Repentance - A Doorway To Intimacy

Lately, I have been dwelling on the concept of being restored in my soul. So much of this work is God's doing. Psalm 23 says that HE RESTORES my soul. However, as we prepare our hearts for this wonderful work of restoration, we may come upon issues where repentance is required. You can always be assured that He will bring you to this place with the utmost kindness and grace. 

Look at this precious piece from Cindy McKenna, an artist from Canada (Paisley, Ontario). Cindy describes this process perfectly on the back of a card she painted, called:

"Heartstones"

He reaches his hand into hearts

like a farmer gathering eggs from a nest.

He is gentle

and does not ruffle the feathers

of the timid bird that he loves.

With great skill and grace

he removes the stones which have built up there.

He removes them with compassion and truth

and fills that void with his love

so that the little bird can snuggle deeper into her nest.

Resting peacefully his love.

He will not wrench the stones from under her

as she has spent years adjusting to the place they have in her nest.

He gently removes them...

Cindy's painting on the front of this card, shows a bird's nest in the shape of a heart with a couple of eggs and a few stones that could be mistaken for eggs, but are definitely out of place in the nest.

That's how it often is with sin...we can become comfortable with it and rationalize its presence in our "nest." The Master Farmer, however, waits patiently as we come to the conclusion that all sin must be removed no matter how comfortable we have become with its presence in our lives.

I am certain that the Lord will make us aware of these 'stones" that must be removed, and will grant us the perfect time and place for their removal. He is firm but gentle; clear but patient; honest but kind; insistent but tender - all at the same time. The bottom line is that He is unwilling for anything in our hearts to keep us from the intimacy and fellowship that He desires with us.

The prophet, Joel is not as gentle as Cindy in his call to this process, but he issues a powerful call to repentance: 

Joel 2:12 (Amp)  

Therefore also now, says the Lord,

turn and keep on coming to me with all your heart,

with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning

[until every hindrance is removed

and the broken fellowship is restored].

The Lord wants us to turn back to Him - not because He has caught us out, but because He is not willing for any degree of sin to keep us from Him - We come to repentance based on relationship, rather than rules.

Joel goes on in the next verse:

Rend your hearts and not your garments

and return to the Lord, your God,

for He is gracious and merciful,

slow to anger, and abounding in loving-kindness;

and He revokes His sentence of evil [when His conditions are met].

A few steps as we rend out hearts and return to the Lord...

Turn back to God – This is the secret to the heart of repentance (turn and keep on turning - turn as often as is required)

Confront yourself

Forgiveness – This is the secret to the release of repentance (forgive others and yourself)

Wash yourself

Be restored to God – This is the secret to the depth of repentance (As we are restored, He takes us deeper into relationship with Him - this is what He really wants all along)

Know yourself

Obey God – This is the secret to the power of repentance (walking in obedience reveals that repentance is at work in our hearts, and its fruit is growing)

Die to self

Fear of God – This is the secret to maintaining repentance (the fear of God involves relationship with God at its core. It is not so much about being afraid of God - rather, it is the foundation of intimacy with Him)

Abandon yourself 

May we find Him near and run back to Him - the One who is gracious, merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in lovingkindness!

Here Is What God Does For Our Soul

Here is an interesting list of all the things the Lord does for our soul once we have yielded everything to Him, and prepared ourselves for the deep work He longs to do in the core of our being. I am meditating on these verses this month – taking one of these each day, and asking the Lord to minister them into my soul. Each one of these is part of the great work He does inside us as He restores our soul. He knits every part of us together into a whole and holy soul – what a wonderful work of grace:

He redeems our soul -

Job 33:28 He will redeem his soul from going down to the Pit, And his life shall see the light. (Ps. 34:22; 49:15; 55;18)

He converts our soul -

Ps. 19:7 The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul; The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple

He restores our soul -

Ps. 23:3 He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness For His name’s sake.

He keeps our soul -

Ps. 25:20 Keep my soul, and deliver me; Let me not be ashamed, for I put my trust in You. (Ps. 66:9)

He lifts up our soul and makes us live -

Ps. 30:3 O Lord, You brought my soul up from the grave; You have kept me alive, that I should not go down to the pit.

He knows our soul -

Ps. 31:7 I will be glad and rejoice in Your mercy, For You have considered my trouble; You have known my soul in adversities,

He delivers our soul -

Ps. 33:19 To deliver their soul from death, And to keep them alive in famine. (Ps. 56:13; 86:13; 116:8; 120:2)

He heals our soul -

Ps. 41:4 I said, “Lord, be merciful to me; Heal my soul, for I have sinned against You.”

He draws near to our soul -

Ps. 69:18 Draw near to my soul, and redeem it; Deliver me because of my enemies.

He spares our soul -

Ps. 72:13 He will spare the poor and needy, And will save the souls of the needy.

