July 20, 2025 • 15 mins
Ever wondered if you've strayed too far for a second chance? Joel Chapter 2 provides a stunning answer that might surprise you.
Throughout this powerful chapter, we witness the dramatic tension between God's judgment and His mercy. While the opening verses paint a terrifying picture of "the day of the Lord"—with darkness, gloom, and an army leaving desolation in its wake—we quickly discover God's heart isn't punishment but reconciliation. The central message emerges in verse 12: "Turn to me now, while there is still time."
What God truly desires isn't empty religious gestures but sincere heart transformation. "Don't tear your clothes in grief, but tear your hearts instead," He pleads. This distinction between outward performance and genuine repentance reveals the God who sees beyond our actions to our intentions. Like a parent desperately wanting to bless their child rather than discipline them, God points exactly to what we need to do and holds out incredible promises of restoration for those who return to Him.
The parallels to parenting are striking. Just as a parent might plead with a child to clean their room so they can enjoy ice cream together, God eagerly awaits our sincere turning so He can flood our lives with blessing. He promises to "give back what you lost" and "pour out my Spirit upon all people." The message is clear: no matter how far we've wandered, sincere repentance opens the door to complete restoration. Are you ready to experience the God of second chances in your own life? Turn your heart to Him today and discover what awaits beyond judgment—a future filled with His presence and blessing.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Well, everybody, welcome back to the Bible
Breakdown podcast with your host, pastor Brandon, today, joel,
chapter 2, and today's title isthe God of Second Chances the
God of Second Chances.
We're going to talk about howthe main thing that God is after
is sincerity.
When we sincerely repent andturn of our sins, then God comes
(00:23):
flooding in with his love.
It reminds me of a parent witha small child.
That's like listen, you don'thave to get it right all the
time.
Could you just try Every oncein a while?
And if you have ever been theparent of small kids, you know
exactly what I'm talking about.
So we're going to get into someof that action today.
So if you have your Bibles,want to join with me in Joel
(00:44):
chapter two.
It may take us a couple ofseconds to find it.
So while you're doing that, letme remind you if you're new
around here, take just a moment.
Like, share and subscribe tothe YouTube channel and the
podcast.
Make sure you leave us afive-star review on the podcast
it really does help and makesure you're going to the Bible
Breakdown Discussion on Facebook.
It's an amazing group of peopledoing a wonderful job and, as
(01:04):
always, the more we dig, themore we find and then to give
you a couple more seconds tofind it.
I do want to remind you that ifyou would like to receive
updates about the BibleBreakdown podcast, youtube video
, you get the daily textmessages, all this stuff.
All you got to do is textRLCBIBLE to 94000.
And just about always, 99% ofthe time, we're going to send
(01:26):
you a text that's going to havethe chapter of the day and then
links to it that every once in awhile we may send you some
updates about other things thatyou might find important.
So make sure you text RLCBibleto 94000,.
Okay, all right.
Well, if you've been with usover the past couple of days, we
were talking about starting thebook of Joel and then yesterday
we did.
(01:46):
We talked about that.
The overall theme of the book ofJoel is the day of the Lord and
in the last chapter, chapterone, we talked about how the day
of the Lord is simultaneously adark day, but it's also an
opportunity.
It's an opportunity to turn ourhearts back over to the Lord
and it really does remind methat when my girls were real
(02:08):
little and I would tell them youknow not to do something, do
something else.
You know this kind of stuff.
I knew they weren't going toget it right.
You know what I mean, because Ididn't get it right either when
I was a kid.
It took me forever, like, tolearn stuff, and there's some
stuff I still haven't learned,in Jesus' name, but I'm trying
right.
And so I knew they weren'tgoing to get it right, but the
(02:28):
hope was that at least theywould get it a little bit more
right.
I wasn't looking for perfection, I was looking for progress.
You know what I mean.
And we kind of see a lot ofthat in chapter 2, where Joel is
telling them hey, listen, thisis a bad day, but look at what
God's looking for.
He's not looking for us to beperfect, like that's the hope,
(02:50):
right, but that takes time.
