Solomon had approached God to plan for the people of Israel for when they had sinned. God replied with four conditions for pardoning:
1. Humble yourself by conceding your wrongdoings.
2. Pray to God requesting pardoning and forgiveness.
3. Look for God constantly.
4. Abandon corrupt conduct and sin.
A genuine apology is more than talk, it is a changed conduct. Regardless of whether we sin independently, as a gathering, or as a country, abiding by these four steps will prompt absolution. God will answer our sincere petitions.
• 2 Chronicles 6:37-39, Yet if they bethink themselves in the land whither they are carried captive, and turn and pray unto thee in the land of their captivity, saying, We have sinned, we have done amiss, and have dealt wickedly; If they return to thee with all their heart and with all their soul in the land of their captivity, whither they have carried them captives, and pray toward their land, which thou gavest unto their fathers, and toward the city which thou hast chosen, and toward the house which I have built for thy name: Then hear thou from the heavens, even from thy dwelling place, their prayer and their supplications, and maintain their cause, and forgive thy people which have sinned against thee.
Nobody is perfect except God. No one is exempt from sin; it is a condition that we all share. We all stand liable before him (Romans 3:23) and need his pardoning. We should eagerly come to Jesus when we realize that we have sinned. Just knowing that we have the capacity to sin should give us the desire to seek God’s guidance and strength.
• Psalm 14:3, They are all gone aside, they are all together become filthy: there is none that doeth good, no, not one.
• Ecclesiastes 7:20, For there is not a just man upon earth, that doeth good, and sinneth not.
Regardless of how well we perform or what we might accomplish contrasted with others, not even one of us can flaunt their goodness when contrasted with God’s norm. God anticipates that we should not only submit to his rules, however he wants us to cherish him with our entire existence. Nobody aside from Jesus Christ has done that flawlessly. Since we as a whole miss the mark, we should go to Jesus to save us.
• Romans 10:9-11, That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.
There are three things that we all should have within us, hunger, honesty, and humility.
We should have a HUNGER for God.
Do we know what true spiritual hunger is? Do we hunger for God like we hunger for food and water? (bacon) Do we have a passion for Christ like we have a passion for football? As the existence of a deer relies on water, our lives rely on God. The people who look for him and long to understand and comprehend him will find eternal life.
• Psalm 42:1-2, As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God. My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God: when shall I come and appear before God?
If we have a spiritual hunger, we should be seeking God. Just like when our stomach growls for something to eat when we are physically hungry, our spirit should be hungry for the Lord. Just having small bits here and there do not satisfy. How often do we wonder through the house, aimlessly? It seems like we are dissatisfied, agitated, or anxious? When was the last time we sat at the spiritual table and had a MEAL?
• Matthew 5:6, Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.
We should be HONEST with God.
Do we truly open ourselves to God and expose our sins? We must know that we cannot hide our sins. We must be open and submit to God. Do we know what it is in our heart? We should tell the Lord how we feel and what we think and be ready to hear the Lord speak to us. We must never forget to give God praise.
At the point when Jesus utilized the image of his disciples taking up their crosses to follow him, the disciples knew what he implied. Torturous killing, via crucifixion, was a typical Roman strategy for execution. Sentenced lawbreakers needed to help their own cross as they walked through the roads to the site of their execution. Along these lines, following Jesus implied a genuine dedication, and with the possibility of death, and no retreating or turning back.
• Matthew 6:34, Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.
• Matthew 10:39, He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it.
We are to keep in our minds the things that will show up in our words and actions, truth, honesty, pure, of good report, virtuous, and praiseworthy. We need to examine what we put in our minds through books, music, television, and the internet. We should be removing the harmful negative material and replacing it with godly material. Lest we forget, we are to be reading God’s Word daily.
• Philippians 4:8, Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.
By human nature, we have a natural capacity to sin. Unless we have accepted Christ as our personal Savior, the sin nature has not been eliminated.
• 1 John 1:8-9, If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
We should HUMBLE ourselves before God.
David had asked God to search for any sin and point it out. When God points out our sin then we are to repent. But we must be humble to God and submit to his divine surgery of our hearts. We must realize that we are unclean in the presence of God’s holiness. We may need to go through a painful cleansing before we are prepared to perform a task.
• Psalms 139:23-24, Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.
• Isaiah 6:5, Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts.
Humbling ourselves means that we are to recognize we are only worthy through Christ. Our independent nature and abilities do not give us strength, only through the power of Christ are we worthy. In spite of the fact that we do not merit his approval, he contacts us in affection and gives us dignity and worth, regardless of our human weaknesses.
• James 4:10, Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.
Revival in our land can only come from a revival in our personal lives. Everyone that professes Christ as their personal Savior need to seek repentance for themselves, then they can pray and seek repentance and forgiveness in their families, and in their churches. Only then will it be able to grow into a community wide revival across the land.
To have revival within our hearts, our minds, and in our lives, it can only happen by having a HUMBLE HEART and a HOLY HUNGER while being in PERSISTENT PRAYER. This will lead to RADICAL REPENTANCE.
