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God's Words For US
by Cecelia Lester
“Then if my people who are called by my name shall humble themselves and pray, seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and restore their land.” 2 Chronicles 7:14 NLT
These are words spoken by God. He lays out a plan for those present at the dedication of His Temple, His children, (us), when their (our) land becomes evil. God directs His children to humble themselves—come clean about sins and recognize their place as compared to God.
God’s people are to intently look into His face, again with an open heart. We all know people who try to fool others with their stories actions and by comparing themselves with someone else who has done ‘worse things’. I find it interesting these people only do this when they can look good to us. We can’t fool God. He sees everything—no matter how we try to keep things from Him.
We don’t hear of people seeking items any more. They don’t spend time in earnest searching for things they want. They look for them but they don’t always count the costs. Some just reach and grab, because they don’t care about who they hurt. For me, I try to plan my days and think realistically about my purchases.
In spiritual issues, maybe our society has become too casual in the things that make up relationships with God. When I returned to Jesus, I believed that Jesus loved me as I was, period. I could not or did not understand He wanted to make me into the person He desired me to be. In order to get to know Jesus better, I had to cease doing some activities that for most people were not necessarily sinful—these were not bad on the surface but could lead to more serious sins for me.
I had to learn to spend more time studying God’s Word, what He said about loving Him with my whole heart. I had to master how to pray for others and finally for myself. I had to watch my speech and not say anything that trivialized Christ or brought shame to Him. I even eliminated the ‘minced oaths’ from my mouth. Although, I do, from time to time, have some setbacks when I am frustrated.
God gives us a reason for these actions. He will hear our prayers, all the way from heaven. He then promises to forgive our sins. Now this is a huge thought. God Almighty forgiving little ole you and me for each time we transgress.
God then tells Isaiah and those who read this passage that He will restore or heal our land. Does our land need to be restored? It very definitely does. The hearts of its people need to be made into hearts of flesh rather than hearts of stone. (Ezekiel 11:19)
At the time of this writing, our local newspaper carries three stories on the front page that alarm me. In two of them, homes were invaded and robbed. In one, a resident was “pistol-whipped”. In the second, the homeowner returned home, caught the burglar as he left. The burglar punched the owner in the face. The third story told of an inmate at the jail having drugs hidden in his body.
Please Lord God, guide us as we attempt to align our hearts with you and seek You. Let us begin with our hearts and our ways. Teach us to follow You as we go about our days. In the Name of Jesus, I pray. AMEN
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Cecelia Lester has been serious about her writing for over two decades..
She composes Christian essays and posts them to her blog quietspirit-followingmyking.blogspot.com/
She has served in a faith-based organization, Grace In Action by writing two newsletters and searching for possible grants.
In July 2017, she published her first book, 'Times of Trouble Bring Rays of Joy.'
She and her husband of 54 years live in central Indiana. They have one grown son.
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