We grow into the things of God.
However, he's looking forsincerity, as we sincerely turn
our hearts back to God.
So let's read this togetherJoel, chapter 2, and let's see
what God's word has to say to ustoday.
You ready?
(03:17):
Here we go.
Verse 1 says this it is a day ofdarkness and gloom, a day of
thick clouds and deep blackness.
Suddenly, like dawn, spreadingacross the mountains, a great
and mighty army appears, nothinglike it has been seen before or
will ever be seen again.
Fire burns in front of them andthe flames follow after them.
(03:40):
Ahead of them, the land lies asbeautiful as the Garden of Eden
.
Behind them is nothing butdesolation.
Not one thing escapes.
They look like horses.
They charge forward like warhorses.
Look at them as they leap alongthe mountaintops.
Listen to the noise they make,like the rumbling of chariots,
(04:03):
like the roar of fire sweepingacross the field of stubble,
like a mighty army moving intobattle.
Fear grips all the people andevery face grows pale with
terror.
The attackers march likewarriors and scale city walls
like soldiers.
Straightforward, they march,never breaking rank.
They never jostle each other.
(04:24):
Each moves in exactly the rightposition.
They break through defenseswithout missing a step.
They swarm over the city andrun along its walls.
They enter all the houses,climbing like thieves through
the windows.
The earth quakes as theyadvance and the heavens tremble.
The sun and moon grow dark,dark and stars no longer shine.
(04:49):
The Lord is at the head of thecolumn.
He leads them with a shout thisis his mighty army, and they
follow his orders.
The day of the Lord is awesome,terrible thing.
Who can possibly survive?
So pause for a moment.
So what Joel is saying is thisthat's coming is terrible, and
(05:10):
it's horrible, and we've earnedit Like this is the result of
all of our sins.
So in other words, he's sayingGod is not stopping this.
This is coming and we had itcoming, but then this is what we
do.
Verse 12.
This is what the Lord says Turnto me now, while there is still
time.
So think about this.
He is the one sending it, buthe doesn't want it.
He doesn't want thisdestruction.
(05:31):
So he's begging them turn to menow.
So let's read it again.
This is why the Lord says turnto me now, while there is still
time.
Give me your hearts, come to me.
Weeping, fasting, mourning.
Don't tear your clothes ingrief, but tear your hearts
instead.
Return to the Lord, your God,for he is merciful and
(05:53):
compassionate, slow to get angryand filled with unfailing love.
He is eager to relent and notpunish.
Who knows, perhaps he will giveyou a reprieve, sending you a
blessing instead of a curse.
Perhaps you will be able tooffer grain and wine to the Lord
, your God, as before.
Blow the ram's horn in Jerusalem.
(06:15):
Announce a time of fasting.
Call the people together for asolemn meeting.
Gather all the people, theelders, the children, even the
babies.
Call the bridegroom from hisquarters, the bride from her
private room.
Let the priests who minister inthe Lord's presence stand and
weep between the entry room ofthe temple and the altar.
(06:37):
Let them pray.
Spare your people, lord.
Don't let your specialpossession become an object of
mockery.
Don't let them become a jokefor unbelieving foreigners who
say has the God of Israel leftthem?
Then the Lord will pity hispeople and jealously guard the
honor of his land.
The Lord will reply Look, I amsending you grain and new wine
(07:00):
and olive oil, enough to satisfyyour needs.
You will no longer be an objectof mockery among the
surrounding nations.
I will drive away these armiesfrom the north and I will send
them into the parched wastelands.
Those in the front will bedriven into the Dead Sea, those
at the rear into theMediterranean.
The stench of their rottingbodies will rise over the land.
(07:23):
That's gross and awesome at thesame time.
Surely the Lord has done greatthings.
Verse 21,.
Don't be afraid, o land, beglad and rejoice, for the Lord
has done great things.
Don't be afraid, you animals ofthe field, for the wilderness.
Pastures will soon be green,the trees will again be filled
with fruit, fig trees and grapevines will be loaded down once
(07:46):
more.
