James calls us in the scripture above to do the same thing that the LORD calls us to in 2 Chronicles, something that is uncommon in our culture, something that feels uncomfortable. That action is called humility.

In 2 Chronicles 7:14 the LORD says: "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, will forgive their sin and will heal their land.”

These scriptures both show us that the Lord honors humility. Once we step back to call our own sin out and wash our hands of it through repentance and the blood of the Lamb, the LORD hears our heart seeking Him in pureness, after it has been broken from the sinful decisions we’ve made. He comes near to us. His Spirit is closer than our own heartbeat, binding up wounds of the past and comforting us with a peace that surpasses all understanding. On top of that, the devil flees, he doesn’t just shrink up, he flees. From our minds, from the strongholds that have set up in our souls, from our marriage, from our children. The sin that gave him permission to trample over us is no longer there, it's been casted into the depths of the ocean. Now healing can begin. Healing in our minds, our families, our church, our nation, the land can be healed!

What fear the enemy must have when this happens. No wonder he has deceived people into thinking that humility makes them weak, that bitterness is acceptable, that our own sin isn’t as bad as that guy down the road or that girl we heard about so we can pray for them, but no need to pray for our own hearts. Let us not go another day with this attitude. As Pastor Jentezen preached on Sunday, "What can God do if we all prayed for our families to be turned back to HIM, to the altar, to worship, to prayer, to holiness, to sanctification, to purity, to wholesome living?” He tells what He can do, He can heal an entire land. A land that looks as though it has fallen beyond repair. A land that the enemy thought was his. An entire land can fall on their knees with humility and repentance. Where sin abounded, grace can abound even more. A grace that leads to revival, to salvation, to a secured eternity with the Savior.

Will you let humility start in your heart today?

Querido Padre Celestial,

I confess that humility is hard for me. It's easy for me to feel bad when I know I've done something wrong, but it is hard to confess, to bring it into the light, and to seek help and prayer from others if I keep falling into the same sin. I want to be humble, because I know You have commanded it. At the same time, I don't want to pray for humility, because Your Word says to “humble yourself” and I fear that if I don't humble myself Your spanking would be too humiliating. Help me, Lord God. Let Scripture be a mirror so I can see how much I love the world and how little I really am like Jesus. In the Name of Jesus, I pray. Amen

Take this moment to speak out loud to your own soul, saying, “God has shown you what is good and what He desires from you: to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.” (Micah 6:8)