SEEK HIS FACE
‘Seeking His Face’ in plain terms is ‘asking through prayer’ but ‘asking’ itself is not seeking really. Bible says in 2 Chronicles 7:14 ‘if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wickedness ways, then will I hear from heaven and I will forgive their sins and will heal their land’.
What God hates most is idol worship (“thou shall have no other gods before me”…..Exodus 20:3-5). Disobedience to His laws and commands is next after idol worship. Families that have heavily fallen short of these two needs an intercessor who have separated himself to God and displays diligence in his pursuit. This is what symbolizes ‘Seeking God’s Face’.
One of the things that allows spiritual attacks over families and setbacks is household wickedness caused by ancestral worship and sacrifices. It is a family stronghold that can affect the believer’s progress today. Once realized, the believer has to separate himself to prayer consistently, meditating and introspecting what may have gone wrong. Quality time spent before God is seeking His presence back into the activities of the family and his life. Ancestral sins and worship had long taken away God’s divine hedge of protection and one Christian who desperately demands a change can stand in the gap to reverse the trend.
Personal sins of the believer such as sexual immorality, fornication, activities of lust, dwelling with the wrong companies and getting involved in conversations that does not promote righteous living can break the divine hedge of God from the life of the believer. Solemnly seeking the face of God brings awareness that leads to repentance and the divine hedge is restored. Constant practice of new reformative ways keeps the believer perpetually walking in the realms of God’s divine hedge of protection.
TURN FROM SIN
Anytime the people of God sinned against Him, He left them into the hands of their oppressors until they have repented, changed their ways before they are restored. The Israelites cried for their deliverance from the hands of the Medianites and God raised Gideon to bring about their deliverance. Again Israel cried for their deliverance from the oppression of the Philistines and God provided them David initially and Sampson eventually to ensure their complete deliverance. The word ‘Cry’ is to be ruthless and aggressive in calling upon the Lord to deliver.
Nebuchadnezzar had to turn from his boastful way when God moved him into the forest to live as a wild beast: “ And at the end of the days I Nebuchadnezzar lifted up mine eyes unto heaven, and mine understanding returned unto me, and I blessed the most High, and I praised and honoured him that liveth forever, whose dominion is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom is from generation to generation: And all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing: and he doeth according to his will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth: and none can stay his hand, or say unto him, What doest thou?
At the same time my reason returned unto me; and for the glory of my kingdom, mine honour and brightness returned unto me; and my counsellors and my lords sought unto me; and I was established in my kingdom, and excellent majesty was added unto me. Now I Nebuchadnezzar praise and extol and honour the King of heaven, all whose works are truth, and his ways judgment: and those that walk in pride he is able to abase”.(Daniel 4:34-37).
Before he was driven out from people, access to his throne, servants and peace in his kingdom was an indication of the availability of God’s divine hedge of protection. The divine hedge had departed once he lost his senses and dwelt with animals. However the prayer of repentance he prayed in Daniel 4:34-37 was a symbol of his turning away from sin which led to the restoration of his hedge.
