The Power of Repentance Part 2 02-22-26

And so the the great twisted irony of the world is it wants you to run after it. And we run after it because we want joy, but we've confused joy with pleasure. You see, pleasure is temporal. In other words, it'll feel good for a moment, but afterward, the feeling after doesn't match the feeling you had before in terms, you know, of of quality or quantity. You you feel worse afterward than whatever positive feeling you had on the front end. It's like a spiritual hangover. You know? [00:14:15] (44 seconds)  #JoyNotPleasure

And here's how you listen to God. You might not be able to stop smoking. You might not be able to stop cursing. You might not be able to stop slandering. You might not be able to stop lying. You might not be able to stop gossiping. You might not be able to to stop carousing. You might whatever it is. But the one thing you can do is this, is you can drop to your knees and pray. And the thing is, you don't even have to decide to pray every day. All you need to do is sit down and ask God to give you the direction and strength to pray the next time after you pray. How about that? [00:18:37] (41 seconds)  #PrayFirstStep

And I've got news for you, my beloved. When you decide to pray, it puts yourself in earshot of God's voice. It puts you in his proximity. It opens your eyes and your ears. You all of a sudden become aware of things that were in front of you all the time, but it's just that you were spiritually blind and numb and in a different place. So how do you do that? Here's what I say. Pick a time and make it no compromise. And then after that, begin with the Lord's prayer. I know that's corny. Do it anyway. [00:19:18] (45 seconds)  #MakeTimeToPray

And in La La Land while I was driving, I'd actually missed the exit. Then I'd have to go to the next exit, right, and get off and turn around, make a u-turn and go back. And so I think that repentance is having that awareness, but sin is kind of missing that mark. It's missing the mark where you ought to turn. It's going past it. It's stopping before it. It's not going off at it. [00:08:56] (25 seconds)  #GodKnowsYourHeart

You see, there are a lot of people unfortunately who are in danger, spiritual danger, because they think that they are okay. They are not aware. They're asleep at the wheel. They're daydreaming at the wheel. What is it that they're not aware of? Well, my beloved, I maintain that they're not aware of the fact that God knows your heart and your thoughts. They're not aware of the fact that God knows your motives, what you do, and why you do. They're not aware of the fact that everything you do to anybody else is affecting him whether you are aware of it or not. [00:15:44] (48 seconds)  #WordsHaveConsequences

And so when we light, when we lie, when we cheat, when we slander, when we manipulate, when we become selfish at the expense of others, we do those things, those are the things that put us in danger of hellfire. Now I'm just not making that up. I mean, that's what Jesus said. He said in his sermon on the mount, he said, your law says that a person who murders must be subject to judgment. But he says, but I say, if you just talk bad about a person, if you call them a fool, he says, you're in danger of hellfire. [00:16:32] (46 seconds)  #JoyInGodsPresence

God, proximity God is always accompanied by genuine joy and that is a joy that never fades, it never fails, and it never disappoints. So my beloved, seek the joy of repentance, but don't do it by just trying to turn yourself, Do it by turning to God. Amen. [00:22:25] (28 seconds)  #PrayForWisdom

And then when you say the Lord's prayer, you know what it does? It moves you in a different place positionally where you were from a spiritual standpoint. It gets your mind and your soul and your spirit and your body in a place where you can hear from God. And then make your request known to God, but don't ask for things. It's not bad to ask for things, but I'm asking you for this purpose to not ask for things. Ask for wisdom. Meaning, ask him what to do. Say, god, what am I going to do with this issue in my life, this problem with my life? [00:20:07] (43 seconds)  #TrustDivineClarity