The very first message Jesus delivered after he emerged from the temptation in the wilderness was, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matthew 4:17). He called people to repent even before he called them to believe!
“I acknowledged my sin to You, and my iniquity I have not hidden. I said, ‘I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,’ and You forgave the iniquity of my sin” (Psalm 32:5).
David was a man who knew how to repent. He constantly searched his heart before God and was quick to cry, “I’ve sinned, Lord. I stand in need of prayer.”
There is much talk of revival these days, with varying opinions of what it should look like. The first evidence of true revival is a great desire to hear and obey the Word of God. In Nehemiah’s day, the people expressed to Ezra, a priest and scribe, their desire to have the book of the law of Moses read to them. “And Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people … and when he opened it, all the people stood up” (Nehemiah 8:5).
Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap.
God weeps with us and for us, but justice forces him to restrain his pity and carry out righteous judgment as a last resort. Reeling from 9/11, David Wilkerson shares a powerful call to repentance in our hearts.
I acknowledged my sin to you, and I did not cover my iniquity; I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,” and you forgave the iniquity of my sin.
Gary Wilkerson emphasizes the importance of prioritizing a deep, intimate love for Jesus above all else in the Christian life.