Human beings are expert sinners. Each has fallen short of giving God the glory that He deserves (Romans 3:23). You may have gotten angry instead of heeding James 1:19-20 - My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires. Maybe you often forget to treat others as you desire to be treated and thereby fail to observe Christ's Royal Law. Or, you submitted to fear, forgetting that fear is rebellion according to the word of God.
Then, there are the sinful desires keeping you from being the child of God you would have liked to be this year. What challenges in behavior and thoughts have held you back? The end of the year is an opportune time to take stock of the changes needed to overcome the sins that cause you regret. Think about what you have repeatedly repented for? That thing that you know you shouldn't do but somehow or another, you end up doing it. The behavioral and thought patterns that make you just like Apostle Paul when he admitted, "I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do" (Romans 7:15).
Perhaps you aren't like the Apostle at all. You have instead chosen to live a life of sin, doing things that God despises. Were you a believer who previously observed God's laws but have decided to fornicate, lie and steal, for instance? Maybe you determined that God does not see what you are up to and even if He does, He won't react. Or, you have chosen to go the way of the occult to fast-track the fulfillment of your desires, opting for New Age rituals and observations. Thereby ignoring what God said of and did to those who claimed to serve Him while bowing to the Queen of Heaven, Baal, the Asherah poles, and sacrificing to Molech (which are all just different forms of 'packaging' for satanism) who were destroyed. Have you convinced yourself that the mixture of serving the devil does not bother the Lord God Almighty?
Whichever of these categories you fall into, the Lord has a simple message - repent. Let go of the things that God hates so that you please Him. Then, return to the Almighty in humility, knowing that carnality leads to an eternity in hell. Carnality meaning that you are solely focused on this plane of existence, ignoring that this earth is not your home or final destination. No, with death does not come sleep. Death brings two options - heaven or hell - and we choose the final destination by how we live now. God desires to show grace and mercy upon all. He knows that a righteous life is difficult and sent Jesus Christ so all can be forgiven and reach Heaven. Through His Son, individuals are cleansed to start anew, free from guilt, condemnation and shame.
God isn't calling you to repent and return to Him for nothing. Those who do so enjoy His blessings - true blessings that come with no toil attached (Proverbs 10:22). For those who would repent and return, He has committed to save them from their enemies, bring them into the fullness of life and much more. Plus, consider the promise contained in Acts 3:19 - Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord. There is the added bonus of being restored. Where things were lackluster, beauty arrives and where things were lacking, abundance becomes the norm. The gaping hole of emptiness and dissatisfaction are replaced by a joy that sustains you even in the tough times because that joy comes from the Lord and nothing else in this world can provide it.
I pray that you will review your 2024 and want something different for your 2025. I pray you will realize the need to repent from sin, return to God fully, and receive the restoration that the times of refreshing will bring. Regardless of how long you have walked with God, this message is for you. Be honest with yourself, something needs to change in your life. Do not be stiff-necked or stubborn. Therefore, ask God to reveal what sin is acting as a roadblock. Once you've prayed and received understanding, don't make excuses, just tell God sorry. Call on Jesus for help to fully repent and receive strategy on how to live better. The Lord will never steer you wrong so let Him steer you right.
Join us at Noon EST for today's Praise & Pray (for others) fellowship, where we'll obey the Lord by giving Him our worship and caring for the needs of others via intercession. If you are yet to give your life Christ, please read the post that follows this one. God bless you and have a Merry Christmas.
To learn more, please read these old P&P posts:
From PPYT - Omg this was sooo good!! I’ve really been wanting to fast from social media and other worldly entertainment to seek God and really hear from him but keep going back. I’ve kept hearing in my heart, “Truly I tell you, unless a man is born again, he will not see the kingdom of Heaven” but also I keep seeing a lot of message about repenting. Every day we wake up, he gives us grace to come back to him. Thank you God. Thank you for this!!
From TP - Praying everyone has a safe and joyful holiday! If you get to spend it with family, enjoy each moment! Also praying for those who have experienced loss, I know firsthand how the holidays can bring sadness. Thankful for all that god has done for me, especially during this time. Witnessing his grace and glory has been a blessing in itself.
CLOSING PRAYER
Father, I am grateful for this time of fellowship with others. I thank You for the privilege of looking at Your word and digesting it by Your grace and to Your glory. Take all the praise Mighty Redeemer.
