VICTORY THAT MUST SPUR US ON TO REPENTANCE

VICTORY THAT MUST SPUR US ON TO REPENTANCE

Will God ever grant the wicked grace to scale over a hurdle? Will He allow His enemies to succeed at a point in time? The response is yes. Out of His sovereignty He does things that beat our imagination. Scripture says His ways are higher than our ways likewise His thoughts. The bible records occasions when God allowed His enemies to triumph over His own people. God’s grace is extended to all though we may not have the same degree of grace depending on your calling. He extends His grace to us so that we can fix our relationship with Him whether saved or unsaved.

Genesis 13:13
But the men of Sodom were wicked and exceedingly great sinners against the Lord.

When Lot separated himself from Abraham, he dwelt among the people of Sodom and Gomorrah. The people of Sodom and Gomorrah were exceedingly wicked as the bible puts it. Lot’s choice of the other side of the plain was sensual  but God still had plans for Sodom and Gomorrah. Like Lot many of us make sensual choices but God can still use it for the good of others so that He will make Himself known to the wicked and relent from doing them harm. A Christian can leave next street to The Las Vegas Casino. It may be God’s way of warning the wicked and showing them mercy. Abraham chose the other side of the plain which was relatively less attractive but God fulfilled what He promised him. The treasures of God do not always come packaged.


Genesis 14:1-17
1In the days of the kings Amraphel of Shinar, Arioch of Ellasar, Chedorlaomer of Elam, and Tidal of Goiim,
2 They made war on the kings Bera of Sodom, Birsha of Gomorrah, Shinab of Admah, Shemeber of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela, [a]that is, Zoar.
3 The latter kings joined together [as allies] in the Valley of Siddim, which is [now] the [Dead] Sea of Salt.
4 Twelve years they had served Chedorlaomer, but in the thirteenth year they rebelled.
5 And in the fourteenth year, Chedorlaomer and the kings who were with him attacked and subdued the Rephaim in Ashteroth-karnaim, the Zuzim in Ham, and the Emim in Shaveh-kiriathaim,
6 And the Horites in their Mount Seir as far as El-paran, which is on the border of the wilderness.
7 Then they turned back and came to En-mishpat, which [now] is Kadesh, and subdued all the country of the Amalekites, and also the Amorites who dwelt in Hazazon-tamar.
8 Then the kings of Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, Zeboiim, and Bela, that is, Zoar, went out and [together] they joined battle [with those kings] in the Valley of Siddim,
9 With the kings Chedorlaomer of Elam, Tidal of Goiim, Amraphel of Shinar, and Arioch of Ellasar—four kings against five.
10 Now the Valley of Siddim was full of slime or bitumen pits, and as the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled, they fell (were overthrown) there and the remainder [of the kings] fled to the mountain.
11 [The victors] took all the wealth of Sodom and Gomorrah and all the supply of provisions and departed.
12 And they also took Lot, Abram’s brother’s son, who dwelt in Sodom, and his goods away with them.
13 Then one who had escaped came and told Abram the Hebrew [one from the other side], who was living by the oaks or terebinths of Mamre the Amorite, a brother of Eshcol and of Aner—these were allies of Abram.
14 When Abram heard that [his nephew] had been captured, he armed (led forth) the 318 trained servants born in his own house and pursued the enemy as far as Dan.
15 He divided his forces against them by night, he and his servants, and attacked and routed them, and pursued them as far as Hobah, which is north of Damascus.
16 And he brought back all the goods and also brought back his kinsman Lot and his possessions, the women also and the people.
17 After his [Abram’s] return from the defeat and slaying of Chedorlaomer and the kings who were with him, the king of Sodom went out to meet him at the Valley of Shaveh, that is, the King’s Valley.

There was a revolt from the kings of Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, Shemeber  and Bela after twelve years of slavery under Chedorlaomer king of Elam. This was God’s initial judgment to Sodom and Gomorrah. In their rebellion they waged a war against the kings of Elam, King of the nations, King of Shinar, King of Ellasar which resulted in their defeat as well as the capture of Lot. They were trying to break free from judgment. God in His mercy raised Abraham to set them free. Why did God grant wicked Sodom and Gomorrah victory? It was a way of showing His glory. He also presented an opportunity to avert the destruction that He planned to bring upon them. The men of Sodom and Gomorrah were not wise enough to discern God’s rescue plan. Later they even planned to have carnal knowledge with the angels that had been sent on assignment.

