Abiding

The Good Samaritan [podcast]

Paula White Exposed [video]

THAT’s My King! Pastor Lockridge [video]

Powerful Prayers from Children-This Will Shake You [video]

The Fear of the LORD is to Hate Evil: Pride, and Arrogancy #shorts [video]

The world has never more needed the example of Christ depicted in His Good Samaritan parable.

The Parable of the Good Samaritan

Christ’s saints are to be integrally, literally involved in helping others (1 John 3:14-22).

Luke 10:25-37

The Parable of the Good Samaritan

25 And, behold, a certain lawyer stood up, and tempted him, saying, Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?

26 He said unto him, What is written in the law? how readest thou?

27 And he answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself.

28 And he said unto him, Thou hast answered right: this do, and thou shalt live.

29 But he, willing to justify himself, said unto Jesus, And who is my neighbour?

30 And Jesus answering said, A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, which stripped him of his raiment, and wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead.

31 And by chance there came down a certain priest that way: and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side.

32 And likewise a Levite, when he was at the place, came and looked on him, and passed by on the other side.

33 But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he had compassion on him,

34 And went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him.

35 And on the morrow when he departed, he took out two pence, and gave them to the host, and said unto him, Take care of him; and whatsoever thou spendest more, when I come again, I will repay thee.

36 Which now of these three, thinkest thou, was neighbour unto him that fell among the thieves?

37 And he said, He that shewed mercy on him. Then said Jesus unto him, Go, and do thou likewise.

ARE YOU being the good Samaritan today or the Priest and Levite? What’s the difference?

“Condescend (stoop down in humility) to men of low estate.” Romans 12:16

FB Meyer on this parable of the Good Samaritan

“Luke 10:25-37
THE MAN WHO LOVED HIS NEIGHBOR
This parable was probably suggested by the journey up to Jerusalem. It may be founded on an actual occurrence. Notice how the Master answered the inquiry, Who is my neighbor? He said in effect: The question is not, Who will “neighbor” you? but, Whom will you “neighbor?” You ought to ask, Who wants my help? Neighborhood consists, not in what you receive, but in what you give. It is independent of race, creed and the ordinary sentiment of pity. Love overleaps all these distinctions and risks its very life in order to render help. In fact, this parable is a very poem of Love. It is to be compared with 1Co_13:1-13.

Notice those two clauses, He took care of him and Take care of him, Luk_10:34-35. It is thus that our Lord deals with us. When we are too far gone to ask for His help, He comes to our side and restores our ebbing life; and He raises up others to do the same. At the best, we are pilgrims and refresh ourselves in inns, but the home awaits us yonder! Begin by loving with your ‘strength’ and you will end with the ‘heart!'”

WHO are we in this parable? Are we the priest, the Levite, or the good Samaritan? In other words, are we real disciples, or are we fake religionists?

The refusal to help someone in need is a clear revelation of the disdain for God in the heart of the priest, the Levite. Counterfeit religionists.

God is Watching

ARE YOU PERSONALLY STANDING UP TO DEFEND, TO RENDER AID… to those who are unjustly dealt with, the poor? ALL who truly saved are. Everyone else is consumed with the sinful god of self. Read the resumé of the wicked, who are said to have a “form of godliness.” Read 2 Timothy 3:1-13. Repent and obey Jesus or perish (Matthew 7:19-21).

“If thou faint in the day of adversity, thy strength is small. 11 If thou forbear to deliver them that are drawn unto death, and those that are ready to be slain; 12 If thou sayest, Behold, we knew it not; doth not he that pondereth the heart consider it? and he that keepeth thy soul, doth not he know it? and shall not he render to every man according to his works?” Proverbs 24:10-12

Why do the priests and Levites of this parable of the Good Samaritan ignore the needs of others? It’s because they were unrepentant and full of self, just as was prophesied of this last generation before Jesus’ return – where false professors, counterfeits would be “lovers of their own selves” and therefore could care less about anyone else but themselves (2 Timothy 3:1-13).

Those not actively involved in the Great Commission work of Christ prove they love self and not the Savior. Counterfeits.

