It’s a time to get quiet and take this book and get on our faces.  It’s a time to recognize, (and we’re not going to get there tonight, because I won’t do what I did this morning) but where we’re going with all of this, I’m trying to set the atmosphere, the environment, so that when we look back over at Hezekiah and we see the threats of Sennacherib coming upon them—  You all remember the story, that when these threats came and he began to rehearse to them every one of these gods, every one of these nations that had all of these mighty gods (images made by men’s hands).  “I brought them down and your God is coming down!”  He began to mock God and the Scripture says that Hezekiah took that letter that was sent that mocked the very majesty of God.  He took that letter and he spread it out and he began to pray.

We need to get before God and spread out this letter that all of these demons that are motivating all of this nasty philosophical nonsense in our age are saying and take it up into the heavens.  Not that God would come, necessarily, and destroy all of these perverts, but that He would save them, that their eyes would be opened, that they would be loosed from the powers of darkness.  These demons—see idols are nothing—it’s the demonic powers that begin to associate themselves with them when people long for another god.  If you want to delve into the spiritual, you will be met there.  The occult practices are real.  The devil is real, he is a personality, he’s intelligent.  He’s not just a force, he has a plan, and he has cohorts that are sent out specifically to destroy you.  This army that he champions, one-third of all of the angels are at his disposal, the demonic powers un-enumerated in the Scriptures are at his disposal and they are there to shoot fiery darts into your mind, to get you to question God, the goodness of God, the Word of God, the very thing that caused the original sin, “Has God said?”

Those that come to God must believe that He is.  The question is do we believe that God is?  If we believe God is and is what He has declared Himself to be, then our position of humility and submission ought to be growing daily.  It’s called the fear of the Lord and if we find any retrogressing in our lives, if we find any hint of lukewarmness coming in—  Beloved, I would that you be hot.  Wait a minute, let’s finish the verse, “I would that you be hot or cold…” No, no, no.  I would that you be hot!  Now, of course, we know the great truth that’s coming in there about lukewarmness and deception of who we are and what we truly are and you’re actually in better shape to be cold than lukewarm, deceived.  But the point that I want to make is that, “I would that you be hot!”

Father, we thank You for Your Word.  We ask that You would begin to move in our hearts.  We stand in the midst of a grove of idols that’s beyond anything we could imagine.  The demonic powers and principalities that are behind every one of these idols, the idol of education, the idol of preeminence, whether it be in business or society, and the greatest of all, that’s idolatry of self, our selfishness.  Help us to see Your glory and long to be like You.  “If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me” (Matthew 16:24).  If you don’t love Me more than your mother, your father, your wife, your children, yea, and your own life, you are not worthy of Me.  Let that truth sink deep and help us to rise up and glorify Your name, we ask, Father, in Jesus’ name.  Amen!