THE CURE FOR A NATION PT. II
BY PASTOR RICK LIBBY
SERMON TRANSCRIPT OF SOULS HARBOR
PROGRAM 1638, AIR DATE 05.09.2010. 

LAST WEEK AS WE CLOSED THE SERVICE OUT AND I BEGAN   TO ASK GOD FOR GUIDANCE AS TO WHAT HE WOULD HAVE US TO DO TODAY, IT JUST SEEMED LIKE I COULDN'T GET AWAY FROM THE MESSAGE THAT I WASN'T ABLE TO CONCLUDE LAST WEEK. I JUST RAN OUT OF TIME. AND I GUESS THAT'S EXPECTED IF YOU'VE GOT A LONG WINDED PREACHER, HE PROBABLY ISN'T GOING TO BE ABLE TO GET IT ALL SAID,          IN THE TIME THAT HE HAS. AND I GUESS BY THE NUMBER       OF TIMES THAT I TURN A  MESSAGE INTO A SERIES, YOU COULD CORRECTLY COME TO THE CONCLUSION THAT I AM SOMEWHAT           OF A LONG WINDED PREACHER. WELL, WHEN YOU'VE ONLY GOT ABOUT 15 MINUTES EACH WEEK TO PREACH, SOMETIMES YOU CAN'T GET IT ALL IN. SO, I WANT TO RETURN TO        OUR SUBJECT LAST WEEK AND TALK TO YOU ABOUT, "THE CURE FOR A NATION." NOW WITHOUT RE-HASHING EVERYTHING THAT WE'VE ALREADY SAID, I WANT TO SAY TO YOU, THAT OUR NATION NEEDS A HEALING TODAY. WHETHER YOU'RE TAKING ABOUT THE UNITED STATES OR YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT CANADA, WE BOTH, OUR COUNTRIES, WE BOTH HAVE THINGS TAKING PLACE THAT ARE THE RESULT OF SICKNESS AND WEAKNESS, AFFLICTION THAT HAS COME AGAINST US. AND SO TODAY, WE NEED GOD TO BRING A HEALING TO OUR LAND. AND GOD HAS GIVEN US THE PRESCRIPTION OF HOW THAT CAN BE DONE. IT'S FOUND IN 2ND CHRONICLES, CHAPTER 7, VERSE 14. I KNOW THIS VERSE IS USED A LOT, IT GETS QUOTED A LOT, BUT THE TRUTH OF THE MATTER IS, IT'S PERTINENT TO TODAY'S WORLD. WHAT GOD PROMISED WAY BACK THERE IN THE OLD TESTAMENT, HE'S STILL STANDING BY TODAY IN OUR MODERN DAY WORLD. NOTHING HAS REALLY CHANGED, SIN IS STILL SIN. SIN STILL YIELDS THE SAME RESULTS. THEREFORE WE HAVE TO TURN TO THE SAME CURE THAT HAS ALWAYS BEEN THE REMEDY FOR SIN AND THAT IS GOD. IF WE WILL LET HIM TODAY, HE WILL BRING HEALING TO OUR LAND. LISTEN TO THE WORDS OF HIS PROMISE AND LISTEN TO WHAT HE TELLS US, WE HAVE TO DO. YOU SEE, THERE'S AN  OBLIGATION ON OUR PART. AND IT'S NOT UNTIL WE FULFILL OUR OBLIGATION, THAT GOD WILL FULFILL HIS. 2ND CHRONICLES, CHAPTER 7, VERSE 14, SAYS THIS, "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." NOW, I WANT TO JUST QUICKLY BRING YOU UP TO DATE, WHERE WE WERE WHEN WE LEFT LAST SUNDAY. FIRST OF ALL, WE TALKED ABOUT THAT FIRST WORD, THE WORD, "IF." JUST TWO LETTERS, BUT OH, SO POWERFUL. EVERYTHING WILL BE DETERMINED BY WHAT WE DO WITH THAT ONE WORD. THAT'S HOW POWERFUL IT IS. IF WE DO WHAT GOD IS TELLING US, THEN GREAT THINGS WILL          COME AS A RESULT. BUT IF WE CHOOSE TO IGNORE THE WORD OF GOD, THEN WE WILL CONTINUE ON THIS SAME PATHWAY. MORE DANGEROUS TIMES WILL