Many times God will allow us to enjoy certain benefits after He has visited us with judgment but many of His people do not even recognize that it is His grace. He blesses us in order to draw us closer to Himself. Many do not fully repent when God takes them through the wilderness experience. God will always test us to see if we are really willing to surrender our hearts in obedience and repentance or we will continue to play the harlot when we are given a breather.  Naturally men are humbled when they go through trials but many forget to offer the sacrifices of brokenness and contriteness when He opens a fountain of blessings. We can only continue to walk in liberty if we continually repent of our sins. When we bear fruits of repentance, His blood continues to cleanse us and we enjoy our fellowship together.

1John1:7
But if we [really] are living and walking in the Light, as He [Himself] is in the Light, we have [true, unbroken] fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses (removes) us from all sin and guilt [keeps us cleansed from sin in all its forms and manifestations].

In 1 Kings 20, during the days of Ahab, The Lord gave the people of Israel victory over King Ben Hadad  of Syria although Ahab was exceedingly wicked.  The Lord stirred up Ahab to rebel against Ben Hadad because He wanted to glorify Himself and draw His people closer to Himself. God was trying to lift judgment on His people giving them victory over the Syrians. Ahab’s wickedness had brought judgment on God’s people. At the appointed time God gave Israel  victory in order to turn their hearts back to Him.
After God had given Ahab victory, He abused His grace by pursuing more of wickedness. He killed Naboth through the sin of covetousness in 1 Kings 21. God had played to avenge Naboth’s death but Ahab repented and The Lord relented from harming Him but his heart had not been cut. Covetousness had not left his heart.

1 Kings  22:1-3
1Syria and Israel continued without war for three years.
2 In the third year Jehoshaphat king of Judah came down to the king of Israel.
3 And [Ahab] king of Israel said to his servants, Do you know that Ramoth in Gilead is ours, and we keep silence and do not take it from the king of Syria?

God had made peace between Ahab and Ben Hadad  but he was still not content. He wanted to go ahead of God. He had forgotten God gave  him the initial victory. Ramoth in Gilead belonged to Israel. It was theirs rightfully but Ahab wanted to conquer it for fame. Ahab wanted to stand in God’s place by claiming glory. Covetousness was still in his heart and this time he thought he could outsmart God. It was God’s plan to give the whole land to Israel as he had promised Abraham but He wanted Ahab’s heart first. He wanted a total surrender from him.  Ahab went ahead to battle having the backing of 300 prophets whom God had sent delusion. The true counsel which came from Micaiah was rubbished because of the stubbornness of his heart. He eventually died in the battle.


Like Ahab many of us are quick to cry out to God when we are in crisis. We forget that some of the trials that come our way are as a result of God’s judgments. God may discipline us through financial crisis, rebellion among children, unfaithfulness in marriage, famines but how many of us even realize His judgments. The sooner we realize His judgments and repent with our hearts the quicker our deliverance. Sometimes He allows the demons to taunt us. His chastening is aimed at getting us on our knees and also to bring fruits of repentance. We must be broken when we go through these difficult moments and the fruit of repentance that we bear must last.
If we cry out to Him with all our hearts and seek His face in our distress, He will break the yoke from our necks so that we can walk in liberty. When we repent with all our hearts, the heavens will open for us and our oppressors (the demons) will be quelled.


2Chronicles 7:14
If My people, who are called by My name, shall humble themselves, pray, seek, crave, and require of necessity My face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven, forgive their sin, and heal their land.


God will grant us deliverance if we are willing to repent and live holy lives before Him but sadly many rebel against Him again when he sets them on the way to success. Many of us repent half heartedly that’s why we keep on falling into the same sins over and over again. If our hearts are not fully surrendered to Him fully striving to live holy lives daily He may grant us victory and success for only a season but our adversaries will come back stronger and harass us. His judgments also await those who persist in rebellion and it is severe.

Hebrews 10:26-27
26 For if we go on deliberately and willingly sinning after once acquiring the knowledge of the Truth, there is no longer any sacrifice left to atone for [our] sins [no further offering to which to look forward].
27 [There is nothing left for us then] but a kind of awful and fearful prospect and expectation of divine judgment and the fury of burning wrath and indignation which will consume those who put themselves in opposition [to God].


May we be people who discern His judgments. May His judgments draw us closer to Him in sincerity. Let us fall on our knees and ask for His mercy daily in sincerity. We are to bear fruits of repentance daily. If our repentance is not genuine we will be overcome by pride and we will fall into sin again. Father grant us the  gift of repentance. Make us people who offer sacrifices of brokenness of heart and contriteness of spirit.


2 Corinthians 7:10
For godly grief and the pain God is permitted to direct, produce a repentance that leads and contributes to salvation and deliverance from evil, and it never brings regret; but worldly grief (the hopeless sorrow that is characteristic of the pagan world) is deadly [breeding and ending in death].           

                                                             Glory To Jesus