For eBooks click here

Home of:                               Taste Heaven Ministries!

Want a devotional? Click here to send me your email address.

Why Repent?  

Feast on God...or else?

I believe God's people are in danger of correction from God just like when Israel received judgment during Old Testament times. 

God wants more for us and we are holding back.

The scriptures teach that in heavenly realms, right now, a feast is going on. It was during a feast that Jesus gave the command to come to Him and drink.

Now on the last day, the great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, ‘If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, ‘From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.’ But this He spoke of the Spirit (John 7:37-39a).His promise is to fill us so much that a river of the Holy Spirit flows through us. It was a promise to all believers that we can draw near to the Lord and feast on His presence—anytime—as much as we want. There is no end to what God offers us here and now. 

God wants to be with us much more intensely than what we currently allow and He is getting tired of waiting for us to come to Him and drink. He is waiting for us to repent and turn to Him. 

Jesus gave a similar sounding parable about a wedding feast (Matt. 22:1-14 and Luke 14:15-24). The wedding feast refers to a future event. However, it also has direct application for us today. 

God has invited many, but few have responded. We could draw near to Him and delight ourselves in an abundance of His presence with us, yet most of us stay away. 

Why don’t we feast on God? Just like in the parable, we have other things we think are more important, earthly possessions, approval from people, how we use our time. Some of the distractions we love the most are those we depend on to protect us from the possibility of being close to God.

The problem is with us, not God. He is not holding back: "Ho! Every one who thirsts, come to the waters...delight yourself in abundance" (Isa. 55:1,2). God even refers to Himself as a fountain from which we should drink. The context, however, is deeply troubling: "My people have committed two evils: They have forsaken Me, the fountain of living waters, To hew for themselves cisterns, Broken cisterns that can hold no water" (Jer. 2:13). We all want to experience God more fully. Yet rather than filling our desires with His presence, the verse above says God’s people are drinking from earthly sources that don’t hold water! 

It is troubling that so many Christians don’t seem to know that what I am describing is realistic or even possible. Sometimes I wonder what the future holds. 

It is a serious mistake to ignore God’s invitation to come to Him and "drink" our fill from the river of His delights (Ps. 36:7-9). In the parable of the wedding feast, when the people did not come, the king sent his armies and set the city on fire (Matt. 22:7). I am praying that this will not happen. Instead of letting the discipline of God come upon us, we need to come to Him and feast on the Holy Spirit who is readily available to us.

Consider how painful it must be to the heart of God when His own people pursue earthly ways of filling their desires: Because, "My people" don’t come to the fountain, God says, "Be appalled, O heavens, at this, And shudder, be very desolate" (Jer. 2:11-13). God has already sent out the invitations. You too have been invited. 

Just like in the parable, the invitation is not for a select few. The invitation is to any Christian who will respond. You may be afraid or even terrified at times like I was. Still, God is waiting to be gracious to you (Isa. 30:15-18). He is longing for you to respond.

Even so, we have to be realistic about where we are in our pilgrimage with God. Most of us are very distracted. Just like in the parable we have many other things that clamber for our attention and our affection. The topic of this book is that of growing from wherever you are now, to the place where you are free enough to draw near to God and enjoy His presence.

Don’t Wait for God to Force You into Repentance!

The Bible tells us as believers, "But I have this against you, that you have left your first love. Therefore remember from where you have fallen, and repent and do the deeds you did at first... (Rev. 2:4,5). Our problem is that we have grown to love the earthly ways we fill our desire for God—apart from Him. We are clinging to earthly sources when we should be clinging to God. We need to repent.

We are the ones who need to take action to humble ourselves and repent. The Bible also tells us to "Circumcise yourselves to the Lord And remove the foreskins of your heart" (Jer 4:4a). Even though that sounds painful, it is because of what God offers freely that  repentance is something we should delight to do. 

When I listen to people praying I often hear a desperate cry to God for help. They plead with God to turn them around and do their repentance for them. That would mean God would have to intervene and take their earthly attachments away from them. The problem is that it isn’t pleasant when God has to get involved in the process of helping us to repent by taking what we love away from us. It hurts. 