Rejoice you, people ofJerusalem.
Rejoice in the Lord, your God,for the rain he sends
demonstrates his faithfulnessOnce more.
The autumn rains will come, aswell as the rains of spring.
Threshing floors will again bepiled high with grain and the
presses will overflow with newwine and olive oil.
The Lord says I will give youback what you lost to the
(08:08):
swarming locust, the hoppinglocust, the stripping locust and
the cutting locust.
It was I who sent this greatdestroying army against you.
Once again, you will have allthe food you want and you will
praise the Lord, your God, whodoes these miracles for you.
Never again will my people bedisgraced.
Then you will know that I amamong you, among my people,
(08:31):
israel, that I am the Lord, yourGod, and there is no other.
Never again will my people bedisgraced.
Then, after doing all thesethings, here's what, by the way,
here's what Peter said back inthe day, back in the day, at
Acts, chapter 2.
After all these things, I willpour out my spirit upon all
people.
Your sons and your daughterswill prophesy.
(08:51):
Your old men will dream dreams.
Your young men will see visions.
In those days, I will pour outmy spirit, even on servants, men
and women alike.
I will cause wonders in theheavens and on the earth blood
and fire and columns of smoke.
The sun will become dark andthe moon will turn blood red
before the great and terribleday of the Lord arrives.
(09:14):
But everyone who calls on thename of the Lord will be saved.
For some on Mount Zion inJerusalem will escape, just as
the Lord has said, and thesewill be among the survivors whom
the Lord has called Wow.
And so notice what this chapteris all about.
Notice how, in chapter 1, itwas like all of these bad things
(09:36):
are coming and it's all thestuff that we have earned
because of our continual sin,right.
And then, chapter two, he saysand it's coming, and the Lord is
letting it come, he's sendingit.
But even while he is sending it, he is begging them.
Just turn back to me Like.
I don't want you to tear yourclothes.
I don't want you to tear yourclothes.
I don't need a great display, Ineed your heart in the right
(09:57):
position.
Turn your heart back over to meso that I can bless you, so I
can turn away all of thisjudgment and I can bring peace
back to you.
And can I tell you, as a dad,when my kids were little, that's
exactly what I would do forthem is I would say you know,
girls, hey, listen, I know youdid this Like, for instance, I
(10:21):
cannot tell you how many times,lord, help us.
I cannot tell you how manytimes I would tell my girls I
would say hey, listen, I needyou to clean your rooms.
And if you will clean yourrooms and you remember back in
the day, cleaning your room andmake your bed and put away like
five toys you know what I meanLike like it wasn't something
that would have taken longerthan about five to 10 minutes,
it's just really learning thediscipline of picking up after
yourself.
And so I would tell them, ifyou will just clean up your room
(10:45):
, then we're going to go get icecream.
And they're like yay, ice cream.
I was like, but wait a minute,wait a minute, let's go get ice
cream.
No, wait, you got to clean yourroom first.
Yeah, who needs to clean ourroom?
Let's go get ice cream.
Listen, you know what I mean.
Just have to like clean yourroom.
And the thing is is when.
And I would tell them hey,listen, look at the clock,
(11:05):
you've got an hour to do this.
You've got an hour and I'dwatch the time go by and like 15
minutes She'd get it done.
But I had one other girl whoshe would not get it done and
it'd be, you know, 30 minuteswould pass, 40 minutes, 45, 50,
(11:28):
and I'd be in her room with herand just go.
Babe, I'm begging you please,because I don't want to take
your sister and not you, but Imade a promise and I've got to
keep my promise.
So, come on, you've got nineminutes.
Listen, just put that toy rightthere.
(11:48):
I mean, I would just like Iwould sit there and I would just
do everything I could.
I wouldn't touch the toysbecause she's got to do it, but
I'd even be pointing where theygo, pointing and telling her
exactly how to make up her bed,because I wanted good things for
her, but she's got to take thestep herself, right, and
sometimes it worked andsometimes it didn't work.
