It seems to me that recent years have brought an ever increasing number of ‘Weather Alerts’. They air on television, radio, and even on my cell phone. I’m sure the increase is partly due to better communication capabilities, but climate change appears to be the main factor. There are major changes in our weather patterns. Extreme weather events are more common.
Alerts concerning tornadoes, hurricanes, floods, record heat or cold, etc., come on a weekly and sometimes even daily basis. They are so frequent that the tendency is to be only mildly concerned or ignore the warnings altogether. And then disaster comes! We fail to respond properly, and tragedy strikes. Its like the old ‘cry wolf’ adage. The media seems to have cried ‘wolf ‘so many times that it’s difficult to know if there is compelling reason to react or not.
Could a similar fate await us in the spiritual realm? The scriptures are replete with many sobering ‘alerts’ in the spiritual domain. Regular Bible reading, massages from the pulpit, and other trusted sources are ‘in our ears’ on a steady basis. Jesus said, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear!” (Matthew 11:15, NKJV).
Ignoring Weather Alerts can be perilous, but disregarding Biblical Alerts can have eternal consequences:
The Lord is slow to anger and great in power,
And the Lord will by no means leave the guilty unpunished.
In whirlwind and storm is His way,
And clouds are the dust beneath His feet. (Nahum 1:3)
For behold, the Lord will come in fire
And His chariots like the whirlwind,
To render His anger with fury,
And His rebuke with flames of fire. (Isaiah 66:15)
ALERT:
“But know this, that in the last day perilous times will come: For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away! For of this sort are those who creep into households and make captives of gullible women loaded down with sins, led away by various lusts, always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. Now as Jannes and Jambres resisted Moses, so do these also resist the truth: men of corrupt minds, disapproved concerning the faith; but they will progress no further, for their folly will be manifest to all, as theirs also was. But you have carefully followed my doctrine, manner of life, purpose, faith, longsuffering, love, perseverance, persecutions, afflictions, which happened to me at Antioch, at Iconium, at Lystra—what persecutions I endured. And out of them all the Lord delivered me. Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution. But evil men and impostors will grow worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived. But you must continue in the things which you have learned and been assured of, knowing from whom you have learned them, and that from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. (2 Timothy 3, NKJV)
ALL CLEAR (after the storm):
“When the storm has swept by, the wicked are gone, but the righteous stand firm forever.” (Proverbs 10:25, NIV)
~ Brother Roy
New Hope International Ministries 