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
The LORD, God, never made a promise that was not kept. If they turn from their wicked ways (repent), then they will be forgiven and healed. The promise is true when nations repent, when denominations repent; when communities repent; when congregations repent, and when individuals repent.
Wickedness is easy to recognize when tell-tale signs are identified. In biblical terms, it is the word that represents twisted, evil thoughts and deeds - the work of the devil. Wherever there is discord, deviance, and chaos, the wicked Enemy is at work. Wherever there is a lie wrapped in a thin layer of truth, wherever there is a counterfeit copy of the Holy Word of God, Satan speaks with dripping contempt. When a nation, a denomination, a community, a congregation, or an individual does what seems right in its own mind, it presents an easy target for the devil who prowls about looking for someone to devour. Whenever people desire to feed their flesh and justify themselves for its sake, the Father of Lies blinds them with temptation and cackles with delight as they slide into delusion and stand over the maw of Hell.
The primary cause of resistance is pride and grief. Pride causes one to assume humility is an admission of weakness and inadequacy. Thoughts of humble submission and acknowledgment of error cause grief for losing the familiar and comforting ideas and things. Fear of contempt and ostracization taps into both pride and grief so that, in weakness, one draws back from the cusp of repentance. One thinks something like, “I know what I should do, but I just can’t.” When the tension becomes unbearable, there are likely two outcomes: Self-justification and denial. Thus the LORD allows cause and effect to run its course. The old saying, “If you keep doing what you’re doing, you’ll keep getting what you’re getting,” is trustworthy and true.
Wounded denominations, communities, congregations, and individuals lay in the dust of their despair as Satan’s bony finger points, and he contemptuously hisses, “Why don’t you just curse God and die.” At that moment, one concedes or joins Job in saying, “Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?” It is the beginning of humility when one acknowledges God as the sole justifier and supreme ruler over all creation. Perhaps it is the reason for so much suffering in the land, even today. Until denominations, communities, congregations, and individuals recognize the cause and effect of sin and realize they have little or no control over consequences, they will not repent and receive divine healing.
“Christians” in the West, by and large, have abandoned the Gospel of the Kingdom of Christ. They have replaced it with the counterfeit gospel of the flesh. Like the teachers and leaders under the old covenant, most Christians have made the rules and the religious things more cherished than the LORD. Consequently, cause and effect render them a moral minority in their homelands. Until the gospel of the flesh is abandoned, the LORD will allow those who keep doing what they’re doing to keep getting what they’re getting. Faithless morality will gain nothing, no matter where one stands in a Christian moral dilemma—tradition, culture, social benefits, entertainment, etc., are not relevant to the Gospel of the Kingdom of Christ, though, without vigilance, they often supersede it over time. Therefore, let us repent and return to the LORD so that He can heal us and our land.
P.S. The current crisis in Israel is not unlike the ongoing struggle of the old covenant people. They, too, must consider what G_d desires for them and repent accordingly.
