The start of a New Year

            Good morning, Zion’s Refuge! This week will be the start of a new year. God has blessed us with a great year in 2024. I am looking forward to what lies ahead for 2025.  I am praying for a great year for this church and all its members, their children and their children's children. It would be awesome if God would visit us with a Revival that would bring salvation to all of our families. In the Old Testament God lays out a plan for Solomon to build his Kingdom with righteousness. I would like you to open your bibles to second Chronicles Chapter 7:14. We will take a journey how God can bless a nation and how God can bless our homes. Now your bibles are open let us read from second Chronicles 7:14.

Humble yourself before God:

  1. List two things that we can do for God to heal America?

II Chronicles 7:14: If my people, which are called by my name shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and heal their land.

God is talking to his people in this verse. This same verse applies to us today. We are looking into the start of a new year, and a new president. This is similar to what was taking place in the days of King David who was stepping down and his son Solomon was the newly crowned king. Israel was excited because they were preparing to build the temple of the Lord. God would no longer be in a tent but he would have his dwelling place on earth in a temple.

Today God is telling us to humble ourselves before the almighty God and live a life of righteousness. God is insisting that his people would be honest in the way they honor him in humility. God commands us through the word of God that we fear the Lord with all our heart with all our mind and all our strength. We are to reverence God as the king of kings and the Lord of Lords. And the same goes for us reverence and his son Jesus who died on the cross and redeemed us from sin. It is time that the church returns to humility and the respect to the Trinity.

Call to prayer

  1. What is the most important prayer? (Repentance)

Secondly, God is calling us to prayer. Prayer is the greatest weapon that Christians have in the fight against sin. The devil trembles when God's people bow their knee to God and pray. The devil is defeated when we call on the name of the Lord. All through the Bible when Christians pray and have faith in God he answered their prayers.

  • Prayer of repentance brings salvation:
  • Acts 3:18-19: But those things which God before had showed by the mouth of all his prophets, that Christ should suffer he has so fulfilled. 19. Repent you therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out.
  • Prayer of humility improves our attitude:
  • James 4:6-10 But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resists the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble. 7. Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8. Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, you double minded. 9. Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness. 10. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.  
  • Prayer of devotion aligns our lives to Holiness:
  1. According to many religious beliefs, actively praying to God is considered a key component in achieving holiness, it involves a conscience effort to connect with God, seek guidance and strive to live a life aligned with divine principles, thus leading to a more sanctified state of being.
  2. Psalm 99:9: Exalt the Lord our God, and worship at his holy hill; for the Lord our God is holy.
  3. Psalm 100:1-3: Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all ye lands. 2. Serve the Lord with gladness: come before his presence with singing. No ye that the Lord he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people and the sheep of his pasture. 4. Enter in his gates with Thanksgiving, and his court with praise: be thankful to the Lord, and bless his name. 5. For the Lord is good; his mercy is everlasting, and his truth endures to all generations.
  4. I Peter 1:15-16: But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation. 16. Because it is written, be holy; four I am holy.  
  • Pray for victory over the enemy.
  1. Deuteronomy 20:4: For the Lord your God is he who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies, to give you victory.
  2. Psalms 35:1-25: Fight my enemies, Lord, attack my attackers. Shield me and help me.
  • Pray for our needs
  1. Mattthew 6: 9-15: After this manner therefore pray ye: our father which art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. 10. Thy Kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. 11. Give us this day Our Daily Bread. 12. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: for thine is the Kingdom, and the power and the glory forever. Amen 14. For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly father will also forgive you: 15 but if you forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your father forgive your trespasses.   
  • Pray for our blessings
  1. Luke 11:9: And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.
  2. John 15:7-8: If you abide in me, and my words abide in you ye shall ask what you will, and it shall be done unto you. 9. Here in is my father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.  

“Seek the face of God”

  1. How do we get a deeper relationship with God and family?

“Seek the face of God” means to actively pursue a deeper relationship with God by seeking his presence, understanding his character, and desire to know him intimately, rather just asking for favors or immediate solutions to problems; essentially it's about prioritizing a personal connection with God above all else.

            It's not just passively waiting for God to reveal himself, but actively engaging with God through a prayer, study of scripture and seeking to live a life that is aligned with his will.

Psalm 27:8-14 : When thou said, Seek ye my face; my heart said unto thee, Thy face, Lord, will I seek, 9. Hide not thy face far from me; put not thy servant away in anger: thou hast been my help; leave me not, neither forsake me, O God of my salvation. 10. When my father and my mother forsake me, then the Lord will take me up. 11. Teach me thy way, O Lord, and lead me in a plain path, because of my enemies. 12. Deliver me not, over unto the will of mine enemies: for false witnesses are risen up against me, and such breathe out cruelty. 13. I had fainted, unless I had believed this to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. 14. Wait on the Lord; be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the Lord.

Turn from your wicked ways, God will answer you from heaven and will forgive you of sin:

  1. Does God call all Christians to flee evil? Yes/No  Explain why.

            Romans 10:8-13: But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the Word of Faith, which we preach; 9. That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus and shall believe in thy heart that God raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. 10. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. 11. For the scripture saith, whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. 12.For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him. 13. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

            I John 1: 9: If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

            Romans 6:23: For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

God will heal your land:

  1. Do you think that America needs to be healed? Explain

Psalm 85:6-13: Wilt thou not revive us again: that thy people may rejoice in thee? 7. Show us thy mercy.  O Lord, and grant us thy salvation. 8. I will hear what God the Lord will speak: for he will speak peace unto his people, and to his Saints: but let them not turn again to folly. 9. Surely his salvation is nigh them that fear him; that glory may dwell in our land. 10. Mercy and truth are met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other. 11. Truth shall spring out of the earth; and righteousness shall look down from heaven. 12. Yea, the Lord shall give that which is good; and our land shall yield increase. 13. Righteousness shall go before him; and shall set us in the way of his steps.

            I love the phrase that David used in this Psalm, “righteousness and peace have kissed each other”. God is basically saying to us we must live a life of righteousness if we want our land healed. Then the kiss of peace will follow our life. God wants to save your children and your children's children. That is why we need to humble ourselves before the throne of God ask God to be our savior our guide and our best friend. That kiss of peace could come in our lives and in our families.  Wouldn't it be marvelous that God would move in our families and give us a great revival. I am praying that this year 2025 will bring revival to Zion’s Refuge and to the world! Amen!

Invitation:

            God has been patient with the whole world. But one day this will all change. He will tell His son it is time to take your bride home and to start “The Great Tribulation”, on earth. But today the door is open for you to be saved. II Corinthians 6:2: for he says, in the time of my favor I heard you, and in the day of salvation I helped you. I tell you, now is the time of God's favor, now is the day of salvation.  The altar is open! Come!

Questions:

  1. List two things that we can do for God to heal America?
  2. What is the most important prayer?
  3. How do we get a deeper relationship with God and family?
  4. Does God call all Christians to flee evil?
  5. Do you think America needs to be healed?