land being healed, God speaks a word of healing for the heart. Before
there can be blessing in the environment, God has to do a work in the
individual heart. The culture and society is not a problem or a chal-
lenge to God. Once God gets His people cleaned up in their hearts,
then look out, world!
Our homes need to celebrate our forgiveness. Our family mem-
bers need to know that God’s primary prerequisite for usefulness and
blessing is forgiveness. He uses us not because we are perfect, or tal-
ented, or connected. He uses us not because we have never failed. No,
He uses us because we have brought our sin and failure to Him and
He has said, “Forgiven.”
He blesses our environment.God says that He will “heal their land.”
God will remove His judgment from their environment because they
have been obedient to Him. Isn’t it interesting that God does not say
that He will heal them,but that He will heal their land? Our vibrant,
renewed life will “spill over” into our environment. In other words,
God will bless those who come in contact with us because we are
being obedient. When He showers us with blessing and favor, they get
wet, too. I really believe that businesses and government administra-
tions and other enterprises are successful to a large degree because of
the presence of godly believers. God blesses what such believers are
associated with because they have met His requirements.
Our families need to know that our walk with God is everything!
We need to teach and model before them that God Himself is the
source of all that we are and all that we will ever need. There is never
any need to compromise our walk with God or our spiritual integrity.
May God grant us the holy resolve of Joshua, that we may say with
him, “As for me and my house we will serve the Lord.”
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