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Then if my"); document.writeln("people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my"); document.writeln("face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and will forgive"); document.writeln("their sins and restore their land.¹

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I love how"); document.writeln("President Abraham Lincoln pointed out to Americans that our pride can cause our"); document.writeln("nation to suffer:

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We have been"); document.writeln("the recipients of the choicest bounties of heaven, we have been preserved these"); document.writeln("many years in peace and prosperity, we have grown in numbers, wealth, and power"); document.writeln("as no other nation has ever grown. But we have forgotten God. We have forgotten"); document.writeln("the gracious hand which preserved us in peace and multiplied and enriched and"); document.writeln("strengthened us, and we have vainly imagined, in the deceitfulness of our"); document.writeln("hearts, that all these blessings were produced by some superior wisdom and"); document.writeln("virtue of our own. Intoxicated with unbroken success, we have become too"); document.writeln("self sufficient to feel the necessity of redeeming and preserving grace, too"); document.writeln("proud to pray to the God that made us.²

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When something"); document.writeln("bad happens in our world, I have heard people use that as an excuse as to why"); document.writeln("they do not believe in God. But until people are willing to see the root of the"); document.writeln("problem, they will never understand. You see, it is we who stepped away from"); document.writeln("God and disobeyed. We are the ones who lack compassion, although great"); document.writeln("compassion has been given to us. We were so caught up in sin, without hope, and"); document.writeln("in desperate need of salvation. It was because of us that Jesus died on the"); document.writeln("cross. When we step out of the protection of God by disobeying His Word, there are"); document.writeln("natural consequences to our disobedience.

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However,"); document.writeln("instead of us realizing our fault, we allow pride to sink in and we fail to"); document.writeln("take responsibility for our part in the chaos in our lives and in the world."); document.writeln("God\'��s blessings are always available to His children when we choose to submit"); document.writeln("to His will and walk in obedience to His Word. We should be the first ones"); document.writeln("falling on our knees in humility and crying out to God for forgiveness, both"); document.writeln("for ourselves and for our nation. Jesus asked his Father to forgive those who"); document.writeln("were crucifying him because they didn\'��t know what they were doing (Luke 23:34)."); document.writeln("We have the certainty that Jesus will come again, so we should daily be seeking"); document.writeln("God\'��s face, praying for our land, and asking God to use us to reach as many as"); document.writeln("possible with the gift of His Salvation.

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Suggested"); document.writeln("prayer: Dear God, our world needs You. Until you come again, please use me to"); document.writeln("share the Good News with others and live in such a way that will bring honor"); document.writeln("and glory to you. Forgive me for acting in disobedience to Your Word. Restore"); document.writeln("our hearts and our land we pray. In Jesus\'�� name, Amen.

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1. "); document.writeln("2 Chronicles 7:14 (NLT).

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2. "); document.writeln("A. Lincoln, Proclamation of a day of National Humiliation, Fasting and Prayer,"); document.writeln("1863.

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The Encounter for today was written by: Crystal B.

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