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A Brief Tour of this Site!

This site is explains how to train your heart to trade earthly sources for God's presence. The material here is practical for deep, spiritual, and personal growth. 

On this site you will find large portions of 4 different books. If you get frustrated by not remembering what you have read and what you haven't, you may find it easier to go to the books and materials page and download this material in book form. Also, the books may be a more effective approach for helping you apply these things.  

Repentance isn't about being perfect! It is a practice of making continual improvements because you never stop directing your heart to feed yourself with God and not by earthly means.

Understand Yourself!

Understanding yourself helps you to better understand your thirst for God in relation to why you sometimes do what you don't want to do. 

It explains that all people everywhere have a driving and unmet need for God's presence. The Bible calls it "thirst." For the most part, this need is unmet even among Christians—and it hurts. 

The result is an inner pain from a longing for something more. Many feel this pain. Others even sense that something is desperately wrong, but don't know what to do about it. The principles on this site help correct the underlying cause of this problem!

This section also helps you to better recognize the practical evidence of your every-moment longing for God. Understanding these things is important for helping you turn to God more freely and with less hesitation. 

Why Repent!

The section called, "Why Repent" explains why we should repent from a human perspective and from God's. 

The negative reason to repent is to avoid correction from God that is both loving and strong. The positive reason to repent is because of God's grace. 

This section explains that it is right to depend on God to give us His presence because dependence is worship. Our thirst for God is so great, that idolatry is our only other option. 

Let me add here that I don't focus a great deal of time on "Why Repent" because everyone out there is telling us that we should repent. My purpose in writing is to show you how.

What to Repent From!

This section explains idolatry of the heart as God defines it. It shows that God defines being close to us as His being our God. 

This section also shows how we try to achieve a sense of having glory in each aspect of what God is like. It also explains that the essence of what we need to repent from is that of quenching our thirst for God by what the Bible calls "works." We need to change from "works" to grace.

How to Repent!

This section looks at many different principles related to growing as Christians and tries to explain how they all fit together. 

It is my belief that repentance is the closest word in the Bible to describe the entire process of how we are to grow in Christ. It is in that broad sense that I talk about "How to Repent!" 

We need to turn from our earthly attachments and cling to God. To do that we have to get our heart to hear the truth about why it is safe and right and good for us to turn from our earthly ways and draw near to God. When your heart hears and your heart believes your behavior is soon to respond. 

Using the scriptures, I will show you how to change from the heart by wisely and repetitively using thanks and praise for the truth. Jesus endured His cross "for the joy set before Him" (Heb. 12:1,2). We need to follow His example. Thanks and praise is powerful for helping us repent when it is aimed specifically at idolatry of the heart and why we can turn to God.   

But because our hearts are hard this section also helps you understand what you can do to help your heart to be more responsive and "hear" what you are thanking God about.  

Heart-training! - Home

This section gives you tools for taking steps to re-train you heart and direct it toward God. The rest of the site aims to tells you "how to do it," this section shows you the specifics of "what to do." 

Our backgrounds and personalities make us different. But the substitutions we make for God are all related to the attributes of God in some way—it is this similarity that makes a systematic approach to repentance is powerfully effective.

The Heart-training Index has several links to Acrobat Reader Files aimed to help you repent in specific areas. For the more general aspect of changing from works to grace, you may find the "Short Version!" of the Heart-training more effective.

Come and Drink!

This section explains how to draw near to God by entering the throne room. It explains how to drink so that you actually receive God's presence.

Consider what it feels like inside when you do something kind, you know the right answer, someone smiles at you, or when you finish a big project. Inside we open up and a sense of well being floods over us. We "drink" often by thinking about these kinds of things—over and over again. These same principles can be reapplied to receiving God's presence!

Our problem is that most people struggle to believe their access or that "drinking" from God is realistic for them personally. 

Repentance helps you to be receptive enough to the truth that you are better able to act out of faith toward God. By repentance you can find much greater freedom to enter the throne room and drink without holding back.

But don't expect to be able to "Come and Drink" right away! It is likely that you will have to be in repentance for a time before you find freedom from fear and your spiritual sensitivities and faith are built up enough to drink. That "length of time" varies from person to person. For one it may only be a few days, but for another it might be a year. It all depends on how hard you go after directing your heart toward God.    

What About Shame!

This section explains why Christians are clean on the inside but that we also need a cleansing from God for the outside of us. It is the cleansing of God for our humanity that dissolves our shame.

Many scriptures are given as powerful reason for you to believe that God's provision is strong for washing away any shame you might feel about drawing near to Him. 

You can experience God's presence intensely! Because of that, the changes you make can last—even in difficult areas you may have struggled with for years. You can direct your heart toward God! Will you let me show you how?

Over 300 pages of the 550 pages in the books are available by purchase only.   I have made it worth it to those who make the purchase -- many of the most helpful materials are not on the web site.  Click here to go to the page about the ebooks.

I am praying for the Lord's abundant blessing on your efforts to direct your heart toward Him.

Barry.

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(C) Barry Hall 1999

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Scriptures are taken from the updated NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE, © Copyright 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1987, 1988, The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. 

Other scriptures are from the New International Version or Amplified Bible as noted.