MINOR PROPHETS

It is Thursday morning and I have enjoyed reading in the minor prophets.  We had a great time last night at Church.  Salvation testimonies, good singing, great special music, choir and orchestra did so well, and the preaching was ok too!  What a great group of people I pastor.  The teenagers prayed with 312 people yesterday!  That is 589 for three days this week as they have their Soul-Winning marathon week going out each afternoon to go soul-winning!  What a blessing to see teens on fire for God and lost souls! Here are some highlights from what I read this morning: 1) BENT ON BLACKSLIDING- Hosea 11:7 says:  "And my people are bent to backsliding from me:  though they call them to the most High, none at all would exalt him."  I'm afraid that we too have that same 'bent" in us.  This is why it is essential that we spend time with God each day.  We must spend time in His Word, in Prayer, in thinking of Him and talking with Him throughout the day, because that "bent" is in each of us and we must not let it show it's ugly head.  We must feed our spirit and let the Spirit of Christ rule in our hearts.  2) THINGS THAT WILL GET GOD'S ATTENTION!  In Joel 1:14 it says:  "Sanctify ye a fast, call a solemn assembly, gather the elders and all of the inhabitants of the land into the house of the LORD your God, and cry unto the LORD."  FASTING, CHURCH, PRAYER... these work to get God's attention!  In Chapter 2:13 it says:  "And rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto the LORD your God:  for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repenteth him of the evil."  Chapter 2:15 says:  "Blow the trumpet in Zion, sanctify a fast, call a solemn assembly:"  FASTING, HUMILITY, CHURCH, AND PRAYER... These things will get God's attention! Do you need to get God's attention about some area of life you are dealing with?  May I suggest this Scriptural approach?  Notice this:  In Jonah 3:5 "So the people of Nineveh believed God, and proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them even to the least of them."; and in verse 8: "But let man and best be covered with sackcloth, and cry mightily unto God: yea, let them turn every one from his evil ways, and from the violence that is in their hands."  BELIEVED GOD, FASTED, HUMILITY, PRAYER, AND REPENTENCE.  Even for these wicked, wicked Ninevites... God paid attention to them.  A wonderful combination when we need desperately to get in touch with God.  3) NOTICE THIS- If you will notice the verse I typed out in my second truth I shared: In Joel 2:13 it says:  "And rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto the LORD your God:  for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repenteth him of the evil."   Now notice what Jonah says in Jonah 4:2  "And he prayed unto the LORD, and said, I pray thee, O LORD, was not this my saying, when I was yet in my country?  Therefore I fled before unto Tarshish:  for I knew that thou art a gracious God, and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repentest thee of the evil."  Sounds like the same verse almost doesn't it?  Well, it is like that because they both knew the same God, and that is the same God we serve today as well!!  Praise the LORD He is all of this and more!  Hope you have a wonderful day.  I get to go soul-winning today and I'm excited.  I'm looking forward to leading some people to Jesus Christ.  Blessings on you brother and sister.  Pastor Mike Mutchler