Power of Repentance

Greetings all, today we are going to look at the effects of repentance.

Joel 2:13- Rip your heart to pieces in sorrow and contrition,
Now return in repentance to the Lord your God,
For He is gracious and compassionate. Slow to anger, abounding in lovingkindness;
And He relents evil.

True repentance comes out of a remorseful heart. A place of brokenness. A sincere desire to change the way you live, the way you do things. This is a process that engages the mind and heart. Changing your inner self, old ways of thinking, how you do things. A conscious decision to turn away from sin.

We live in a generation where people find it interesting to do things that please the flesh. We pursue trends that delude us of our conscience of what is right and what is wrong. Day by day we chase after the 'wind'. Ecc 1:2 “Vanity of vanities,” says the Preacher. “Vanity of vanities! All that is done without God’s guidance is futile, merely chasing the wind.
I would like us to take a moment and pause- ask yourself what gratification do I get after pursuing all this? What's in it for me in eternity?

Jonah 1:2 God asked Jonah to go to Nineveh and proclaim judgement against it because her wickedness had come up before Him.
This people delighted in doing evil. There was so much wickedness in it that God wanted to destroy the whole nation. Remember what happened to Sodom and Gomorrah? The Lord sent brimstone and fire that completely destroyed these cities to ashes. Unlike this, Nineveh was given a period of forty days to repent or otherwise God would overthrow the city.

When the people heard this prophecy; they believed in God and proclaimed a fast and put on sack clothes. Everyone in the city repented, from the greatest to the least. In fact the king declared a fast for everyone. No one was even allowed to attend to their flocks but all were instructed to stay away from any food or drink and call earnestly onto God. To turn from their evil ways and from the violence in their hands. They repented from their wickedness and asked God to turn his fierce anger from them so that the nation wouldn't perish.

God saw their true repentance and that they had turned from their wicked ways and He removed the evil that was to befall them. The true repentance of this nation turned God's wrath away from them.

This people showed remorse for their actions. They humbled themselves before God and turned to Him.
(Prov 28:13)

Kindly let’s check what happens when one conceals their iniquities:-

·         They do not experience success or fruitfulness in what they do

·         They live a sorrowful life.

·         Sickness, pain and suffering become part of their lives.

·         Disaster catches up with them

What Happens when one repents?

·         Obtains compassion and mercy

·        They enjoy God's love and kindness

.         The Lord protects them from any harm or evil.

·         The Lord builds their house.

·         They abound with blessings

God is calling a people now who will completely turn back to Him for Him to restore and heal His people. A people who are not ashamed to be genuine before God and repent from their evil ways. A people who are not afraid of being broken before God, turning away from what they used to do and seeking God's truth to fulfill God's purpose for  their lives.

Prophecy Again!

Happy New Year!

There is power in prophecy, when you declare out of your mouth what the Lord has spoken over you.  In Ezekiel 37, Prophet Ezekiel was taken to a valley full of dry bones and he attests that the bones where indeed very dry. This means that the bones could have been there for a couple of years. There was no sign of life in them. God asked him whether the bones could live. This means that he knew it depended wholly on him. His decision would determine the state of the bones. 

God asked him to prophecy. Something that Ezekiel knew was sorely dependant on God. He took God at his word. He prophesied to the dry situation that was presented to him. Immediately he started to prophecy, bones came together, flesh came upon them and covered them. Then he prophesied again unto the four winds and breathe came upon them and there was life. They stood up a great army.

How many situations do we find ourselves in that need our attention, but all we do is whine about it? We cry over it time and again. We wait patiently for things to turn around for us. We beg God asking him to do something. When he has left the entire situation in our hands! Just like a patient in the hands of a doctor, it’s upon him to know what drug the patient needs or what kind of foods he should take to get well.

These were indeed very dry bones that laid there for many years, yet they responded to God's prophecy. Power has been given to us. Power over situations and circumstances!

When we prophecy the words we utter into the atmosphere create things. They begin to form things that we have spoken, one by one things begin to align together. Things that were out of order begin to take shape. And when we experience this, we don't cease at it because we want to see the final product. When the bones came together and flesh there was form but no life! So the prophet had to prophecy again for breathe of God to come upon them and there was life, a mighty army arose.

Sometimes we speak to situations to change in accordance to God's word and immediately we start seeing the change we want we stop there, not knowing that God desires for us to see a complete and permanent solution to our circumstance. Not only a portion of it, but a whole new level! That's why Ezekiel did not quit after the first prophecy but had to prophecy again to see a permanent change to the situation at hand. 

Don't quit after the first phase of change in the situation but prophecy again until the situation is completely transformed!