COME. GREATER HARDSHIPS WILL DEVELOP. GREATER TRIALS WILL TEST US. AND WE'LL FIND A LACK OF ABILITY TO HANDLE THOSE THINGS. BUT GOD GIVES US THE CURE. GOD GIVES US THE ANSWER. HE WENT ON TO SAY, HUMBLE AND I WANT TO ENCOURAGE YOU TODAY, HUMBLE YOURSELF. TO CONFESS TO GOD FAILURE, WEAKNESS, SHORTCOMINGS,  ALL OF THESE THINGS. BECAUSE AS WE DO THAT AND       THEN WE DO THE NEXT THING  HE TELLS US TO DO, PRAY, NOW WE'RE MOVING IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION. NOW WE'RE MOVING AWAY FROM SIN AND WE'RE MOVING TOWARDS GOD. AND YOU CAN'T EVER GO WRONG    IF YOU MOVE TOWARDS GOD. THE NEXT THING THAT HE TELLS US TO DO IN THIS VERSE, AFTER HE TELLS US TOHUMBLE OURSELVES, AFTER HE TELLS US TO PRAY, HE SAYS, "SEEK MY FACE." NOW, AT FACE VALUE, WE      WOULD PROBABLY SAY, "WELL DIDN'T HE JUST SAY THAT WHEN HE SAID TO PRAY?" WELL, YES AND NO. PRAY MEANS TO TALK TO GOD. WHEN WE THINK OF THE WORDS, SEEK MY FACE, NOW WE'RE TALKING ABOUT A PROCESS. WE'RE TALKING ABOUT DEVELOPING A HABIT. WE'RE TALKING ABOUT DOING SOMETHING CONSTANTLY, CONSISTENTLY IN OUR LIVES. WHEN WE SEEK THE FACE OF GOD, THAT'S NOT A MOMENTARY THING. IT'S NOT A ONE TIME THING. THAT'S NOT SOMETHING YOU DO ON OCCASION. BUT TO SEEK THE FACE OF GOD, AS I INTERPRET THIS, IT MEANS TO, FIRST OF ALL, PRAY. BUT IT ALSO MEANS TO SEEK HIS MIND, TO SEEK HIS WILL, TO HEAR WHAT HE WOULD SPEAK TO US. YOU SEE THE HOLY SPIRIT WANTS   TO GUIDE US IN ALL THINGS. DO YOU REALIZE TODAY THAT YOU CANNOT EVEN BEGIN INTERPRET OR UNDERSTAND WHAT GOD IS SAYING WITHOUT THE HOLY SPIRIT HELPING YOU WITH THIS BOOK. WHEN YOU TURN TO THE BIBLE TO READ THE WORDS OF GOD, YOU NEED THE HOLY SPIRIT TO IMPART UNDERSTANDING TO YOU. SO AS WE LOOK TO GOD, WE CAN'T UNDERSTAND IT ALL IN ONE VISIT. YOU CAN'T EVER GET TO KNOW EVERYTHING THERE IS TO KNOW ABOUT SOMEBODY BY JUST VISITING THEM ONCE OR VISITING THEM ON OCCASION. YOU HAVE TO SPEND MUCH TIME WITH THEM. BECAUSE AS YOU DO, THEN YOU BEGIN TO MOVE BEYOND JUST THE SURFACE AND YOU CAN GET INTO THE DEEP PARTS OF A PERSON'S LIFE. TO UNDERSTAND GOD, WE HAVE TO SEEK AFTER HIM. SO THAT WE CANNOT JUST UNDERSTAND HIS WORD, BUT UNDERSTAND HIS HEART. AS WE UNDERSTAND THE HEART OF GOD, THAT ENLIGHTENS US, THAT HELPS US TO GAIN WISDOM AND UNDERSTANDING, THAT HELPS US TO KNOW HOW WE OUGHT TO WALK SO THAT WE CAN AVOID THE PITFALLS. THAT CERTAINLY CAN GET IN OUR PATHWAY. THERE'S A LOT OF THINGS THAT THE ENEMY OF OUR LIFE WOULD USE TODAY TO DESTROY US. HE WOULD LOVE TO INTERRUPT OUR JOURNEY HE WOULD LIKE TO GET US SIDETRACKED. SO THAT WE'LL TAKE OUR EYES OFF FROM THE THINGS THAT REALLY MATTER. WE SPEND SO MUCH TIME DEALING WITH THE LITTLE THINGS, THAT WE LET THE BIG THINGS GO