The Hearing God Podcast
Anthony Moore and Dan Lamos have met for coffee every week for over a decade. You're invited to listen in on their conversation on The Hearing God Podcast. Explore the prophetic, mystical, and heart-centered aspects of a life filled with the Holy Spirit. Each episode offers insights, inspiration, and practical wisdom to deepen your spiritual journey. Tune in for authentic and encouraging conversations that will enrich and empower your walk with God.
The Hearing God Podcast
Hearing God, Repentance, and Refreshing
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In this episode, we talk about risk, waiting, and why a good Father invites His kids into moments that stretch faith. We name the quiet culprits—self-limiting beliefs that masquerade as humility—and show how calling them what they are opens the door to freedom. Repentance becomes more than guilt management; it’s a joyful “look again,” trading our constructed reality for the Kingdom’s better one. We share a practical framework—the four R’s (Repent, Renounce, Release, Receive)—to move from awareness to action, so you don’t just think about change, you experience it.
This conversation is warm, honest, and grounded in Scripture, highlighting the security we have in grace: fully accepted, free to grow. You’ll hear stories of eager repentance and real refreshment, plus the gentle challenge to pause before reacting and ask, “Father, what are You doing here?” If you’re hungry for a calmer, clearer way to move through your day, this one will meet you where you are and nudge you toward life with God’s voice at the center.
If this resonated, subscribe, leave a quick review, and share it with a friend who’s ready to trade hurry for hearing. What’s one place you’ll practice the pause this week?
Welcome to the Hearing God Podcast. I'm Anthony Moore. And I'm Dan Lamus. For over a decade, Anthony and I have been diving deep into weekly conversations about the prophetic, the mystical, and the matters of the heart.
SPEAKER_00:And we invite you into these weekly conversations. We hope you feel like an honored guest at our table. So pull up a chair, settle in, and let's get started.
SPEAKER_03:Well, here we are. Here we are. I'm here with a little bit more of uh uh the lower lower frequencies in my voice seem to be coming through. That's really the growly, the growly tone or the I'm sorry everybody, you're just gonna have to live with that today, but it's not not too bad. Just been voice just been a little bit rough last few days, but it's all good. So how's it going, Dan? It's going well. Yeah, yeah. Going well, feeling, you know, feeling encouraged. Yeah. God's good. Um just feeling his uh feeling his promptings. And you know, it just feels like uh feels like I'm in a time where um God just seems to be uh meeting me in the challenges and helping me to uh keep the right heart posture and mindset on things, and which is always his. Right, and God's bet God's basic, you know? Right. And God's basic is always better than my best attempts at keeping a positive attitude. It's like I'd rather I'd rather hear rather hear God's word um in my heart and trust his voice rather than my best or anybody else's best wisdom.
SPEAKER_00:You know it seems it seems like uh I think that's what is that? First Corinthians, the first couple of chapters there where the wisdom, the like you know, it's I know this it might be a couple places, but that's where my head goes first about where Paul talks about like the the wisdom of God is like foolishness to man. Right, right. Like it's like they're yeah completely incompatible, and sometimes the challenge that we face is trying to unlearn the you know the the ways of man when it goes to the ways of God, because they often, you know, uh you know, I always go to these places like you know, when he I think I think it's um I think it's like Mark 8 where Jesus heals the blind man, he like takes mud, right? And I'm pretty sure, yeah, and and I'm pretty sure actually maybe even that one it was like he spit in the guy's eyes, right? Like just full on, yeah, just too just go find a pitcher of water or something. He was like, no, no, this is this is good, yeah, this'll work. But uh, you know, and again, but there's these these things that happen, right? Because uh well, we're just jumping into it a little bit because I marvel at um I marvel at God's uh seemingly his like when he okay, so there are numerous, I'm not gonna remember them all, but there are numerous uh uh cases in the Bible where let's say a person needs healing or a person needs deliverance or a person needs some some kind of intervention by God, and God will get them to do something. Yes, and the varied nature of that something, right? Like uh, you know, um the Elisha, Elisha, Elisha, Elisha, yeah, it's Elisha. Uh go dip in the oh with King Naam, name Naaman, yeah, yeah. Uh go and dip in the Jordan seven times, right? Uh you know, yeah spit in the you know, spit in the guy's eyes, make mud, uh you know, uh all these all these things, these are just escaping me now. But there's just some like do this, uh, you know, in um in first uh first Samuel when uh or 2 Samuel when David becomes king, uh you know, he inquires of the Lord, do we go up for battle? Like, yes, go. And then