America the Harlot (Return to Your First Love)

April Ph.D. Montgomery

Description

Spurned. Rejected. Abandoned is the true living God. America has walked away from the greatest love of her life-her Creator and Lord, Jesus Christ. As a fallen woman in God's eyes, America has prostituted herself for the love of many other things. Just as the ancient Israelites could not shake their idolatrous Egyptian origins, we Americans revel at the altar of our own desires. We have painted ourselves with our idolatry much like the Egyptian symbol of Horus, as represented on the cover. We crown ourselves as deities much like Pharaoh crowned himself as Horus while living. We refuse to serve the Lord alone.

Hear the truth from Father God through a heart of love and correction for children that He loves too much to lose. America the Harlot Return to Your First Love is the cry of God's heart to His people to renounce all other desires before Him, repent of our sin, and return to Him. With true love, He longs for our return.

Sujets

• Religion
• Christianisme
• Philosophie et théologie
• Christianity

Informations

• Publié par: eBookIt.com
• Date de parution: 21 février 2013
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781456604394
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 1 Mo

Extrait

America the Harlot

Return to Your First Love

April J. Montgomery

America the Harlot Copyright © 2011 by April J. Montgomery. All rights reserved.

Published in eBook format by eBookIt.com http://www.eBookIt.com

ISBN-13: 978-1-4566-0439-4

All rights reserved. Except for brief excerpts for review purposes, no part of this book may be reproduced or used in any form without the written permission from the author.

Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture quotations are taken from the King James Version of the Bible. (Public Domain.) Scripture quotations marked NASB are taken from theNew American Standard Bible, © Copyright 1960, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. Scripture quotations marked ® ® NIV are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version , NIV . Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by Biblica, Inc™. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com. Scripture quotations marked NLT are taken from the New Living Translation of the Holy Bible. New Living Translation copyright ©1996, 2004 by Tyndale Charitable Trust. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers. Scripture quotations marked ASV are from The American Standard Version. (Public Domain.) Scripture quotations marked NKJV are taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Scripture quotations marked ESV are taken fromThe Holy Bible, English Standard Version.Copyright ©2000; 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Scripture quotations marked NCV are taken from the New Century Version. Copyright © 1987, 1988, 1991 by Word Publishing, a division of Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Preface

Idolatry Unveiled

Through Jehovah’s Eyes

Powerless Idols

The “Real” History of America

A Covenant Not Kept

Idolaters

Shaping Our Gods

The Almighty Dollar

Unholy Alliances

Idol Madness

God Triumphs

A Promised Land Defiled

Worshipping the Gift Not the Giver

Our Jealous God

O’ Evil Heart

The god of This World

The Stain of Sin

Infested Temple

Crucifying Our Desires

My Own Idolatry

True Repentance

Contents

The Bridal Relationship

Spiritual Adultery

Return to Love

Be an Anti-Idol Influence

America, the Great “I”

No God Exists

A Tale of Two Prostitutes

To Every Man

The Babylon Mentality

His Correction

Captivity

War at the Gate

Physical Death

Forsaken Glory

His Consuming Fire

Eternal Separation

This Generation

Conclusion

Acknowledgments

Notes

Preface

How is the faithful city become an harlot! it was full of judgment; righteousness lodged in it; but now murderers.

Isaiah 1:21

America, once a great nation which the founding fathers built on Christianity, has forsaken her first love, Jesus Christ. It now runs freely after its own pleasures of greed, ambition, and self. Jesus Christ is returning soon for His bride, His glorious church, but America has become a nation of harlots, selling ourselves to the highest bidder for love of other things. We have defiled our covenant with the Lord. We are consumed by this world and have deceived ourselves into thinking that this world and all it offers will make us happy; however, true happiness and joy come from God, and only He can complete us and fill those empty places inside of us. As Americans, we have rejected the truth of the Word of God and have turned Christianity into a religion devoid of God and truth. We serve gods of our own making. The true living God of the Bible is our Creator and our Lord; therefore, we should love and serve Him alone. Jesus Christ paid the ultimate price—His life for our eternal life—and in return He wants our total devotion to Him and His kingdom. We Christians are ineffective and powerless today because we are more like this world than we are Christlike because of our disobedience, laziness, and outright refusal to change our lifestyles for the One who died for us. We have trusted the preachers and ministers of God but have failed to read God’s Word for ourselves and discover a real relationship with Him and the truth of the Scriptures. Our forefathers escaped religious persecution in England and chose to chase after the one true God instead. They chose to put God in our Constitution, Scriptures on our buildings, and both in their hearts. Many of our forefathers had a goal that every citizen should own a Bible. Their focus was on creating a new world where the Christian belief could thrive and God alone could be fully expressed and worshipped. The truth is their actions and belief in one true God made this nation great. Our refusal to heed the past and obey the Bible has resulted in our current state of godlessness and idolatry, along with their consequences. Everything the forefathers and their families risked for freedom we have slowly given away, including prayer in our schools and the Ten Commandments engraved on our national buildings. Our actions reflect that we have removed God from our hearts as well. It is our responsibility to study our God-given heritage and to boldly defend our faith. Religious freedom is not free, it was bought with a price, and we must no longer give that freedom away. This book will explore the early roots of idolatry the Israelites embraced, God’s view on idols, how America has become infested with idolatry like ancient Israel, and what we personally need to do to cleanse our hearts and snatch America back from judgment fire. True repentance, obedience, and correction of our error-filled ways in our personal lives, our churches, and our nation are desperately needed in this very hour. May the truth of God’s Word illuminate the sin and darkness of idolatry in your life and empower you to remove anything that would stand between you and the great I AM.