“They profess that they know God; but in works they deny him, being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate.” Titus 1:16

ALL who know and love the Savior are busy primarily, most prominently, about the “Father’s business.” (Luke 2:49) They have laid down their own lives in this fleeting work and are abandoned to Christ’s work. Daily they deny self, take up the cross (crucified life), and follow Jesus authentically (Luke 9:23-24; 13:3; 14:27, 33; 17:33; 19:27).

“Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. 20 Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them. 21 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.” Matthew 7:19-21

Saving grace, when a person is possessed by it, enables over coming sin and makes them free to obey God (Romans 6:14; Titus 2:11-12). Anything less is a lie.

“Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. 17 And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.” 1 John 2:15-17

If you are not actively, today, busy about the “Father’s business” … you have chose to reject Christ and are His very enemy (Matthew 12:30; Luke 2:49; 19:27).

“But those mine enemies, which would not that I should reign over them, bring hither, and slay them before me.” Luke 19:27

Read that again. Who did Jesus say His “enemies” are?

Who is reigning in your life, on the throne of your heart today?

IF you are not seeking, serving, worship, obeying Jesus, you are separated from Him – you have rejected the Son of God. Read Matthew 7:13-29 and 1 John 3. You are hell bound. 100% you are a counterfeit and your fake “Christianity” of church attendance, etc. is a flimsy sham you hide behind. God sees right through it and is calling you to repent at once.

Jesus says “Come unto me.” (Matthews 11:28-30) Repentance alone will yield the refreshing of Heaven in your life. | Fresh Start with God

Jesus is the Ultimate Good Samaritan

All who truly love the Bridegroom supremely will follow Him – as He laid down His life for us, so shall we lay down our lives for Him.

The depth of the death and burial in your life is going to determine the height of the resurrection in your life (2 Corinthians 4:10-12). Nothing is going to work right without the cross at the center of your life – Christ’s redeeming cross, and the one He commanded you to take up daily (Matthew 20:38-39; Luke 9:23-24).

DO YOU really want to die as you are? Are you in prayer and ACTION in the Great Commission? If not, do you really think you will hear from Jesus “Well done”? Or will you hear “Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels” (Matthew 25:21,23, 41).

“Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me. 46 And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.” Matthew 25:45-46

When we don’t help Christ’s sheep and His work, and others in need, we are an afront the bless-ed Savior – “ye did it not to me.” “Everlasting punishment” in hell awaits those who are not participating in the work of Christ. They prove they do not love Him supremely. Yet “life eternal” awaits those who are doers of the work of God, who participating in the “Father’s business.” (Luke 2:49) They prove their love for Jesus by their obedience to Him (John 14:15, 21-24; Titus 1:16; James 1:22; 2; 1 John 2:3-6; 3:1-10, etc.).

“Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them. 21 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.” Matthew 7:20-21

All who don’t have the “fruit” of Good Samaritan good works prove they are not known of the Father and will not be with Him. Such are in utter need of true repentance (Matthew 3:7-10).

Neglecting to help others in need, to participating in the work of the Gospel, the Great Commission, is sin. God sees it – He sees that you have ability to pray, to act, to give and is holding you personally responsible to obey Him with what He has given you to use for His glory.

God sees it. The sin of omission.

Enduring to the end in saving faith, is essential to eternal glory (Matthew 10:22; 24:13; Colossians 1:22-23; Hebrews 3:6, 12-15; 10:26-39).

“And he that overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations:” Revelation 2:26

Modern Laodicea

America is the doorway to hell – with the complete abuse of liberty and riches by the vast majority who claim they are saved. But God is going to judge each of us on the basis of His written Word, not according to that which laughingly calls itself “Christian” in America.

Hell is full of “good church members” who bid Godspeed to wolves who use them to build their own church “business” empire (2 John 9-11).

When’s the last time you fasted with prayer? When’s the last time you personally led someone to Jesus? WHO are you putting the Word of God into the heart of?

Jesus’ parable of the Good Samaritan is playing out before our very eyes (Luke 10:25-37).

Just like the religious priest and levite, the false professors of our day refuse to stop and render aid, practical help to the hurting. Instead they raise their noses undergirded by their false excuses – and God sees it all (Proverbs 24:10-12). Case in point is how many have done zero, have not even whispered a prayer for the unjustly jailed innocent J6ers, 1600 of them. When they were given the bless-ed opportunity to give so that the Scripture-rich ministry books could be sent to the J6ers, they refused to lift a finger to send even $10 or $20. Thank God for those very few who gave. In doing so you have treasure in Heaven waiting (Matthew 6:19-24). You are the good samaritans of our day, of these final days before our LORD returns!

