His Encouragement #29

Good morning, and welcome to His Encouragement Thursday! I don’t know about you, but Thursdays are my struggle day of the week. By Thursday, I have already been working hard at school and at home, and I just wish it would hurry up and be Friday already. LOL! I definitely need a little extra Jesus time on Thursdays.

Trisha, my blogger friend at Joy of Reading, and I decided on calling this post “His Encouragement” because our real source of peace, strength, and security can only come from Jesus Christ. He, and He alone, is our constant! We pray and hope that these Thursday posts become a real encouragement to you and help you end your week strong in God’s love and purpose for you. God bless!

Today’s Thursday Encouragement comes from:

2 Chronicles 7:14 (ESV)

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.

Just a little set up: this verse is spoken by God to King Solomon in the night right after Solomon’s Temple had been completed. This one verse is part of a larger warning that God gives to Solomon. The warning is not just for Solomon’s sake as Israel’s king, but for all of God’s people. God explains that when His people mess up, which they will, He will send warning signs — locusts, lack of rain, moments of pestilence, etc. These are not meant to hurt His people, but to get them to wake up to the ways they are sinning.

The verse I have chosen to focus on today is the key to forgiveness straight from God’s mouth in a very easy-to-follow list. I love how simple God makes it for us all!

When we realize that we have messed up and need God’s forgiveness, we need to…

1. Call God by His Name
2. Humble ourselves
3. Pray
4. Seek God’s face
5. Turn from our wickedness

When we do those things, God will…

1. Hear
2. Forgive
3. Restore

I don’t know about you, but my Type-A self LOVES having such a simply-stated set of directions to follow. I am greatly comforted by these instructions because they come straight from God. It’s proof that none of us are ever too lost that God won’t take us back if our hearts are truly in it when we do steps 1-5.

And, the blessings we receive in return for completing 1-5 are fantastic. God hears us. Our prayers will not fall on deaf ears. Then, He will forgive us of the mistakes we have made. Finally, and best of all, He will restore our relationships with Him. God is wonderful!

NOW, IT’S YOUR TURN!

WHAT BIBLICAL VERSE IS ENCOURAGING YOU TODAY?

And, check out more Thursday Encouragement from my fellow blogger friends:

Trisha @ Joy of Reading

Jacquelyn @ A Heavenly Home

Jessica @ A Baker’s Perspective

Becca @ The Becca Files

If you would like to join us: please contact Trisha or Nicole