Memory verse: And rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto the LORD your God: for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repenteth him of the evil. Joel 2:13
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Jeremiah 31-33
In Exodus, God sent Moses to Pharaoh with a message: “let my people go.” When Pharaoh heard, he was wrath. Exodus 5:2 says And Pharaoh said, Who is the LORD that I should obey his voice to let Israel go? I know not the LORD, neither will i let Israel go. Every attempt to convince Pharaoh to let the people of Israel go was ignored. Because he refused to let them go, the Lord began to plague Egypt. He started by turning their water to blood (Exodus 7:19); Pharaoh was unmoved. The Lord plagued the land with frogs (Exodus 8:2-4); Pharaoh did not budge. The Lord sent lice (Exodus 8:16), because his magicians were able to reproduce these plagues, he ignored the plea to let the children of Israel go.
The Lord sent flies (Exodus 8:21), these flies began to trouble all the Egyptians, Pharaoh repented and called for Moses and Aaron. He said; i will let you go, that ye may sacrifice to the LORD your God in the wilderness; only ye shall not go very far away: intreat for me (Exodus 8:27).” This is called “EMERGENCY REPENTANCE.” Pharaoh permitted the children of Israel to go and sacrifice because he was suffering, the moment relief came; he changed his mind. Since he refused to change, the plagues kept on coming. Their livestock perished (Exodus 9:3); they were inflicted with boils (Exodus 9:8); thunder and hail destroyed their fields (Exodus 9:18); locust destroyed their plantations (Exodus 10:4). When the plagues became unbearable, he repented again. This is time around, he permitted only the men to go and sacrifice, leaving the women and children behind. This is called “INCOMPLETE REPENTANCE.” There are many who have repented from robbing the Lord in tithes, instead of paying a tenth of their earning, they pay a fifth of their earning. As far as God is convinced, this is not repentance.
The plagues continued, the Land was covered with thick darkness (Exodus 10:21) and then the Lord killed all the firstborn of the Egyptians (Exodus 11:4-5). This time around, he repented and took an action; he literally chased the children of Israel out of Egypt. One would have thought that Pharaoh had finally repented but it was a “FALSE REPENTANCE,” after the children of Israel left Egypt, he went after them to bring them back to Egypt.God is interested in genuine repentance not repentance by mouth. Is your repentance an emergency one, an incomplete one, or worse still a false repentance? You said you have repented, no more fornication and adultery again, after a while you called your ex to come and pass the night at your place. Is that repentance? Because you wanted something desperately from God, you vowed never to do certain things again, the moment the Lord answered your prayers, you went back and continued in them. You said you have turned a new leaf but not completely, you no longer smoke but you drink. You no longer watch pornography but you look at nude pictures. Is that repentance?
ACTION: Pray that the Lord will truly give you a change of heart.
Bro Samuel – Reaching the world for Jesus.
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