God Leads Us to Repent

The goodness of God leads us to repent (Romans 2:4). Left to yourself, we have no desire to turn from the old life of sin and unbelief. We have pleasure in our sin and depravity. We see no reason to trust in Christ. Only when the Holy Spirit convicts and convinces us of your need for Christ are we awakened to our lost condition. The Spirit of grace awakens to our condemnation in sin (John 16:8-11). 

When awakened to our true condition before God, we are enabled to repent and trust Christ. The Spirit of grace awakens us and enables our repentance. We turn from the old life to become a new creation in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17). God grants repentance (2 Timothy 2:25). The Holy Spirit enables us to have faith in Christ (Galatians 5:5). By the grace of God, we repent and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ.

God leads us to repent, which is a change of mind. We are transformed and renewed by the Holy Spirit. "And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God" (Romans 12:2). 

God leads us to repent, as we turn by faith to the Lord Jesus Christ. Repentance is when we turn from the sin of unbelief to faith in God through Christ. That is "repentance toward God and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ" (Acts 20:21). That's how we repent.

Conversion to Christ

John MacArthur wrote, "There can be no repentance or faith until the heart has been re-created. But in the moment of regeneration the Holy Spirit imparts the gift of repentant faith to sinners, bringing them to saving faith in Christ, and enabling them to turn away from sin. The result is a dramatic conversion."

The Holy Spirit enables our conversion to Christ. Conversion is through "the gift of repentant faith to sinners." Conversion includes repentance and saving faith together. Repentance means we turn to God by saving faith in Christ.

The Holy Spirit transforms our hearts, which is the mind, will and emotions. The result is conversion, turning away from the old life to faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Conversion means you are free from the old life of bondage to sin, through the power of God in Christ.

The Spirit of God works through the word of God to bring new birth (1 Peter 1:23) MacArthur stated, "The result is a dramatic conversion." Conversion to Christ by the word of God and the Spirit of God. The gospel of Christ comes to you through the power of the Holy Spirit, with much assurance (1 Thessalonians 1:5).

Conversion is through God's workmanship in us as a new creation in Christ (Ephesians 2:10). "Therefore, if any man be in Christ, he is a new creation. Old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new" (2 Corinthians 5:17). 

Who God Loves

God loves all nations and races. "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life" (John 3:16). God has so loved every nation, all races, and every ethnic group. The Bible has been described as God's love letter to the world. 

God loves sinners. Yet, you may doubt God's love at times, because you think you're not good enough for God to love. The truth is that none of us earn nor deserve God's love. God does not love us because we are good enough. We have all sinned, but God's love is revealed for sinners (Romans 3:23; 5:8). When God's love is received through believing in Christ, we are saved from the condemnation of sin (John 3:17).

God loves sinners at the cross of Jesus. God sent His Son to die for our sins (John 1:29; 1 John 2:2). He died for your sins at the cross. God loves you through Christ crucified. This is the greatest love story the world has ever known. God so loves you at the cross of Jesus.

God loves believers in Christ, through the Holy Spirit. His love is poured out into our hearts (Romans 5:5). The Holy Spirit makes God's love real to us. Upon confessing Jesus as our Lord, the Holy Spirit does something beyond our ability to completely understand. He fills our hearts with God's love. 

How God Will Provide

All of us have needs. Fear says,"No one is going to provide for your needs. You are a needy person with no one who can help." Faith says, My God shall supply all of my need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:19).

Our greatest need is not physical nor financial. Our greatest need is spiritual. We need God. We need faith in God who provides. God's covenant name among others is Jehovah-jireh. It means the Lord will provide. His name reveals His character. It's who He is and what He does.

God is Jehovah-jireh for His people. He is the Lord who provides for all who believe in His name. That means faith can trust in who God is. It's not just who we want Him to be. He reveals His name to you and all believers. We can trust in His name, receiving from Him according to our need.

God provides as your heavenly Father. He knows your needs before we ask. Prayer is not designed for us to inform God. He knows all things. Our prayers receive from God our Father. Jesus said to pray, Our Father in heaven (Matthew 6:9). He taught us to make requests based upon our needs. Give us this day our daily bread (Matthew 6:11). God will provide as your Father in heaven.

God Working in Us

God works in us as believers through covenant. What God says, God will do. God's covenant with us is a binding contract. What God promises, God will fulfill. Our faith stands upon the covenant promises of God through Jesus Christ. It is based upon God's covenant word. So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God (Romans 10:17).

Now may the God of peace who brought up our Lord Jesus from the dead, that great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant make you complete in every good work to do His will, working in you, what is well pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory, forever and ever. Amen (Hebrews 13:20-21).

God works in us as believers through the Lord Jesus Christ. You believe the gospel, that Christ died for your sins, and Christ is risen from the dead. You have entered the everlasting covenant with God by faith in the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus is the Shepherd of all God's covenant people.

God's everlasting covenant cannot be changed, because God has sworn with an oath of promise. The everlasting covenant through Jesus Christ is forever and ever. Amen. Our faith is based upon what God has promised to do in us through Jesus Christ our Lord.

God's covenant promises are working in believers in such a way to please Himself. Our lives please God not because we are trying real hard. To the contrary, God is working in us what pleases Him (Philippians 2:13). God's everlasting covenant is working in us through Christ. 

How to Trust God

Trust God by trusting His word. God speaks to us through Holy Scripture. God speaks to you through Jesus Christ our Lord and the Gospel. You trust God by relying upon what He has said through Scripture, Christ, and the Gospel (1 Cor. 15:1-4). 

Trust God even when you don't understand. We cannot understand all the ways of God. Trusting God is confidently believing in His ability to help us and direct us. A child is more limited in knowledge than the parents. Yet, that child can trust what the parents say to him. Likewise, our knowledge and understanding of God is limited, but we may confidently trust His word in the Bible.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths (Proverbs 3:5-6). Lord is God's personal and covenant name. Trust God as your Lord by trusting His many wonderful covenant promises in the Bible (e.g., Jeremiah 32:40; Hebrews 13:20-21).

All relationships are built on trust. Our relationship with God is trusting Him, because He is trustworthy. His word is your bond of trust. You trust God in all your circumstances, then you can say, He is my refuge and my fortress; my God, in Him I will trust (Psalm 91:2).

Salvation Not by Chance

W. T. Conner wrote, "Our salvation is not a matter of chance nor accident. We are saved because God meant for us to be saved. He saves us and he does so on purpose. He works through the unceasing ages to carry out his purpose."

I have heard people ask, Does everyone have a chance to be saved? Understand that no one is saved by chance. Dr. Conner made what is taught in Scripture very clear. God saves no one by chance nor accident. God foreknows his people in Christ. He saves us on purpose, even his eternal purpose in Christ (Romans 8:28-30). God's providence works in all things to accomplish his purpose (Romans 11:36; Ephesians 1:11).

God shuts no one out. His salvation is offered freely in the gospel to all people everywhere (Mark 16:15). He commands all people everywhere to repent and believe in Christ (Acts 16:30-31; 17:30). However, God who knows all things, the end from the beginning, foreknows his people in Christ. Not one of them is saved by chance nor accident.

God foreknows his people in a loving covenant relationship. God foreknows his people, and we shall all know him (Hebrews 8:10-11). We know God through our great Shepherd, the Lord Jesus Christ, in the everlasting covenant (Hebrews 13:20-21). In the day of judgement, the Lord says to all who are lost, "I never knew you" (Matthew 7:23).