The religious priests and Levites of today are those who have no charity, no love in action, proving they are goats who will be separated from the sheep of Christ’s pasture and vanquished into the flaming prison of fire. They were too busy justifying their demonic hatred for the man who GOD raised up and is using to set those innocents free. Trump.

Do we begin to see that this is much deeper, eternally deeper and more significant than a man, a candidate? See 1 John 3:16-22.

We are seeing the separation between Christ’s sheep and the goats (Matthew 25).

Maybe in His mercy, in the days ahead, God will allow these goats to be unjustly incarcerated for themselves to see how it feels. That would be mercy – because these people are as sure for hell – to be irrevocably incarcerated therein – as if they were already there.

They are “lovers of their own selves” and so have no heart for anyone else. They have a mere “form of godliness” (2 Timothy 3:1-13). They won’t so much as give up 4 cups of coffee monthly to feed the poor, to help fund the preaching of the Gospel to the lost.

Talk is cheap.

“Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.” Matthew 7:19

It’s simple: Repent and bring forth fruit meet for, consistent with, true repentance (Matthew 3:7-10). Render aid to those in need around you. Abandon your life in this world. Deny self. Take up the cross daily. Follow Jesus, or perish in the the flames of eternal damnation, world with out end, as a counterfeit, a self-serving rebel.

Perhaps the priest and Levite (mere religionists) who passed by and refused to help the man who was robbed and left for dead thought within themselves…. “Well, I help people at my local church. I give at the church.” But Jesus condemned both those religionists and confirmed the Good Samaritan.

Crushing the Lies – the Priest and the Levite Live Today

“The Parable of the man left by the side of the road, wounded and left for dead (Luke 10:25-37), serves as a model for the great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20), and represents loving Jesus with your whole heart, soul and mind and your neighbor as yourself (Matthew 22: 34-40). The man in this Parable represents all of humanity in their fallen state. A dying world. Dead in their trespasses, with no hope. The medicine is the blood of Christ that can give us peace with God and cleanse us from our sins. V34 ‘Set him on his own beast,’ meaning the good Samaritan walked along side him. We are to be the good Samaritans who bring the lost to Jesus. Do we have compassion on the lost as Jesus did (Mark 6: 34)? Or are we selfish and too self-absorbed to see the people who are lying by the side of the road dying in their sin and in need of Jesus? Like the Priests and Levites did in the story, they passed by blinded by their own selfishness.” Karen Cochran

All organized religion is 100% false. It’s puts out the fire of the people. Christ did not come to begin a new religion but rather to establish His kingdom in the hearts of men (Matthew 16:18). Jesus says “Except a man be born again he cannot see the kingdom of God” (John 3:3, 7). Religion is not the way to Jesus – Jesus is the way to the Father (John 14:6; 1 Timothy 2:5). Satan’s religions, while promising to be the way to God actually subvert the Gospel of Christ and prevent men from knowing Him, sending them to a devil’s hell irrevocably. This is something you never hear in organized liturgical cults or any organized churches. Repent now and follow Jesus only – according to HIS written Word (KJB). Or perish in the flames of eternal damnation. There is only one LORD, Savior, Redeemer, and KING – JESUS CHRIST. Make peace with God now – before it’s too late.

What do we truly value, love?

WHAT you are spending your time and money on reveals exactly what’s important to you, what you value, where your heart truly is.

¨Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: 20 But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: 21 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.¨ Matthew 6:19-21

Money, Material Wealth, and Riches [podcast]

We know Jesus has mercifully found and saved and is taking care of us. And so we join the ultimate Good Samaritan, the Savior, in reaching out, taking care of, ministering to, loving others.

Do you desire for God to use you mightily as He did in the story of the Good Samaritan?

Stop. Surrender.

“If you see someone falling behind, walk beside them. If you see someone being ignored, find a way to include them. If someone has been knocked down (by life), lift them up. Always remind people that they are the very creation of God who has a special purpose for them in His family and in this temporal world. One small act could mean the world to them.” unknown

“Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.” 1 Corinthians 15:58

Is your life all about you or Jesus?

