Matthew 26:75
AND HE WENT OUT AND WEPT BITTERLY.
Matthew 26:75
Repentance- to change for the better as a result of remorse or contrition for one's sin.
I was surprised to find this defenition in the dictonary. Somebody out there is a better preacher than I.
I understood little of repentance. When people were feeling bad for their sins I used to try to ease their pain as fast as posible with Bible verses that would speak on God´s forgiveness.
I often interrupted the Holy Spirit's job. There He was trying to create contrition on this heart, and I would pat them on the back. "Don´t worry, God is love, He understands our human nature."
It is true: God is love and He does understand
out human nature.
But, BUT, BUT He wants us to turn from sin and He knows that an important step to break free of our love for sin is remorse; contrition...yep, and it is the Holy Spirit's job to bring this awareness into our heart.
If we do not go through remorse, if we do not see the ugliness of our acts, the filthiness of our heart...we won´t desire true change. We will excuse it, we will allow it, we will even caress it.
One day my son came in while I was dusting. "What are you doing?" "Dusting" He looked around and said that he couldn´t see the difference. Well, I do not wait for a deep cover of dust to collect...but I smiled, and told him. Ask my mom, she will tell you she does see the difference.
When we are used to certain amount of disorder, it is hard for us to feel uncomfortable with only "a little bit" of disorder.
When we are used to a lot of order, it is hard for us to feel comfortable with only "a little bit" of disorder.
Remorse is the eye cleaning instrument that God uses to open our eyes to our disorder and filthiness. If we skip this stage, if we don´t allow remorse to go into the deepest parts of our hearts...well, then it is very hard to desire change.
I mean, really, really, really desire change. I know people that hate hangovers. They think "I don´t want to do this again" But they do it. Why? because they hate hangovers, but enjoy the party and sex bit... until they get to the root of their sin and hate it, they will not change.
I started to ponder on the issue of remorse and repentance in 2003. After strong political problems in La Paz. People were killed and shot. God had no voice in La Paz. He has a church...but it was quiet, scared and hidden. We did such a bad job.
We had been praying for a revival, fasting...crying out: "God touch this nation!"
There we had an amazing opportunity to reach out, people needed God more than ever, and were willing to hear somebody with authority...we did such a bad job.
The hospitals were full. Some of us went out. We were too few, too few...not enough time, not enough strength. Too few. We did such a bad job.
I remember one prayer meeting after that. One of the young men at church started to pray asking for repentence. The lider of the prayer meeting, went and put a worship song on!!! I went over and asked him to turn it off....strange prayer meeting. I wonder what God thought of it! There we were fighting in the prayer meeting...but, how could we worship God with blood stained hands????
How did we dare even try?
How selfish could we get! "Thank you God for bringing peace back, and because my house wasn´t destroyed, and my business is nice and safe, and now I can continue going out to eat hamburgers with my friends...my brothers and sisters in Christ."
We did not enter a repentance time. We did not allow the Holy Spirit to soften our heart. The result? We lost a revival.
To my surprise God hadn´t expected us to act any better during the killings. But He had expected a time of repentance to soften our hearts. And we denied His action upon our lives.
The result? We lost a revival.
And we did not change.
Bolivia is still facing strong political and economical tension. God continues to be voiceless. A friend wrote to me and said "the church continues to wait for some miracle to happen without reaching out..."
If we only understood the importance of remorse!
THEY SEEK ME DAY AFTER DAY, AND DESIRE TO KNOW
MY WAYS,LIKE A NATIOIN THAT HAS DONE WHAT IS JUST AND NOT ABANODNED THE LAW OF THEIR GOD; THEY ASK ME TO DECLARE WHAT IS DUE THEM, PLEASED TO GAIN ACCESS TO GOD. "WHY DO WE FAST, AND YOU DO NOT SEE IT AFFLICT OURSELVES, AND YOU TAKE NO NOTE OF IT?"....
THIS IS THE FASTING THAT I WISH:RELEASING THOSE BOUND UNJUSTLY,..., SETTING FREE THE OPPRESSED,...; SHARING YOUR BREAD WITH THE HUNGRY, SHELTERING THE OPPRESSED AND THE HOMELESS; CLOTHING THE NAKED WHEN YOU SEE THEM, AND NOT TURNING YOUR BACK ON YOUR OWN...
Isaia 58:2-7
I suggest you read the whole chapter.
O my friends, we do not understand God! meetings and meetings, seminars, congresses, aren´t you getting tired of all that?
It is so much easier. Just reaching out, that is all.
Not complex, not complex at all.
I must add that I do pray and fast, but I still don't understand the people who spend hours and days praying and never reach out...it just does not add up. It does not make sense...to me.
We must act...we must repent for our hard hearts, we must change for the better as a result of remorse or contrition of our sin.
We are here to be a just nation and to bring justice. Allow God to soften your heart through remorse...or you will never ever reach out...even if you pray and fast and attend seminars.
