...AND I WILL HEAL THEIR LAND

INTRODUCTION

 2 Chronicles 7:14 reads, “If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.”  We are in a time as never before both in the natural and in the spiritual.  We are in or certainly going into the end times as told to us throughout Scripture.  However, as believers, His people called by His name, we are to stand firm in our convictions and fear not.  Jesus said in Mark 13:7-8, “And when you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be troubled; for such things must happen, but the end is not yet.  For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.  And there will be earthquakes in various places, and there will be famines and troubles.  These are the beginnings of sorrows.”  

As His followers we are called to represent His Kingdom on earth and bring the gospel to all the world.  His Great Commission to us will bring His message to nations and open doors to bring people into the Kingdom of God.  This is our call.  This is our commission from Jesus Himself.  It is straightforward and we as His church are to be fulfilling this commission as we walk out our daily life.  He will return for His bride, His church, His representation here on earth.  I am not talking about a building or a denomination but each and every one of us that comprise the body of Christ.  It is each and every one of us, individually and corporately, that comprise His church.  

 I believe that especially in America we have long put religion with all of its trappings and man-made doctrine above our relationship with and understanding of the Lord.   Although many can and do quote Scripture with finite accuracy the real depth of living out the tenets never reaches the heart.  It is in the heart that the Holy Spirit, if welcomed, can do the work of circumcision and the resultant mind transformation totally necessary to walk out the Word of God in one’s life.   Without humbling ourselves first at the individual level we are impotent to come together corporately to humble ourselves before Him.   To walk in the authority He gave us as Kingdom emissaries we must start in our own individual heart to follow His commandments and walk in His ways.  

The church is hemorrhaging people by the numbers, many have grown cold, and most want to hear only what would ‘tickle their ears.’  The same issues prevail that Paul wrote about to the various churches under his purview.  The same issues prevail that Jesus outlined in the Book of Revelation.  So should we just throw up our hands in desperation and give up?  Not at all…we should throw up our hands in prayer and seek His face.  While humbled before Him we should turn from our wicked ways and pray that He will hear from heaven and heal our land.  Pray not just that He would heal our country but the very landscape of each and every one of our hearts.   It is always a heart issue that determines how we will go forward in our life and what we will witness in our behavior.  

We have allowed many thieves in our temples both on the individual level and corporately.  It is time to clean out the temples and return them to the house of prayer intended by the Lord.   This will require much work for some and a firm commitment for all but it is necessary to go forward in His work in this season.  Many who call themselves Christians would rather sit complacently in their box called church with their life unchanged.  This is virtual suicide on the spiritual level both individually and corporately.  I have spoken to countless people as I researched this book and the majority cite that they just want to go to church once or twice a week and really not get involved with evangelization or in any way speaking outside the walls about Jesus.   Yet this is our call if we are truly surrendered to Him as Lord and Savior of our life.  

Meanwhile, the Muslim community is doing their own form of witnessing which is quite successful as their numbers grow.  Their mission is to convert the world to Islam.  They are focused and they are intent while we sit in our pews and avoid ’getting involved.’  
The time is now for us to get on our face in repentance and seek the face of the Lord for what He would have us do in this season.   We know the path is narrow and few find it but there are some among us with an ear to hear what the Spirit would say in this time.  There is a clarion call going out to the true church of Jesus Christ to rise up for such a time as this.  Now is the time.

This writing is not meant to be a condemnation of the church but rather a call of conviction to arise now and become the bride without spot or wrinkle.  We are in a very precarious season and the time for playing church is over.  We are the church and now is the time to actually be the church of Jesus Christ to a suffering and dying world.  Won’t you join the Lord’s service with a heartfelt commitment to follow Him completely in this auspicious season?