Jeremiah 1:11

 Jeremiah 1:11 says, Moreover the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, Jeremiah, what seest thou? And I said, I see a rod of an almond tree. God's word came to Jeremiah, asking him what he saw.  The first thing Jeremiah had to do was recognize the word of God when it came to him, and so must we.  What Jeremiah saw was nothing unusual.  Jeremiah said he saw the rod of an almond tree.  Verse twelve states, Then said the LORD unto me, Thou hast well seen: for I will hasten my word to perform it.  God told Jeremiah that he had seen well, and then God added He would hasten His word to perform it, which I believe meant to bring down the rod on His people,  Verse thirteen says, And the word of the LORD came unto me the second time, saying, What seest thou? And I said, I see a seething pot; and the face thereof is toward the north.  God's word came to Jeremiah a second time asking him what he saw.  This time Jeremiah saw a seething pot with the face to the north.  Verse fourteen declares, Then the LORD said unto me, Out of the north an evil shall break forth upon all the inhabitants of the land.  God then told Jeremiah what the seething pot represented.  God was going to allow a great evil from the north to come upon the people of Judah.  Verse fifteen adds, For, lo, I will call all the families of the kingdoms of the north, saith the LORD; and they shall come, and they shall set every one his throne at the entering of the gates of Jerusalem, and against all the walls thereof round about, and against all the cities of Judah.  God said that he was going to allow Jerusalem and all the cities of Judah to be defeated.  We need to be aware of signs that we are falling out of God's will as His people today, and if we see such signs, we need to repent and return to following God's will.  Verse sixteen continues, And I will utter my judgments against them touching all their wickedness, who have forsaken me, and have burned incense unto other gods, and worshipped the works of their own hands.  God said that this was His judgment against His people who had abandoned Him and worshipped false gods.  We cannot allow ourselves to stray away from God's will and start to worship false gods as followers of Christ.  Verse seventeen says, Thou therefore gird up thy loins, and arise, and speak unto them all that I command thee: be not dismayed at their faces, lest I confound thee before them.  God then told Jeremiah to get up and tell the people what God had told him and to not be dismayed by their faces.  If we are to be successful in presenting the gospel today, we cannot allow ourselves to be dismayed by the way the people of the world may look at us.  Verse eighteen  declares, For, behold, I have made thee this day a defenced city, and an iron pillar, and brasen walls against the whole land, against the kings of Judah, against the princes thereof, against the priests thereof, and against the people of the land.  God basically told Jeremiah that he didn't need to be afraid, because God would protect Him.  The same is true for us today as followers of Christ.  The world can never defeat us spiritually if we only remain true to God and proclaim His word as He leads and empowers us to do.  Verse nineteen adds, And they shall fight against thee; but they shall not prevail against thee; for I am with thee, saith the LORD, to deliver thee.  God told Jeremiah that the people of the world would fight against him, but that they would not prevail.  God make this same promise to us today.  We can be bold in our faith because God is with us to protect us, even through a physical death.