the second time the Philistines come, it's it's something different that he does, right? Don't go up for battle, but just wait, right? So it's always it seems to me like the varied nature of the things that God asks his people to do, it just it's very it's always been no well, not always, but like the last number of years has been notable to me. It's something I've just spent time on. And I think I think I know the reason why. Um because you know, this is just Anthony's speculations, because if we humans, like there's something about God that I mean, there's something about the the created order, and then there's something about God, like right. The created order sort of works on a bunch of rules, right? It works on like okay, what goes up must come down. Right. If I throw something up in the air, it will always fall, right? You know, given right mass and all of that stuff, right? So but the but the humans' relationship with God, uh we can tend to like just build rote, you know. If God, if we if we humans pray and God does something, we can go, we can create this assumption that God will always be the way God works, right? If we always do this, yeah, if we always do A, God will always do B. Right, right. And and I think God in His kindness just sort of seeks to, He just doesn't follow those rules, right? And and it's like, so it's not that He doesn't have a heart to bless, it's just that He will often introduce a variable in the in the way that that works. Yes. Whereas, you know, you know what I'm saying? It's like I do it's all these different, you know, it's like, okay, so I want you, it's almost as like God saying, I want you the the old the old uh testament word would be inquire of me, right? Yes that he was always he was always driving, and not driving, but he was always wanting his people, you know. That's you know, one of my favorite psalms is Psalm 27. It's like I think it's like verse four where it says, you know, David saying, One thing I ask, one thing I seek, it's to dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, and gaze upon the beauty and inquire uh the beauty of the Lord and inquire in your temple, right? So um he's always there's it, there's this pattern, right? Even in that um David or 2nd Samuel reference I mentioned, David was in both of those cases inquiring of the Lord. Right, right. And there's there's stories throughout the the old testament of what happened to people when they did inquire of the Lord, and what happened to people when they didn't inquire of the Lord. Right. And it usually didn't go well for because I think that's the that's the point, is like God's getting to, you know, he wants to get people to this place of inquiring and coming to him because he wants to build relationships. Yeah, and that definitely ultimately I think that's the in the it's it's one thing for it's one thing for for that to happen on a individual level. It's probably another thing for that to happen on a in on a scale, the likes of a a nation, right? Right, yeah, and creating a pattern for nations to come to and inquire of. Yeah. And I think you know, that's just it's always it's quite a thing to me, anyway.
SPEAKER_03:Could I could I share um out of the prophet Isaiah, uh, this is one of the great coaching principles I received, you know, decades ago on this whole topic of hearing God. Yeah, uh, the the the author, the speaker was presenting this principle that God's ways are always higher than our ways. Right. His thoughts are always higher than our thoughts. It's not something that we mature into where our thoughts are almost as good as God's. Yeah. Our ways are almost as good as God's. He was saying, no, in every step of the way for the rest of your life, remember that when you are partnering with God, inquiring of God, his thoughts are always higher than your thoughts, his ways are higher than your ways. Uh Isaiah chapter 55 says in verse eight, for my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth, making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for so for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth, it will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it. Um, you know, I think uh God we we often wrestle with is God trustworthy? Uh like I think if we imagine ourselves at war with God or in competition with God, then that word through for through Isaiah feels threatening. Yeah, but if we see God and understand him by the help of his Holy Spirit, that God is completely trustworthy, yeah, always dependable, then it's encouraging to us that his thoughts are higher than ours. Yes, and his ways are higher than ours. And and we take his word and we interact with it, right? And it's beautiful. Like he uh, you know, Isaiah continues right after that. Like, yeah, the Lord says, My word will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose which for which I sent. You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace. Yeah, it's like God's goal in all this is not to uh uh push us down or beat us down or to somehow uh put us in our place in a derogatory, controlling way. Yeah, it's an invitation. This is the way the creation works best. Like human beings, you are designed to respond to what I say and to my voice. Yeah, this is the way life works the best.