Thank You, God, that as we have gathered to review, repent, return and receive Your refreshing, we know You have heard and answered us for that is Your promise to all who would honestly seek You. I hereby pray for Your move in the lives of those who did the above. I call on You to reassure and revive their spirit men. Pour out Your oil of joy upon them in this season and beyond, leading and guiding them with each passing day into higher realms of Your glory.
I pray for those whom You will show mercy and compassion to in this group that they will rejoice and testify of Your might and power in their lives. I pray they will testify soon. I pray that they will glorify You with their words, thoughts and actions as You deserve to be lauded.
God, You are good and Your mercies are forever. I thank You for hearing this prayer and answering it even before it was uttered, for You alone know our thoughts and answer prayers before they are spoken. Thank You kind Father, IJN, I give You praise and say, Amen.
LAST 10 MINUTES
What have you been repenting for? Is it grumbling and complaining? Have you had to repent for being slothful? What about an unforgiving heart?
What has the Spirit of the Lord brought to your remembrance? As noted in the original message, don't make excuses, just repent and ask God for His mercy.
Commit to return to God, submitting fully to Him for His purpose. Recommit to follow His word (which requires you to familiarize yourself with His word) and ask Him to open your mind to what He will teach you in the scriptures.
God wants to restore us to Him. He wants to renew and refresh us as we step into 2025. Let us do the work to be transformed and have the tangible experience of those who do exploits because they know their God.
It is well.
We bring broken bodies, minds, and souls to You, Father. We lift these individuals wherever they may be for Your healing grace.
Your word assures us that it was by the stripes and suffering of our Savior that we - mere dust, mere sinners - were healed.
Lord, we stand in the gap for those seeking Your healing. We call on You to hear our cries on their behalf and respond by sending out Your word as promised in Psalm 107:20. We say this prayer believing that it is to Your glory and we call on You that Your will - and Your will alone - be done here on earth as in Heaven.
Lord, have mercy and fix what needs to be fixed in the people this prayer is permitted to extend to. We thank You for hearing us, IJMN, Amen.
Great Jehovah. We call for unity in the Body of Christ. Pour out Your Spirit so Your children move in accordance to Your will as a corporate body.
1 Corinthians 1:10 - I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another in what you say and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly united in mind and thought.
Father, grant us Your grace whereby we honor the instruction contained in this scripture, IJMN, Amen. Take the divisions away and bring healing where there is discord and disagreement, dear God. Let Your Spirit make the Body become of one accord. IJN, Amen.
From JIR - I pray for the Body of Christ. Lord, please bless us to bear plentiful good fruit, 30 fold, 60 fold, 100 fold. Please bless us to root ourselves in You, remain rooted in You and endure to the end. Please bless us to spread the good news and save many lives through the Holy Spirit so that they live for You. Please bless us with wisdom and knowledge and courage and protection. IJMN. Amen.
Lord, thank You for what You have done for Your children. You are great and worthy to be praised.
Father, I want to ask You, IJN, to reassure Your children who are waiting on You for the answer to their prayers.
Some are seeking healing. Others are in need of peace of mind. Others yet face complicated problems that look like large mountains.
But, You are He of whom Jesus said in Matthew 19:26 - "With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible."
Remind Your children that delay does not mean denial. Let them know You are working everything out for their ultimate good. Help them get through the waiting period by blessing them with the gift of patience and understanding.
Praise be to Your Holy Name!
From M22 - I have been overwhelmed of late just reflecting back on 2024 in general. I felt like I let myself down a lot this year. I have been doing my best to just really enjoy the holidays but it's like I am forcing myself to. Please put me in your prayers. God bless y'all. I'll be back to fellowship much later.
PRAYER TIME
It is now time to turn to prayer. Let us cover others and not ourselves in our supplication.
Know someone in need of God's help? Pray for miracles. Pray for the world. Pray for healing upon others. Pray the Lord will free people from torture, slavery, and oppression.
Ask the Lord to bring His presence down so it is felt by His children.
If you have a prayer request, share it so we can raise it on your behalf.
From M22 - Abba Father thank you for being patient with me and strengthening me as I navigate each day. I pray for strength to move on from everything that has happened this year and to look forward to what you have in store for me as the year winds up. Father Lord help me to focus on you and not things I can't change. IJMN Amen
Great is Your faithfulness, You who always come through! You who never abandon those who You love. You are He who will leave the 99 behind for the 1. You never leave a man behind (Matthew 18:12-14).
Lamentations 3:22-24 - Because of the LORD’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, “The LORD is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.”
