(Clip) Embrace God's Wake-Up Call — Shane Idleman

Affliction as God's Wake-Up Call

God's wake-up call, embrace God's wake-up call. And here's where I'm going to Psalm 119 now. I'm not gonna say the verses because I want you to read through the whole Psalm 119 now. The psalmist said this, before I was afflicted, I went astray, but now I keep your word.

Returning to God's Word Through Discipline

Before I was afflicted. In other words, God, before you spanked me, I was out of control. Before you got my attention, I was out of control. But now that you've afflicted me and I went astray, but now I keep your word.

So embrace God's wake-up call. Yes, we don't like it. We can become bitter and angry, but we have to embrace it and say, God, what are you doing in and through me? Why are you doing this? And like I said, in one fell swoop, all of our idols have been dethroned.

Global Crisis as a Biblical Wake-Up Call

But from a biblical perspective, this could be a wake-up call. Medical staff, I just read this yesterday, they are calling the situation in Italy the apocalypse because of the caskets and the death rate and different things.

And I was reminded of Luke 21, 11. There will be great earthquakes, by the way. I think there was one in Utah. You might read of one last night in Croatia. I think that's, there's a shaking going on. There's famines, and this is Jesus.

There will be great earthquakes, famines, and pestilence in various places, and fearful events, and great signs from heaven. So none of us know, okay, is this a sign that Jesus was talking about? Depending on your eschological view, if you don't know what I'm talking about, basically people have a different view of when God is coming again, but we do know he's coming again.

The Warning of Christ and the Need for Repentance

And people often email me, Shane, you're just trying to scare me. And I say, I am. I'm trying to sear the hell out of you because you've got to have that fear that God says, I warn you, I give you, no, that's not cussing, don't worry.

He wants to bring that out of us. He wants to change us from the inside out, and you have to tell people the truth. And I find this so ironic. This is unbelievable. Listen to this. One of the most quoted verses during this time.

Do you know what it is right now? You can Google this. I mean, there's a couple ones. I think Philippians about anxiety, John 3, 16, the great tribulation. But one of the top verses is this one. You can probably only see, you can't see the two here.

Second Chronicles 7:13–14 and God's Call to Humility

Second Chronicles 7, 14. Many of us know. I mean, our sign out front says that, if my people who are called by my name will what? Humble themselves and turn to me. But here's what's interesting. Here's the context.

The verse right before it. When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain. In other words, there was no fruit, there was no food. And when I command locusts to devour the land. Or when I send a plague among my people.

Listen, this is God's wake up call. The context is a disobedient and rebellious people needed to be woken up from their slumber. So God, when I send these things, because I love you so much. When I send these things to turn you back from me.

If you humble yourself and repent and seek my face and turn from your wicked way. I will hear from heaven and I will forgive your sins. And it's interesting. Provision is being dried up. Locusts is devouring.

Present-Day Plagues and Uncertain Prophecy

If you Google this, you'll find out what locusts is doing right now in Africa. And possibly heading to the Middle East. And what is a plague doing, the pestilence doing now in our nation and across the world.

Now again, we don't know if this is truly an end times type of prophecy. But we do know that this is a wake up call from God. And like Paul said, I'm hard pressed on every side. Amen? I'm hard pressed on every side, but I'm not crushed.

Persevering in Confusion and Hope

I'm perplexed, but I'm not in despaired. I'm confused, but I'm not without hope. Paul says, we look to you and you alone for our guidance and for.