Then he will receive royal honor and will rule as king from his throne. He will also serve as priest from his throne, and there will be perfect harmony between his two roles.’
“Since they refused to listen when I called to them, I would not listen when they called to me, says the lord of Heaven’s Armies.
Lord God bring harmony to my life and to this nation, I desperately wish to live only pleasing you.
In Jesus name,
Amen
“Look at the proud!
They trust in themselves, and their lives are crooked.
But the righteous will live by their faithfulness to God.
5Wealth is treacherous,
and the arrogant are never at rest.
For as the waters fill the sea,
the earth will be filled with an awareness
of the glory of the lord.
12“I will search with lanterns in Jerusalem’s darkest corners
to punish those who sit complacent in their sins.
So the lord sparked the enthusiasm of Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and the enthusiasm of Jeshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and the enthusiasm of the whole remnant of God’s people.
Lord God, make me aware of my arrogance, areas I am to proud to surrender to you or even admit are in me. Lord God Almighty, may your fire of purification burn in me and may the slag of sin be removed from my spirit. Make me pure with your desire on my heart and may I delight in serving you.
In Jesus name,
Amen
11Suppose a prophet full of lies would say to you,
“I’ll preach to you the joys of wine and alcohol!”
That’s just the kind of prophet you would like!
1I said, “Listen, you leaders of Israel!
You are supposed to know right from wrong,
2but you are the very ones
who hate good and love evil.
9Listen to me, you leaders of Israel!
You hate justice and twist all that is right.
10You are building Jerusalem
on a foundation of murder and corruption.
11You rulers make decisions based on bribes;
“O my people, what have I done to you?
What have I done to make you tired of me?
Lord God, change my heart to desire your desire, make it easy for me to hear truth, truth in my life where I fail to surrender to you. Lord God put discernment on my heart to make sense of the nonsense around me and lead me to your glory. Oh to hear you cry out to us over your broken heart for us is remarkable, your love is beyond understanding, increase my capacity to understand you just a little more each day. May it all be for your glory,
In Jesus name,
Amen
“All your allies will turn against you.
They will help to chase you from your land.
They will promise you peace
while plotting to deceive and destroy you.
Your trusted friends will set traps for you,
and you won’t even know about it.
“Throw me into the sea,” Jonah said, “and it will become calm again. I know that this terrible storm is all my fault.”
Then they cried out to the lord, Jonah’s God. “O lord,” they pleaded,
As my life was slipping away,
I remembered the lord.
And my earnest prayer went out to you
in your holy Temple.
everyone must pray earnestly to God. They must turn from their evil ways and stop all their violence. 9Who can tell? Perhaps even yet God will change his mind and hold back his fierce anger from destroying us.”
The lord replied, “Is it right for you to be angry about this?”
God is good always, why do we pray earnestly when in trouble and not so much in gratitude.
Lord God,
remove my selfish way and release in me earnest desire to always seek you in all I am.
This is the king’s sanctuary and the national place of worship!”
For I will give the command
and will shake Israel along with the other nations
as grain is shaken in a sieve,
yet not one true kernel will be lost.
10But all the sinners will die by the sword—
all those who say, ‘Nothing bad will happen to us.’
We are so arrogant to think we are the power of this life.
Lord God,
May I be a true kernel in this land of deceit, true to you and your word. May I do your works, not works of my desires but of yours. Lord God, raise up the Good in this nation and restore us under your authority once again to be blessed by you.
In Jesus name,
Amen
I chose some of your sons to be prophets
and others to be Nazirites.
Can you deny this, my people of Israel?”
asks the lord.
12“But you caused the Nazirites to sin by making them drink wine,
and you commanded the prophets, ‘Shut up!’
A shepherd who tries to rescue a sheep from a lion’s mouth
will recover only two legs or a piece of an ear.
So it will be for the Israelites in Samaria lying on luxurious beds,
and for the people of Damascus reclining on couches.
Come back to the lord and live!
Otherwise, he will roar through Israel like a fire,
devouring you completely.
Your gods in Bethel
won’t be able to quench the flames.
7You twist justice, making it a bitter pill for the oppressed.
You treat the righteous like dirt.
Ok, so we the people are no different than God’s chosen people, we turn our back on God and do what we please.
Lord God, Turn my heart to you protect me from my earthly desires and put your Holy desires on my heart so I may only serve you.
In Jesus name,
Amen
I wanted to redeem them,
but they have told lies about me.
14They do not cry out to me with sincere hearts.
Instead, they sit on their couches and wail.
God only wants to bless us, we don’t think we want authority over us. Wow I was wrong, the more I surrender and turn my life over to God, the more peace lives in my heart and Joy overwhelms me.
Lord God,
I am broken and stubborn, I need you, your healing and forgiveness. I was so wrong in my youth, now I seek your wisdom and peace and delight in being a tool for you to use. Thank you for your patience with me and your truth.
In Jesus name,
Amen
And this is the basic law of the Temple: absolute holiness!
They must leave them in the sacred rooms and put on other clothes so they do not endanger anyone by transmitting holiness to them through this clothing.
Absolute holiness, So holy even the clothes worn must be changed to daily wear so the general public will not be harmed by His Holiness touching them.
Lord God, Purify me to the point I may be as absolutely holy, as holey as you are willing to make me. Use me for your purpose.
In Jesus name,
Amen
I will surely judge between the fat sheep and the scrawny sheep.
. And when I reveal my holiness through you before their very eyes, says the Sovereign lord, then the nations will know that I am the lord.
And I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart.
Lord God, Help me to allow you have your way, I wish to have a heart that is only stubborn for you, not for my desires but yours. I look forward to the day when I quit struggling with you and just submit to your authority
In Jesus name,
Amen
As surely as I live, says the Sovereign lord, I take no pleasure in the death of wicked people. I only want them to turn from their wicked ways so they can live.
For again I say, when righteous people turn away from their righteous behavior and turn to evil, they will die. 19But if wicked people turn from their wickedness and do what is just and right, they will live.
They hear what you say, but they don’t act on it! 33But when all these terrible things happen to them—as they certainly will—then they will know a prophet has been among them.”
I know good, I know wrong. I want to do good but I struggle and often fall, in my actions and thoughts
Lord God,
Give me power over my rebellion, help me to surrender my will so I may serve you instead of my own stubborn, fallen way. It is for your glory I wish to live.
In Jesus name,
Amen