And that's what I feel like Isee God doing in this passage is
(12:09):
he is saying listen, you know,instead of something good,
something bad is coming.
But I'm pointing at exactlywhat you need to do.
I'm not making it hard, but yougot to do the thing Like you
got to do the thing.
But if you'll do the thing, Igot all these good things I want
(12:30):
to do.
Can I tell you how many of ustoday is God saying that to us,
like there's a thousand reasonswhy we find ourselves in the
messes?
We find it right.
There's a thousand Sometimesit's.
Sometimes it's just because ofpain that we experience,
sometimes it's temptations.
There's just a thousand reasonswhy we get out of whack and
because of those things, thereare justified consequences that
(12:51):
are heading our way.
But how many times does God saylisten, I don't want that for
you.
You got to just turn your heartback to me.
Just turn your heart back to meall the way.
Now, listen, I'm not interestedin you going to church.
I need you to go to church allthe way.
Now, listen, I'm not interestedin you going to church.
I need you to go to church.
But just going to church is notgoing to make it better.
I'm not interested in you justgiving money.
You're not trying to earn myaffection.
(13:11):
You already have it.
You need to give and you'retithing your offerings.
Absolutely, you need to go tochurch and be part of community.
Yes, looking for you to do allthe outward things, I'm looking
for your heart, which, by theway, if your heart's in the
right place, all the otherthings will take care of
themselves, right?
(13:33):
And I wonder for how many of usGod is saying that, when you
turn to me, that it doesn't meanthat, well, I'm going to go
back to church again.
It doesn't mean I'm going to gogive an offering.
It doesn't mean.
What it means is I'm going toget my heart right with God.
I'm going to do the hard thingof sitting quietly and just
talking to God, telling God whatyou've been doing, repent of it
and then make a plan to walk ina different direction.
(13:53):
But the great thing is is thatGod has no intention of you
doing it by yourself.
He wants to walk with us everystep of the way.
But we got to take the firststep and that is turning our
hearts back to him.
Let's pray together right now.
God, thank you so much for today.
Thank you, god, that you'rewith us and you're for us in
more ways than we can imagine.
I'm so thankful, god, that inall these moments you are here
(14:17):
and Lord, it can be so hard.
Sometimes it's easier to do thethings rather than to have the
conversation.
But I pray you'll give us thecourage to sit with you, have
the hard conversation, turn ourhearts back to you and watch
what you do.
In Jesus' name, we pray, amen,amen.
Well, god's Word says in Joel 2, chapter 13,.
(14:37):
It says Return to the Lord,your God, for he is gracious,
merciful, slow to anger andabounding in steadfast love.
Let the day of the Lord be aday of recovery for you.
I love you.
I'll see you tomorrow.
For Joel, chapter 3.
Well, everybody, welcome back to the Bible
Breakdown podcast with your host, pastor Brandon, today, joel,
chapter 2, and today's title isthe God of Second Chances the
God of Second Chances.
We're going to talk about howthe main thing that God is after
is sincerity.
When we sincerely repent andturn of our sins, then God comes
(00:23):
flooding in with his love.
It reminds me of a parent witha small child.
That's like listen, you don'thave to get it right all the
time.
Could you just try Every oncein a while?
And if you have ever been theparent of small kids, you know
exactly what I'm talking about.
So we're going to get into someof that action today.
So if you have your Bibles,want to join with me in Joel
(00:44):
chapter two.
It may take us a couple ofseconds to find it.
So while you're doing that, letme remind you if you're new
around here, take just a moment.
Like, share and subscribe tothe YouTube channel and the
podcast.
Make sure you leave us afive-star review on the podcast
it really does help and makesure you're going to the Bible
Breakdown Discussion on Facebook.
It's an amazing group of peopledoing a wonderful job and, as
(01:04):
always, the more we dig, themore we find and then to give
you a couple more seconds tofind it.
I do want to remind you that ifyou would like to receive
updates about the BibleBreakdown podcast, youtube video
, you get the daily textmessages, all this stuff.
All you got to do is textRLCBIBLE to 94000.