Idolatry Unveiled

For as soon as ever thou takest Something into thy Desire, and receivest it into thee for thine own, or in Propriety, then this very Something (of what Nature soever it is) is the same with thyself; and this worketh with thee in thy Will, and thou art thence bound to protect it, and to take Care of it even as of thy own Being. But if thou dost receive no Thing into thy Desire, then thou art free from All Things, and rulest over all Things 1 at once, as a Prince of God.

Jakob Boehme

Idolatry is the blind worship or admiration of an undeserving object or person. An idol in the Old Testament was an image made from wood, stone, or gold, used as an object of worship—something made with a human hand that was given sacred value or power. In the New Testament and today, an idol is anything that stands in or replaces our true faith in God, any human thought or desire put above the Word of God, or any loyalty that replaces God as the very center of our lives. When we think of idols, we tend to picture a statue of Buddha, or something similar; however, anything we put before God is an idol. “Therefore consider the members of your earthly body as dead to immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed, which amounts to idolatry” (Col. 3:5 NASB ). Each of us do not set out with the intention of worshipping things in our lives as an idol, but by the amount of time we give to them, they grow into obsessions that control our thoughts and energies. God must be the focus of our lives so these other things do not turn into gods of our own making. How do we know if we have an idol in our lives? By honestly answering a few questions, we can identify those things or ideas that have become our idols.

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

Whom or what do I trust? Who or what is essential to my happiness and security? Who is in charge of my future? Whom or what do I spend time with and am consumed with? Whom or what do I put first? What is ruling my life?

These questions reveal whom or what we ultimately believe in: whether it is ourselves, our positions in society, our money, our careers, obsessions, or even our spouses, or people of great importance to us. In our modern culture, many Christians have become like the world, loving the things of the world more than loving God or fearing (revering) Him. One of the things we put first is ourselves. We love ourselves and would do anything to continue fueling our own desires. First, 2 Timothy 3:2–3 tells us that in the last days, “Men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy. Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent (lacking self control), fierce, despisers of those that

are good.” This behavior is evident everywhere today as selfishness runs rampant. On the highways, in the stores, and in churches, we demand our way at the cost of others, regardless of the consequences, and seek our independence above common sense or anyone’s authority. Second, we put our spouses, children, or romantic interests above God.“For all seek their own, not the things which are Jesus Christ’s” (Phil. 2:21). We chase after the knight on a white horse yet do not pursue God with the same passion. We look for our value in others and put all emphasis on seeking earthly relationships when without God they will not stand. We also allow our children to become our world instead of God being our focus. Third is the all mighty dollar. “For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs”(1 Tim. 6:10 NASB ). Money and the love of money have become our focus, our security blankets, the goal of our pursuits, and our way of life. We do need money to survive in this life, but when we sacrifice anything for it, we are serving money and not the true living God. Fourth is power and control that we seek for ourselves.

The L ORD killeth, and maketh alive: he bringeth down to the grave, and bringeth up. The L ORD maketh poor, and maketh rich: he bringeth low, and lifteth up. He raiseth up the poor out of the dust, and lifteth up the beggar from the dunghill, to set them among princes, and to make them inherit the throne of glory: for the pillars of the earth are the LORD ’s, and he hath set the world upon them. He will keep the feet of his saints, and the wicked shall be silent in darkness; for by strength shall no man prevail. (1 Samuel 2:6–9)