He gives joy to our soul -

Ps. 86:4 Rejoice the soul of Your servant, For to You, O Lord, I lift up my soul.

He delights our soul -

Ps. 94:19 In the multitude of my anxieties within me, Your comforts delight my soul.

He preserves our soul –

Ps. 97:10 You who love the Lord, hate evil! He preserves the souls of His saints; He delivers them out of the hand of the wicked. (Ps. 121:7)

He satisfies our soul -

Ps. 107:9 For He satisfies the longing soul, And fills the hungry soul with goodness. (Is. 58:11; Jer. 31:14, 25)

He blesses our soul -

Ps. 116:7 Return to your rest, O my soul, For the Lord has dealt bountifully with you.

He liberates our soul -

Ps. 124:7 Our soul has escaped as a bird from the snare of the fowlers; The snare is broken, and we have escaped. (Ps. 142:7)

He strengthens our soul -

Ps. 138:3 In the day when I cried out, You answered me, And made me bold with strength in my soul.

He hides our soul -

Ps, 141:8 But my eyes are upon You, O GOD the Lord; In You I take refuge; Do not leave my soul destitute.

He frees our soul -

Ps. 143:11 Revive me, O Lord, for Your name’s sake! For Your righteousness’ sake bring my soul out of trouble.

He feeds our soul -

Prov. 10:3 The Lord will not allow the righteous soul to famish, But He casts away the desire of the wicked.

He gives life to our soul -

Is. 55:3 Incline your ear, and come to Me. Hear, and your soul shall live; And I will make an everlasting covenant with you— The sure mercies of David.

He waters our soul -

Jer. 31:12 Therefore they shall come and sing in the height of Zion, Streaming to the goodness of the Lord— For wheat and new wine and oil, For the young of the flock and the herd; Their souls shall be like a well-watered garden, And they shall sorrow no more at all.

He fills our soul -

Lam. 3:24 “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul, “Therefore I hope in Him!”

He claims our soul -

Ez. 18:4 “Behold, all souls are Mine; The soul of the father As well as the soul of the son is Mine; The soul who sins shall die.

He gives rest to our soul -

Matt. 11:29 Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.

He  preserves our soul -

1Thess. 5:23 Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

He anchors our soul -

Heb. 6:19 This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which enters the Presence behind the veil,

He saves our soul -

Heb. 10:39 But we are not of those who draw back to perdition, but of those who believe to the saving of the soul. (1Pet. 1:9)

He prospers our soul -

2Jn. 1:2 Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers.

This is part 2 - part 1 can be found HERE

Here is a magnificent conclusion to this post today:

David Wesley

Bless the Lord oh my soul!

Prepare Your Soul To Be Restored

The Lord desires to restore our soul (Psalm 23:3). I have been meditating on verses that bring our souls into a state of readiness for the Lord to do this healing work. He delights in bringing wholeness and restoration to every part of our lives. This is all a large part of the journey I am on right now…so it has been a delight to meditate on these verses.

The main Hebrew word used for "soul" in my search is:  nephesh which means:

Life, appetite, mind, desire, emotion, passion, that which breathes, the breathing substance or being, living being, self, seat of appetites, emotions or passions, activity of the mind or will, or character.

Here are 12 steps to walk in as we prepare for the Lord to restore and heal our soul:

Ps. 66:16

Come and hear, all you who fear God,
And I will declare what He has done for my soul.

• Make your heart and your soul a sanctuary for the presence of the Lord. Expand the altar of your heart and make room for the Lord – He is coming among us in greater and greater measures in these days. I know that the Lord is speaking here of the physical sanctuary that Solomon was to build, but we are also called to build a sanctuary in our hearts -

1Chron. 22:19 Now set your heart and your soul to seek the Lord your God. Therefore arise and build the sanctuary of the Lord God, to bring the ark of the covenant of the Lord and the holy articles of God into the house that is to be built for the name of the Lord.”

• Seek the Lord with all your heart and soul. It is time to seek the Lord with renewed passion. Something inside us needs to remain “sleepless” regarding this issue – diligently searching for Him and listening for His voice. When we seek Him with all our heart and soul, He will be found. In these verses we can hear a cry that rises from the depths of the soul – to the point of “panting” for God as one who is completely thirsty and longing for Him -

2Chron. 15:12 Then they entered into a covenant to seek the Lord God of their fathers with all their heart and with all their soul;

2Chron. 15:15 And all Judah rejoiced at the oath, for they had sworn with all their heart and sought Him with all their soul; and He was found by them, and the Lord gave them rest all around.

Ps. 42:1 As the deer pants for the water brooks, So pants my soul for You, O God.

Ps. 42:2  My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God?

Ps. 63:1 O God, You are my God; Early will I seek You; My soul thirsts for You; My flesh longs for You In a dry and thirsty land Where there is no water.

