(2 Chronicles 7:14)
God is speaking to and about the Israelites in this passage, but as we know, the Old Testament and the Israelites are often used as a ‘shadow’ of what is to come for all of God’s people. As we also know by reading the Old Testament, the Israelites failed to follow God, were punished, humbled themselves, were saved, failed again, were punished, humbled themselves, were saved, rinse and repeat, time and again… Wow, that sounds just like my walk with God (I’m sorry to say)!
How do we get out of this ‘rinse and repeat’ cycle? Well, the final answer is when Jesus returns, or we die… sorry to be a downer! This life has a constant struggle for us Believers – the flesh battling against the Spirit, as our wonderful pastor spoke about this week during our series on Galatians (visit elevatecc.com if you’re interested). However, we are clearly called to commit ourselves to walking in the Spirit more and more. By doing this, we can slowly grow closer to and more like the God that inhabits us.
Following instructions is not something us humans always do so well (just get out on any city street somewhere and you’ll quickly see what I mean). But if we follow the three steps that God lays out above to His people:
- Humble yourself (see that you are a sinner, you cannot save yourself, yet you are loved)
- Pray and seek God (pray to the One that loves you so and seek more of Him)
- Turn from sin (repent and ask for Jesus’ precious blood to cover your sin)
God promises the following three things in response: - He will hear
- He will forgive
- He will heal
What a promise we have from our Holy Father!
#LoveMatters