.blogspot.ca/

**If you would like to have me to walk with you for three years and three months to read through the whole Bible with one chapter a day, please click my fist blog "Devotion on Fire":

http://bishopsilas.blogspot.com/2009/08/day-1-i-am-blind.html

Silence

1. Put on your “brakes” and stop for a moment of silence

2. Wait for God. Breathe deep for God's peace and feel His presence. Exhale your worries.

Praise and Thanksgiving

1. Think through your day, all the times that made you smile

2. Thank God for all those moments, and for all those people

Confession and Repentance (Subjective Shifting Devotion Method http://bishopsilas.blogspot.ca/2009/08/count-down-5-subject-shifting-devotion.html)

1. Pray for the Holy Spirit to work in you:

“Dear Holy Spirit, shine your light into the places of darkness in my life. Show me my sins, everything that blocks me from encountering God. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.”

2. Through the Holy Spirit, examine yourself for a short silence and then pray:

"Dear Lord Jesus, thank you for dying on the cross for our sins and being victorious over death and sin. I confess my sin to you(pause, to tell Jesus what the Holy Spirit has shown you). Forgive my sins by your blood and help me follow you. Holy Spirit, fill me that I may be able to receive your gift to love God and His people. In Jesus Name I pray, Amen."

The Word, Time with Abba (Psalm 132:1-5; Daniel 5:1-31; 2 Peter 2:1-22; Proverbs 28:19-20)

Bible link:
English(ESV):https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=列+王+紀+下+13&version=ESV

PAUSE HERE!!!

Please read all four passages first before reading my sharing.

To know, learn and practice this method of Time with Abba, please click this link:

http://api.pastoralcareschool.org/twa/

Please see below the passages I copied today:

My Listening

The topic I received from Jesus is: "Swift Repentance or Swift Destruction"

Today's message from Daniel and 2 Peter related to each others and quite frightening! Why?

Because yesterday's Daniel was talking about how God punished King Nebuchadnezzar because of he "walked in pride"(Daniel 4:37). God made him to lose his mind and became like an animal for seven years until he was willing to humble and to recognize that the sovereignty belongs to God, then he was well again and regained his power as a king.

The frightening part is that one verse after Daniel 4:37 in 5:1, King Nebuchadnezzar disappeared, he died or what we don't know. But, his son King Belshazzar committed the same sin as his father did and more, Daniel 5:22-31:

22 “But you, Belshazzar, his son,[d] have not humbled yourself, though you knew all this.23 Instead, you have set yourself up against the Lord of heaven. You had the goblets from his temple brought to you, and you and your nobles, your wives and your concubines drank wine from them. You praised the gods of silver and gold, of bronze, iron, wood and stone, which cannot see or hear or understand. But you did not honor the God who holds in his hand your life and all your ways. 24 Therefore he sent the hand that wrote the inscription.

25 “This is the inscription that was written:

mene, mene, tekel, parsin

26 “Here is what these words mean:

Mene[e]: God has numbered the days of your reign and brought it to an end.

27 Tekel[f]: You have been weighed on the scales and found wanting.

28 Peres[g]: Your kingdom is divided and given to the Medes and Persians.”

29 Then at Belshazzar’s command, Daniel was clothed in purple, a gold chain was placed around his neck, and he was proclaimed the third highest ruler in the kingdom.

30 That very night Belshazzar, king of the Babylonians,[h] was slain, 31 and Darius the Mede took over the kingdom, at the age of sixty-two.

More frightening, when King Nebuchadnezzar did not change his life after Daniel's warning and prophecy, God acted after 12 months and he lost his mind and became like an animal. Until he repented, he became normal again and regained his kingship.

But, his son was in the same kind of warning under Daniel, he did not repent, he did not have 12 months but just had less than one day and God acted, he died!

Another catch is that both father and son believed Daniel's was a prophet bringing God's message to them, both of them raised Daniel to a very high position in their kingdom. They thought that that means listening to God, but without their life renewal, their hearts are still "arrogant and hardened with pride". Then God acted, punishment came even to the point of losing the life! So sad!

Today's 2 Peter 2:1-3 tells us about what does "swift destruction" means:

But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them—bringing swift destruction on themselves.2 Many will follow their depraved conduct and will bring the way of truth into disrepute.3 In their greed these teachers will exploit you with fabricated stories. Their condemnation has long been hanging over them, and their destruction has not been sleeping.

How about you? Do you want swift repentance,

or swift destruction?

Dear Holy Spirit ,

May you open our "eye" so that we are no more arrogant and willing to accept your direction so that we can be renewed by you and receive your protection and blessings. In Jesus name we pray. Amen.

Reflect on these questions:

1. Do you have similar weakness "heart become arrogant and hardened with pride"? If you do not think that you have committed this sin, do you think you would be self-righteous, or you are really righteous?

2. If you think that you have similar weakness and sin, how can you know your sin, confess, repent and be renewed?

3. What have you received from Jesus today?