No matter how long it takes, God, You will always rescue Your children. Thank You so very much! Hallelujah! Amen!
From JIR - Lord I am here because You, and because of You I will serve You all the days of my life. I will worship and sing Your praises forever. I pray to be as obedient to You as I possibly can. I give my life up for You and aim to please You and gain Your approval in all that I do. To put a smile on Your face is my goal in life. I yearn to do whatever it takes to be the best servant for You that I can be. IJMN. Amen.
Thank You, Father! You are Jehovah Nissi - our Shepherd. Thank You for leading us on the path of righteousness. Your word is contained in the Good Book and You take the time to speak to us mere mortals in ways we can understand. Glory to Your Holy Name!
Thank You for speaking to us. For Your word is clear in John 10:27-28 - My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand.
Father, continue to speak to us, Abba. Continue to provide us with instruction.
Isaiah 41:9-12 - I took you from the ends of the earth, from its farthest corners I called you. I said, ‘You are my servant’ I have chosen you and have not rejected you. So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. “All who rage against you will surely be ashamed and disgraced; those who oppose you will be as nothing and perish. Though you search for your enemies, you will not find them. Those who wage war against you will be as nothing at all.
Thank You for such heavy promises, Covenant-Keeping God!
Thank You for all that You are revealing to us, our Creator. Please continue to shine a light on that which You want us to learn so we might use that which You teach us to serve You honorably.
May we do so in ways big and small, so that Paul's words will apply to us as well - 2 Corinthians 9:13 - Because of the service by which you have proved yourselves, others will praise God for the obedience that accompanies your confession of the gospel of Christ, and for your generosity in sharing with them and with everyone else.
From JIR - “O come, let us sing unto the LORD: Let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation. Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving, And make a joyful noise unto him with psalms. For the LORD is a great God, And a great King above all gods.”
Psalm 95:1-3 KJV
Thank You great and mighty King for You are the God of Promise! Thank You for making us heirs to Your grace and wonder. Glory be to You oh Lord. You have rained down blessings and gifts upon us.
From the air we breathe, to the fact that we can fix our eyes on You in this moment...
Father, please take all the glory as we laud You for being You. He who is mighty in battle. He who destroys the devourer for our sake. He who the 24 elders and the four living creatures praise over and over.
If they can praise You continuously, we can surely shout a Hallelujah for You!
Hallelujah!!!!!!!
From JIR - Thank You Lord for being the God who lifts us up when we are down. You are the one true living God Who will never forsake us. We look to You in times of happiness and in times of trouble. You give us the strength and guidance needed to get through all things. Nothing is impossible with You in the midst. There is none like You. Almighty in all Your ways and Sovereign in all that You do. It’s an honor to call You our God, our Creator, our Father. Thank You Lord. IJMN. Amen.
From JIR - Thank You Lord for Your guidance in all things. Your love is endless. I am thankful that I can depend on You to never lead me wrong. You are who I trust in and who I aim to please. You and You alone. I thank You for the strength You give me when I am weary. You defend me in all situations. You are more to me than just a friend. I worship You and praise Your name. Your name will forever be on my lips. Thank You Lord for Your compassion, grace and mercy. IJMN. Amen.
PRAISE TIME
Praise time is upon us...you ready?
Isaiah 40:26 - Lift up your eyes and look to the heavens: Who created all these? He who brings out the starry host one by one and calls forth each of them by name. Because of his great power and mighty strength, not one of them is missing.
The God who did all of that is who we worship today. Get into some praise, people.
Be sure to share the reasons why you're thanking the Lord.
From JIR - Thank You Lord for creating another day. Thank You for breathing life into us this morning and guiding us in here to receive today’s message. We are grateful and blessed to have You as our God. Thank You Lord. IJMN.
Thanks for today’s message sis @FFJ. Wow. This message put me right in my place and I greatly appreciate that. It is such a challenge to live a righteous life without sin. We are conditioned to sin and I fall short everyday of giving God the glory He deserves. Every single day. It’s not that I don’t want to please God it’s just so hard. The Holy Spirit has given me the strength to change my lifestyle in many areas but there are still many unexpected situations that arise daily that cause me to react in ways that are not suitable in the sight of God. I struggle and it’s a challenge but have learned to not let the day go by without repenting for it. I don’t want to ever take the Lord’s mercy and kindness for granted and feel as guilty for doing so as I do for sinning.