SPEAKER_00:Even you know, easy Well, yeah, like we've been wired, like hardwired. You you just we've said I'm sure we've said that before, but like there are fixed lines almost within humanity to operate in this way. Yeah, and we've been hardwired to respond to what God is saying. Yeah, we have some uh choice in the matter, obviously, yeah, but but there is like we were designed to hear and respond to what God is saying.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah, that's right. Right, yeah, and all of creation works best responding to what God says, yes, and he's trusting us as human beings to know that and work with it. Like the the beauty of this whole humble connection is uh you could take over human beings, but that would be disaster. Yeah, but because this is a love relationship, I'm giving you the choice whether or not to partner and work with me. Right. And when human when humans humble ourselves and work with God, we see the blessing of God. So all that, all that to just say there's all throughout scriptures so many times where it's like, yeah, that seemed like a good idea, or it seemed like kind of a crazy idea, but yeah, we're doing it because God said so. Yeah, that was the difference. It wasn't like it oftentimes human beings realized after the fact what a great word of counsel that was from God. Yeah. Before they were trembling in faith over it, or going forth like doing it in faith. That's what I meant to say. Doing it in faith, even though they were trembling, yeah, they still did it because God said and they saw God's purposes happen. It's often in hindsight that human beings go, wow, God, that was an amazing idea. You know, beforehand, they're like, you're only moving on the fact that God says that that would be normal for a Christian life. Right. It's normal for a person who is growing and hearing God is yeah, there are going to be many times where it's going to seem like, oh, I know God is directing me to do it this way, but it's going to involve risk. Yeah. And here I go. Right.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, absolutely. And I think that's the you know, talking about hearing God and uh it it it it doesn't, it it should be it's this, I don't know, it's just this hurdle, I guess, but it should be pretty self-evident, I think, for the believer who really wants to hear God, that there are going to be moments in their life where they come up to these pla come to these situations where they really need to hear God. And it's almost like, well, what did like what what did you what did you expect to hear, right? Like when God asks you to do something that's a little bit out of the box, right? Like you it just should just be part of the deal, right? Right. When you the way that you know, if you're asking the Lord something, like it's just it's just so consistent with biblical uh precedent, yeah, where you are in a situation and God says, Well, do something that you know that do do this, and it doesn't necessarily make sense, but you do it anyway, and then God comes through. Like, I I think uh, you know, as you were talking, I was thinking about how, you know, even in a maybe an old testament narrative, like that's very true. But Jesus came and he reinforced that, right? Like we've said the scripture verse before where Jesus, you know, uh John 5.19, where Jesus said, I can only do like he he was only looking, he was perfectly modeling. Like, I can only I can't do anything outside of what I see my father doing. Yeah, so he was only looking at what God the Father was doing. Yeah, and so he modeled that for us. Like it was this way that there's this way that humanity is designed to work in response to what God is doing. Yes, right, yeah. Rather than um, you know, we like to say it a little bit like we don't react, we respond, but we don't knee-jerk react to, you know, in a in a perfect world. I mean, say not saying we get this right, but the design is is that we don't necessarily react in a knee-jerk way to a maybe a negative or a fearful situation, right? But we actually in the middle of that situation, our our hearts are turned to what God's up to. Right. Right. And so at least, you know, again, how that's played out in my life, usually it's like, well, okay, just hang on a second, right? Like, yeah, usually it comes into like, okay, so I'm presented with this situation where I could react in a certain way, um, but I'm I'm going, hang on a second. Yes. Let's just just wait for a second before we you know slide off into something.