BY. TODAY, A BIG THING IS OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD. NOW YOU HEAR US IN THIS MINISTRY, TALKING A LOT ABOUT THAT. I HAPPEN TO BELIEVE THERE'S NO SUBSTITUTE FOR A RELATIONSHIP WITH THE FATHER, THE HEAVENLY FATHER. I BELIEVE THE THINGS WE GAIN IN THAT WILL HELP US WITH WHATEVER LIFE MAY THROW AT US. SO TODAY, IF YOU WANT TO HELP YOURSELF, SEEK THE FACE OF GOD. AND IF YOU'LL DO THAT, UNDERSTANDING THE MIND AND HEART OF GOD IS GOING TO TAKE YOU A LONG WAYS IN HELPING YOU TO DEAL WITH THIS WORLD THAT WE'RE LIVING IN. THEN HE SAYS SOMETHING THAT'S VERY IMPORTANT.  AND WE HAVE TO DEAL WITH THIS WORD, BECAUSE IF WE DON'T THEN WE'RE JUST GOING TO CONTINUE THAT PERPETUAL CYCLE OF DESTRUCTION. HE SAYS, "TURN," TURN FROM WHAT, FROM THEIR WICKED WAYS. THE BEST WAY, AND DARE I SAY, THE ONLY WAY THAT GOD CAN TRULY HELP US, IS THAT WE TURN FROM A LIFE OF SIN. THAT SEEMS TO MAKE SENSE DOESN'T IT. HOW CAN WE BE HELPED, IF WE ASK FOR HELP AND YET CONTINUE DOING THE SAME THINGS WE'VE ALWAYS DONE. YOU KNOW THE DEFINITION OF INSANITY IS, DOING THE SAME THING YOU'VE ALWAYS DONE AND EXPECTING A DIFFERENT RESULT. IF THAT'S TRUE, THERE'S A LOT OF PEOPLE THAT ARE BORDERING ON INSANITY TODAY. BECAUSE THAT SEEMS TO BE THE WAY THAT THEY'RE LIVING THEIR LIFE. THEY'RE DOING THE SAME THING THEY'VE ALWAYS DONE, DAY IN AND DAY OUT, YET THEY EXPECT DIFFERENT RESULTS. IF SOMETHING HAS BROUGHT YOU HARDSHIP, IT WILL BRING YOU HARDSHIP EVERY TIME YOU DO THAT SOMETHING. IF IT BRINGS DEVASTATION, YOU MIGHT AS WELL MARK IT DOWN, IT'S GOING TO BRING      DEVASTATION EVERY TIME THAT ACT IS PERFORMED.  IF YOU BEGIN TO THINK WRONG THOUGHTS AND THOSE WRONG THOUGHTS BECOME IMBEDDED INTO YOUR SPIRIT, THEY WILL BRING BAD RESULTS. LISTEN, I'M TRYING TO HELP YOU TO UNDERSTAND. THAT IT'S NOT UNTIL WE CHANGE BEHAVIOR, IT'S NOT UNTIL WE CHANGE OUR LIFESTYLE, IT'S NOT UNTIL WE CHANGE THE ROAD THAT WE'RE WALKING THAT WE CAN BEGIN TO SEE DIFFERENT THINGS HAPPEN. IF WE WANT TO WALK TOWARDS          THE BLESSINGS OF GOD, WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO TURN FROM OUR WICKED WAYS. BECAUSE IF WE'LL DO THAT, THEN WE CAN RECEIVE DIFFERENT RESULTS FROM OUR LIVING. OHH, I NEED TO SPEND SOME TIME WITH THIS, BUT I DON'T HAVE ENOUGH TIME TO SPEND WITH IT. AND GIVE IT ADEQUATE ATTENTION TODAY. WE NEED TO TURN FROM OUR WICKED WAYS. JUST ASKING GOD FOR FORGIVENESS, REALLY ISN'T ENOUGH. I'M GOING TO GET SOME MAIL ON THIS, I'M CERTAIN OF IT. BUT HEAR ME TODAY, IF ALL YOU DO IS ASK GOD FOR FORGIVENESS, YOU'VE GONE ALONG WAYS TO HELPING YOURSELF, BUT IT'S NOT GOING TO BE ENOUGH, YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE TO TURN FROM THAT LIFE OF SIN, THAT PATHWAY