Electives – Section 2

Repentance means to “change our mind.” Repentance improves our behavior but effectiveness requires that our behavior is NOT the focus! Don’t think of repentance as self-directed condemnation and punishment! True repentance as a joyous task of directing our heart (1 Sam. 7:3) to cooperate and love God in ways that give Him freedom to help us root out the idolatry, obstacles, and distractions that keep us away from Him. Instead of focusing on behavior directly, true repentance focuses on “changing our mind” by improving what our heart believes, loves, and will no longer be afraid about. Heart Training does this by helping you make joyous declarations of repentance and faith that help you turn from sin and heart level idolatry and toward trusting God as your God. Heart Training is a biblical kind of repentance that is powerfully effective at changing the patterns of thinking in your heart BEFORE you sin. Because idols are things 1) we identify with as ours and 2) are close to us, true repentance helps us change our mind so we can receive and enjoy depending on the nearness of God. It helps you change from faith in self-effort and idolatry to trusting the grace of God and His drawing near so He can be God to us here. When you are faithful with Heart Training, you change so much that you don’t go back to your idols or sin. Are you afraid to start? Heart Training calms your fears and helps your heart to hear and believe the grace and goodness of God. It builds your faith in the grace of God for receiving His presence and kingdom. By this, Heart training helps you abide in Christ in a powerful and practical way 24 / 7. By this, we love God more, we abide in His tangible nearness, and we give God the freedom He needs to do a greater work in and through us than otherwise would have been possible.

… (Your name), listen to what you are saying. Let yourself believe, love, and be thankful for the truth!

…Heart, hear this and enjoy believing that salvation is by faith in the grace of God to save us and not by faith in our works or self-effort (Eph. 2:8-9). Likewise, it is also by faith that we receive and experience the presence of God and His kingdom: “…we…receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.” (Gal. 3:14); “…he who comes to God must believe…that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.” (Heb. 11:6); “…whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it at all” (Mark 10:15); “…since we receive a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us show gratitude…” (Heb. 12:28). My thinking must change so that I can receive God’s kingdom like a child!

…Heart, after salvation, continuing to receive the presence of God and His kingdom by faith in God to come to us freely, is vital for abiding that glorifies the Father (John 15:5, 8), for putting on the armor of light that prevents lust (Rom. 13:12-14), and for spiritual protection (Ps. 27:1-6; Ps. 91).

…When we receive Christ for salvation into us through the faith in the death of Christ, Jesus pours His Spirit into and onto us “through” the radiance that shines from Jesus (Titus 3:5-6; John 7:39). Then after salvation, to “walk in Him” I must continue in faith believing I am receiving in an ongoing way because, “…as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him” (Col. 2:6).

…Re-directing the beliefs, loves, and treasures of my heart is powerful for turning more fully toward God. The more I can tell my heart to align with believing and loving what the Scriptures say, the more I remove the obstacles between me and God, making it easier for me to turn from idolatry in my heart, even before I sin; “return to the Lord with all your heart, remove the foreign gods…and direct your hearts to the Lord…and He will deliver you…” (1 Sam. 7:3); “…it will be said, ‘Build up, build up, prepare the way, remove every obstacle out of the way of My people” (Isa. 57:14).

…Heart Training removes obstacles of idolatry and sin between me and God; “…Build up, build up, prepare the way, Remove every obstacle out of the way of My people” (Isa. 57:14). The declarations teach my heart to trust God to draw near, and cleanses my body so I can present my body “acceptable” before Him here (Rom. 12:1-2). Heart, it is right for me to believe and enjoy that I draw near to God by trusting with the faith of a child that He is drawing near to me here.

…Declaring to my heart what to believe and love, directs my heart toward loving God; it clears a path between us that becomes a “highway” so that I can draw near to God by His being more freely to draw near to me: “…Clear the way for the Lord…Make…a highway for our God…Then the glory of the Lord will be revealed…” (Isa. 40:3-5).

…Thank You God that I can “clear the way” for you by changing my patterns of thinking from works to grace for receiving Your presence here: “…clear the way before Me. And the Lord, whom you seek, will suddenly come to His temple…” (Mal. 3:1). It says, “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you…” (James 4:8), but since I can’t do anything to physically draw near to God, I must trust Him to draw near to me here; “…we…receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.” (Gal. 3:14).

