"Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel: 'Like these good figs, so will I acknowledge those who are carried away captive from Judah, whom I have sent out of this place for their own good, into the land of the Chaldeans. For I will set My eyes on them for good, and I will bring them back to this land; I will build them and not pull them down, and I will plant them and not pluck them up. Then I will give them a heart to know Me, that I am the LORD; and they shall be My people, and I will be their God - Jeremiah 24:5-7

To be in exile is to be cut off completely from the presence of God and His anointing. Consequently, we suffer deprivation and hardship. The unfortunate effect of this is that the church and the children of God have been locked up permanently in exile; this is causing hardship and poverty to the children of God. There in exile, prayers are not answered, except the prayers of confession and repentance. It is time to break out of exile, back to the promise land flowing with milk and honey, where the promises of God are fulfilled in the life of every believer. The scriptures are much more hopeful this time than ever. Not only does the scripture give the prophecies of our deliverance and our return from exile to glory, but it also instructs us on how to deal with our stay in exile. Why does God use exile to punish us? First, because of our sin. Second, in order to separate us from Him due to our sins. Third, in order to spur us to repentance. Disobedience to God’s commandments was never tolerated since the beginning of time. God would not hesitate to punish disobedience by bringing upon the people and their descendants inclusive, great and prolonged plagues; and serious and prolonged sicknesses." (Deuteronomy 28:59) In 2 Kings 17, when the people of God dared God in disobedience, they were severely punished. It is not the case that God deliberately watches them to fall into sin, but He usually would send messengers to them asking them to repent, but they never listened. And so even though God had compassion on them and wanted to save them from this, they were not willing.

There was nothing more that could be done. They were sick from the top of their heads to the sole of their feet. There was no way even God could cure them at that point except by sending them away, and that's what He did. God’s anger was so great that He didn't even spare His own temple, or the things in the temple. Think about that. The same is happening to us today. So many believers are suffering from the impact of a spiritual exile, where it has become very difficult for them to meet up with the basic things of life. The church has become a haven of unanswered prayers due to the fact that even the church is not spared from this exile. What do we do to enable us come out from these untold hardships and tale of losses? First, we have to confess our sins and repent of them. That is what God wants from us. God will do whatever it takes to get us on the same page with him, and if it means turning our lives upside down, turning us inside out, He'll do it, because He loves us. We're still the apple of His eye, but He's not like a modern liberal who won't punish. He is a God who knows how to produce sons and daughters, and sometimes the worst punishments produce the best results. Today’s word is calling you out of exile. Are you ready to embrace God again, and be restored back to your glory?