Wednesday's word: 2 Chronicles 7:14

"If my people who are called by my name will humble themselves, 
and pray and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, then 
I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land."
2 Chronicles 7:14

No doubt that you've encountered this verse before, especially in the context of revival. And no doubt that you realize that we DESPERATELY need to experience revival in our families, churches, neighborhoods and communities in our land.

So what does this verse actually say? Well, it promises a fresh work of God's grace for us if we would but read and respond to His truth. A subsequent question might also be asked: why aren't we experiencing this kind of grace today? I think if we look carefully at the verse, we'll see clearly four problems that hinder the work of a mighty move of God in revival. There is...

1. An Abundance of Pride - God hates pride, and there is an abundance of this evil in our land today. Not only is it prominent in our secular society, it is also prominent in our churches as well. Our buildings are often filled with self-righteous, arrogant men and women who sing "Amazing Grace" while walking down the broad road that leads to Hell thinking they're too good to be damned!
2. An Absence of Prayer - Someone once said, "The early church prayed for ten days, had one service, and 3,000 got saved; while we pray for ten minutes, have 1,000 services, and three get saved." When was the last time your church scheduled a season of all-night prayer gatherings? When was the last time your church taught and practiced the biblical discipline of fasting and prayer? When was the last time your church emphasized the need for intercessors to come with a broken heart to an old-fashioned altar and publicly weep over sinners in need of the Savior?
3. An Abuse of Priority - The Bible says that we should seek His face. This means that we should be more concerned with our fellowship with a Person, not what we can gain from that Person. In other words, we are so incredibly guilty of desiring to get something from Him, rather just simply wanting Him! Paul's testimony was all about his desire to know Him. Our testimony is too often about wanting blessings from Him. There is a HUGE difference!
4. An Abandonment of Purity - Isn't it strange how the religious of our day began to cry "legalism" whenever someone mentions the idea of living up to certain biblical standards? Yet the scriptures tell us that we are to be holy, even as God is holy! You can take that any way you want to, but I believe that we should live our lives in such a way that pleases God and points to the reality that we have been radically changed by His saving and sanctifying grace!

Well, there you have it, my devotional thought for this Wednesday. Now, how will we respond? Let's do whatever is necessary to experience a Christ exalting, sin killing, life changing, Heaven sent, Holy Ghost REVIVAL! Amen? Yes; AMEN!

-CS-

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