YOU WERE WALKING. THAT'S WHAT GOD TELLS US IN HIS WORD. AND THAT'S THE WORD HE'S GOING TO STAND BY. THAT'S THE CONTINGENCY TO OUR RECEIVING THE BLESSING OF GOD, THE PROMISE OF GOD. WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO TURN. SO JUST PRAYING FOR FORGIVENESS REALLY ISN'T ENOUGH. BECAUSE IF YOU ASK  GOD FOR FORGIVENESS AND THEN GO BACK OUT AND DO THE SAME THINGS YOU'VE ALWAYS DONE, YOU'RE GOING TO BRING UPON YOURSELF THE SAME RESULT. ASKING GOD FOR FORGIVENESS REALLY ISN'T GOING TO CHANGE ANYTHING. NOW IF WE ASK GOD TO FORGIVE, HE IS FAITHFUL TO FORGIVE. LET ME QUICKLY INTERJECT THAT. I DON'T WANT YOU TO GO AWAY AND SAY, "THERE'S NO SENSE ASKING GOD TO FORGIVE US, BECAUSE IT'S NOT GOING TO MAKE ANY DIFFERENCE. THAT'S THE FIRST STEP. WE HAVE TO TAKE THAT STEP TO BE RESTORED, TO BE RECEIVED INTO THE FAMILY OF GOD. IT'S WHAT YOU DO AFTER YOU PRAY THAT MAKES THE DIFFERENCE. I KIND OF TALK ABOUT IT IN THIS REGARD. IT'S THE DIFFERENCE IN BEING SAVED AND BEING CONVERTED. A LOT OF PEOPLE SETTLE FOR SALVATION, THEY DON'T REACH OUT TO ACHIEVE CONVERSION. TODAY, THAT'S WHAT       MAKES THE DIFFERENCE. IF WE WANT TO SEE HEALING FOR OUR LAND, IT'S GOING TO BE THAT IT'S GOING TO COME AS A RESULT         OF OUR BEING CONVERTED. OUR CONVERSION TAKES PLACE WHEN WE TURN FROM OUR WICKED WAYS. I HOPE THAT I'M NOT CONFUSING THE ISSUE TODAY. I REALLY WANT TO HELP SOME FOLK TO REALIZE THERE IS A CURE FOR WHAT YOU'RE GOING THROUGH. THERE'S A REMEDY FOR YOUR SITUATION. AND IT MAY BE RIGHT HERE IN THIS, THAT WE TURN FROM OUR WICKED WAYS. YOU CAN'T ACHIEVE DIFFERENT RESULTS IF YOU KEEP DOING THE SAME THING YOU'VE ALWAYS DONE. LET ME MOVE ONWARD. HE THEN SAYS, "THEN I WILL HEAR THEIR PRAYER." THAT WORD "THEN," THAT'S NOT A VERY BIG WORD, YET,   IT'S A HINGE POINT.  IT'S NOT UNTIL WE PRAY, WE SEEK THE FACE OF GOD AND WE TURN, THAT GOD WILL HEAR. WHEN WE DO THOSE THINGS,   THEN GOD SAYS, "I WILL  HEAR IN HEAVEN." HE WILL HEAR WHAT, HE WILL HEAR OUR PRAYER. HE WILL HEAR OUR HEARTS CRY. YOU SEE, WE'VE GOT TO DO OUR PART AND THEN GOD WILL DO HIS PART. IT ALMOST IS AS IF, AND I REALLY DON'T HAVE TIME TO  DEAL WITH THIS, THIS WILL OPEN UP A LOT  OF QUESTIONS, I'M SURE. BUT IT'S ALMOST AS IF GOD IS SAYING, "UNTIL YOU DO WHAT  I'VE ASKED YOU TO DO, I'M NOT EVEN GOING TO HEAR YOUR PRAYER." NOW, I NEED TO STOP RIGHT HERE LONG ENOUGH TO TELL YOU, THAT GOD WILL HELP US TO DO WHAT WE OUGHT TO DO.  