Hosea 10

Hosea makes one of the Bible’s clearest statements on revival … Sow to yourselves in righteousness, reap in mercy; break up your fallow ground: for it is time to seek the Lord, till he come and rain righteousness upon you. [Hos, 10:12]

These are God’s promised conditions for revival.

1. Sow to yourselves in righteousness: plant what is right and good
2. Reap in mercy: gather the fruit of covenant, unconditional love
3. Break up your fallow ground: plow the hard ground of your hearts
4. Till He come and rain righteousness upon you: until God comes and pours out His saving power upon you.

Friends, we NEED this from God.

Hosea 7-9

After hearing how the prophet described God’s displeasure with the sins of Israel, I wonder how our nation would have been addressed.

The prophet’s role is to call out sin. Where are our prophets? Who is calling out the sin in our nation. David Wilkerson used to do it before he passed. I have heard Franklin Graham make some stern statements. We need these voices in the Church to point out our need of a Savior, and tune our attitude toward the subtle nature of our backsliding.

On Christ the Solid Rock I stand, ALL OTHER GROUND is sinking sand.

It is time to seek the Lord until He come and rain righteousness upon us. [Hosea 10:12]

Hosea 5, 6

Boundary stones are like surveyor’s stakes … they identify property lines. On this side is my property, and on that side is my neighbor’s property. Cheaters move the stones so they have more property. This is stealing!

Subconsciously, we are all looking out for ourselves. We want more. We want the best. Our gain is someone else’s loss. God, however, watches the boundary stones, and who loves themselves more than their neighbor. Jesus said, “Love your neighbor AS yourself.” So, you leave the boundary stone where it is because it’s right for both of you.

For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich. 2 Cor. 8:9

Hosea 3, 4

My 96-year-old father spent the night at the hospital because of inflammation in his intestines. He had pain and no energy. Now we know why. He had no knowledge of what was troubling him. He will be treated medically and hopefully improve quickly.

God said through Hosea that His people are destroyed because of lack of knowledge. They have severe trouble in life but don’t know why. It’s because they have forsaken the Lord and His Word and they don’t understand what life is about.

With proper treatment Dad will hopefully feel better and have more energy.

Hosea 1, 2

Regardless of how faithful we think we’ve been to God, we’ve all fallen far short. We all deserve the punishments that Gomer reaped for her prostitution. Yet, in his great mercy God sent Christ to pay the penalty for our sin. Jesus is the Door of Hope opened to us so we can be restored to God’s favor.

And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Faithful is he that called you, who also will do it. 1 These. 5:23, 24

Dan.10-12

We don’t necessarily understand the leaders, nations, and armies mentioned in Daniel’s vision. We do however understand the instruction, “Do not be afraid.”

It’s comforting to know God sees the future events so clearly. Like pages in a great book God can simply turn to the past or the future and see what is happening. What’s more, His heavenly armies can protect the saints and control the outcomes to fulfill His eternal plan.

Dan. 9

Essentially, God showed Daniel that Jerusalem was destroyed because of the disobedience of the children of israel.

l the home is the platform to prepare us for life. Obedience and respect are learned there. How can you obey God whom you don’t see if you don’t obey the parents that you do see?

He that hath My commandments and keepeth them, he it is that loves Me. And he that loves Me shall be loved of My Father and I will love him and manifest Myself to him. Jn. ¹4:21

Daniel 7, 8

To Daniel was given visions of future leaders, kingdoms, and events. God will do nothing except He first reveal it to His prophets upon the earth. We may not understand these fore-sights, but eventually they will come to pass and we will then understand them.

In a sense, they also prevent us from being overcome with fear. To know that God is the Omnipotent Custodian of the future is comforting.

These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world. John 16:33

Daniel 6

As a young administrator and servant to long Darius, Daniel’s service was exceptional, so much so that his peers became extremely jealous of his advancement Because they could find no fault in his performance, they attacked his spiritual integrity. They knew he prayed to God so they devised a bogus scheme whereby his faith painted him treasonous.

God delivered him from death and turned the tables upon his accusers.

God will protect you when you walk in Christian integrity and remain faithful to your devotion.

Daniel 5

When Nebuchadnezzar’s son, King Belshazzar, made a great feast for a thousand of his lords and drank wine in front of the thousand, he irreverently used God”s Temple utensils and praised idols. This was too much insult for God to handle. “You are DONE!” was essentially God’s response to his pride and idolatry.

That night his life was snuffed out and Darius, the Mede, stole his kingdom.

He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God? Micah 6:8