Jesus taught us that the very first step towards a life where the Holy Spirit flows from our innermost being is to repent, or turn around (Matthew 4:17). Not only turning around from seeking the things of earth, but most of all, from sin. We don't have to overcome sin before we receive the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit comes in to help us overcome sin. We don't put the cart before the horse. The horse should be in front of the cart. I can't give up sin and then say, "Lord give me the Holy Spirit." Instead I say, "Lord, I need the Holy Spirit to be able to overcome sin." But I can turn around in my mind from sin; that means my attitude is that I genuinely desire to give up all sin.
That's all that God is asking you. Do you have an attitude where you want to give up every single thing that is dishonoring to God in your life? It may take you some years before you actually overcome them, but it doesn't matter. Make sure your attitude is always one of repentance, where you turn around from your old way of life. It is through repentance and faith in Christ that we come to the starting line of the Christian race. Hebrews 12:1-2 says that the Christian life is like a race, and I can come to the starting line only if I have repented. That message of repentance and turning around from sin is the message that is lacking in Christendom today.
How many gospel messages do you hear on repentance? How many songs do you hear on repentance? Look at any hymnbook and see how many songs there are on repentance - hardly any. You will find many songs about believing. For example, there is a well-known song that says, 'To God be the glory, great things He has done'. One of the lines in that song says, "The vilest offender who truly believes, that moment from Jesus a pardon receives." I disagree with it. Suppose there is a man attending a meeting - a complete wretched sinner - who doesn't know anything about the gospel. And he comes there and listens to that song - "The vilest offender who truly believes, that moment from Jesus a pardon receives." He says, "Yes, I am the vilest offender," and he acknowledges that and says, "that is all I've got to do, just believe in Jesus. I believe in Him, He is the Son of God, He died for my sins." Is he forgiven? Not if he has not repented. The vilest offender who repents and believes is one who is forgiven. Many people will say, "Well that's the meaning of 'truly believe'". But that is a theological explanation that an unconverted, godless sinner does not know. He needs to be told that he has to repent. That is what the Apostle Peter made clear on the day of Pentecost: repentance. And that is what Paul preached everywhere. He preached two things - "Repentance toward God and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ" (Acts 20:21).
Repentance toward God, not toward prosperity and healing. Repentance is not turning away from sickness to healing. I am not turning away from poverty to prosperity. No! That is a false gospel that is being preached today. It says here I repent toward God from everything that was against God in my life and have faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. Paul says the same thing when he writes to the Thessalonians. He tells them that the Word of God came to them and they turned to God, having turned away from idols to serve the living God" (1 Thessalonians 1:8-9).
What is an idol? An idol is anything that takes the place of God in your heart. It could be your health, your wealth, your job, your house, your car, your wife or your children. It could be anything that takes the place of God in your heart. Just like Isaac took the place of God in Abraham's heart and God told Abraham to get rid of that idolatry. Turning to God from idols and from everything that prevents God from being first and uppermost in your heart - that is repentance. That is the meaning of seeking the kingdom of God first and His righteousness, in such a way that all our earthly necessities will be added to us (Matthew 6:33). You can be absolutely sure that you will never lack earthly necessities -- even if you never become a millionaire, He will make sure your earthly necessities are added to you -- if you seek God's kingdom first. Thank God for that.
This is the way every Christian should live. It's a very sad thing today when Christians think that material prosperity and physical healing are the marks of God's blessing. That cannot be true because there are a lot of non-Christians who have a lot more material prosperity and a lot more physical health than even spiritual Christians. That itself proves that that is not the gospel. Moreover, they don't have freedom from sin that a true disciple has.
The message that Jesus proclaimed first, and that we need to keep proclaiming, is repentance. When Jesus said, "Teach them to do all that I have taught," what did He teach? The very first step is to turn around from sin, turn toward God and open your heart to the kingdom of heaven so that your mind is now set on things above, on the things of God - righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.
