* It Starts with the Heart

Therefore also now, saith the Lord, turn ye even to me with all your heart, 
and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning: 
And rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto the Lord your God: 
for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, 
and repenteth him of the evil.”  
Joel 2:12-13  

The core of true repentance is found in the heart.  Good intentions, self-help plans, remorse and sorrow, regret for wrongs; by themselves will not cause us to come to true repentance.  We must have godly sorrow from the heart which causes us to rend our heart.    Outward actions without an inward regard is useless.  In this season of dealing with true repentance, I want to focus on what we need to get to that place of true repentance. 

Repentance is

"an inward decision or change of mind resulting in the 

outward action of turning from sin to God and righteousness."

Therefore say, Thus saith the Lord God; I will even gather you from the people, and assemble you out of the countries where ye have been scattered, and I will give you the land of Israel.  And they shall come thither, and they shall take away all the detestable things thereof and all the abominations thereof from thence.  And I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within you; and I will take the stony heart out of their flesh, and will give them an heart of flesh:  That they may walk in my statutes, and keep mine ordinances, and do them: and they shall be my people, and I will be their God.  Ezekiel 11:17-20

It starts with the heart.  We must start by asking God to replace that stony, implacable, unremorseful heart with a pliable heart; one that He can mold and move to repentance.  It is only when we are truly repentant that we can walk obediently before God; that we can fulfill the purpose that He has for our life.  With true repentance comes liberty and power as we renounce everything that goes against the word of God while we are embracing the things of God.  This is where our success in God is created; right in the word of God.

Only be thou strong and very courageous, that thou mayest observe to do according to all the law, which Moses my servant commanded thee: turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, that thou mayest prosper withersoever thou goest.  This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.  Joshua 1:7-8

It is also not possible for us to pick and choose what we like about the Scriptures instead of submitting to the whole counsel of it.

The apostle, John, said the same thing as Christ. Listen to what he said:

“And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments.  He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.” (1 John 2:3-4)

From this scripture alone, we come to this conclusion:

If we are not committed to God’s Word and following it,

we are not truly saved and our repentance is false.

True saving faith and true repentance recognizes scripture as God’s Word and commits to studying it and submitting to it. This should be the focus of the believer’s life, and it is an evidence of true repentance.

Dear Heavenly Father, in the precious name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, we prayer that You will provide the resources and leadership that we need to fulfill Your will.    You tell us in your word  

That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; Ephesians 4:14

We pray that those who are in a spiritual slumber will awaken to the fresh move of God.  We pray that those people in our churches and our city will cry out for more of You God.  We pray that a fresh hunger and thirst for Your manifested presence will arise in our hearts and the hearts of Your people.  Lord, we pray that men and women of God everywhere will press into Your supernatural power like never before.  We pray that there will be a shift in the spiritual climate over our churches.  

Lord we pray that every spirit that comes to hinder the move of You, God, be removed.  We pray for the manifestation of the Holy Spirit without measure.  We pray that You create in us a burning desire to study and love Your word.  We pray that You give us a burden for the souls. 

I will therefore that men pray every where, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting.  1 Timothy 2:8

Lord we pray that miracles in the church become the new norm.  We proclaim and declare in the name of Jesus that healing will take place not only inside the church walls but also outside the church wherever the people of God may be.

Ye men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know:   Acts 2:22

Behold, I will bring it health and cure, and I will cure them, and will reveal unto them the abundance of peace and truth.  Jeremiah 33:6

And they departed, and went through the towns, preaching the gospel, and healing every where.  Luke 9:6

Lord we pray that there will be an increase in the operation of the gifts of the spirits; that the gifts will flow mightily within the church and through the people of God. 

Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit.  And there are differences of administrations, but the same Lord.  And there are diversities of operations, but it is the same God which worketh all in all.  But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal.  For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit;  To another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit; To another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues: 1 Corinthians 12:4-10

Lord, we pray that through Your miraculous signs and wonders that You work through us, that the unbelievers come to know You.

For I will not dare to speak of any of those things which Christ hath not wrought by me, to make the Gentiles obedient, by word and deed, Through mighty signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God; so that from Jerusalem, and round about unto Illyricum, I have fully preached the gospel of Christ.  Yea, so have I strived to preach the gospel, not where Christ was named, lest I should build upon another man's foundation:  But as it is written, To whom he was not spoken of, they shall see: and they that have not heard shall understand.  Romans 15:18-21

Lord we pray for our pastors, associate pastors, elders and ministry leaders.  We pray that our members as a whole will connect to the vision You've shared with your people.  Lord we pray that God will ignite a fire within my membership as well as all believers; a fire that will cause us to walk in Your love and unite as one in the body of Christ.  Let it be a fire that will stir our spirits and kill our flesh.

There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.   Romans 8:1, 4

Lord we pray that the foundation that our faith is built on remains solid.   

If the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do?  Psalms 11:3 

Lord God, help us to remove anything that has been draining our spiritual strength, in the name of Jesus; through the power of Your Holy Spirit, give us the spirit of boldness and confidence to replace the spirit of fear that hinders us in doing Your will.  

We’re asking you, Father, to help us to be faithful in honoring You with our first fruit; not only in giving our tithes and offering regularly but being fully committed to our service to You.  We ask for your help to forever be relevant and never become a man of yesterday. 

And the Lord said unto Samuel, How long wilt thou mourn for Saul, seeing I have rejected him from reigning over Israel? fill thine horn with oil, and go, I will send thee to Jesse the Bethlehemite: for I have provided me a king among his sons.  1 Samuel 16:1 

We plead the blood of Jesus to frustrate every plan of the enemy all over the world in Jesus name.

When the wicked, even mine enemies and my foes, came upon me to eat up my flesh, they stumbled and fell.  Psalm 27:2

But the Lord is with me as a mighty terrible one: therefore my persecutors shall stumble, and they shall not prevail: they shall be greatly ashamed; for they shall not prosper: their everlasting confusion shall never be forgotten.  Jeremiah 20:11

Lord we thank you for preserving our life; for keeping us, leading us and guiding us. 

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.  He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.  He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.  Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.  Psalms  23:1-4 

Lord we pray in the name of Jesus that every yoke of spiritual laziness and weakness be broken in our life.  Remove our stony heart and replace it with a pliable heart so that you can mold us as you would have us be.  Help us Lord to hear you clearly. 

My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:  John 10:27

We thank you Lord for your love divine; that love that has the power to destroy anything feeding the spirit of fear in our life.  Let the spirit of worry, anxiety and discouragement be bound and cast out in the name of Jesus.

Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world.  There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.  We love him, because he first loved us.  1 John 4:17-19

Lord we pray for spiritual discernment; to operate with sharp spiritual eyes that can’t be deceived, in the name of Jesus.  Be our shield, bring to light everything planned against us in darkness.

   

But thou, O Lord, art a shield for me; my glory, and the lifter up of mine head.  Psalms 3:3

As we go about our day today, Lord, we pray that you order the angels to guide us in all of our ways to keep us from dangers seen and unseen.  We thank you Lord Jesus for all that you are doing and all that you are going to do.  In Jesus’ name we pray, amen.

God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.

Psalm 46:1

Prayer

02/07/22