by Zeke Flores<\/p>\n
“Ah, sword of Yahweh, h<\/em>ow long will you not be quiet? Withdraw into your sheath; be at rest and stay still. How can it be quiet? Yahweh has given it a command; against Ashkelon and against the seacoast – t<\/em>here He has assigned it<\/em>” (Jeremiah 47:6-7 LSB).<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
While God’s judgment is certain on those who deny their accountability to Him, Jeremiah 46:6-7 seems like a cry for mercy toward them. Whether it’s the anguish of the Philistines upon whom the devastation was promised or Jeremiah’s concern for his national neighbors, it’s a helpful reminder to be intercessors for people doomed to condemnation.<\/p>\n
We may not like the attitudes and actions of the ungodly surrounding us, but what are we doing about it? Here are two things we can do:<\/p>\n
The first is easy: Pray for them.<\/strong> Instead of complaining and lamenting their way of life, lift them up to God in prayer, hoping they’ll turn to Him.<\/p>\n
The second is a little more challenging. Give them the message they need to change their ways.<\/strong> Try to think of ways to help without being confrontational, to declare God’s will without being obnoxious.<\/p>\n
Being condemned before God is the worst thing that can happen to a person; wouldn’t you rather see them saved?<\/p>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
by Zeke Flores “Ah, sword of Yahweh, how long will you not be quiet? Withdraw into your sheath; be at rest and stay still. How can it be quiet? Yahweh has given it a command; against Ashkelon and against the seacoast – there He has assigned it” (Jeremiah 47:6-7 LSB). While God’s judgment is certain…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[535,519,1510,451],"class_list":["post-69278","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-article","tag-enemies","tag-mercy","tag-prayers","tag-teaching"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":69517,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/will-life-ever-be-good-again\/","url_meta":{"origin":69278,"position":0},"title":"Will Life Ever Be Good Again?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"August 30, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"by Zeke Flores Sometimes, it may seem like nothing will ever be right in your life again. You might look back to happier times and wonder how things could so completely fall apart. Beaten down by circumstances, maybe even the consequences of your own bad decision, you become overwhelmed with\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":84518,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/changing-clothes\/","url_meta":{"origin":69278,"position":1},"title":"Changing Clothes","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"February 13, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"by Perry Hall Notice how Colossians 2-4 has many parallel thoughts to Zechariah 3. Satan Accuses Joshua \"Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of Yahweh, and Satan standing at his right hand to accuse him\" (Zechariah 3:1). Colossians 2:14 mentions a certificate of debt\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":83018,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/mercy-and-grace\/","url_meta":{"origin":69278,"position":2},"title":"Mercy and Grace","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"January 8, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"by Perry Hall Are mercy and grace the same? As with many things, metonymy can combine multiple things under a single word (i.e., faith often includes obedience and being saved by grace). Even with that example, faith and works are distinguishable. Faith is inward first (like mercy), being trust, and\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":95339,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/gods-description-of-himself\/","url_meta":{"origin":69278,"position":3},"title":"God’s Description of Himself","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"April 30, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"by Zeke Flores \"Then Yahweh passed by in front of him and proclaimed, 'Yahweh, Yahweh God, compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in lovingkindness and truth'\" (Exodus 34:6). This is God describing Himself. Not Moses describing God, nor Israel describing God. God Himself says, \"This is who I\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":86893,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/why-study-the-old-testament\/","url_meta":{"origin":69278,"position":4},"title":"Why Study the Old Testament?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"April 30, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"by Naomi Works \"What is the point of studying the Old Testament? We're not under that covenant, Jesus only appears in the New Testament, and Leviticus-Deuteronomy is just plain boring!\" I feel so sorry for people who think that way. They're missing out on so many incredible lessons that will\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":65408,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/why-am-i-having-so-much-trouble\/","url_meta":{"origin":69278,"position":5},"title":"Why Am I Having So Much Trouble?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"January 5, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"by Zeke Flores I'm a faithful child of God! So why am I having so much trouble? Hezekiah may have been asking himself the same thing when the Assyrian king Sennacherib threatened to overrun Judah. 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