'...if 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, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.'" (2 Chronicles 7:14)
In our lifetime we are presented with many choices, but what is it that we can choose? Another house? Another pair of shoes? What kind of drink? Another partner? Some time alone? A holiday? To trust or not to trust? To include God in our life?
Here is a choice that we can make with a promise of healing and God's forgiveness. The reason why we need healing in the land is because we often fall into situations in wish the curse is stronger than the blessing. What are the areas of your life in wish you need healing? A broken marriage? Lack of opportunities to establish your future? God promised to heal the situation if you choose to do these three things.
1. Humble yourself
2. Pray and seek His face
3. Turn away from your wicked ways
There is a choice from our end and God will just do what he promised.
1. Choices are landmarks that define the landscape of our actions
Choices can tip the balance in our lives from going nowhere to suddenly arriving where you have always wanted to be.
1. Adam and Eve got in trouble for the choices they made. This wasn't a voluntary choice but included some persuasion from the part of Satan.
2. Free will is a choice that inhabits the unconscious mind of many of the world’s people. The culture of the world will try to persuade us also in our choices
3. Personal choice is an emerging spiritual and emotional reality, a child of the mid twentieth century. Choice is the essential dogma of the free market, of the capitalist structure that powers all our financial prosperity. Choice is regarded as crucial in nearly every constitution on human rights. From the right to bare arms, which is a choice through to live and prosper as each person sees fit.
2. The (wicked) desire to be in Control
1. In our capitalist worldview we are convinced that democracy will allow us to make some collective choices. We are called to vote in a regular basis and we contemplate the illusion of social changes. We think that the democratic process is the only option we have if we want to promote our personal choices.
2. Lobby groups are formed in society to influence decision makers and either by financial pressure or through popular demonstrations will create pressure in order to influence our collective well-being.
3. The democratic process has historically failed and reborn multiple times. Our civilization is constantly evolving and developing but there is a major flaw in our social structures. People have a desire to be in control and since a child is born that human nature and the selfish desires try to influence, pressure and use all kinds of arguments in order to acquire control.
Proverbs 21:2-4
2 Every way of a man is right in his own eyes, but the Lord weighs the heart.
3 To do righteousness and justice is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice.
4 Haughty eyes and a proud heart, the lamp of the wicked, are sin.
Haughty eyes refers to that look of superiority. When people are proud and think that they are always right. This is not something that happens just to a few people but notice that the Bible says "every way of man is right in his own eyes"
Adam and Eve thought they were doing the right thing but when the Lord weighted their heart he found sin.
THE LAMP OF THE WICKED - is the heart
3. Choices are very powerful - they determine our future!
1. The choices we've made in the past determined where we find ourselves in the present. Considering this I believe we all can agree that we did several good choices and also numerous bad ones.
2. Life is a flow of events and its not static. This is the reason why choices are so powerful. The flow of life and the goals will have may be attained or missed according to the ability to make the right choices.
3. The first and most important choice we have to make is between right and wrong, good and evil. Life and death. Then we have smaller choices that can tilt the balance of of our life to either one or the other. The people of God are presented with the choice between blessing and curse and very often they miss the blessing...
Proverbs 20:27
27 The spirit of man is the lamp of the Lord, searching all his innermost parts.
The word candle or lamp. Back in Bible days, a lamp was the instrument used to guide someone along a dark path. When we don't know what to do God will talk to us through our spirit and will enlighten our ways.
Remember that THE LAMP OF THE WICKED - is the heart
THE LAMP OF THE LORD - is the spirit (our own spirit, not the Holy Spirit)
HOW TO MAKE THE RIGHT CHOICES?
1. Use discernment and vision to see where your path leads.
Choose intelligence. Not every decision we make is a moral choice. Sometimes its just a matter of choosing between stupidity and intelligence. For example, if you are a young person and your friend offers you a marijuana joint, don't take it. You already know were that road will end.
Take action.Besides the paths of SMART and STUPID or GOOD and BAD, there is yet another road, and it leads nowhere. It is the road of non-action. It is the path of no-choice. Whenever we face choices and refuse to decide, that refusal is our decision. By refusing, we turn over control to the tides of fate, and instead of shaping our lives, we decide to drift wherever the tides and currents will take us. (che sera sera, whatever will be will be - attitude)
2. Instead of changing the circumstances, change yourself!
We cannot choose what will happen to us, but we can choose what happens IN us. That is, we can choose to have the right attitude, one in which we view challenges as opportunities instead of problems.
What kind of lamp are you using? The heart or the spirit?
Choose to be positive. You may be living with a disability in a wheelchair or without sight but this will not determine the outcome of your life.
Look around you. There are great people everywhere. Champions, victors. And they're all rooting for you. They are voting for you because they want you to win. Unfortunately, you are also surrounded by losers, people who want to drag you down.
If you choose the wrong companionship then you will be also more likely to make wrong decisions. Are you surrounded by Victors or by Losers? There is a lesson in living in the Spirit. We can say that we live in the Spirit but if we don't put GOD-FIRST we cannot count on Him to suggest us the right choices.
Remember that THE LAMP OF THE WICKED - our heart
THE LAMP OF THE LORD - our spirit
You can choose what kind of lamp you will be using.
Here is how to switch to the right lamp,
'...if 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, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.'" (2 Chronicles 7:14)
