Without Repentance Audio Link

Without repentance there is no remission of sin. We all know that and understand that we need to walk away from our old life and walk toward the God Who offers us salvation through the Blood of Jesus.
There is another aspect of repentance that I'd like to speak about today.

Years ago, I was ministering at a motorcycle rally and noticed a man standing in the shadows. Feeling led to go to him, I approached him and we began talking. Not long into the conversation, I found that he was once a spirit filled preacher and was now in the sad state of the backslidden. But God wasn't done with him. He had just slipped and needed to get back up and go on with the call of God.

Walking in Walmart, I noticed a lady having trouble walking, even with the walker she was using. Feeling led to talk to her, I talked for a bit and simply asked her if I could pray for her. Later, I found that she had a prison ministry and was heart broken because she had to quit ministering in the prisons because of trouble with her knees. But God wasn't done with her. God healed her knees and she went back to the call that was on her life.

Just recently, I noticed a man trying to call someone... anyone.... He was stranded in our small town and lived some distance away. He was able to contact someone, but they hadn't shown up yet. As we talked, I found that he had once received Christ and had even been called to the ministry. However, the needle got in the way of his calling. Meth... We broke the spirit of addiction right there at the gas station and prayed for the baptism of the Holy Spirit. He received the Holy Spirit and freedom from meth. God simply isn't done with him...

In Romans, Paul tells us that the gifts and calling of God are without repentance. In other words, God is not sorry He called you. He is not sorry that He gave you gifts. Even when you fell, God didn't repent. God isn't backing off because you tripped and feel like you can't get up.

When we look at the great men and women of faith in Hebrews 11 (God's hall of fame) we see a lot of great people listed. If we look at their lives, we find that many of them had a calling, fell down, felt like trash, and despite all that, got back up and walked with God.

Looking at Romans 11:29, in context, Paul is telling the Romans why they can't count Israel out. There are promises that God made to them and because of those promises, our God is so faithful that he will simply never give up on them. As we look at this little tiny nation, God's faithfulness is quite evident. It is absolutely incredible that such a tiny nation has stood over four thousand years while entire empires have collapsed around it. Even when the world thinks that they have finally seen the last of the Jew and the nation is removed from the maps, it supernaturally reappears, stronger than ever. God has given the Jew that land that we call (and He calls) Israel. God has called that nation to be a witness to the world of His faithfulness. God is just as faithful to the individual as He is to the nation of Israel.

Has God called us? He is not sorry He did! Has God gifted us? He doesn't take back what He has given. Will we be judged??? We certainly will!!! We will be judged according to the gifts He has given us and according to the calling He has placed on us. And each one of us is gifted as God desired. And each one of us is called according to His purpose. Our job is not to neglect our calling. Our part is to nurture the gift instead of ignoring it. Our job is to walk with God as we nurture our gifts and answer His call.

Many would have us believe that God gives up on us and, unfortunately, we tend to think, “It's too late.” when we think we have wasted too much time. But the truth is, even when we have given up, God has not. If we look at Romans 11:29, we find Paul saying that the gifts and calling of God are without repentance, but I'm not sure we fully understand the impact of that simple statement.

I'd like to take a quick glance at some tf the ways this Greek passage of Scripture has been translated into English. The KJV tells us, “For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance.” The NASB translates the same verse, “for the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.” The Literal translation says, “For the free gifts and the calling of God are unregrettable.” The God's Word translation says it a little different, “God never changes his mind when he gives gifts or when he calls someone.” The CEV tells us, “God doesn't take back the gifts he has given or forget about the people he has chosen.” The NLT says, “For God's gifts and His call can never be withdrawn.” Any way we read it, God is NOT sorry, He will NOT take back His Word, He will NOT revoke His promises and He simply does NOT regret that He called YOU!

Instead, His promise is that He will equip you. If you ask for wisdom, He will give it to you. If you ask for direction, it is yours. If you call upon Him, He will answer. If you seek Him with all your heart, you will find Him with all of His Heart.

So, the real question is what are your giftings and where has He called you to. These need to be sought out and the only place that I know of to seek these things is in earnest prayer. The only way to find them is in communion with Him. After all, Christ is all and in all. He certainly will be Christ in you... if you let Him.

Is it too late??? I'll answer that with another question. Are you dead??? If you aren't dead, it's not too late to seek God. If you are not dead, it isn't too late to walk in His call for your life.