SATURDAY, APRIL 21
Scripture: Isaiah 45:4-7

Isaiah 45:4-7 says, “For Jacob My servants’ sake, And Israel My elect, I have even called you by your name; I have named you, though you have not known Me. I am the Lord, and there is no other; There is no God besides me. I will gird you, though you have not known Me. That they may know from the rising of the sun to its setting that there is none besides me. I am the Lord, and there is no other; I form the light and create darkness. I make peace and create calamity; I, the Lord, do all these things.” Verses 5-7 are very interesting because God declares the fact that He is Lord over all and there is no other. He declares that He knows what is coming and that He, in fact, is the Author of it. He says,” I am the Lord. There is no other.” Verse 7 is a real challenge for today’s church because it says, “I form the light and create darkness. I make peace and create calamity; I the Lord, do all these things.” Jesus is the Judge. Just like He creates miracles for His people, He creates judgments for nations who spit in His face. God’s creative Hand is at work for blessings and it is at work judicially. The world does not know that because the church never says it. And never steps up to the plate and presents the fullness of Who Jesus is! Could we build a mega church teaching this part of the Bible or would we scare off half the congregation? Many pastors compromise the Word in order to keep people. When we compromise the Word, we disciple compromised believers. The fruit is a lack of power, an inability to tap into the creative God and no way to see His Judicial Hand remove your enemies. Jesus said, “If you are not with Me you are against Me.” How do we build a church and be against God? Many of the largest churches in almost every city got their growth by filtering out Jesus the Judge. Compromising the Word gains people. But what have we really gained? Are the people as compromised as the leaders? If we have powerless people, we have a Word deficit because the Word is “quick and powerful.” (Hebrews 4:12) Refusing to present the Judicial Christ is like ‘nuclear disarmament.’ It only encourages the enemy. No fruit without a root!