And just about always, 99% ofthe time, we're going to send
(01:26):
you a text that's going to havethe chapter of the day and then
links to it that every once in awhile we may send you some
updates about other things thatyou might find important.
So make sure you text RLCBibleto 94000,.
Okay, all right.
Well, if you've been with usover the past couple of days, we
were talking about starting thebook of Joel and then yesterday
we did.
(01:46):
We talked about that.
The overall theme of the book ofJoel is the day of the Lord and
in the last chapter, chapterone, we talked about how the day
of the Lord is simultaneously adark day, but it's also an
opportunity.
It's an opportunity to turn ourhearts back over to the Lord
and it really does remind methat when my girls were real
(02:08):
little and I would tell them youknow not to do something, do
something else.
You know this kind of stuff.
I knew they weren't going toget it right.
You know what I mean, because Ididn't get it right either when
I was a kid.
It took me forever, like, tolearn stuff, and there's some
stuff I still haven't learned,in Jesus' name, but I'm trying
right.
And so I knew they weren'tgoing to get it right, but the
(02:28):
hope was that at least theywould get it a little bit more
right.
I wasn't looking for perfection, I was looking for progress.
You know what I mean.
And we kind of see a lot ofthat in chapter 2, where Joel is
telling them hey, listen, thisis a bad day, but look at what
God's looking for.
He's not looking for us to beperfect, like that's the hope,
(02:50):
right, but that takes time.
We grow into the things of God.
However, he's looking forsincerity, as we sincerely turn
our hearts back to God.
So let's read this togetherJoel, chapter 2, and let's see
what God's word has to say to ustoday.
You ready?
(03:17):
Here we go.
Verse 1 says this it is a day ofdarkness and gloom, a day of
thick clouds and deep blackness.
Suddenly, like dawn, spreadingacross the mountains, a great
and mighty army appears, nothinglike it has been seen before or
will ever be seen again.
Fire burns in front of them andthe flames follow after them.
(03:40):
Ahead of them, the land lies asbeautiful as the Garden of Eden
.
Behind them is nothing butdesolation.
Not one thing escapes.
They look like horses.
They charge forward like warhorses.
Look at them as they leap alongthe mountaintops.
Listen to the noise they make,like the rumbling of chariots,
(04:03):
like the roar of fire sweepingacross the field of stubble,
like a mighty army moving intobattle.
Fear grips all the people andevery face grows pale with
terror.
The attackers march likewarriors and scale city walls
like soldiers.
Straightforward, they march,never breaking rank.
They never jostle each other.
(04:24):
Each moves in exactly the rightposition.
They break through defenseswithout missing a step.
They swarm over the city andrun along its walls.
They enter all the houses,climbing like thieves through
the windows.
The earth quakes as theyadvance and the heavens tremble.
The sun and moon grow dark,dark and stars no longer shine.
(04:49):
The Lord is at the head of thecolumn.
He leads them with a shout thisis his mighty army, and they
follow his orders.
The day of the Lord is awesome,terrible thing.
Who can possibly survive?
So pause for a moment.
So what Joel is saying is thisthat's coming is terrible, and
(05:10):
it's horrible, and we've earnedit Like this is the result of
all of our sins.
So in other words, he's sayingGod is not stopping this.
This is coming and we had itcoming, but then this is what we
do.
Verse 12.
This is what the Lord says Turnto me now, while there is still
time.
So think about this.
He is the one sending it, buthe doesn't want it.
He doesn't want thisdestruction.
(05:31):
So he's begging them turn to menow.
So let's read it again.
This is why the Lord says turnto me now, while there is still
time.
Give me your hearts, come to me.
Weeping, fasting, mourning.
Don't tear your clothes ingrief, but tear your hearts
instead.
Return to the Lord, your God,for he is merciful and
(05:53):
compassionate, slow to get angryand filled with unfailing love.
He is eager to relent and notpunish.
Who knows, perhaps he will giveyou a reprieve, sending you a
blessing instead of a curse.
Perhaps you will be able tooffer grain and wine to the Lord
, your God, as before.
