Words of encouragement
In Hosea 14: 1-2, God is calling all of us His children to returned to Him. He knows that many have stumbled because of their inequity. This is why He says we must take His Word and return to Him. God wants to wash our inequity away from us, He wants to remove our sins from us. God does not reject any one because of their sins or their weaknesses.
This is why I always say to you also don’t reject any one because you have seen them sinning, because tomorrow you might fall into the same temptation. You must learn to welcome everybody, because God has welcomed you. If you have sinned and your heart has drifted from the Lord, just know that your name has not been removed from the book of God, but Jesus has been interceding for you.
Many have sinned and backslided. Backsliding is not only stopping to come to church, but it also happen to those who come to church and attend all the services. They backslide because even though they are in church and their lips are singing to God their hearts are far from Him. People backslide because they have challenges in their marriages, in their finances and they give up hope in God.
You find people attending church services but they cannot even tell you what the sermon was about. You find someone in church all the time but they no longer pray or spend time in reading the Word of God and meditating. They are in the church but their hearts are empty of the Word of God. But in verse 4, God says that those who return to Him, He will heal their backsliding. He says He will love them without limit.
This is why God can take a prostitute and make them a powerful worshiper. God took Moses, from being a murderer to being a prophet. Because He healed his backsliding and brought him to himself.
When God has healed your backsliding, He puts a hedge around you, so that the devil cannot touch you. This is why when the devil wanted to attack Job, he had to ask God for permission. But with some people, the devil just enters them and afflicts them as he wants because they have backslided. The devil knows where you stand with God. When your heart is fixed on God, he will see the hedge of fire around you and will not be able to touch you.
Return to God with all your hearts. God will love you freely. His love cannot be bought. That is why you cannot say “ oh God but I have been giving in the church I have been cleaning the church day and night”. God’s love cannot be bought with money, but it’s given freely to those who sincerely repent and come to God with all their hearts.
You cannot receive a miracle if your heart is far from God. When your heart is far from God, Jesus will not know you when He returns, because He doesn’t look at the outward appearance or outward actions, but He looks at the heart. Return to God with all your heart and He will receive you and welcome you.
To God be the Glory.