Heal Our Land
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· 4,063 viewsGod is waiting for the Gathering to line up with his will of bringing healing and redemption to our sphere of influence, our college, and nation. This healing will require from us humbling ourselves (not forced), pray and seek God;s face (intentionality and consistency), turn from our wicked ways (repentence and actual change).
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New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update Chapter 7
14 and My people who are called by My name humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin and will heal their land.
if My people who are called by My name, then I will
New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update Chapter 7
14 and My people who are called by My name humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin and will heal their land.
humble themselves hear from heaven
and My people who are called by My name humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin and will heal their land.
pray and seek My face forgive their sin
turn from their wicked ways will heal their land
A change in your current reality needs a reality check.
You need to speak to the specialist of the area where the change needs to happen. You don’t go to your young sibling to ask them how to take care of your financial goals, or your roommate relationships. You don’t ask your math teacher to help you on your Bio class. You go to the expert, the one who knows best in order to find out how to change the direction of your life.
Visiting the dentist is never a good feeling unless you have a perfect set of teeth. That is not my case. Why am I saying all this? What’s the point?
Do you want to change your reality, then have a reality check
Are you experiencing personal brokenness, then go to the one who can heal your life
Spiritual healing is the same. It is uncomfortable, it’s humbling, and sometimes it is a work in progress.
In March 19, 2018, Times Magazine published an article related to anxiety in college: “According to an American College Health Association survey of more than 63,000 students at 92 schools, “In spring 2017, nearly 40% of college students said they had felt so depressed in the prior year that it was difficult for them to function, and 61% of students said they had “felt overwhelming anxiety” in the same time period.” (http://time.com/5190291/anxiety-depression-college-university-students/)
The way we treat each other over social media is just ugly. I don’t mean to demonize social media or internet. Rather the issue is the user, not the system. Students report a lack of motivation to come to classes because they can feel outcasted, and targeted.
Seattle Children’s Hospital study “tracked hashtags people use on Instagram to talk about self-harm found a dramatic increase in their use in the past two years. Researchers got 1.7 million search results for “#selfharmmm” in 2014; by 2015 the number was more than 2.4 million.”
Your generation is in pain. They may be more familiar with pain than happiness, joy, fulfillment, and peace. What will we do to step up for campus today?
“While girls appear more likely to engage in this behavior, boys are not immune: as many as 30% to 40% of those who’ve ever self-injured are male.” (http://time.com/magazine/us/4547305/november-7th-2016-vol-188-no-19-u-s/)
Why wold God withhold his blessing from people? God is after your heart. He rather you go without his blessing so that it will cause spiritual hunger. Are you hungry for God?
Your generation is in pain. They may be more familiar with pain than happiness, joy, fulfillment, and peace. What will we do to step up for campus today?
This is an act of the community. God calls us as a community to repent for our brokenness and the brokenness of our community. This is not a matter of individual repentance. God is calling every person who claims to be a follower of Jesus, who claims to be a child of God to come to him as one.
The healing of a nation starts with the healing of the body of Christ.
If our country and campus is going to experience healing, it’s on you and me to step up to find healing in our lives.
We get to this point of needing repentance when we take God for granted. We forget God brought us out of captivity and we begin to be the rulers of our lives.
1. Humble yourself:
Humbling yourself is an act of the will. God cannot do this for us.
God cannot heal a heart that is not willing to be honest.
God is available to everyone who is willing to humble themself. So the question is no longer whether you are searching for God you but whether you are willing to be found.
Humbling ourselves implies that there are areas of our lives where we have rejected the Lordship of Jesus. We have chosen to become god and have become the leaders of our own lives. What are areas of your life that you have become an idol to you?
Pharaoh was unwilling to humble himself before God.
Lack of humility will cause you not want anyone else to help you in a moment of brokenness.
Jesus: said:
12 “Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
12 For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.
Matthew 23:6
The New International Version Chapter 23
12 For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.
6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.
New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update Chapter 5
6 Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time,
7 casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you.
The New International Version Chapter 5
6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. 7 Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.
2. Seeking God’s face is an act of our desires
2. Seeking God’s face is an act of our desires
For some of us the lack of intentionality in our relationship with God is the reason why we have started to walk away from God. Do you talk to God though the day? Do you seek his face when you stumble? Or do you only seek his hand of blessing?
This past week was a tough week in the Ballesteros household. There were a lot of things outside our control that was getting at us, and then I snapped at my wife. I reacted when it was just a minute too late. It’s hard to look at the eyes of the person you hurt. Specially when, when that person is someone you love.
We pray to confess our sins but Jesus calls us to go one step further and calls us to pray to confess to God our temptations. Temptations are not necessarily band unless they go unchecked and turn into an act of disobedience.
3. Repentance:
3. Repentance:
Repentance is more than just talking to God about where we missed the mark. Repentance is not simply say, God I’m sorry. Repentance has a long term commitment. It must produce fruit in keeping with repentance. Repentance produces life in the long term. It implies that we will restore the loss others have experienced because of our sin.
Turning from our wicked ways implies that we are willing to name and claim specifically areas of our lives where we have failed God. We are willing to say, God I’m not ok with the things I have done. We are willing to let go, burn bridges and start over again. We are willing to make amends and restore for the loss others have experienced form us.
So he began saying to the crowds who were going out to be baptized by him, “You brood of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?
“Therefore bear fruits in keeping with repentance, and do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham for our father,’ for I say to you that from these stones God is able to raise up children to Abraham.
“Indeed the axe is already laid at the root of the trees; so every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.”
And the crowds were questioning him, saying, “Then what shall we do?”
And he would answer and say to them, “The man who has two tunics is to share with him who has none; and he who has food is to do likewise.”
And some tax collectors also came to be baptized, and they said to him, “Teacher, what shall we do?”
And he said to them, “Collect no more than what you have been ordered to.”
Some soldiers were questioning him, saying, “And what about us, what shall we do?” And he said to them, “Do not take money from anyone by force, or accuse anyone falsely, and be content with your wages.”
Now while the people were in a state of expectation and all were wondering in their hearts about John, as to whether he was the Christ,
7 John said to the crowds coming out to be baptized by him, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? 8 Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. And do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham. 9 The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.”
10 “What should we do then?” the crowd asked.
11 John answered, “Anyone who has two shirts should share with the one who has none, and anyone who has food should do the same.”
12 Even tax collectors came to be baptized. “Teacher,” they asked, “what should we do?”
13 “Don’t collect any more than you are required to,” he told them.
Luke 3:7-
Repentance in this verse of the Bible brings us to the real issue of sin: Sin doesn’t just feel bad, or it’s just something we can make up for later. Sin is wicked, it breaks the heart of God and is the cause for which Jesus had to go to the cross.
14 Seek good, not evil,
that you may live.
Then the Lord God Almighty will be with you,
just as you say he is.
15 Hate evil, love good,
And establish justice in the gate!
Perhaps the Lord God of hosts
May be gracious to the remnant of Joseph.
15 Hate evil, love good;
maintain justice in the courts.
Perhaps the Lord God Almighty will have mercy
on the remnant of Joseph.
The New International Version Chapter 5
14 Seek good, not evil,
that you may live.
Then the LORD God Almighty will be with you,
just as you say he is.
15 Hate evil, love good;
True repentance will have implications
1. We take an honest look at our hearts.
2. We commit to be in deep fellowship with God. Seeking for God’s face