Daily Devotional
By Pastor Jerry Teboe
A Closer Walk with Christ in 2026
God’s Promise for Revival
2 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 will heal their land.
This Sunday we finish our spring revival. God has been doing great things in our church, but we want to see all of the full blessings of the Lord; for that reason, we are focusing on a renewing as never before. In this portion, we find that during the dedication of the new temple, Solomon prayed for God’s blessing on Israel and on the temple. God appeared to Solomon and told him that his prayer had been heard, and in God’s response to Solomon’s prayer, He spoke the words of this verse. It is God’s promise that He will hear from heaven and heal the land, if His people respond correctly. What is God looking for in order to respond to our prayer?
The verse says, “If my people.” God is speaking to His saints, believers in the promise of God for salvation. Revival is for believers. God wants us to be concerned about our own lives and our relationship with Him. So many believers who really know the Lord, do not have a close walk with Him. They are like the prodigal son. They are part of the family, but they are not where they should be in order to share in the blessings that the father has available. God wants each of His children to be close to Him. Therefore, He says to them “If.” God is not going to force anyone to have a close walk with Him; however, He desires that in each of our lives.
Next, He says, “If my people which are called by my name.” This is our identification with the Lord. We are called by the name of Christ; we are Christians. With this identification, comes responsibility. If we are called by His name, then we should live in such a way that others can see the difference. Our testimony should stand out so that others know that we belong to the Lord. We are His children, and our lives reflect on Him. Just as we desire our own children to live in such a way that they honor the family name, we need to realize that we as God’s children should live to honor His name. How many times do some Christians, by their daily lifestyle, tell the world that even though they carry the name of Christian, it has no deep meaning for them? What a shame!
Then the Lord gets down to the main goal He is seeking. He says, “If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves.” Humility is a difficult trait to find in many of God’s people. Some often live such prideful lives that it shows others that they think they are in control of their own lives. They use language that does not honorably reflect the Father’s name. Some even live in such a way that they avoid obeying the Word of God in the things He asks of them. They act as if their relationship with the Father means nothing to them. Therefore, God is asking His people to humble themselves. This means to put God first and realize that He is first, and not us. He wants us to look to Him for counsel, direction, and fellowship. That takes humility. We need to humble ourselves under the mighty hand of God. 1Peter 5:6, Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time.
Then God says to His children, “If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways.” This should be our response to God’s request. Prayer is the demonstration of humility, because It shows our dependence on God. We need to seek His face. That means that we recognize our own lack and that He is in control, and He alone can make the difference which we need. He is God, and we are not. We need to look to the Lord for His desire and direction in our lives. The last part is just as important; we should turn from our wicked ways. This means anything which is contrary to the Word of God. We need to ask God to search us thoroughly so that we can know what is wrong in our lives and then change it. This was David’s prayer in Psalms 139:23-24, Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.
When we do what God wants us to do, then He gives us His promise, then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.
This is the promise concerning revival. God wants us to turn to Him; then He will show Himself mighty. Let’s focus on revival in our own hearts today.
Bible Reading for the Year
April 18th, 1 Samuel 27-29; Luke 17-1-19
April 19th, 1 Samuel 30-31 ; Luke 17:20-37
Prayer Needs
Pray and come to our Spring Revival!
Rev. Ken Smith will be with us Sunday!
Praise the Lord! Thank you for praying for Jennifer Teboe Buchamer. She had a CT scan on Friday, April 17th. All of the tumors had shrunk except for 2 that remained stable. The doctors were greatly surprised. Please continue to pray for complete healing.
Please pray for Kat Radkins’ husband, Joe. He will have a total hip replacement on May 11th. Please continue to pray for a remote work job for Kat as they really need this.
Praise the Lord that Dr. Joe Jordan had a successful coronary artery bypass surgery. He is still in the hospital. His recovery is slow. Pray he will be stronger soon.
Please pray for Carter Crandell (Corey’s Dad). He went into the ER in Tarboro this morning. He has infection and two kidney stones. When they went in to remove the stones, they found the infection was too bad to remove them. If the infection does not clear up, he will go into ICU.
Please pray for Peggy Warren. She is in a lot of pain from a partially crushed disc in her lower back. However, surgery is not recommended.
Please pray for Phil Corey in his continual dialysis treatments. Please pray for Michelle and for Doris too. Doris is having problems with her blood pressure.
Please pray for Robbie Harvey, Barbara Teboe’s nephew, who has MAC lung disease. He fell and broke several ribs. He is now home from the hospital but in a lot of pain. He has started a new medication for his lung disease.
Please continue to pray for Beth Buchta that her hip will completely heal. She saw the doctor the other day and found she was overusing her hip. Her recovery can take up to a year.
Please pray for Madison Bowers Millwee. She is now at 33 weeks and is doing well. Everything is relatively stable at this point. She will continue modified bedrest until she delivers.
Please continue to pray for Marvin Silverthorne for his eyesight to improve.
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Pray for our Missionaries!
Sue Singleton and the mission in Cambodia
Dr. Joe Jordan and the CBM (Cross and Bible Ministries)
Travis and Caroline Fennessy – IBM missionaries to Southeast Asia