…I CAN repent by “changing my mind” to think according to the kingdom of God! Doing this helps me be more faithful to God and prepares me to receive His kingdom here more fully. Heart, “…John the Baptist came…saying, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ For this is…The voice of one crying in the wilderness, ‘Make ready the way of the Lord, make His paths straight!’” (Matt. 3:1-3); “…the children yet to be born…should…not be…a stubborn and rebellious generation, a generation that did not prepare its heart and whose spirit was not faithful to God” (Psa 78:6-8).

… Repentance isn’t just about turning away from sin; it is also about experiencing the presence of God. But for repentance to help me experience God, my repentance should be joyful because that lowers my fears and helps me respond to God with greater openness. Repentance should be joyful because it helps me experience God’s presence in refreshing ways; “…repent and return, so that your sins may be wiped away, in order that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord” (Acts 3:19). So, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart…” (Pro 3:5), because the payback for joyful repentance is so great that turning from earthly sources is a price well worth paying!

…Aligning my heart-level thinking with the Word of God consecrates me to the Lord in a way that increases my delight about drawing near to God and faith about His drawing near to me here: “…Now that you have consecrated yourselves to the Lord, come near…” (2Chron. 29:31); “…delight yourself in abundance” (Isa. 55:1,2); since we receive a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us show gratitude…” (Heb. 12:22-24, 28).

…Directing my heart toward God is a kind of repentance that humbles me and helps me turn from sin. It paves the way for me to pray and seek the presence of the Lord more easily. By this, God heals our land! “[If] My people who are called by My name humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin and will heal their land” (2 Chron 7:14).

…Heart Training is a practical way of building my faith: “…building yourselves up on your most holy faith” (Jude 1:20). “…applying all diligence, in your faith…” (2 Pet. 1:5). Directing my heart to enjoy loving God helps me to trust Him more fully: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart…” (Pro 3:5).

…Listening to myself make audible and joyous declarations of repentance and faith is a practical way of living out the dying of Jesus. The benefit of directing my heart away from idolatry and toward God is that Jesus will be manifested! Heart, let it sink in that life is the goal, dying is just the process of what it takes to continually let His life show through: “always carrying about in the body the dying of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body.” (2 Cor. 4:10); “…there was no strange god among you; so you are My witnesses…I am God’” (Isa. 43:12).

…Heart Training helps me to cut off my love for earthly things and train my heart to believe and love God. By this, I become more sensitive toward God and I enjoy Him more fully.: “Circumcise yourselves to the Lord and remove the foreskins of your heart…” (Jer 4:4). “…circumcise your heart…” (Deu 10:16).

…The most direct and effective path of Christian growth involves a repentance that changes the mind of my heart. Speaking the truth with my mouth and hearing it in my heart results in a faith that improves righteous living, faith for receiving the Holy Spirit, obedience, and faith for receiving the kingdom of God: “…confess with your mouth…and believe in your heart…” (Rom. 10:9); “for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness…” (Rom. 10:10).

…Listening to myself make the Heart Training declarations helps me to believe the good news about the kingdom of God and apply the Scriptures more fully: “…the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the [good news]…” (Mark 1:15); “…faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.” (Rom. 10:17); “…the obedience of faith…” (Rom. 1:5); “…receive the Spirit…by hearing with faith” (Gal. 3:2—implied); “So take diligent heed to yourselves to love the Lord your God…” (Jos. 23:11);

…Heart Training helps me to better “Delight yourself in the Lord…” (Ps. 37:4); “for where your treasure is, there will your heart be also” (Mat. 6:21); “Your word I have treasured in my heart, That I may not sin against You” (Ps. 119:11).

…When Jesus comes back, the church who is the bride of Christ will have made herself ready by a kind of repentance that changes her thinking to kingdom thinking: “…[John the Baptist]…will go as a forerunner before [Jesus]…to make ready a people prepared for the Lord” (Luk 1:17); “…John the Baptist came…saying, ‘[change your mind], for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ For this is…The voice of one crying in the wilderness, ‘Make ready the way of the Lord, make His paths straight!’” (Mat 3:1-3); “…the marriage of the Lamb has come and His bride has made herself ready” (Rev 19:7). By faith in the radiant glory of God upon us, the bride of Christ will have made herself ready by putting on the presence of God as the wedding dress: “…Clear the way for the Lord…Make…a highway for our God…Then the glory of the Lord will be revealed…” (Isa. 40:3-5): “…indeed, as I live, all the earth will be filled with the glory of the Lord” (Num. 14:21).