What Does True Repentance Look Like?

What does true repentance look like? It turns our devotion 100% upon God. It makes God 100% our life. It refocuses our attention 100% upon Him. Our hearts and minds are now in sync with God.

6 “I am the Lord, and I do not change. That is why you descendants of Jacob are not already destroyed. 7 Ever since the days of your ancestors, you have scorned My decrees and failed to obey them. Now return to Me, and I will return to you,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.“But you ask, ‘How can we return when we have never gone away?’8 “Should people cheat God? Yet you have cheated Me!“But you ask, ‘What do You mean? When did we ever cheat You?’“You have cheated Me of the tithes and offerings due to Me. 9 You are under a curse, for your whole nation has been cheating Me. 10 Bring all the tithes into the storehouse so there will be enough food in My Temple. If you do,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, “I will open the windows of heaven for you. I will pour out a blessing so great you won’t have enough room to take it in! Try it! Put Me to the test! 11 Your crops will be abundant, for I will guard them from insects and disease. Your grapes will not fall from the vine before they are ripe,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. 12 “Then all nations will call you blessed, for your land will be such a delight,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.13 “You have said terrible things about Me,” says the Lord.“But you say, ‘What do You mean? What have we said against You?’14 “You have said, ‘What’s the use of serving God? What have we gained by obeying His commands or by trying to show the Lord of Heaven’s Armies that we are sorry for our sins? 15 From now on we will call the arrogant blessed. For those who do evil get rich, and those who dare God to punish them suffer no harm.’ ” Malachi 3:6-15

Flows Through This View Of Our Maker…

God is the unifying factor in life. We are all created by Him, making Him our Father, yet we betray each other, and violate His plan. If the world wants “life and peace”, why not follow the plans our Maker has designed. Instead of looking for ways to gain peace and live life by choosing our own plans, why not live the way we were designed to live? The entire book of Malachi is God’s message to a group that has became apathetic, insincere, and complacent in their worship. His remedy is to do things His way. Why? Because it works. How we see God, and relate to the world flows through this view of our Maker. Does this sound like today’s society? We are all related, like family (believers). Why don’t we treat each other like family? Spiritual health requires daily maintenance. If it’s neglected, apathy and insincerity follow. This breeds insecurity, anxiety, worry, and depression. Very popular descriptions of modern day America, yes? Neglecting our spiritual health shows up in how we treat each other. And the state our spiritual health reveals what’s in our hearts. If God is our father, why not start acting like it. Let’s treat others as members of our own family. The first step is accepting the fact that we are all created by God, which links us into one big family. If God is not our Father, then continuing to treat others without respect will only lead to a nation divided ready to fall.

10 Are we not all children of the same Father? Are we not all created by the same God? Then why do we betray each other, violating the covenant of our ancestors? Malachi 2:10

Only God Deserves Our Worship….

I wonder what people who practice the Catholic faith have to say about the application of this Bible verse and their worship, praise, and praying to Mary (the mother of Jesus)? I’ve witnessed it more than enough times to see the conflict between this verse and that practice. Only God deserves our worship. And only Jesus is to be prayed to and through His name.

10 Then I fell down at his feet to worship him, but he said, “No, don’t worship me. I am a servant of God, just like you and your brothers and sisters who testify about their faith in Jesus. Worship only God. For the essence of prophecy is to give a clear witness for Jesus.” Revelation 19:10

Falling Into Eachother’s Hands….

America better wake up. It better learn from other nations. When you abandon God, He abandons you. The only thing left is falling into each others hands. A country divided will not stand. It becomes vulnerable, and it crumbles from within. Ask yourself, “Would I rather stand with God and be judged by the world, or stand with the world and be judged by God?”

6 Likewise, I will no longer have pity on the people of the land,” says the Lord. “I will let them fall into each other’s hands and into the hands of their king. They will turn the land into a wilderness, and I will not rescue them.” Zechariah 11:6

It Doesn’t Bring Him The Glory….

Never forget it’s by God’s Spirit that His will gets accomplished. It’s not by your strength, or might, or intellect, or popularity, or riches, or anything you can offer. It’s by His Spirit that the idea sprang up in your head, the desire infiltrated your heart, and abilities carry it out. Whenever we try to do things on our own, we are guaranteed one thing, it doesn’t bring Him the glory He deserves. Without guidance, we fail in honoring God. Our way is not His way. Even the best intentions won’t succeed if it’s not by His Spirit.

6 Then he said to me, “This is what the Lord says to Zerubbabel: It is not by force nor by strength, but by My Spirit, says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. 7 Nothing, not even a mighty mountain, will stand in Zerubbabel’s way; it will become a level plain before him! And when Zerubbabel sets the final stone of the Temple in place, the people will shout: ‘May God bless it! May God bless it!’” Zechariah 4:6-7

Small Things….

Never despise or think small things done for the Lord are unimportant. Small beginnings bring Him much joy. Once you begin to act in obedience to Him, regardless of how big or small it may be, God rejoices. Your loyalty is never wasted or unimportant to God.

Do not despise these small beginnings, for the Lord rejoices to see the work begin, to see the plumb line in Zerubbabel’s hand.” Zechariah 4:10a

Not Our Job To Convince Or Convert….

One thing we must always keep in the back of our minds when we get into heavy discussion of the gospel with others, is that people who hate God will never repent. How are we to know who is and isn’t in this category? Well, a good rule of thumb is when you are clearly showing compassion to another, and they continue to spew venom at you, it’s a good sign to walk away. You see our job is to point others to God. That’s it. If God wants them, then He will make a way. It’s not our job to convince or convert. We just speak truth, put these ideas in the heads of our listeners, tie them together with eternity, and warn them of what’s to come for those who oppose God. I know you’ve been around people who no matter how much adversity or suffering they endure, they still refuse to give God any credit. It’s with those people, when in heavy conversation, you must decide to walk away. Speak truth with gentleness and respect, but know when there’s no progress due to their animosity towards God, you need to walk away. Still pray for these people, but know some people who hate God will never repent. God’s word is never wasted, so don’t try when you know you’re beating a dead horse. Get off and be on your way on foot.

8 Then the fourth angel poured out his bowl on the sun, causing it to scorch everyone with its fire. 9 Everyone was burned by this blast of heat, and they cursed the name of God, who had control over all these plagues. They did not repent of their sins and turn to God and give Him glory.10 Then the fifth angel poured out his bowl on the throne of the beast, and his kingdom was plunged into darkness. His subjects ground their teeth in anguish, 11 and they cursed the God of heaven for their pains and sores. But they did not repent of their evil deeds and turn to God. Revelation 16:8-11

21 There was a terrible hailstorm, and hailstones weighing seventy-five pounds fell from the sky onto the people below. They cursed God because of the terrible plague of the hailstorm. Revelation 16:21