Turn from or Repent
-Divine Protocol-
Breakdown and expansion of 2 Chronicles 7:12-16
Verse 12- God speaks: He hears Solomon’s prayer, and it is GOD who choses for Himself the place of acceptable sacrifice.
Verse 13- God clearly does at times bring drought and pestilence on His people.
Verse 14- God lays out the protocol for the remedy:
First, it is to HIS People, who carry His Name they must humble themselves and pray, and seek His face and turn from their wicked ways, THEN He will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.
God is speaking to His covenant people.
We are to humble ourself, meaning we are not proud, but have a low estimate of our own importance. We are submitted with genuine gratitude. See Proverbs 3:5; 22:9
We Pray, we call out to Father God based on our covenant, the Blood of Jesus Christ.
We Seek His face, this indicates a personal intimate relationship, His face is not His hand. This is why we should always approach His throne with worship, then He will show us his hand in responding to our needs. Worship first, petitions secondary.
Turn from our wicked ways; This is a turning around, a return towards God, it is closely connected to the seeking of His face. Many have confused this with repentance, while repentance, having a contrite heart, is a significant response to releasing sin, the action of repentance alone is lifeless. One can continually repent of sin, but until you STOP and Turn away from it’s practice the sin is still there. You may feel sorry, but you haven’t changed! However, once we place sin under the Blood of Jesus Christ and turn away from it the sin is removed and forgiven. Erased! That is why if we continually repent for that same sin over and over again, we are in-affect saying that the Blood of Jesus was not enough.
In the context of this scripture God shows us His heart. Thus, just the act of turning away from sin we are brought into the position of true repentance. To clarity this even further let us look at the definitions of each word. To repent means to feel sorry for, regret. Contrite for past action. Repentance means to regret past actions. However, to turn away means to move or cause to move in a different direction - or refuse admittance to. By discovering this difference one must ask the questions: Have we been majoring on the minor? What is the divine protocol laid out in this text so that God will hear us, forgive us and heal our land? Surely not having continual repentance gatherings year after year for the same sins over and over again. Please my friends let us leave them at the Cross, cover them in the Blood and forgive and release them to the Father to wash away, remove and thus restore us!
God will hear us, forgive us, and it is HE and not us that will heal the land. It’s all HIM!
Verse- 15 God declares His ears are attentive to the prayers offered up (in this place), the place He has chosen.
Verse- 16 He consecrates, He puts His Name there and He promises that His eyes and heart will perpetually be there. There is however some requirements as discussed in the text that follows vs. 16.
So, while this portion of scripture is dealing specifically with Solomon and the Temple in Jerusalem, God’s chosen people Israel and their covenant as a nation, you and I can learn much from God’s divine protocols given therein. God does not change and his ways do not falter. He alone is God Almighty, and his heart is inclined toward those who seek His face in humility and submission, knowing he forgives and forgets sins once we turn away from them and return to Him. His light is an ever guiding light, that directs our every step towards righteousness and His kingdom.
Therefore, Let us not be a people who continually repents, but never turns away from sin.
Let us be humble, pray and seek His face from a position of refusing sin a place in our lives.
-Divine Protocol-
Breakdown and expansion of 2 Chronicles 7:12-16
Verse 12- God speaks: He hears Solomon’s prayer, and it is GOD who choses for Himself the place of acceptable sacrifice.
Verse 13- God clearly does at times bring drought and pestilence on His people.
Verse 14- God lays out the protocol for the remedy:
First, it is to HIS People, who carry His Name they must humble themselves and pray, and seek His face and turn from their wicked ways, THEN He will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.
God is speaking to His covenant people.
We are to humble ourself, meaning we are not proud, but have a low estimate of our own importance. We are submitted with genuine gratitude. See Proverbs 3:5; 22:9
We Pray, we call out to Father God based on our covenant, the Blood of Jesus Christ.
We Seek His face, this indicates a personal intimate relationship, His face is not His hand. This is why we should always approach His throne with worship, then He will show us his hand in responding to our needs. Worship first, petitions secondary.
Turn from our wicked ways; This is a turning around, a return towards God, it is closely connected to the seeking of His face. Many have confused this with repentance, while repentance, having a contrite heart, is a significant response to releasing sin, the action of repentance alone is lifeless. One can continually repent of sin, but until you STOP and Turn away from it’s practice the sin is still there. You may feel sorry, but you haven’t changed! However, once we place sin under the Blood of Jesus Christ and turn away from it the sin is removed and forgiven. Erased! That is why if we continually repent for that same sin over and over again, we are in-affect saying that the Blood of Jesus was not enough.
In the context of this scripture God shows us His heart. Thus, just the act of turning away from sin we are brought into the position of true repentance. To clarity this even further let us look at the definitions of each word. To repent means to feel sorry for, regret. Contrite for past action. Repentance means to regret past actions. However, to turn away means to move or cause to move in a different direction - or refuse admittance to. By discovering this difference one must ask the questions: Have we been majoring on the minor? What is the divine protocol laid out in this text so that God will hear us, forgive us and heal our land? Surely not having continual repentance gatherings year after year for the same sins over and over again. Please my friends let us leave them at the Cross, cover them in the Blood and forgive and release them to the Father to wash away, remove and thus restore us!
God will hear us, forgive us, and it is HE and not us that will heal the land. It’s all HIM!
Verse- 15 God declares His ears are attentive to the prayers offered up (in this place), the place He has chosen.
Verse- 16 He consecrates, He puts His Name there and He promises that His eyes and heart will perpetually be there. There is however some requirements as discussed in the text that follows vs. 16.
So, while this portion of scripture is dealing specifically with Solomon and the Temple in Jerusalem, God’s chosen people Israel and their covenant as a nation, you and I can learn much from God’s divine protocols given therein. God does not change and his ways do not falter. He alone is God Almighty, and his heart is inclined toward those who seek His face in humility and submission, knowing he forgives and forgets sins once we turn away from them and return to Him. His light is an ever guiding light, that directs our every step towards righteousness and His kingdom.
Therefore, Let us not be a people who continually repents, but never turns away from sin.
Let us be humble, pray and seek His face from a position of refusing sin a place in our lives.