IT REALLY IS TRUE, GOD IS NOT WILLING THAT ANY SHOULD PERISH, BUT THAT ALL SHOULD HAVE EVERLASTING LIFE. AND WE KNOW ENOUGH FROM OUT OF THIS BOOK TO KNOW, THAT IF A MAN WANTS TO HAVE SOMETHING DIFFERENT THAN WHAT HE HAS, IF HE WANTS TO LIVE ACCORDING TO GOD'S WORD, GOD IS GOING TO CAUSE HIS SPIRIT TO HELP US TO LIVE THAT LIFE THAT WE KNOW WE NEED TO LIVE. BUT GOD UNDERSTANDS THE MINUTE WE CALL UPON HIS NAME, WHETHER WE'RE SERIOUS OR NOT. GOD SEES AND HE HEARS THE INTENT BEHIND THE PRAYER. SO WHEN YOU ASK GOD TO FORGIVE YOU, HE KNOWS HOW SERIOUS YOU ARE WHEN YOU PRAY THAT PRAYER. IF YOU'RE JUST ASKING HIM, SO THAT YOU CAN HAVE A CLEAN START AND YOU HAVE NO DESIRE TO CHANGE, THEN GOD'S NOT GOING TO PAY ANY ATTENTION TO THAT PRAYER. HUH, I KNOW I'VE GOT SOME DEAD AIRSPACE HERE, BUT I'M LETTING THAT SINK IN. YOU SEE, WE'RE TALKING ABOUT SOME VERY SERIOUS THINGS HERE. AND TIME IS TOO SHORT FOR ME TO JUST SAY SOME THINGS THAT WILL TICKLE YOUR EARS AND NOT CAUSE YOU TO TAKE A SERIOUS LOOK AT YOUR POSITION WITH GOD. IF YOU WANT GOD TO HEAR, THEN GOD IS EXPECTING SOME THINGS. I TALK ABOUT THE LAW     OF SOWING AND REAPING. IT'S NOT SOMETHING THAT I   CAME UP WITH, IT'S SOMETHING THAT GOD CAME UP WITH. WE REAP WHAT WE SOW. SO IF YOU'LL SOW GOOD THINGS, GOD WILL HELP YOU TO REAP GOOD THINGS. SO WHEN YOU PRAY AND YOU'RE SERIOUS ABOUT YOUR PRAYER WITH GOD, GOD WILL HEAR YOUR PRAYER AND THEN HE WILL DO THIS LAST THING, HE SAID, HE WILL HEAL THE LAND. OH, IF OUR NATIONS WOULD ONLY RETURN TO ITS KNEES. AND DO THE THINGS THAT GOD HAS COMMANDED US TO DO, IT WOULD BRING HEALING       TO OUR LAND. AND OUR LAND NEEDS HEALING TODAY.  EVERY WEEK THAT GOES BY, WE SEE NEW DEPTHS OF DEPRAVITY THAT MAN HAS SUNK TO. THINGS THAT MAN IS DOING TO OTHER MEN AND OTHER WOMEN. THINGS THAT MANKIND IS DOING TO HIMSELF. IT IS THE NATURE OF SIN TO SPIRAL DOWNWARD. YOU HAVE TO REACH OUT AND REACH UP IF YOU WANT GOD   TO HELP YOU TODAY. AND I HAVE TO TELL SOMEBODY AT THE CLOSE OF THIS MESSAGE, THE THING YOU NEED TO HELP YOU CANNOT BE FOUND IN THE THINGS TO YOUR RIGHT, OR THE THINGS TO YOUR LEFT. THEY CAN ONLY BE FOUND AS YOU LOOK UPWARD TO GOD AND GET SERIOUS WITH GOD. TIME FOR PLAYING GAMES IS OVER. YOU'RE THE ONE THAT   PAYS THE PRICE. YOU'RE THE ONE THAT WILL BE DESTROYED AS A RESULT OF NOT TAKING THINGS SERIOUS WITH GOD. BUT IF YOU'LL LOOK UPWARD TO THE LORD. SERIOUSLY CALL UPON HIS NAME WITH THE INTENTION OF TURNING FROM YOUR WICKED WAYS. GOD WILL HELP YOU WITH THE THINGS YOU NEED HIS HELP FOR. SO TODAY, I WANT TO CLOSE IN A WORD OF PRAYER AND ASK GOD TO HELP YOU WITH THAT. HEAVENLY FATHER, I KNOW HOW DIFFICULT IT IS TO RISE ABOVE THE THINGS THAT WE ARE CONTENDING   WITH IN THIS WORLD. BUT TODAY, FOR EVERYONE WITH A DESIRE TO REACH OUT TO YOU, HELP THEM I PRAY, HELP THEM         TO CALL UPON YOUR NAME. HELP THEM TO TURN FROM      THEIR WICKED WAYS. SO THAT THEY CAN BE HEARD IN HEAVEN AND YOU WILL        HEAL THEIR LIFE. HELP THEM RIGHT NOW  IN JESUS' NAME, AMEN.