Longing for God to make you repent is asking for something that would be very painful—for us and God. I don’t think He wants to have to do that—on an individual, or on a societal level. He will if He must, but He doesn't want to. Like any loving parent, God doesn’t take pleasure in having to discipline His children. That is why God tells us to repent. The problem is that I don't think we have much time left. 

Rather than wait around for God to change us, we need to be the ones to take assertive steps toward repentance. 

End times are getting closer to us everyday. At some point, God will not be able to wait for us any longer and He will have to "cut" our earthly attachments from us: "every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it so that it may bear more fruit." (John 15:2b). When God does have to cut away our earthly attachments, the outcome is always good, but going through it can be difficult.

When you are going through difficult times try to keep in mind that God has your best interest at heart. Even though the "pruning" of God may be difficult, it is only because He loves you and knows you would love it most to be closer to Him. 

The Bible says, "For those whom the Lord loves He disciplines, And He scourges every son whom He receives." (Hebrews 12:6). But it also tells us the reason why; it says, "He disciplines us for our good, so that we may share His holiness." (Hebrews 12:10b). God sees the bigger picture. He knows that if we could see it also, we would want to be rid of the earthly sources to which we cling.

God wants what is best for us. When He looks at you He sees you in terms of what you can become. The Psalmist wrote, "know that the Lord has set apart the godly man for Himself" (Psalm 4:3b). Don’t just consider difficult times as difficult times. God may be separating you unto Himself because He knows what you can become.

However, if you wait too long and God does have to help you repent, "do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, Nor faint when you are reproved by Him;" (Hebrews 12:5b). 

You don’t have to "faint" when you are disciplined by God because it also says, "Come, let us return to the Lord. For He has torn us, but He will heal us; He has wounded us, but He will bandage us. He will revive us...That we may live before Him. So let us know, let us press on to know the Lord. His going forth is as certain as the dawn; And He will come to us like the rain, Like the spring rain watering the earth" (Hos. 6:1-3).

Again let me emphasize it is much better for us to take action now than to wait and have God do it later: "Because you did not serve the Lord your God with joy and a glad heart, for the abundance of all things; therefore you shall serve your enemies" (Deut. 28:47,48a). God is good. The Bible says, "‘For I have no pleasure in the death of anyone who dies,’ declares the Lord God. ‘Therefore, repent and live.’" (Ezek. 18:32). Serving and single-heartedly loving Him is far better than serving our enemies.

It is never too late to turn to God! Thank Him that it is right and good and safe for you to move forward with repentance: "...the Law has become our tutor to lead us to Christ, so that we may be justified by faith." (Gal. 3:24). We are to live by faith—the pressure isn’t on us to perform better. The pressure is on us to believe. 

It is out of an increase in our ability to hear the truth of God that we will see an increase in the quality of our behavior. "Hearing" the truth is our capacity for faith and growth in the Lord. Sowing seed in your heart until you are able to "hear" and believe will pave the way for repentance that lasts. 

Don't make this mistake: "...do you think lightly of the riches of His kindness and tolerance and patience, not knowing that the kindness of God leads you to repentance?" (Rom. 2:4). Don't regard lightly the kindness of God. Let His kindness lead you to repentance.  Soften your heart so that you increase our ability to "hear" and find freedom to turn to God.

Don't wait for a disaster that forces you to repent! Taking assertive steps toward repentance won't hurt nearly as much as if you wait for God to discipline you. Take action now!!!

Email me if you want the ebooks and can't pay for them, or especially if you are outside the USA - I would be happy to give them to you.

For you who are inside the USA I would really appreciate your support for this ministry. I am averaging over 5,000 hits / day to this website. But during 2002/2003 I didn't come close to selling enough ebooks to cover the related costs. Thanks.

For eBooks click here

Please consider supporting this ministry with prayer, on a monthly basis, or by purchasing the ebooks. Thanks.

Please Ask Questions on the FORUM...Thanks! 

Please Sign the GUESTBOOK...

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

Barry.

     Why Repent — Home

E-mail the Author...

(C) Barry Hall 1999

Information on this site may be reproduced for personal or for instructional purposes if it is not being used for resale. If a page is distributed for instructional purposes, the web address must be included. Printed quotes must include the authors name and the web address. Quotes for use in publications intended for resale need the written permission of the author. All rights reserved.

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.