People will answer, ‘Because they have forsaken the Lord their God, who brought their ancestors out of Egypt, and have embraced other gods, worshipping and serving them–that is why the Lord brought all this disaster on them.’ 1 Kings 9:9

Every time a major disaster occurs affecting a large number of people, many will wonder why it happened. Almost immediately people will blame other people or God for what occurred. Some will blame others for the long-term effects of some action, while others blame for immediate choices made.

Seldom do people take responsibility and blame themselves for the disasters.

God told Solomon that he and the people must follow Him. If they don’t and follow other gods, He will bring great disaster on them, until the people of other nations will see and recognize that they left God, and He destroyed them.

It is sadly common for many who claim to be believers in Jesus to walk in sin and follow false gods more than following God. Sin is justified and accepted as good, twisting scripture to make it acceptable.

While God is patient and full of grace and mercy, there comes a point in which He will punish the choices of believers.

Communities or nations that begin to follow false gods as a whole and do not have true believers standing for God’s truth and ways, may begin to feel the judgement of God come upon them. He allows disasters to occur to try and get their attention back to Him so that He may forgive them and heal them of the disaster.

In the same way that Israel has experienced disasters for turning away from God, other nations have also experienced it and America is beginning to feel His strike against them. Believers need to stand strong and true for God and refuse to follow the false gods of this world to avert greater disasters.

You may be tempted at times to follow the false gods of this world–money, fame, sexual immorality, self-pleasure, or more. The world will do whatever it can to draw you away from God into its sinful pleasures that bring about death and destruction.

Focus your entire heart and life upon God and His ways. Do not allow the temptations pull you into sin and judgment. God will make a way for you out of temptation and provide more life than this world will ever offer.

Today I pray that you will know Jesus as your Lord and Savior; that you will follow God alone with all of your life; that God will give you strength and direction to flee temptations to sin; that God will never have to bring disaster upon your life due to sin; and that the world will see you follow God.