2 Chronicles 7:14 from the daily reading in the One year Bible

 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 I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.

Romans 7:14-8:8

For we know that the Law is spiritual, but I am of flesh, sold into bondage to sin. ¹⁵ For what I am doing, I do not understand; for I am not practicing what I would like to do, but I am doing the very thing I hate. ¹⁶ But if I do the very thing I do not want to do, I agree with the Law, confessing that the Law is good. ¹⁷ So now, no longer am I the one doing it, but sin which dwells in me. ¹⁸ For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh; for the willing is present in me, but the doing of the good is not. ¹⁹ For the good that I want, I do not do, but I practice the very evil that I do not want. ²⁰ But if I am doing the very thing I do not want, I am no longer the one doing it, but sin which dwells in me.

²¹ I find then the principle that evil is present in me, the one who wants to do good. ²² For I joyfully concur with the law of God in the inner man, ²³ but I see a different law in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin which is in my members. ²⁴ Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from the body of this death? ²⁵ Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, on the one hand I myself with my mind am serving the law of God, but on the other, with my flesh the law of sin.

8 Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. ² For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death. ³ For what the Law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, God did: sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh, ⁴ so that the requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. ⁵ For those who are according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who are according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. ⁶ For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace, ⁷ because the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so, ⁸ and those who are in the flesh cannot please God.

There is certainly agreement throughout the church that our nation is in need of revival and an awakening. What the church often misses or sees incorrectly is who it is that needs revival. We think if only there would be revival in our schools, if God and Jesus, if prayer were once again, the foundation of education. We want revival in our government, godly leaders, praying about and making godly decisions. We want revival in our communities and our work places so that God would be honored and glorified there as well. We, the church need(s) to understand and accept that our government, our schools, our work places and communities are not what will bring revival.             2 Chronicles 7:14, from today’s text says:   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 I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.  It is the people of God, those called by the name of Christ, who need to humble themselves, ourselves and pray. It is Christians who need to seek the face of God. It is important that we recognize the first part of that verse. Living under grace, we are encouraged to: come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. (Hebrews 4:16)   Jesus says that we should pray believing. Mark 11:24  “I say to you, all things for which you pray and ask, believe that you have received them, and they will be granted you.”   God though, in today’s verse says that His people need to humble themselves and pray. The thing is if we are truly seeking the face of God, then we need to recognize that it is us, believers, the church, who must turn from our wicked ways. If we want revival in our government, schools, communities and work places, even in our families, it will need to begin with believers, those called by His name.

In Matthew 5:13-16, Jesus says:  “You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt has become tasteless, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled under foot by men. “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.”      Under the guise of tolerance and acceptance much of the church has indeed hidden the light of Christ. As salt, God’s people are to preserve goodness and righteousness in our culture. In many ways the church has become indistinguishable, no longer salty, in and from the world. The salt of the church is trampled under foot by men.  God’s promise though is:  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 I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.    Our government, schools, communities, work places and families are not what will bring revival by turning to seek God’s face. But rather, when we, believers, those called by the name of Christ, will seek His face, ourselves turning from what is wicked to shine the light of Christ, then God promises to heal our land. Our government, schools, communities, work places and families will be healed. Those places and things are what will be revived, not what will bring revival.

In today’s text in Romans, Paul talks about the struggle we as believers have to live as those who glorify God.  He says:  For what I am doing, I do not understand; for I am not practicing what I would like to do, but I am doing the very thing I hate… I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh; for the willing is present in me, but the doing of the good is not. For the good that I want, I do not do, but I practice the very evil that I do not want.    Paul’s point is to differentiate between the law, which brings about the awareness of sin and Christ, the fulfillment of the law, who delivers us from sin. He says:  Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from the body of this death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, on the one hand I myself with my mind am serving the law of God, but on the other, with my flesh the law of sin. Paul continues:  Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.  For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death.For what the Law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, God did: sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin.     Here we see the key to our victory. It is the Holy Spirit. Jesus offered His life for our sin, but it is through the Spirit that we obtain and maintain life in Christ.  Paul continues:   The requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. For those who are according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who are according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace, because the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so,  and those who are in the flesh cannot please God.     Turning from the flesh, walking in and by the Spirit:   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 I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.     

Heavenly Father, Lord Jesus Christ, I recognize that I daily struggle against my own desires. I confess that I have allowed Your light in me to be hidden from the world, that I have not been faithful to, as salt, preserve goodness and righteousness in the places I live and walk. Holy Spirit I submit to You. I humble myself, knowing that in my flesh I am powerless against sin, but through Christ I am delivered, victorious over it. I want to see revival in government, schools, communities, work places and families. Begin with me and heal my land, I humbly pray believing.   Amen.