Jesus welcomed the people, taught them about the Kingdom of God and healed those in need. Luke 9:11
Testimony
I have received so much healing in the three courses that I have been to. Gilbula, just outside of Sydney, is such a special place where it's easy to feel like you have "come home" and the teaching, fellowship and the amazing meals recharge your spirit. I.... Read More...

Seeds of the Kingdom

Turn . . . Leave . . . Change!

by Peter Horrobin

15 November 2016

« Previous Day | Next Day »

“Turn to the Lord and pray to him, now that he is near. Let the wicked leave their way of life and change their way of thinking. Let them turn to the Lord, our God; he is merciful and quick to forgive.”
Isaiah 55:6-7,GNB

When I was learning the elements of English grammar, I was taught how to quickly analyse what a writer was trying to say, by looking for the key action words which underpinned everything else that was being said. Isaiah was writing at a time of great political uncertainty among the nations. As you read the headlines in today’s newspapers you could be justified in thinking that we need a twenty-first century Isaiah to come and prophesy to the world – not just to the people of Israel who were captive in Babylon!

But if Isaiah did return and prophesy to the nations I don’t think the key action words at the core of his message would be any different from the ones he originally included in our Scripture for today. Turn . . . Leave . . . Change. For these are the words that are not just at the heart of the Christian Gospel message, but are the words that have been at the heart of every message that God has ever spoken to mankind since sin entered the world.

God is merciful and his loving mercy was supremely manifest in the action of His Son. If we truly turn to Him, demonstrate our commitment to Him by leaving those things that have hallmarked the sinfulness of our walk, and change our way of thinking, then He is quick to forgive. Forgiveness is the first stage on the journey of restoration. Forgiveness removes from our lives the eternal consequences of our sin and it opens the door for the healing and restoration of our lives – and, indeed, for the healing and the restoration of nations.

Some of the most profound healings that I have ever experienced have begun by someone taking the action words from today’s Scripture and systematically applying them to their own lives. When we run towards the Lord, the Father comes running to meet us – as was most graphically expressed by Jesus in His story of the prodigal son. This is a day when people and nations need to turn to the Lord and re-discover the mercy and forgiveness of God.

Prayer: Forgive me, Lord, for the times when I have turned away from you and gone my own way. I choose now to turn, leave and change my way of thinking. Thank You, Jesus, for dying that I might live and that I might know your healing and restoration. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Peter Horrobin is the Founding and International Director of Ellel Ministries. The work was originally established in 1986 as a ministry of healing in the north-west of England, but today the work has spread round the world, with Ellel Centres in over thirty nations. Peter has been doing lots of writing recently, including the "Journey to Life" series which can be purchased online at sovereignworld.com.

 

Sign Up Now

Please feel free to use this devotional to send on to your friends or share with your church fellowship. Provided full acknowledgement is made to Seeds of the Kingdom as the source, you are also welcome to use it in a non-commercial way and reproduce it in magazines or other Christian websites. The copyright for any commercial use of the material remains with Ellel Ministries International.