Ps. 84:2 My soul longs, yes, even faints For the courts of the Lord; My heart and my flesh cry out for the living God.

Lam. 3:25 The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, To the soul who seeks Him.

Matt. 22:37 Jesus said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ (Mk. 12:30, 33; Lu. 10:27)

• Let your soul wait for Him. He seems to be calling us in these days to wait, or linger in His presence – sometimes it is not necessary to do or say anything – just wait silently with great expectation -

Ps. 33:20 Our soul waits for the Lord; He is our help and our shield

Ps. 62:1, 5 Truly my soul silently waits for God; From Him comes my salvation.

My soul, wait silently for God alone, For my expectation is from Him.

Ps. 130:5-6 I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, And in His word I do hope.

My soul waits for the Lord More than those who watch for the morning— Yes, more than those who watch for the morning.

• Release joy into all you do. Let joy permeate your soul and affect all those around you. As we deal with our heart and soul in an intensive way, there can be a tendency to become melancholy and overly introspective – at least that is how I can often find myself. I am sometimes tempted to become isolated and withdrawn from others. I believe that the Lord rarely intends for us to become reclusive in this way – the closer we get to Him; the greater should be our testimony to others. Don’t forget to mark this journey with joy. Think of all these things that he has done, and fill your soul with joy, Don’t become so consumed with yourself that you can’t lift up the hearts of those around you -

Ps. 34:2 My soul shall make its boast in the Lord; The humble shall hear of it and be glad.

Ps. 35:9 And my soul shall be joyful in the Lord; It shall rejoice in His salvation.

Ps. 71:23 My lips shall greatly rejoice when I sing to You, And my soul, which You have redeemed.

Is. 61:10 I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, My soul shall be joyful in my God; For He has clothed me with the garments of salvation, He has covered me with the robe of righteousness, As a bridegroom decks himself with ornaments, And as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.

• Yield your soul to the Lord and trust in Him – make Him your hiding place.

There certainly are seasons when we need to tuck ourselves away to spend more time with the Lord. We will find that He is a trustworthy friend and a sure hiding place - 

Ps. 57:1 Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me! For my soul trusts in You; And in the shadow of Your wings I will make my refuge, Until these calamities have passed by.

• Stir up your soul to follow the Lord wherever He goes – stay very close to Him.

the Hebrew word for "follow" in this verse is dabaq - it means to cling, or cleave to something, to stay close, to be joined together, to overtake. It is up to us to run after Him - to stay close by His side and join ourselves to Him in such a way that we become "one" with Him -

Ps. 63:8 My soul follows close behind You; Your right hand upholds me. 

• Surrender your soul to its longings for the presence of the Lord.

The soul is the seat of our passions and desires. Make the presence of the Lord the focus of your greatest craving -

Ps. 84:2 My soul longs, yes, even faints For the courts of the Lord; My heart and my flesh cry out for the living God.

When our body is thirsty, it seems to shout loudly – demanding water and drawing great attention to this need. Allow your spiritual thirst to take over your soul in the same way. Make your thirst for God the loudest voice in your soul and give in to this longing.

Ps. 143:6 I spread out my hands to You; My soul longs for You like a thirsty land.

• Lift up your soul in praise.

This is the greatest conclusion to our quest of filling out soul with more of the Lord – worship with all your soul!

Ps. 103:1-2 Bless the Lord, O my soul; And all that is within me, bless His holy name! Bless the Lord, O my soul, And forget not all His benefits:

(103:22; 104:1, 35; 119:175; 143:8; 146:1)

• Discipline your soul to keep the testimonies and commands of the Lord.

When we walk in the fear of the Lord, we will delight in keeping God’s Word and walking in obedience to His commands -

Ps. 119:129 Your testimonies are wonderful; Therefore my soul keeps them.

Ps. 119:167 My soul keeps Your testimonies, And I love them exceedingly.

• Quiet your soul and make it still.

No matter what you are going through – allow your soul to be still and listen to the voice of the Lord rather than to your own thoughts and conclusions. Trust Him just as a child trusts his mother and father.

Ps. 131:2 Surely I have calmed and quieted my soul, Like a weaned child with his mother; Like a weaned child is my soul within me.

• Feed your soul with God’s abundance.

Taste and see that the Lord is good – feed on Him and enjoy the nourishment that only He can bring.

Is. 55:2 Why do you spend money for what is not bread, And your wages for what does not satisfy? Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good, And let your soul delight itself in abundance.

• Purify your soul.

We have a tendency to think that the Lord needs to do all the work while we sit back and complain. In this passage, Peter is instructing us to purify our own soul through obedience.

1Pet. 1:22 Since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit in sincere love of the brethren, love one another fervently with a pure heart.


This is part 1 - part 2 can be found HERE