The Lord Will Vindicate His Holy Name
This message has been on my heart for several days, and I believe Holy Spirit is prompting me to post it today. God's Word is a two-edged sword, one side cutting, and the other healing. When He began to speak this to me, I could feel that cutting away and healing at the same time, as only He can do.
The Name of the Lord must be vindicated from time to time in the earth. The fleshly nature of mankind, even Christians, is to exalt man, self, or idols of many kinds, instead of exalting and glorifying the Name of the Lord. Because He is God, He has to bring things back into divine order and vindicate and sanctify His Glorious Name in the church, in individuals, and in the nations.
Of particular concern to the Lord, are those lands and peoples who bear His Name. America is one of those nations, although to the younger generation, it may not seem like it, because of our national backslidings and personal sins.
When the Pilgrims landed on the shores of America, they planted a cross in the sands at Plymouth Rock. Through this act, they were saying, "We have come to this land to worship the True and Living God in spirit and in truth." Almost every American knows that Christians were experiencing extreme persecution for their faith in other lands, two hundred thirty years ago, when America was settled, my forefathers included, and probably many of yours, too.
Their profound love and reverence for the Lord, and their desire to worship Him freely, burned fervently in their hearts, giving them the courage and faith to leave their homelands and travel across the Atlantic Ocean to an unknown and harsh life, so that they could freely worship the Living God. Many of them did not survive the brutal conditions inherent in an infant nation, but they died with worship and praise to the Lord in their mouths, peace in their hearts, and the love of God on their faces.
As we live our daily lives in America, this far down the road, does the Lord see the same fiery love for Him and the strong faith that America once had? We have been known as a Christian nation, bearing the Name of Christ since the foundation of this country, called by God to propagate the gospel throughout the earth. That is the commission of every Christian, the Great Commission.
How far have we fallen from this godly and noble beginning? One has only to turn on the TV for five minutes, pick up a newspaper or magazine, which, in times past, were informative and wholesome. Video games being played by children espouse violence and ungodliness. Child abuse, abortion, drug and alcohol abuse, perversion, greed, crime...where does the list stop?
The Lord will vindicate His holy Name. He is God, and His longsuffering is part of His beautiful nature, but, eventually, He will sanctify His Name among His people when they have wandered away from Him. His Name is holy, and It is to be glorified, exalted, and lifted high. The Name of Jesus is the Name above all Names. The Lord, alone, is God, for there is no other God beside Him. He will vindicate His holy Name. He is speaking to American Christians in this hour.
Ezekiel 36:22-29
22 "Therefore say to the house of Israel, 'Thus says the Lord GOD, "It is not for your sake, O house of Israel, that I am about to act, but for My holy name, which you have profaned among the nations where you went.
23 "I will vindicate the holiness of My great name which has been profaned among the nations, which you have profaned in their midst Then the nations will know that I am the LORD," declares the Lord GOD, "when I prove Myself holy among you in their sight.
24 "For I will take you from the nations, gather you from all the lands and bring you into your own land.
25 "Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols.
26 "Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.
27 "I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will be careful to observe My ordinances.
28 "You will live in the land that I gave to your forefathers; so you will be My people, and I will be your God.
29 "Moreover, I will save you from all your uncleanness; and I will call for the grain and multiply it, and I will not bring a famine on you.
Our Father, in Jesus' Name, the Name above all Names, we worship You, we glorify You, for You are Worthy!!! Cleanse us of all our uncleanness, personally, and cleanse your church of all our sins, corporately, we pray, in Jesus' Name. Forgive us, we pray. We have sinned against You and You alone, individually and as a nation that has borne Your Glorious Name. Have mercy upon us, O Lord, and draw us back to You. Remove the hearts of stone which we have allowed to form in us, and give us pliable hearts, hearts that bend with Your Will and Purpose. Put Your Spirit within us, and help us to walk in your ways of holiness. Let Your Name be glorified, sanctified, and vindicated in America, Our Father. Revive us again, O Lord. In Jesus' Precious Name, Amen.
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Now unto the King Eternal, Immortal, Invisible, the Only Wise God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen! 1 Tim. 1:17
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