“And that he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again.” 2 Corinthians 5:15

Precious one of the LORD, do people around you see Jesus? Do they see something in your life that is presently absent from their own life?

PRAYER: Holy Father, You are the Potter and I am Your clay. Please pour the water of Your Holy Spirit on my heart to make me poor and pure in heart. Please grant me to have an heart of flesh. Take away the stony places of my heart which were caused by my own rebellion, my own sin – namely self-righteousness, self-idolatry, pride, and unbelief. Please have Your way in my life. Here and now, I lay my life in Your hands. From this moment forward, not my will but Thine be done dear Jesus! Now please use me to help, to lift up the downtrodden. In Jesus’ name, amen.

"Go and do Thou Likewise" [podcast]

Emulating Jesus, the Good Samaritan The biblical parable of the Good Samaritan, where a Samaritan, despite being from a group despised by the victim, helps a man who had been robbed and left for dead. Modern usage often extends this to anyone who offers help to someone in need, regardless of the situation. Jesus came to our aid and we are blessed and sent by Jesus, as His very “ambassadors” to come to the aid of others – to help them, namely to know Him! (2 Corinthians 5:20) 2 religious men passed him right up they proved to be “not […]

Be Ye Kind One to Another, Tenderhearted, Forgiving One Another [podcast]

“We pray earnestly, O God, that we may not be found among those with hardened hearts, no longer able to hear Thy voice.”[…]

The FORGOTTEN Sins of Sodom [podcast]

Explosive! DO YOU KNOW WHAT SINS THE BIBLE CITES OF THE PEOPLE OF SODOM WHICH CAUSED DIVINE JUDGMENT TO FALL ON THEM? THIS LIST OF SINS MIGHT SHOCK YOU. EXPOSING THE GATEWAY SINS TO SODOM’S[…]

Lending a Helping Hand Evangelism

All around us there are lost souls who sense a deep inner hunger for their Maker and just need a little help from those of us who are already known of the LORD. YOUR PRAYER: Father, please make me a consummate soul winner,[…]

Money, Material Wealth, and Riches [podcast]

“Hath nothing” vs “Hath great riches” “There is that maketh himself rich, yet hath nothing: there is that maketh himself poor, yet hath great riches.” Proverbs 13:7 Who is the man who has “nothing” though he appears to have much in this world? Who is the man who has nothing in this world yet “great riches” awaiting him in glory? The clear proof that God is working in our lives, that we are truly following Jesus, is that we are becoming less and less vested in this fleeting, fallen world and gaining an eternal perspective (James 4:4; 1 John 2:15-17; […]

Abiding

The Death before the Death [podcast]

Gethsemane Preceded Calvary

“And he was withdrawn from them about a stone’s cast, and kneeled down, and prayed, 42 Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done. 43 And there appeared an angel unto him from heaven, strengthening him. 44 And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground.” Luke 22:42-44

“He must increase, but I must decrease.” John 3:30

“Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body. 11 For we which live are alway delivered unto death for Jesus’ sake, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh. 12 So then death worketh in us, but life in you.” 2 Corinthians 4:10-12

“And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me. 24 For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it. 25 For what is a man advantaged, if he gain the whole world, and lose himself, or be cast away?” Luke 9:23-25

Shall We Freshly Declare the Cross to be Front and Center in our Personal Lives?

“I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.” Galatians 2:20

5 Aspects of the Mind of Christ [podcast]

5 Components of the Mind of Christ from Philippians 2 Jesus Christ made Himself of no reputation. He took upon Him the form of a servant. He was made in the likeness of men. He humbled Himself. He became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Philippians 2:2-10 “Fulfil ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. 3 Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves. 4 Look not every man on his own things, but […]

The Cross and the Throne of Grace [podcast]

“Hid with Christ in God” “If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. 2 Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. 3 For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. 4 When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory.” Colossians 3:1-4 The safest place in the universe is in the cross of Christ: “your life is hid with Christ in God” (Colossians 3:3). Our place of protection is […]

Raised Up in Christ [podcast]