I really need to crucify all of my repeated sins to the cross. I am free from them through the cross and will work on letting them go in 2025. I pray that we all work on crucifying our sins to the cross and do not let them dominate us. May the Lord help us all. IJMN. Amen.
From CD - Thank You Lord for this beautiful day that I have never seen before, nor shall I ever experience again! Thank You Lord for loving me enough to give me gifts everyday starting with each day being the first "present" fully enjoyed with the gift of life you bless me with daily.
I thank you for friends, family, colleagues, coworkers and acquaintances that I can share You with over and over again. Thank you for meeting me where I was and standing with me where I am. May my life make you smile like the loving parent you are, and may I be quick to repent for my actions, thoughts, and words that lessen your smile. May I never be arrogant enough to exclude you for any part of me or anything that concerns me because I need you mighty Jehovah!!
I ask that you bless all of the Peppers and their loved ones and that they may be a blessing to others.
Merry Christmas Peppers
From M22 - Thank you for another beautiful fellowship day. We bless you Heavenly Father for your mercy and grace over us. Father Lord we have wronged you through our words, thoughts and actions l, I pray that you forgive us and have mercy on us. I pray that you continue to prune us till we are made perfect in you IJMN Amen!!
Thank you for today's word sis @FFJ . I recall something you once told me about sin where you mentioned that a lot of times we indulge in sin intentionally knowing we could have avoided it. I have been guilty of it a lot this year and even though I pray for genuine repentance, I want to to be more intentional about overcoming sin everyday. I know God sees my struggles but I don't want to use it as an excuse to keep at sin. The goal is to keep resting in God's word to strengthen our Spirit. I just really pray that God strengthens us as we work towards overcoming the stronghold of sin. IJMN Amen
Happy Holidays P&P Family!! I hope you all are enjoying much needed rest. God bless you all. Amen.
ALTAR CALL
Give Your Life To Christ and be washed clean of all sin.
Jesus wants a relationship with you. He died for you so you could live a blessed life on earth and receive the great blessing of living in eternity with the Lord. He did this because we human beings are sinners and our sin creates a barrier in our ability to step into God's presence. God cannot abide iniquity because He is holy and so as human beings sin and sin and sin, the distance between themselves and the Lord grows larger.
But not if you become a friend of Jesus. Those who choose to become His friend receive a deposit of God's Holy Spirit who helps them become more like Christ from day to day. And the more like Christ a person becomes - even if by only a little smidge - the more pleased God is and the more the distance between themself and God lessens. Christ died to make this possible. He died to ensure every human being could be redeemed, washed clean to enter God's presence.
Christ loves His friends. He will and does do almost anything for them. He is seated at the right hand of God, right now, petitioning the Lord on behalf of His friends.
I pray that you understand the need to become a friend of Jesus Christ. The benefits are huge! Just as He prayed for His disciples then, He prays for His disciples now. Just as He helped His friend Peter by healing His mother-in-law, He helps His friends with the problems they face today. He taught His friends, the disciples, everything He learned from the Lord and He's still doing that.
Are you wondering whether the benefits of being His friend won't cost too much? You don't want to give up the shows, the websites, the music, the way you speak, etc. However, have you considered the consequences of not choosing Him?
Or, maybe you think this message doesn't apply to you because you were born a Christian. You regularly go to church. You don't lie or steal and believe you are a good person.
It is wonderful to be good, but the true reward is in being a godly person who walks in the fear and obedience of the Lord. In John 14:6, Jesus said nobody can come to God except through Him, so please take this opportunity to gain access to God and His heavenly kingdom by saying the prayer below (and only if you mean it):
Lord Jesus I am a sinner. I confess my sins right now to you. And I believe that you are the son of God. I believe that you came, you died, you rose again, and you paid the price for my sins. Today, I accept the new life, today I accept the Holy Spirit. Come dwell in me, make Your home in me. I will never be the same again. In Jesus's name, Amen.
God bless you! I believe the Lord will visit you in a unique way. If you'd like to learn more about the new life you have signed up for, please look at this document - How to have a stronger relationship with YHWH God!
Please make prayer a regular part of your life. It is simply you talking to the Lord. Also, please start reading the Bible and ask God to make it come alive for you. It holds all the answers you need. You can start by reading the Epistle of John, the Book of Acts, and the Book of Romans. Get water baptized as quickly as you can and ask God to lead you to a church of His choosing.
PS: If you've got questions about the New Life with Christ, shoot me a message. I trust the Lord to guide our convo.