Matthew 26:75
Repentance- to change for the better as a result of remorse or contrition for one's sin.
I was surprised to find this defenition in the dictonary. Somebody out there is a better preacher than I.
I understood little of repentance. When people were feeling bad for their sins I used to try to ease their pain as fast as posible with Bible verses that would speak on God´s forgiveness.
I often interrupted the Holy Spirit's job. There He was trying to create contrition on this heart, and I would pat them on the back. "Don´t worry, God is love, He understands our human nature."
It is true: God is love and He does understand
out human nature.
But, BUT, BUT He wants us to turn from sin and He knows that an important step to break free of our love for sin is remorse; contrition...yep, and it is the Holy Spirit's job to bring this awareness into our heart.
If we do not go through remorse, if we do not see the ugliness of our acts, the filthiness of our heart...we won´t desire true change. We will excuse it, we will allow it, we will even caress it.
One day my son came in while I was dusting. "What are you doing?" "Dusting" He looked around and said that he couldn´t see the difference. Well, I do not wait for a deep cover of dust to collect...but I smiled, and told him. Ask my mom, she will tell you she does see the difference.
When we are used to certain amount of disorder, it is hard for us to feel uncomfortable with only "a little bit" of disorder.
When we are used to a lot of order, it is hard for us to feel comfortable with only "a little bit" of disorder.
Remorse is the eye cleaning instrument that God uses to open our eyes to our disorder and filthiness. If we skip this stage, if we don´t allow remorse to go into the deepest parts of our hearts...well, then it is very hard to desire change.
I mean, really, really, really desire change. I know people that hate hangovers. They think "I don´t want to do this again" But they do it. Why? because they hate hangovers, but enjoy the party and sex bit... until they get to the root of their sin and hate it, they will not change.
I started to ponder on the issue of remorse and repentance in 2003. After strong political problems in La Paz. People were killed and shot. God had no voice in La Paz. He has a church...but it was quiet, scared and hidden. We did such a bad job.
We had been praying for a revival, fasting...crying out: "God touch this nation!"
There we had an amazing opportunity to reach out, people needed God more than ever, and were willing to hear somebody with authority...we did such a bad job.
The hospitals were full. Some of us went out. We were too few, too few...not enough time, not enough strength. Too few. We did such a bad job.
I remember one prayer meeting after that. One of the young men at church started to pray asking for repentence. The lider of the prayer meeting, went and put a worship song on!!! I went over and asked him to turn it off....strange prayer meeting. I wonder what God thought of it! There we were fighting in the prayer meeting...but, how could we worship God with blood stained hands????
How did we dare even try?
How selfish could we get! "Thank you God for bringing peace back, and because my house wasn´t destroyed, and my business is nice and safe, and now I can continue going out to eat hamburgers with my friends...my brothers and sisters in Christ."
We did not enter a repentance time. We did not allow the Holy Spirit to soften our heart. The result? We lost a revival.
To my surprise God hadn´t expected us to act any better during the killings. But He had expected a time of repentance to soften our hearts. And we denied His action upon our lives.
The result? We lost a revival.
And we did not change.
Bolivia is still facing strong political and economical tension. God continues to be voiceless. A friend wrote to me and said "the church continues to wait for some miracle to happen without reaching out..."
If we only understood the importance of remorse!
THEY SEEK ME DAY AFTER DAY, AND DESIRE TO KNOW
MY WAYS,LIKE A NATIOIN THAT HAS DONE WHAT IS JUST AND NOT ABANODNED THE LAW OF THEIR GOD; THEY ASK ME TO DECLARE WHAT IS DUE THEM, PLEASED TO GAIN ACCESS TO GOD. "WHY DO WE FAST, AND YOU DO NOT SEE IT AFFLICT OURSELVES, AND YOU TAKE NO NOTE OF IT?"....
THIS IS THE FASTING THAT I WISH:RELEASING THOSE BOUND UNJUSTLY,..., SETTING FREE THE OPPRESSED,...; SHARING YOUR BREAD WITH THE HUNGRY, SHELTERING THE OPPRESSED AND THE HOMELESS; CLOTHING THE NAKED WHEN YOU SEE THEM, AND NOT TURNING YOUR BACK ON YOUR OWN...
Isaia 58:2-7
I suggest you read the whole chapter.
O my friends, we do not understand God! meetings and meetings, seminars, congresses, aren´t you getting tired of all that?
It is so much easier. Just reaching out, that is all.
Not complex, not complex at all.
I must add that I do pray and fast, but I still don't understand the people who spend hours and days praying and never reach out...it just does not add up. It does not make sense...to me.
We must act...we must repent for our hard hearts, we must change for the better as a result of remorse or contrition of our sin.
We are here to be a just nation and to bring justice. Allow God to soften your heart through remorse...or you will never ever reach out...even if you pray and fast and attend seminars.
posted by thisfool @ 7:51 PM
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