3 Resurrections to Celebrate 1. Christ’s resurrection (Matthew 27:64; 1 Corinthians 15:1-4, etc.). 2. Your resurrection at the moment of regeneration and daily resurrection (Romans 1:4; 4:25; 6:3-14; 8:11; 2 Corinthians 4:10-12; Ephesians 2:6). 3. Final resurrection into glory or damnation (John 5:28; 29; 1 Corinthians 15). Christ’s resurrection guarantees ours and that we need not fear death. Dancing on hell’s grace. Read 1 Corinthians 15 serveral times. “But for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead; 25 Who was delivered for our offences, and […]

The Only Way Up is Down [podcast]

Chapter 8 from the book Raised Up (narration) “Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall.” Proverbs 16:18 The Down and Up Principle of God’s Kingdom “And the remnant that is escaped of the house of Judah shall again take root DOWNWARD, and bear fruit UPWARD.” Isaiah 37:31 The Scriptures follow a pattern of death and resurrection, a downward death and upward life. See if you can observe such a truth in the following verses: “The LORD upholdeth all that fall, and raiseth UP all those that be bowed DOWN.” Psalms 145:14 Do you possess the blessed desire to be raised up by […]

Abiding

“Rend Your Heart, and Not Your Garments” [podcast]

Who Does God Look to? Who Does God Dwell in?

Beware of any man pretending to represent Christ who isn’t praying and preaching for you to be possessed by a humble and contrite heart.

“Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 5:3

“‘Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven’ (Matthew 5:3). A low condition. ‘Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted’ (Matthew 5:4). To mourn over our sin and our utter wickedness before a holy and righteous God. Those are the ones who will receive the comfort and ‘joy in the Holy Ghost’ (Romans 14:17).” Karen Cochran

Abandoning Our Own Sin, Our Own Way, for God and His Better Way!

To “rend your heart” is a biblical phrase meaning to tear open your heart in radical sincerity, true humility, and genuine repentance.

The phrase comes from Joel 2:13 in the Bible: “Rend your heart and not your garments and return to the Lord your God.”

One source notes the following:

“Context and Deeper Meaning:

Cultural Background: In ancient times, the Jewish people would tear (rend) their clothes as a public, highly visible display of grief or repentance.
The Spiritual Message: God is warning that outward rituals (like ripping clothing) are meaningless if the heart remains unchanged. Rending your heart implies breaking through your pride, letting go of excuses, and being completely vulnerable and authentic before God.
The Reward: The verse goes on to say that God is “gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love.” Tearing open your heart allows you to experience His forgiveness and restore your relationship with Him.”

To see an example of rending one’s physical garment in representation of rending their heart, see Acts 14:11-18.

Where is the LORD Looking?

“But the Lord said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart.” 1 Samuel 16:7

“Therefore also now, saith the Lord, turn ye even to me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning: 13 and rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto the Lord your God: for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repenteth him of the evil. 14Who knoweth if he will return and repent, and leave a blessing behind him; even a meat offering and a drink offering unto the Lord your God” Joel 2:12-14

“What a gracious invitation is contained in these words. How tenderly the Lord reasons with his people. And what an encouraging assurance it folds up with. Reader! do not fail to observe that this call of the Lord, the accompanying grace to incline the heart to the observance of it is implied. It is most blessed ever to remember that when the Lord thus comes forth in his endearing invitations, he is secretly inclining the heart to accept them. Grace must first enter the heart, or there will be no inclination to obey.” Robert Hawker

“Jeremiah’s message was never meant to leave the heart in despair. Every warning from God carried an invitation to return. The Lord does not expose empty religion to shame His people, but to heal them. Repentance is not the loss of hope, it is the beginning of hope. Christ still receives every soul that comes with humility, and He gives living faith where there was only habit, peace where there was only fear, and joy where there was only emptiness. The call remains the same today, to draw near to Him with a sincere heart, trusting that His mercy is always greater than our weakness.” Dan Blincoe

A Fresh Start with God Always Begins with Humility and True Repentance

“Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord.” Acts 3:19

Concerning rending our hearts before the LORD, one source notes:

The classic Bible passage on this concept is Joel 2:13, where God commands: “Rend your heart and not your garments”. In ancient biblical culture, tearing (or “rending”) one’s physical clothing was a customary, visible display of extreme grief, despair, or repentance. Through the prophet Joel, God is essentially telling His people: Stop doing the empty, outward religious ritual of tearing your clothes to show everyone how sorry you are. Instead, let me see true, inward brokenness over your sins.

