Most of us eat every day, some of us too much because yesterday's food
is not enough to supply energy for today's needs. Why then, do some
of us expect yesterday's portion of heavenly manna the word of God to keep us
through today's challenges. On this program, we are going to change all of
that. Let's experience God's words today and receive the power we need to live
healthy, vibrant lives. Welcome to your Daily Portion with your host, author
speaker Elle David Harris. Good morning, Good morning, Good morning. It
is Friday, March twenty two, twenty twenty four. Hello, my name
is El David Harris. I am your host, and this is your Daily
Portion where we give you God's word every single day and today is no exception.
We are continuing in our Lesson study series through the Book of Psalms,
and our caption for this preparation day morning is turn it around for God.
Turn it around for God. How many times has God turned it in air
quotes around for you? Those challenges that you have been facing, Yes,
those things that you thought could never be overcome, temptations, trials, Huh.
Sometimes you've had challenges with people and you thought that maybe God couldn't turn
it around for you. Well he did. He did, and if he
has not, all you need to do is submit to him. And in
time that's God's time, not my time, not your time, not some
pastor or preacher's time. But in time he will turn it around in the
appropriate way for you. Let's go ahead and pray, and then we will
get underway. Father and Heaven, thank you for giving us this new day
and for the privilege that we have to open up your word. Please fill
us with your Holy spirit, give us the opportunity in our minds to do
your will. Help us to love you and serve you with everything that we
have and everything that we are. Jesus name, I pray, Amen and
a men again. Turn it around for God. We're really talking about repentance.
It's not that we have something that we can give to God, like
something that can enrich him in some way. And so it's not like when
He turns it around for us. It is that we are turning ourselves around.
Yes, we are receiving through the Holy Spirit, repentance that is godly
sorrow for sin. And then we turn like we turn our shoulder and you
know your head and your shoulders kind of control what your balance will be.
And so when we are off balance with God, then we turn the shoulder
and make an about turn or write about turn, or an about face,
depending on where you are in the world. And so that's what we're talking
about today. Pray, brothers and sisters for true repentance. I'm not asking
you to do anything that I am not doing for myself. The Bible says
in Romans chapter two that repentance is a gift from God. Yes, and
there are some people who have spurned the gift, people who have decided that
they don't need to turn the shoulder, that they're just fine how they are.
But God has given us the privilege through the Holy Spirit, to see
our sin as it is, and then to turn the shoulder or turn away
from sin and toward God and also have the kind of godly sorrow for sin
that we see in the experience of King David in the Book of Psalms,
chapter fifty one. And so what I'm going to do now is begin reading
from the book Steps to Christ. And if you have been following me for
years, you have heard me say more than once that Steps to Christ is
my favorite book. Outside of the Bible. And now you will see partially
see why. And I begin reading at page twenty two. There are many
who fail to understand the true true nature of repentance. So we're not talking
about an intellectual pursuit, but spiritually we fail to understand. So many people
fail to understand. You don't have to continue that way though, continuing the
quote multitudes sorrow that they have sinned and even make an outward reformation because they
fear that they're wrongdoing will bring suffering upon themselves. So this is sort of
a self focused behavior change. I just need that to settle in. That
is a self focused behavior change. That's not what God is after, Okay,
but this is not the repentance in the Bible verse. They lament the
suffering rather than the sin. That's why brothers and sisters, Matt pause right
here. This is why I say that we need to be praying for repentance,
pray for the gift of God that is called repentance, because we he
can't generates godly sorrow for sin. We can't appropriately evaluate in our own minds
what godly sorrow feels like or is like. And so that's why we need
we need this gift, and the Bible I mean. And this quote continues,
such as the grief of Esau when he saw that the birthright was lost
to him forever. Balem, terrified by the angel standing in his pathway with
the drawn sword, acknowledged his guilt lest he should lose his life. But
there was no genuine repentance for sin, no conversion of purpose, no adberance
of evil. Ah Judas Iscariot, after betraying his lord, exclaimed, and
here we go. He has the right words. But here we go.
I have sinned in that I have betrayed the innocent blood. That's coming from
the Book of Matthew, chapter twenty seven and verse four HM. Now from
the Book Prophets and King's page fifty. This is good stuff, y'all.
Although God dwells not in temples made with hands, yet he honors with his
presence the assemblies of his people. So the Bible says that we should not
forsake the assembling of ourselves together with other people, like, like minded people
who are seeking to worship and to serve God, as the manner of some
is like, we should we should come together, come together for a true
worship of God. But he honors us with his presence. Right, continuing
the quote, he has promised that when they come together to seek Him,
to acknowledge their sins, and to pray for one another, he will meet
with them by his spirit. So, brothers and sisters, are there times
that you neglect to come together with God's people because maybe you have been church
hurt? Oh well, wait a minute, I can't nor I can't just
blurt that out because I've been church hurt. Many of you have been church
hurt. And you can think of people who sat in the bench next to
you. Maybe God forbid, there are people who were supposed to be leading
you and something went terribly wrong, and now you blame God for what humans
have done. One of the things that my pastor my pastor, and I
call him my pastor. He's the one who baptized me. He's the one
who who ordained me in the eldership. He's the one that gave Simona and
I our premarital counseling and so much more. Pastor Henry Monroe, Right,
he used to say the problem with God's people is God's people. Yeah,
the problem with God's people is God's people. It's it's not God like.
We make mistakes and we behave in ways toward one another that is displeasing to
God. And then God gets the blame because because we're supposed to be representing
God. But really God is not to blame. We are to blame.
And so all of us need repentance. All of us need repentance, we
need reformation, We need reformation, yes, revival and reformation. But this
continues, the quote continues. Let's see, unless they worship him in spirit
and in truth and the beauty of holiness, they're coming together will be of
no avail of such. The Lord declares this, people draweth nigh unto me
with their mouth, and honoreth me with their lips, with their heart is
far from me. Those who worship God must worship him in spirit and in
truth, or the Father seeketh such to worship him. That's the end of
the quote from the book Prophets and King's page fifty. And so, really,
what is our action item for today? Our action item for today again
is to pray for repentance. We need to be seeking God. It is
our privilege to be seeking God and saying God. I know that there are
times in my life that I have not done what you would have me to
do. I realize that I have not served you with my entire life,
my entire heart. Maybe you have even hurt other people. Maybe Ah,
But God, will you please give me the mind that loves you, that
loves your will, that is not afraid of some kind of spiritual reprisals.
But really, all I want is to serve you because I love you.
Would you give me godly sorrow for sin? Lord? Would you give me
the ability to turn the shoulder and do what you would have me to do.
This is our way to turn it around for God. Thanks for joining
us listening. Friends. Always remember we cannot live by bread alone, but
by every word that comes from the mouth of God. This has been your
daily portion with el David Harris. Make it a great day. Yeah,