SPEAKER_03:Oh, that's so good that you mentioned that, Anthony, because I think it is such a common thing that uh when a situ when uh you're in a situation it's real time, usually man's ways and even even darker than that, the Dominion of Darkness' ways. Is that the way I say it grammatically? Yeah, Kingdom of Darknesses, sure. Darknesses is the way the Dominion of Darkness would do things, um, it's usually quick. Yeah, it's usually reactionary, yeah. It's usually boom. What's my like what's my reaction to this? Where God's kingdom ways is rarely hurried. Right. Things can happen rapidly, but they don't have that sense of un you know, unhinged reaction. Yeah. And it's amazing what an actual the actual amount of time it takes for you to do what you said. This situation comes up. Some I I feel like I could just react, but instead I'm gonna go hold on a second, and I'm actually gonna pull back and actually inquire of God. Yeah, the amount of time that actually takes is often minimal. It may only be a couple of minutes, could be could be 20 seconds where you just stop and just pull back a second and say, God, I'm not gonna hurry into my reaction to this. What are you doing here? Right. And it's amazing how the closeness of God will be there for you as you lean in that dependence on Him. I'm not gonna just do this my way, I'm going to look to you for either, yeah, that's a great idea, Dan, or here's a better way to say this. Or just listen, whatever it is. There's there, they're um make this suggestion instead of what you were gonna say. And that that literally might take 30 seconds right there, yeah, or a minute out of a conversation, but I could have just reacted in the moment, and that's usually when trouble comes. Regretful things come in the next day.
SPEAKER_00:Absolutely. Because there's, I mean, again, there's like we are on a journey and there are sort of not sort of unsanctified, there are definitely parts of us that have yet to be sanctified. Um but I find that like even when we do that, right? The like when we when we pause just for a minute and inquire of the Lord, that it really creates this opening. I mean, and and regardless of how we feel like the the next part goes, right, and whether we get it perfectly, I think the win is that we've paused and asked God to to have his way. And then and then and then even maybe if you know whatever happens next is a little fumbly stumbly, or maybe it doesn't go great at all, at least we've created an opening for God to come in and work, which yes, and and again, I think it comes back to this answer to Jesus and the Lord's Prayer, you know, the kingdom of God come. Like every every time that you and I, and whoever every believer opens, pauses and opens the door for God to come to earth, like in a in a in a way, it's it's not God to come to earth, it's the advancement of the kingdom. That's a better way to say that. It's for God to God to advance his kingdom in that specific situation. I think that will always be, I mean, that will always we at least have to acknowledge that that's the better way, yeah. Right. Rather than trying to come up on something on our own, something on our own strength, and then and then we leave the results up to him. Yeah, yeah. You know, I have a question for you.
SPEAKER_03:Oh good. Um do you find that that anytime anytime you inquire of God and you get direction from him, do you find that it always involves a challenge, a risk, uh um a stretching for you? Like, like it's just as I'm thinking about like how what's your experience with that? I I I I feel like it does.
SPEAKER_00:Sure, maybe not necessarily in what I hear, but oftentimes in how I hear, maybe. So, for example, uh, you know, I I find that the risk comes in maybe not getting the answer right away. Right. Then, okay, so then you have like I just have to wait, right? Which is which is a stretch, right? Right. And I think he does that a lot, right? Like there are times when the word comes clearly and it might require me to do something a little out of the box. Right. There's another stretch. Yeah, yeah. So so it's like so the answer is yes, but in in my mind, it's how that plays out. There's just a yeah, there's a there's a plethora of ways uh where where that where that actually plays out. Like I just find my because I think when uh I don't know, I'm not sure if we've said this before, but I say this a lot when it comes to hearing God. God's a good father. Yes, right. And if we know, I'm pretty sure I've said this before, but if we know that by the word of God, by the written word of God, Hebrews 11, 6, that it requires faith to please God. Because it says without faith, it's impossible to please God. Right. So God being a good father, he's going to create situations in his kids where faith must be uh modeled or uh it must be refined, or yeah, you know, he's gonna cause faith to come out of us. Yeah. And so in so doing, because he's a good father, he's going to give ample opportunity for his kids to please him.