Examples of Rending Physical Garments

In the Bible, the physical act of tearing clothes was used as a dramatic expression of deep emotion in several well-known narratives:

Joseph’s Brothers (Genesis 37:29, 34): When Reuben realized Joseph was not in the pit, and later when the brothers brought Joseph’s blood-stained coat to Jacob, they tore their clothes in grief and despair.
Job (Job 1:20): After hearing that he had lost all his wealth and his children, Job stood up and tore his robe as an outward sign of his overwhelming sorrow.
King David (2 Samuel 1:11-12): When David received news of the deaths of King Saul and Jonathan, he and his men tore their clothes to mourn.
The High Priest (Matthew 26:65): In a dramatic display of hypocritical outrage, the high priest tore his own garments when Jesus declared He was the Son of God, falsely accusing Him of blasphemy.

The Spiritual Meaning of “Rending the Heart”

The concept of “rending the heart” contrasts an outward show with inward reality.

Genuine Repentance: Tearing your heart means being vulnerable, acknowledging your brokenness, and deeply repenting of sin before God.
Prioritizing Relationships over Rituals: God desires a sincere heart—true sorrow and a desire to change—more than he desires traditional religious pageantry or dramatic, public displays of grief.
The Promise of Forgiveness: In Joel 2:13, the command to rend the heart is immediately followed by the promise of grace: “Return to the LORD your God, for he is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love”.

God sees beyond our external habits and religious actions, requiring instead a humble, contrite heart to fully experience His mercy.”

God’s Mercy

“Therefore also now, saith the LORD, turn ye even to me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning: 13 And rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto the LORD your God: for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repenteth him of the evil. 14 Who knoweth if he will return and repent, and leave a blessing behind him; even a meat offering and a drink offering unto the LORD your God?” Joel 2:12-14

In God’s Word, where we see men who tear open their garments…. This holds the illustration of rending our hearts before the LORD.

Don’t render outward tearing, no, rather, tear open your inner man, your heart—be honest, sincere, exposed, and vulnerable to the LORD whom you trust.

Let’s attempt to get at, to ascertain what God is commanding of His beloved people to do in this “rend your heart” passage.

“Joel 2:13: Rend your heart—Let it not be merely a rending of your garments, but let your hearts be truly contrite. Merely external worship and hypocritical pretensions will only increase the evil, and cause God to meet you with heavier judgments.

For he is gracious—Good and benevolent in his own nature.

Merciful—Pitying and forgiving, as the effect of goodness and benevolence.

Slow to anger —He is not easily provoked to punish, because he is gracious and merciful.

Of great kindness—Exuberant goodness to all them that return to him.

And repenteth him of the evil—Is ever ready to change his purpose to destroy, when he finds the culprit willing to be saved. See the notes on Exo_34:6, Exo_34:7.” Adam Clarke

“Joel 2:12-14: III. DIVINE APPEAL TO JUDAH TO REPENT (2:12-14)
Even now, the LORD calls the people to repentance. It is not too late to return to Him. But it must be more than outward ritual. Their turning was to be with all their heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning.” Believer’s Bible Commentary

To rend our hearts is the consistent message, mandate of God to His people of all ages and eras.

“The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit.” Psalms 34:18

“The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.” Psalms 51:17

In Joel 2 the LORD reminds those who are backslidden that He “is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repenteth him of the evil. 14 Who knoweth if he will return and repent, and leave a blessing behind him; even a meat offering and a drink offering unto the LORD your God? …”

They must meet His stated conditions to receive His blessings ….

He promises that He will forgive them as they…..

