II Chronicles 7: 14

In the month of October, God laid on my heart to preach concerning where America finds itself in these days.  I shared how I believe that one of the evidences that America is already under the hand of God's judgement is the two primary choices we had for President.

In the midst of that message, God also reminded me of II Chronicles 7:14.  He began speaking very strongly about what we need to do as believers.  We can not change America, and we can't even change our churches.  But we can change ourselves, with God's power.

God begin working in our fellowship around II Chronicles 7:14 to the point that I preached there for several weeks and testimonies have been given (and still are) of what God is doing through that passage in individual lives.

This past Sunday I shared these concluding thoughts:

I. Humble themselves

1.  God cannot humble us;  He only provides situations where we can handle ourselves.  Calamity is meant to drive us to God in humility and repentance.  However, for most people, calamity does not produce repentance - it produces rage.  The response to calamity separates the righteousness from the wicked.

2.  The opposite of humility is pride.  Pride is self-dependency; humility is God-dependent.

3.  In humility, we become honest and transparent.

4.  Pride covers up; humility confesses.

5.  Humility admits you need others; prides goes it alone.  The humble regularly fellowship with other believers because they recognize they can't make it alone.

6.  Humility is also expressed in servant hood.  (Mark 10:43)

7.  Be humble or stumble.

Proverbs 13:10 "By pride comes nothing but strife."

James 4:6 "God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble."

James 4:10 "Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up."

II.  Seek my Face

1.  This means, "to desire something."  What is that you desire?  A revival is needed because Christians have desired something more "than seeking first the kingdom of God and His righteousness."

2.  Seek is a passionate word.  It carries the same type of passions as Jesus when He said, "He came to seek and save those which were lost."  Have we lost our passion for God?"

3.  His face is to seek His presence.  Not seeking His hand (gifts or provisions) but His face (presence, approval).

Psalm 42:1 "As the deer pants for the water brooks, so pants my soul for you, O God."

Philippians 3:10 "That I might know Him...."

Psalm 27:4 "One thing I have desired of the Lord, that will I seek:  That I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in His Temple."

III. Turn from their wicked ways

1. To turn is to repent.  A child of God must be a regular repenter.  In the Eastern European countries, they call a believer a "repenter."

2.  A person must turn from "his" wicked ways.  It is easy to see other people's sins, but a person seeking revival sees only his sin.  Matthew 7:3-5

3.  This also speaks of taking personal responsibility for your actions.  Vance Hanver said, "If you demands your rights, you will have a riot on your hands;  if you take responsibility, you will have a revival."

4.  We see our ways as "wicked."  The word for "wicked" is horrible, detestable.  The worse sinner I know is __________.  How do you answer that question honestly?

I John 1:8-10

I Timothy 1: 15 "...came to save sinners, of whom I am chief."