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www.truthworks.com 18 November 06 devotion archive |
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Self Examination I tell you the Truth,
2 Chronicles 7: These words from 2 Chronicles are the simplest explanation of revival. Whether it is revival of the individual, revival of the family, revival of the church or revival of the nation, it begins with four simple ingredients: humility, prayer, seeking, and turning. We also need to understand that this formula is not directed toward the lost. I encourage you to never preach revival to the lost because it cannot apply to them. When we preach to the lost, we are to preach Jesus Christ and His salvation only. When God gives an edict to “people, who are called by my name,” He is referring only to those who are His children. That leads me to my first point – when there is a spiritual sickness in the land, never point the finger to the lost world. The lost world is without the guidance of God’s Spirit. The lost world cannot grasp God’s truth and therefore cannot live by it. If there is a spiritual decline in a nation that once proclaimed “in God we trust” it is not because of those who don’t believe. Our nation’s spiritual condition is a direct reflection on the spiritual condition of God’s people. It is we who need to be humbled, to pray, to seek His face and to confess our sins. Revival of our land is our responsibility, not Washington, DC or Hollywood’s or Disney or Wal-Mart. Don’t misunderstand me - I appreciate the effort that many ministries try to bring about legislation, enlighten our retailers and fight for decency – but it is all worthless chatter until God’s people begin to deny themselves and follow Christ.
2 Corinthians 13: The idea of self examination is exampled throughout the scripture (remove the plank from your eye before removing the splinter from you neighbor’s eye). If you’re like me, you probably hate spending money on medical exams. I not only worry about what it will cost me, but I also worry about the outcome. I see a dermatologist every six months and every time I wonder what he’ll find next. In the same fashion, I think many of us dislike the idea of spiritually examining ourselves on a regular basis. “I’m doing fine right now and compared to the world, I’m doing really well,” is often my attitude. But examination is something we need to perform on ourselves regularly. And when I look at my spiritual heart, I need to see it as God sees it – not as I want to imagine it. It’s only when I seek to examine my heart in comparison to the perfect heart of Christ that I’ll realize my needs and find myself at the point that I can begin to follow God’s plea for His people. Are you ready to humble yourself? Are you ready to seek His face? Are you ready to pray and to turn? If we truly desire revival, it begins with us, not the world.
2 Corinthians 13
Your Servant, Prayer Requests (and Praises!) If you have a prayer request and would like to see it here, please drop me an email so we can share with others. "Hey,
“Please pray for
Mr. Pierotti’s salvation Please reply if you have prayer requests, comments or simply need an open ear. I always enjoy hearing from you. <*))))))< <*))))))< <*))))))< <*))))))< <*))))))< <*))))))< Copyright © 2006 Truth Works Publishing. All rights reserved.
Unless otherwise specified, all scripture quotations taken from the HOLY BIBLE,
NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. NIV.
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