“Joel 2:12-27: THE AVERTING OF JUDGMENT
To rend the garment is easy, but a broken and contrite heart can be imparted only by the grace of the Holy Spirit. The love of God should bring us to repentance. He takes no pleasure in our miseries and if men repent and turn from their sin they find an immediate and loving welcome to the Father’s heart and home. Joel had called for the trumpet to announce war; he now directs the trumpet blast to summon the people, from the highest to the lowest, to plead for help. Prayer and true repentance and faith bring an immediate answer. As the husband yearns over his erring but repentant wife, and is indignant with those who have maltreated her, so will Jehovah remove from us, when we turn to Him, those who have cruelly oppressed us.
The great things Jehovah did against Egypt and Babylon are an earnest of what He will do again. The earth (and all the creation of God) … have good reason to rejoice in what awaits them. God promises not only to forgive sin, but to make us happy and well provided as if the locust and cankerworm had never settled upon our lives.” FB Meyer

Religious hypocrites, counterfeits, emphasize the outward to cover their inner darkness, rebellion.

“Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone. 24 Ye blind guides, which strain at a gnat, and swallow a camel. 25 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess. Matthew 23:23-25

“He answered and said unto them, Well hath Esaias prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written, This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me.” Mark 7:6

"Blessed are the Poor In Spirit" [podcast]

Jesus’ longest recorded message to His people stands on the foundation of the very first words our Savior uttered in this sermon on the mount. The foundational truth of the entire sermon on the mount (Matthew 5-7) is found in the very first words of our LORD when unveiling this elaborate, far-reaching, and profound message to His disciples of all ages. Here are His first words: “Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 5:3 Note, “poor in spirit.” Not poor financially or religiously. The two should be mutually exclusive. The Greek word translated into English as “poor” is PTOCHOS. It […]

"I will have Mercy, and not Sacrifice": What does this really Mean? [podcast]

“But go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.” Matthew 9:13 Jesus specifically instructs us to “go ye and learn what that meaneth.” UNTIL, as an individual, you begin to realize just how wicked you really are, you will never begin to appreciate what our KING and Savior did on that cross! Matthew 9:9-13 – Jesus calls Matthew 9 And as Jesus passed forth from thence, he saw a man, named Matthew, sitting at the receipt of custom: and he saith […]

How to Walk in the Certainty, the Assurance of Salvation [podcast]

Real, actual assurance only comes from possessing authentic salvation – which begins with humility and true repentance, an original Gospel essential (Matthew 3:2; 4:17; Luke 13:3; 24:47; Acts 2:38; 3:19; 20:21, etc.). Heretical calvinists and eternal security frauds rob people of true assurance which ONLY comes from having a faith that works, is obedient to Christ. Read 1 John chapter 3 and embrace what the LORD is saying. Here’s a taste – “My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth. 19 And hereby we know that we are of the […]

The Importance of Pureness of Heart [podcast]

“He that loveth pureness of heart, for the grace of his lips the king shall be his friend.” Proverbs 22:11 With pureness of heart, our words shall issue forth with grace and seasoning and be more readily received by those who hear. “Let your speech be alway with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man.” Colossians 4:6 David’s Prayer “Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer.” Psalms 19:14 “Blessed are the pure in heart: for they […]

Abiding

Have We Misunderstood Why Christians Meet Together? [video]

“We’ve created a whole culture of Christians who are just known for going to church.” Dr Wadsworth!

“It is hard to convince a man (modern pastor) he is wrong when his livelihood ($) depends on not knowing he is wrong.” Unknown

The Simplicity of Real Fellowship [podcast]

Satan thinks he has Stolen the Fellowship of the Saints “Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time.” Revelation 12:12 Exhorting God’s People “Daily” – not weekly. “But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.” Hebrews 3:13 “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing […]

Church Membership, Manipulation, and Money [podcast]

Is there a connection between church membership and money? “Her princes (leaders) in the midst thereof are like wolves ravening the prey, to shed blood, and to destroy souls, to get dishonest gain.” Ezekiel 22:27 There is no evidence in the New Testament of what we see today perpetrated as “church membership.” Church membership is merely a tool in the arsenal of modern pastors to capture the souls and the money of those ensnared by it. “Not for that we have dominion over your faith, but are helpers of your joy: for by faith ye stand.” 2 Corinthians 1:24 In […]

Is Church Membership Biblical? [podcast]

Churchianity vs Christianity Many use the term “very involved in church” instead of deeply rooted and in love with Jesus Christ. See the difference? Beware. Christ Jesus is your identity. “But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world.” Galatians 6:14 What is your identity? Why have you chosen such to be that with which you identify? Most pastors make a big deal out of belonging to some organization, church, or group—because this puts them in charge—instead of Jesus. Beware. […]