“Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord” (Acts 3:19).

Times of refreshing…

Doesn’t that sound good right about now? There is so much happening in our world that is out of our control:

• On going Covid issues,
• the political turmoil,
• the increasing homeless issues,
• rising crime rates,
• rising cases of substance abuse,
• rising cases of suicides,
• 17 missionaries held hostage for ransom in Haiti,
• the Afghan refugees…

Sheesh!

Yes, please….times of refreshing!!!

Our text tells there are three stipulations to times of refreshing.

The first stipulation to experiencing times of refreshing from the Lord is that we need our sins wiped out. The presence of sin makes it impossible to have peace with God. Sin separates us from God.

So, how can we get our sins wiped out?

That brings us to the second stipulation: repent. The Greek word for repent means to have a changed mind. Whereas at one time our minds and hearts were set on sin, repenting means that we have a change of mind and heart. It is not merely saying that we are sorry for our sins but a change of mind and heart regarding sin.

But in order to have a change of mind and heart, we have to ask what our minds and hearts should focus on instead of sin. That brings us to the third stipulation: turn to God.

Did you see that? We repent by turning our minds and hearts away from sin to God. The Greek word for repent is “metanoia”. At the root of this Greek word is the picture of soldiers who are marching in one direction and they are told “metanoia” and they do an about face, a 180 degree turn, a complete turn around. The idea is that while we were marching toward sin and away from God, when we repent we do an about face and turn and move toward God. It is a spiritual u-turn, no more running to sin. It is turning away from sin to turning and running to God.

Yes, please…times of refreshing.

Now you know how. Repent and turn to God so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord.

“Don’t be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your families, your sons and daughters, your wives and your homes” (Nehemiah 4:14).

God is at work.

Wherever God is at work, you can bet that the devil is at work to destroy everything God is doing.

The devil has already lost the war. The end is already decided. God wins. The devil loses. But for now, the devil will do everything he can to take down with him as many others as possible.

That’s where you and I come in. Don’t let the devil win. There are two things that God teaches us about living God’s best.

1. Identify the “them” in your life?
2. Remember the Lord and remember why you fight this fight

First, as God was using Nehemiah to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem, those who benefitted from a weak and broken Israel were fighting tooth and nail against Nehemiah and those who were rebuilding the walls around Jerusalem. Their livelihood and their positions depended upon a weak Jerusalem and a weak people of Israel. There are always those who benefit from our weakness and our suffering.

These enemies of Jerusalem were the “them” in reference in the opening phrase, “Don’t be afraid of them.”

Who are the “them” in your life right now? Who is working against you to prevent God’s work in your life? “Them” can be physical enemies but almost always they are spiritual enemies. The first step in winning is identifying the enemies in your life. Who are the “them” who are preventing you from living God’s best life? Name them. Identify them.

Second, remember the Lord and remember why you fight this fight.

Take your focus off “them” and remember the Lord. The Lord is great and awesome.

J. C. Ryle wrote: “The fear of man is strong, the opposition of this evil world is mighty, the lusts of the flesh rage horribly, the fear of death is terrible, the devil is a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour; but Jesus is stronger than them all.“

Remember the Lord, and remember why you fight this fight. What is at stake is not only your welfare, but the eternal destinies of your families, your sons and daughters, and your wives. There is no battle more important to fight than to fight for living God’s best will for your life.

As you face the battles for today, what are you looking at? You focused on “them” or on the Lord? Remember the Lord and remember why you are in this fight.

“Don’t be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your families, your sons and daughters, your wives and your homes” (Nehemiah 4:14).

“Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me” (Psalm 51:10).

The more I draw near to God, the more aware I become of how messed up I am.

Theologically this is true because God is a perfect God. God is absolutely holy. The closer I draw near to perfection and holiness the more my imperfections and flaws stand out.

Practically, this is true because as Christians mature and grow closer to God, the arena where the battle takes place is no longer in actions but in the heart. Even though we may be better at physically not committing sins, those sins are alive and well in our hearts. The closer we draw to God the sins of the heart become ever more glaring when viewed against God’s holiness and perfection.

One of my daily prayers is that God cleanse my heart. I long for a day when my heart’s longings and yearnings would be totally in tune with the heart of God. But, I am far from that today.

The devil will use this to make us feel guilty about praying. The devil wants to shame us because we pray for the same thing everyday.

Don’t let the devil guilt you from praying.

Keep praying. Keep praying that God will create in you a clean heart, and that he would renew a steadfast spirit within you.

You see, the reason why we pray isn’t to change God. The reason why we pray to God is because prayer changes us. The more we pray, the more we draw near to God. That is what the devil wants to prevent.

Don’t let the devil keep you from praying.

Keep at it. Keep on praying.