2 It really is true that “Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” As humans, we have never been able to handle power correctly. Power changes a person. Power is an endless and exhausting pursuit. We are control freaks who are determined to handle all issues by ourselves out of fear, yet God is truly the only One in control of this universe. Fifth are all those things we think we must have to be complete. Luke 12:15 states, “And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth.” Homes, cars, jewelry, and clothing are all material possessions, which we can never take with us when we die, yet we spend countless hours shopping, thinking, and planning for such things. Sixth are our hobbies or causes that we enjoy. “Therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their own way, and be filled with their own devices” (Prov. 1:31). Hobbies are the hardest to keep under control because at times they are the only true pleasures we have. When life is crazy, these are the little moments of sanity we seek. But as the desire grows for hobbies, our time with God is decreased or even eliminated. Our many causes from saving the whales, to going green, and saving the planet should not be our focus. The Bible shows us that Jesus sustains all things (Col. 1:17), and they are kept in order by His power (Heb. 1:3). The earth will continue until God says otherwise, even though it groans for His return. Our hobbies shift our focus from the Creator to what gives us pleasure and what drives our passions. Idolatry derails our lives and diverts our focus so we cannot even see how to get to God. Much like a dartboard filled with other darts clustered around the center, it is next to impossible to hit the bull’s eye when our focus is other than on the center. We may get close but only to a point before we must remove those other things that prevent us from reaching our goal. Once we remove the idols (other

darts) from our lives (the board), we can then focus and aim for the prize of Christ Jesus. We can remove idols from our lives one at a time with God’s help. From Bible times until today, people have worshipped idols for many different reasons, but mainly because it is easier to worship everything other than God. Much more is required to seek God’s plan of eternal life. Idols give us instant short-term pleasures versus with God we must postpone the perfect satisfaction until heaven. We enjoy our sensuality in society today, but God requires morality. Anything is permissible with an idol; however, God requires high ethical standards. We can ignore or approve our neighbors’ sin with idols; however, God expects us to be an example and confront sin. Idols are visible, whereas we serve an invisible God. God expects us to be unselfish, while serving idols encourages selfishness. God expects accountability, while idols encourage no responsibility. God requires proof of a changed life, and He wants to see the fruit of it (i.e. love, joy, peace); however, idols do not require us to change at all and actually magnify our desires. God sees in black and white, but with idols, compromising is not a problem. God commands for us to love our neighbors and teaches concern and caring for others; an idol shows no compassion or care for anything but self. There are many immediate benefits to serving idols, as you can see. It is easy, nothing is expected of you, and you determine your own course; however, we are created by God, we breathe because of the breath of life He put in us (Job 12:10); we walk because He formed us out of the dust of the earth and declared us “good.” In other words, we are His. If we choose to ignore God and His plan for us, it is to our detriment, because all will bow before Him.“For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God. So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God” (Rom. 14:11–12). We will be accountable before God for our lives and the way we lived it.

Through Jehovah’s Eyes

I know that the Lord is always on the side of the right. But it is my constant anxiety 3 and prayer that I and this nation should be on the Lords side.

Abraham Lincoln

As the only living divine being, God has much to say about who He is and what He thinks about idolatry. God reveals Himself through His Word and His Spirit, so if we seek, we will find Him (Matt. 7:7). We know that God is not a man. “God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?” (Num. 23:19). He is eternal, infinite, and more immense than we can imagine. His ways are not our ways, and His thoughts not our thoughts. “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the L ORD . For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts” (Isa. 55:8–9). Our thoughts are limited and have a beginning, but God is boundless and has always been. God is omnipresent—being everywhere at once. God fills the entire universe and the heaven of heavens cannot contain Him (1 Kings 8:27). When two or more people are gathered in Jesus’ name (Matt. 18:20), we know He is there, but He is also there when we sin. When man worships an idol, God is there. When we exalt ourselves above the throne of God, He is there. When we demand our way at any cost, He is there. “Am I a God at hand, saith the L ORD , and not a God afar off? Can any hide himself in secret places that I shall not see him? saith the L ORD . Do not I fill heaven and earth? saith the L ORD ” (Jer. 23:24). David knew well that there was no place that man can hide from God. “Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence? If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there” (Ps. 139:7–8). God is omnipotent, which means “able in every respect and for every work; unlimited in ability; 4 all-powerful; almighty.” In the book of Revelation, God is called omnipotent or the Almighty one (Rev. 19:6). He has endless power and is all-ruling in His authority and dominion over all creation. Satan has what power is given to him, but ultimate authority will always be God’s. God is omniscient, having unlimited knowledge, understanding, and perceiving all things. “Yea, the darkness hideth not from thee; but the night shineth as the day: the darkness and the light are both alike to thee” (Ps. 139:12). The Lord sees all things regardless of conditions and knows our reasons and motives behind everything we do. “Great is our Lord, and of great power: his understanding is infinite” (Ps. 147:5). Jehovah God expressly says that He is the only God. Since He is omniscient and omnipresent, He would know if there were others. “Fear ye not, neither be afraid: have not I told thee from that time, and have declared it? ye are even my witnesses. Is there a God beside me? yea, there is no God; I know not any” (Isa. 44:8). God also knew that we would create gods to worship instead of Him (Ps. 135:15), and because of this He instructs us repeatedly in love throughout Scripture. Jehovah says He is to be revered above all man-made gods. “For great is the L ORD , and greatly to be praised: he also is to be feared above all gods. For all the gods of the people are idols: but the L ORD the heavens” (1 Chron. 16:25–26). Since idols are man-made and powerless, He made