SPEAKER_03:Right, right. Right. So there is therein is the yeah, what a great frame, what a great framework for hearing God um stepping out into handling things and challenging, like taking on the challenges of life from heaven's perspective, hearing from God, doing what he says, yeah, doing it his way. What a great frame of that because he's a good father. Like one of the things that a good father does is he knows his children enough to realize what they're made of and what they're capable of. Yeah. And oftentimes a dad's role is to is to push and prod and pull out of your kids the very thing that you know they would love to accomplish, yes, and yet they're very reluctant for whatever their reasons are. Yeah, absolutely. And you you you learn to motivate and and and encourage your kids to take risks because you know they're capable of it. We yeah, what a great framework for how God deals with us. Um, you know, I really am intrigued throughout scripture how many times God talks about knowing people from before they were born. Yeah, yeah. I think part of the hidden message there is because I created you. Like you belong to me.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah.
SPEAKER_03:Uh this thing I'm gonna call you to, I know it's gonna hit you like I could never do that.
SPEAKER_00:Right.
SPEAKER_03:But I've always known you, even before you were born, I knew you. I know what you're capable of. Yeah, I often forget. I often think that I'm more aware of what I'm capable of than God is. Yeah, and oftentimes the resistance within me is I'm not up to that God. Right. And he's saying to me, Well, actually, you don't really know. Yeah, like I know. Yeah, like you've always belonged to me, Dan. You've done a lot of things in your life to like in a limiting way, because you have not always believed me in that. Right. So even at this stage of my life, oftentimes the resistance within me, which I need to repent of, yeah, is my perspective on things. It does, it might not even seem sinful or immoral in any way to anybody else. But if God's saying I'm leading you this way, and my resistance is me is I know that I'm not capable of that. Right. Yeah, I've there's an argument that happens with God that I need to turn away from my attitude in order to actually go with God in that.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, for sure. And I think I think um one of the interesting things is that like that we we know what that's like, especially if you have kids, where you can totally see them that you know, whether that's some skill or you know, getting them into a specific situation where they're volunteering for something. Oh, yeah, yeah, absolutely. Where you standing up to a bully, whatever stuff, right? Like uh becoming more assertive or whatever, taking taking responsibility. I think I think as a parent, especially as a father, I you can totally see that your kids are capable of something, and yet they will not see the same thing, right? Probably because we all have some you know inability to see what we're completely capable of for sure. Yep. We all question our own abilities, that's a very human thing to do. Uh but it usually sounds like I'm too something, or if I was only something or yeah, yeah, or I'm not good enough, or but whatever. But we just see we just we just know this, especially like I've I can see that in my own, you know, I can recall situations where in my own children's lives where I've encouraged them to do something uh that that has mixed results, yeah. Right. Where and whatever resistance or or no. And and then as they grow up, there are some things like you know, learning to drive or whatever, that where there would maybe be resistance before like before. Well, now you it seems like life is about to crash in on you a little bit where this is going to you're gonna need to learn to do this, or this is going to severely impact your your ability to flourish as a human. Yeah, right.
SPEAKER_03:So, but I I think you know, just it's so awesome. I have this memory of one of our kids who will go unmentioned uh which one it was, but who we had they had purchased a uh a uh a standard transmission car. Yeah, and they didn't know how to drive standard. Excellent. And so, you know, we we went through the process of them learning how to do it, and it was uh incredible frustration on their part. Oh, yeah. We were sure something was completely wrong with this car that it isn't gonna drive. And yeah, anyway, just the anyway, any any parent who's taught their child to drive a standard knows exactly what you're talking about, Anthony. You can do this, you can do this, and and this is your car, so you are going to learn to drive standards. You are gonna have to do that.
