God calls His people to repent and return to Him or perish.

Thank you for joining me as we continue to prepare our hearts for revival. We pray you will join us at the Just Give Me Jesus Revival, led by Anne Graham Lotz, Sept. 21-22, at the James Brown Arena in Augusta, Georgia. Please find us on Facebook, Just Give Me Jesus Augusta, Georgia, to keep up with the latest news. For more information you may go to Just Give Me Jesus Augusta.

“Therefore, O house of Israel, I will judge you, each one according to his ways, declares the Sovereign LORD. Repent! Turn away from all your offenses; then sin will not be your downfall. Rid yourselves of all the offenses you have committed, and get a new heart and a new spirit. Why will you die, O house of Israel? For I take no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Sovereign LORD.

Repent and live!”

Ezekiel 18: 30-32

Thank you for join us this week as we study phase 5 of the 7 phases of revival from Henry & Richard Blackaby’s book Fresh Encounter, Experiencing God’s Power for Spiritual Awakening.

·      Phase 1: God is on a mission to redeem a lost world.

·      Phase 2: God’s people tend to depart from Him, turning to substitutes for His presence, His purposes, and His ways.

·      Phase 3: God disciplines His people because of His love.

·      Phase 4: God’s people cry out to Him for help.

·      Phase 5: God calls His people to repent and return to Him or perish.

·      Phase 6: God revives His repentant people by restoring them to a right relationship with Him.

·      Phase 7: God exalts His Son, Jesus, among His people and draws unbelievers to saving faith in Him.

Did you take time this past week to call on God and ask Him to give you the strength you need to face the consequences of your sin? When we call on Him He will heal our lives, family, church and nation.

What do you feel when you think of the word repent? Do you feel sad for being caught and worried that you will face the wrath of God for sinning? Repenting is not about feeling bad for what you have done. Ezekiel tells us when we repent we turn away from our sin so that we can have a new heart and a new spirit.

But how do we repent so that we may gain a new heart and a new spirit? In Fresh Encounter we learn “repentance for God’s people, as individuals or as a church, involves a threefold process of change.”

·      An Adjustment of Attitude – We must confess our sin to God. We admit what we did was wrong without excuse and without arguing with God. “We must reach the place David did when he said, ‘I acknowledge my transgressions…Against You, You only, have I sinned, and done this evil in Your sight’”(Ps. 51:3-4).

·      A Change of Heart – When we sin we hurt God and those around us. “We must grieve over our sin as the Father does.” “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, a broken and contrite heart – these, O God, You will not despise” (Ps. 51:17). “A change of heart is a prerequisite for lasting obedience.”

·      Transformed Desires and Actions – We must ask God to rid us “of any idol of the heart and tear down strongholds keeping us from holiness,” “…for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure” (Phil. 2:13). We cannot continue putting ourselves in tempting situations. “Once you have allowed God to adjust your heart, you must go on and allow Him to alter your actions as well.”

What must you do this week in order to adjust your attitude and change your heart? How will you change your actions in order to remove yourself from tempting situations?

Dear Lord, thank you that you do not take pleasure in the death of anyone. We ask you to help us as we adjust our attitude and change our heart. Lord, help us be honest with you and with ourselves. Please give us the strength we so desperately need to remove the idols of our hearts. Remove the strongholds in our lives and remove us from temptations so that we may turn from our sin.

In Your Name I Pray, Amen.