Two Calls Ringing Across America

Two hand-in-hand messages resound across our Country. They resonate from various venues, to the tune of different voices. These two calls make us uncomfortable as we pinch our ears shut and slip way from their conviction.

The first is the cry to repent: as individuals, as a church, and as a nation. The events of 2020 and where we are as a society speak with clarity to the “why” of this call.

To repent is to reconsider. To have a change of heart and mind that regrets and abandons former inclinations and tendencies. This requires a change of direction and results in a new self and new behavior.

Why does the plea to repent make us defensive and edgy? God’s Word is clear believers must strive for a lifestyle of repentance, daily confessing not only our blatant sins, but acknowledging even our most subtle shortcomings and wrongs. Though we know the lavish love and forgiveness of our God, we struggle to do so. Why?

Repentance requires honesty. Self-exposure. Work. Commitment. Forcing us to search deep within; to peel off layers of self-deception. To make changes we don’t really want to make. Confessing sin is one thing. But repentance takes confession a giant step further. We confess our wrongs, then commit to turn from them and go in the exact opposite direction. In that hard turn, we get stuck and face temptation to abandon the path of change.

Repentance becomes challenging when we start to realize the things, habits, thoughts and life patterns we are required to abandon. Relinquishing worn, soft garments we’ve grown comfortable wearing; ending behaviors we frankly enjoy. We work hard to rid our lives of discomfort, so why would we intentionally take an action that is uncomfortable. And true repentance with true change is very, very uncomfortable.

Along with this call to repent is heard a challenge for believers to wake up. The season of comfortable Christianity is over. The relaxation of backseat faith falls way short of the reality of our position in Christ, seated with Him in the heavenly realms (Ephesians 2:6). Slumbering saints need to be jolted to their feet. To be alert and on guard, standing firm on the front lines, prepared for what lies ahead.

One of the glaring shortcomings in the hearts of believers is lukewarmness: a faith that has slumped into indifference. That’s hard to hear. To acknowledge. Lukewarmness describes both our approach to God and our faith walk. 

In Revelation, Jesus leaves no doubt how He feels about lukewarm faith. Sickened, He wants to spit us out. (Revelation 3:16) He challenges our mindset that having acquired wealth and security, “We don’t really need anything. We’re doing just fine and will beckon You when needed.” And what’s His response? “Be earnest and repent. (Revelation 3:19, NIV) About face! Run after God!” (MSG) Paul instructs us to never be lacking in zeal, but to keep up a spiritual fervor as we serve the Lord. (Romans 12:11) Continuous fervor is hard. Lukewarm is easier.

The cause of this mediocre, tepid condition involves a move too far away from our Source to be “hot”, but not so far out that the discomfort of being “cold” sends us back to the Source. Lukewarm becomes comfortable. Lukewarm takes little effort. Lukewarm lulls us to sleep and allows easy access for the enemy to attack. The avenue to redirect our journey back toward the Source and out of lukewarmness requires an awakening to Whom we serve. This requires spending increased time in close proximity with that Source. Time for pouring out. Time for reflection. Time for listening. Time for receiving.

Time? Where do we get more time? We have the same amount of minutes we had before we acknowledged our need for more of Jesus. Which means something else has to go to make room for Him. We are so obligated and driven and anxious to do “all the things”, difficult decisions are required.  And we face resistance from others in our decisions they neither understand or appreciate.

God calls us to take time to reflect on areas we need repentance. As the Spirit directs us to not just acknowledge and feel sorry for our shortcomings, but to make solid, lasting, spiritual changes, the hard begins.

But. We are not left to struggle through on our own power and pull-ourselves-up-by-the-bootstrap efforts. We have available to us the same power that raised Christ from the dead (Ephesians 1:19-20). Did you catch that? The same power at work in and through us is THE SAME POWER THAT RAISED CHRIST FROM THE DEAD. An untapped, exponential, vast power.

As we acknowledge, accept and begin to utilize God’s power, and with intention move our position closer and closer to our Source, the Spirit will disclose areas we need to evaluate and He will help us form words and actions of repentance. As we do, we are lit on fire with more power and passion that draw us ever closer to our God. There the holy glory of God radiates to and through us, igniting the darkness in the world with His light, love and salvation.

Dear sister, it’s worth our time and effort to heed the call to repentance and to wake up. Let’s stand in agreement to ponder, reflect, and take action as God leads us in these two areas. Then lift our voices to join the echo across the land for all to repent and live with spiritual fervor for Jesus.

Photo by Ben White on Unsplash