Blow the ram's horn in Jerusalem.
(06:15):
Announce a time of fasting.
Call the people together for asolemn meeting.
Gather all the people, theelders, the children, even the
babies.
Call the bridegroom from hisquarters, the bride from her
private room.
Let the priests who minister inthe Lord's presence stand and
weep between the entry room ofthe temple and the altar.
(06:37):
Let them pray.
Spare your people, lord.
Don't let your specialpossession become an object of
mockery.
Don't let them become a jokefor unbelieving foreigners who
say has the God of Israel leftthem?
Then the Lord will pity hispeople and jealously guard the
honor of his land.
The Lord will reply Look, I amsending you grain and new wine
(07:00):
and olive oil, enough to satisfyyour needs.
You will no longer be an objectof mockery among the
surrounding nations.
I will drive away these armiesfrom the north and I will send
them into the parched wastelands.
Those in the front will bedriven into the Dead Sea, those
at the rear into theMediterranean.
The stench of their rottingbodies will rise over the land.
(07:23):
That's gross and awesome at thesame time.
Surely the Lord has done greatthings.
Verse 21,.
Don't be afraid, o land, beglad and rejoice, for the Lord
has done great things.
Don't be afraid, you animals ofthe field, for the wilderness.
Pastures will soon be green,the trees will again be filled
with fruit, fig trees and grapevines will be loaded down once
(07:46):
more.
Rejoice you, people ofJerusalem.
Rejoice in the Lord, your God,for the rain he sends
demonstrates his faithfulnessOnce more.
The autumn rains will come, aswell as the rains of spring.
Threshing floors will again bepiled high with grain and the
presses will overflow with newwine and olive oil.
The Lord says I will give youback what you lost to the
(08:08):
swarming locust, the hoppinglocust, the stripping locust and
the cutting locust.
It was I who sent this greatdestroying army against you.
Once again, you will have allthe food you want and you will
praise the Lord, your God, whodoes these miracles for you.
Never again will my people bedisgraced.
Then you will know that I amamong you, among my people,
(08:31):
israel, that I am the Lord, yourGod, and there is no other.
Never again will my people bedisgraced.
Then, after doing all thesethings, here's what, by the way,
here's what Peter said back inthe day, back in the day, at
Acts, chapter 2.
After all these things, I willpour out my spirit upon all
people.
Your sons and your daughterswill prophesy.
(08:51):
Your old men will dream dreams.
Your young men will see visions.
In those days, I will pour outmy spirit, even on servants, men
and women alike.
I will cause wonders in theheavens and on the earth blood
and fire and columns of smoke.
The sun will become dark andthe moon will turn blood red
before the great and terribleday of the Lord arrives.
(09:14):
But everyone who calls on thename of the Lord will be saved.
For some on Mount Zion inJerusalem will escape, just as
the Lord has said, and thesewill be among the survivors whom
the Lord has called Wow.
And so notice what this chapteris all about.
Notice how, in chapter 1, itwas like all of these bad things
(09:36):
are coming and it's all thestuff that we have earned
because of our continual sin,right.
And then, chapter two, he saysand it's coming, and the Lord is
letting it come, he's sendingit.
But even while he is sending it, he is begging them.
Just turn back to me Like.
I don't want you to tear yourclothes.
I don't want you to tear yourclothes.
I don't need a great display, Ineed your heart in the right
(09:57):
position.
Turn your heart back over to meso that I can bless you, so I
can turn away all of thisjudgment and I can bring peace
back to you.
And can I tell you, as a dad,when my kids were little, that's
exactly what I would do forthem is I would say you know,
girls, hey, listen, I know youdid this Like, for instance, I
(10:21):
cannot tell you how many times,lord, help us.
I cannot tell you how manytimes I would tell my girls I
would say hey, listen, I needyou to clean your rooms.
And if you will clean yourrooms and you remember back in
the day, cleaning your room andmake your bed and put away like
five toys you know what I meanLike like it wasn't something
that would have taken longerthan about five to 10 minutes,
it's just really learning thediscipline of picking up after
yourself.
