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.
—2 Chronicles 7:14

When people tell me they are seeking God, I often wonder if they're seeking God with their whole heart or simply crying out to Him to bail them out of a mess they've made. Do they really want to know God, or are they only momentarily seeking Him to heal them from a painful experience?

How about you? How much do you really want God to get personally involved in your life? Think about the repercussions. For instance, is everything in your life tucked away in neat cubbyholes—your pain, your anger, your crutches, your dirty laundry, your secret idols, or your past? Do you really want Him to dig deep in your heart and mess everything up? Are you truly ready for a change, or are you satisfied with the way things are?

I know how hard it can be to be totally honest with God—to humble your heart and admit the true state of your inner life. It is never easy to be brutally honest and acknowledge the kind of person you really are in your heart. You must push past the layers of self-pity and the excuses we often hide behind. But when you do come and bow before the All-Seeing God in brokenness and humility, you can seek God with all your heart and know that He will answer you.

God has given us amazing promises that when we humble ourselves before Him, He will certainly forgive our sins and heal us. Cry out to God for yourself that He would continue to send His blessings and presence: "For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones" (Isaiah 57:15).

Remember that God opposes the proud and delivers great grace to the humble, to those who desire God more than their own desires for pleasure (James 4:6). James added, "Submit yourselves therefore to God" (vs. 7). This command to humble yourself to God is how to gain God's favor through wholehearted devotion; and when you do, the devil will flee from you when you resist him. Your true source of power to resist is not in fighting the devil—it is in submitting to God. Your greatest spiritual battles are won when you humble your heart and worship God. Worship your way out of your trouble!

Related Texts: 2 Chronicles 34:27; Proverbs 15:33; 22:4; Matthew 18:4; 1 Peter 5:5–6