What Moves God?

Intercessory prayer and repentance are so powerful . . . [to continue reading click icon]

that they will compel God to relent [reverse a course of action which He has decreed]. For example the Bible says, “God will not relent; He will not change His mind; He is always the same” (Numbers 23: 19; 1 Samuel 15: 29; Psalm 110: 4). But when Israel sinned at Mount Sinai the Lord said to Moses, “So now do not stop me. I am so angry with them that I am going to ·destroy [ consume] them. Then I will make ·you and your descendants [ you] a great nation [ echoing the promise to Abraham; Gen. 12:1–3]” (Exodus 32: 10 EXP). Upon hearing this decree, Moses [I believe falling on his knees] “Begged [tried to appease] the Lord his God and said, “Lord, ·don’t let your anger destroy [ why does your anger burn against…?] your people, whom you brought out of Egypt with your great power and ·strength [a mighty hand] . . . So ·stop being angry [change your mind; relent], and don’t ·destroy[bring harm on] your people . . . So the Lord·changed his mind [relented] and did not ·destroy [bring harm on] the people as he had said he might.” (Exodus 32: 11-12; 14). Powerful! What makes an intercessor? Someone who considers others more than himself (Philippians 2: 3-4)

God had decreed judgement over Nineveh to destroy them. However, “The people of Nineveh believed God. They ·announced that they would fast [called for/decreed a fast], and they put on ·rough cloth [burlap; sackcloth;  to show their sorrow and repentance]” (Jonah 3: 5). The king of Nineveh said, “Everyone must turn away from evil living and stop doing ·harm[violence] all the time. Who knows? Maybe God will ·change his mind [relent]. Maybe he will ·stop being angry [turn from his fierce anger], and then we will not ·die [perish]” (Jonah 3: 8-9). Then, “When God saw what the people did, that they stopped doing evil, he ·changed his mind [relented] and did not carry out the ·destruction [disaster; punishment] he had threatened” (verse 10). One more example. The Bible says there was no one like Ahab who had chosen so often to do ·what the Lord said was wrong. Yet, when Ahab repented at the word of the Lord spoken by the prophet Elijah, the Lord said, “See how Ahab has humbled himself before Me? Because he has humbled himself before Me, I will not bring the calamity in his days” [1 Samuel 21: 29]. Although Ahab was the most vile man to ever live; God singled him out for his repentance. Powerful! Conviction precedes repentance. What is the proof of repentance? Humbling yourself and turning away from evil living.

God is not pleased with the condition of the world today, the nations He has established by His own authority or His church. We are living in dangerous times. I believe, as many others do, that God will bring revival once again [world wide], but that it will come with a cost. I believe the degree of the cost will depend on the amount of intercessory prayer His people will offer up and to the [wholehearted] repentance He sees. Intercessory prayer and repentance will move Him to relent.

Pastor Rick