And so I would tell them, ifyou will just clean up your room
(10:45):
, then we're going to go get icecream.
And they're like yay, ice cream.
I was like, but wait a minute,wait a minute, let's go get ice
cream.
No, wait, you got to clean yourroom first.
Yeah, who needs to clean ourroom?
Let's go get ice cream.
Listen, you know what I mean.
Just have to like clean yourroom.
And the thing is is when.
And I would tell them hey,listen, look at the clock,
(11:05):
you've got an hour to do this.
You've got an hour and I'dwatch the time go by and like 15
minutes She'd get it done.
But I had one other girl whoshe would not get it done and
it'd be, you know, 30 minuteswould pass, 40 minutes, 45, 50,
(11:28):
and I'd be in her room with herand just go.
Babe, I'm begging you please,because I don't want to take
your sister and not you, but Imade a promise and I've got to
keep my promise.
So, come on, you've got nineminutes.
Listen, just put that toy rightthere.
(11:48):
I mean, I would just like Iwould sit there and I would just
do everything I could.
I wouldn't touch the toysbecause she's got to do it, but
I'd even be pointing where theygo, pointing and telling her
exactly how to make up her bed,because I wanted good things for
her, but she's got to take thestep herself, right, and
sometimes it worked andsometimes it didn't work.
And that's what I feel like Isee God doing in this passage is
(12:09):
he is saying listen, you know,instead of something good,
something bad is coming.
But I'm pointing at exactlywhat you need to do.
I'm not making it hard, but yougot to do the thing Like you
got to do the thing.
But if you'll do the thing, Igot all these good things I want
(12:30):
to do.
Can I tell you how many of ustoday is God saying that to us,
like there's a thousand reasonswhy we find ourselves in the
messes?
We find it right.
There's a thousand Sometimesit's.
Sometimes it's just because ofpain that we experience,
sometimes it's temptations.
There's just a thousand reasonswhy we get out of whack and
because of those things, thereare justified consequences that
(12:51):
are heading our way.
But how many times does God saylisten, I don't want that for
you.
You got to just turn your heartback to me.
Just turn your heart back to meall the way.
Now, listen, I'm not interestedin you going to church.
I need you to go to church allthe way.
Now, listen, I'm not interestedin you going to church.
I need you to go to church.
But just going to church is notgoing to make it better.
I'm not interested in you justgiving money.
You're not trying to earn myaffection.
(13:11):
You already have it.
You need to give and you'retithing your offerings.
Absolutely, you need to go tochurch and be part of community.
Yes, looking for you to do allthe outward things, I'm looking
for your heart, which, by theway, if your heart's in the
right place, all the otherthings will take care of
themselves, right?
(13:33):
And I wonder for how many of usGod is saying that, when you
turn to me, that it doesn't meanthat, well, I'm going to go
back to church again.
It doesn't mean I'm going to gogive an offering.
It doesn't mean.
What it means is I'm going toget my heart right with God.
I'm going to do the hard thingof sitting quietly and just
talking to God, telling God whatyou've been doing, repent of it
and then make a plan to walk ina different direction.
(13:53):
But the great thing is is thatGod has no intention of you
doing it by yourself.
He wants to walk with us everystep of the way.
But we got to take the firststep and that is turning our
hearts back to him.
Let's pray together right now.
God, thank you so much for today.
Thank you, god, that you'rewith us and you're for us in
more ways than we can imagine.
I'm so thankful, god, that inall these moments you are here
(14:17):
and Lord, it can be so hard.
Sometimes it's easier to do thethings rather than to have the
conversation.
But I pray you'll give us thecourage to sit with you, have
the hard conversation, turn ourhearts back to you and watch
what you do.
In Jesus' name, we pray, amen,amen.
Well, god's Word says in Joel 2, chapter 13,.
(14:37):
It says Return to the Lord,your God, for he is gracious,
merciful, slow to anger andabounding in steadfast love.
Let the day of the Lord be aday of recovery for you.
I love you.
I'll see you tomorrow.
For Joel, chapter 3.
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