Day 6
Turn From Their Wicked Ways
Solomon prayed in II Chronicles 6:22, 23, “If a man sins against his neighbor and is made to take an oath, and he comes and takes an oath before Your altar in this house, then hear from heaven and act and judge Your servants, punishing the wicked by bringing his way on his own head.” In other words, Solomon was asking God that if a wicked, unrepentant soul comes before God, then God should give him what he deserves. God just said He wants us to seek His face. However, the Bible is clear that God will hide his face from sinners. See (Deuteronomy 31:17, 18).
All too often we make excuses for our sins. We think our sins are just little insignificant sins that are nothing compared to the people of this world, and we have the attitude that God overlooks the small stuff. However, Paul said in Romans 6:1, “What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin so that grace may increase? May it never be! How shall we who died to sin still live in it?” Let me be abundantly clear; God is not, has never been, nor ever will be okay with sin-any sin. If we ever see yelling in writing, we see it in this verse when Paul says, “may it never be!” Paul said in this same chapter in verse 11, “consider yourselves dead to sin, but alive to Christ Jesus.” When God said, “be holy therefore because I also am holy”, wasn’t a suggestion. It was a command.
A major excuse the devil gives to people for staying away from church is, “there are too many hypocrites in the church.” Now I know, as well as you, that if that excuse was gone, he would just find another one. However, THERE ARE too many hypocrites in the church. We get so bothered over the unredeemed and unchurched people acting the way they do when we have sin in our own camp. Jesus said in Matthew 7:3-5, “Why do you look at the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ and behold, the log is in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.” Here’s a clue: Lost people will act like lost people because they are lost people. However, Christians should act like Christians because they are Christians called by the name of God Almighty. Paul said in Ephesians 5:1-5, “Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children; and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma. But immorality or any impurity or greed must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints; and there must be no filthiness and silly talk, or coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks. For this you know with certainty, that no immoral or impure person or covetous man, who is an idolater, has an inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.”
We cannot expect God’s hand of blessing to be upon us if we are in rebellion against Him. To be friends with this world is to be in hostility toward God according to James 4:4. We allow the world to influence us and wonder why God’s hand of blessing is not upon us. In II Corinthians 3 Paul rebuked the church due to the fact that he wanted to give them meat to eat. Instead he gave them milk. Meat is food for the mature, while milk is the baby’s food. He said because of their fleshliness, he gave them milk. We need to grow up, become mature, remove all fleshliness from our lives, and live for God. Then and only then will His hand of blessing be upon us. “Then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin and will heal their land.”
Solomon understood that although God’s hand of blessing was upon them this day His continual hand of blessing was conditional. In Solomon’s prayer he asked of God, “If Your people Israel are defeated before an enemy because they have sinned against You, and they return to You and confess Your name, and pray and make supplication before You in this house, then hear from heaven and forgive the sin of Your people Israel, and bring them back to the land which You have given to them and to their fathers.” Solomon was saying to God that when we see Your hand of blessing has been removed and we recognize it is due to our sins and we then repent, return to us Oh God, forgive our sins.
God answered Solomon when He told Solomon “I have heard your prayer”. God said, “If I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or if I command the locust to devour the land, or if I send pestilence among My people, 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.” I often stand amazed at the stubbornness of man. I am included in that number. We buck against God bull-headedly determined to do things our way. Then when things fall all to pieces, we say, “Where have You been God?” God hasn’t changed, nor has He moved. We try to make deals with God rejecting the fact that God has already said this is the deal. There is no compromise. There is no negotiation. There is no middle ground. There is only His way and His way is the only way.
I also stand in amazement that when we finally come to the point of surrender and say to God, “I give up; I will do things your way”, a light bulb illuminates the dullness of our intellect; and we discover this is the right way. Then God’s hand of blessing, provision, and presence comes down upon us. The drought has turned into a deluge of deliverance, the devourer has been rebuked by the divine, and the pestilence has been replaced by His presence. I wonder sometimes if I stand alone in feeling like such a fool when I come to the realization that God’s hand has been there waiting for me the whole time. I just had to get me out of the way and allow God to be God.
Day 6 Prayer Guide
- Ask God to reveal any sin or mindset that would prevent Him from hearing your prayers.
- Repent of any such hindrance and ask for God’s forgiveness.
- Ask God to remove any doubts and keep you focused on Him.
- Seek the Holy Spirit to consume you during this time to lead you. Be obedient to Him.
- Spend some time praising God for the fact that He is able. Quote some scriptures or some of His characteristics to Him in praise.
- Ask God to reveal and convict the church of sin.
- Pray that the church would see sin as God sees it.
- Pray that the people of God will repent of sins and mindsets that dishonor and hinder Him.
- Pray for the people of God that they would see the need for revival and begin to seek God for it.
- Pray that the people of God would have a desire and stand in anticipation for God to pour out the fires of revival upon churches and a great awakening in our land.
- Pray that God’s people will seek the heart of God and desire His will and not their own.
- Pray that the people of God will seek the presence of God in their lives and their churches life.
- Ask God to align His people and prepare them for a mighty revival and a great awakening.
- Pray that the people of God would hunger and thirst for Him and therefore, seek His face.
- Ask God to raise up a mighty army of prayer warriors.
- Pray that the people of God will stand in faith knowing God can reclaim this land.
- Pray that our churches will be a house of prayer.
- Pray that the people of God will be living representations of Jesus.
- Pray specifically for revival in your church. Pray for your pastor and church leaders.
- Pray for a great awakening in your community. Name off streets and neighborhoods.
- Do not be judgmental in this, but pray that if there is any within the church who do not have a genuine relationship with Jesus that God would convict their heart and save them.
- Make a list of individuals who are not saved and begin petitioning God for their salvation.
- Pray for repentance of sin and a great awakening in our nation.
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