Have you ever watched the video "Kingdom of Heaven"? It's a story about the rise and fall of Jerusalem and the choices of men before God. Granted it is a purely fictional story, but the parallels with our times I find fascinating.

So I am watching this video and God begins talking with me regarding Israel in the Old Testament and our situation now (both America and the world). Israel had two types of people and two types of kings in her day: those people and kings that humbled themselves before God and sought His guidance and council, and those that rebelled against Him and sought to do things their own way in their own strength. When Israel and her king humbled themselves and sought God, He always defended them and they always prospered. They never lacked for anything and He always met their needs. When Israel chose to do things her own way in her own strength, they suffered great loss and devastation. Lives were lost that did not need to be lost, and I believe the blood of those lost lives will be required of the leadership at Judgment Day - loss of lives that did not have to occur if the kings and people would but have humbled themselves before God.

Do you think we are any different than Israel? Do you think we can expect treatment any different than Israel received? I hear so many pastors and leaders talking about how well we are doing, and how we are in God's blessing, and how things are turning favorable again.

I give you a solemn warning!

I believe God has called us to the valley of decision, a place where
1. we must choose whether we will serve Him and repent of our sins,
2. we will acknowledge we have made wrong decisions and chosen death over life,
3. we will acknowledge we have lost focus of who we serve and where our very life and breath comes from

We have strayed too far from God and what He has called us to be, we have shed too much innocent blood - we cannot stop what He is about to loose upon this nation (go back and re-read Habakkuk chapter 1). We must choose whether we will be as Israel (when the nation of Israel was split into Israel and Judah) when she went into captivity and has never returned, or if we will be as Judah. Judah lost many lives and much blood, but she returned from captivity.

I warn you this day - choose who you will serve! If Baal then serve him with all your strength; but if God, then serve Him with everything you have. God has driven a sword into the land and the church, and you will serve one or the other. You will not straddle the fence post any longer. God will not have a lukewarm people - He will have you either burning hot or freezing cold.

Our freedoms are being taken away, out liberty is being restricted. The life we had in the past is no more. This process cannot be stopped, And if you think it is Satan doing this you are mistaken! This is being allowed by God, because of the decisions and choices we have made! We will now choose who we want to serve. If we choose Satan (meaning turning away from what God is calling us to do) we will lose much blood! If we choose to serve God we will be chastised, but we will live.

We must stop battling against each other. We must stop battling against different classes of people (meaning saved and unsaved, those in various types of sin, etc). We must stop speaking fluff and nonsense. We have all sinned and fallen short of God's mark.

We must be as the Moravians of the last century, we must warm up our prayer closets and begin calling out and contending with a living God. We must repent and cry out for His mercy. We must return to the old ways and leave the path we have been walking. God is calling us to make a decision!

Choose who you will serve - the time of choice is drawing to a close. Choose wisely!