SPEAKER_00:But I just I think back to just to circle back, right? So you the just the word that you said, and we you know, we had floated this idea of talking about this this morning a little bit, but talking about repentance, right? Yes, the you know, the meaning of that word, and I think one of the things, like you know, the the meaning, whatever, uh look again, right? This is the the meaning of the word repentance. Uh one of the one of the sort of fruit or byproducts of inquiring of the Lord, of maintaining this um conversational rel, you know, this relationship that we have with with God is that He will when He talks to us, we will see reality, right? We will have an opportunity to repent. We will have an opportunity. To look again at reality, not necessarily our, you know, the world we build, which is limited and dysfunctional at times. And but we have a chance to see his reality. Right. And ultimately, that is the reality that he's trying to get us to understand. Because it is ultimate reality.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah, the reality as in heaven. Right. God, your kingdom come on earth as in heaven a reality. Absolutely. Absolutely.
SPEAKER_00:And so when he comes, you know, when the Lord comes and he talks to us and he whether he asks us to do something or he reveals some truth to us, there is there is this element of repentance. There's this element of us having the eyes of our heart, maybe our physical eyes, but usually it's the it's coming to some realization that the world we've been living in or the world we've sort of constructed in our own mind, the way the world works, has been sort of like blown open a little bit, where he's invited us into something greater, which I think is really important to understand because I think that's what that's what the narrative, there's a narrative throughout the Bible of like calling, calling um the people of God and calling certain people to repentance, and then we we get to participate in that by echoing that call, but also living that that repentance, right? Where we're over and over and over being invited into uh having the eyes of our heart open to the greater reality of the kingdom of God. Yes, right, and so I think that's that's such an important part of the life of a believer is to have a consistent model of, and it's not like we need to have one moment of repentance. I don't think the Lord is uh he's interested in doing that because I think I personally think maybe that we couldn't handle it, right? Where we have these moments over and over in our life where God shows us something consistently. Right. You know, if we if we got it all in one shot, we'd probably like we'd give up or we'd give up, or we, you know, it would be just too big, right? Or we would just our minds would explode or something. Um but I think this is the thing of like this is the journey of God, right, with wrestling with humanity or interacting with humanity, is these moments in your and my life, in the life of a people, the life of this house, you know, that where God will bit by bit reveal himself to reveal himself and thereby reveal ultimate reality to any given situation. Yeah, and we have an opportunity to say yes to that. We have a chance to repent of that, acknowledge, okay, God, your reality is different than the one I currently understand. So I'm choosing your reality, God. So I'm acknowledging my reality was dysfunctional, perhaps even sinful. Yeah. Uh, then I take, I, you know, and then I make the shift, yeah, right? Say, God, your reality, your ways are better. So I'm gonna go with your way. Yeah. So it's just like this this journey along the way of like, this is the life of a believer. Yep. And just one thought I did have is like, you know, uh, I this is just a I remember I jotted this note down, whoever who knows however long. I was just looking at them last night. And I thought to my the the thought I had was the slave repents so that he won't get caught, or that he will, right? So, but the son repents because he realizes it's the better way, right? So, and and again, and whether that's articulated perfectly or not, you get the idea. Whereas like the slave, like he's trying to, you know, the the slave will repent, perhaps even so either so that he won't get the fear of punishment, like especially as I think that's that hits the nail on the head. That the fear of punishment is like, okay, so I'm gonna do the thing and then I'm gonna repent so I can avoid the punishment of doing that thing. Right. And that's the heart of like either a slave or an orphan, or you know, in that in that vein for sure. But the heart of a son or a daughter will repent so that they because they actually believe that that way is like the way of repentance, the way of the way that what God has is actually better. Yeah, that's right. So they will repent in a different spirit altogether, yeah, right, so that they can attain a great, you know, God's reality, right? Yeah, I agree. So I just thought I thought that was interesting. And so I and again, just to just to toss that on toss that on the pile.
SPEAKER_03:That's so important. Like I think that that fear of like like the fear of God rejecting us if we are open to repentance. It's like and sorry, I got that messed up. We're afraid to be open to repenting on any kind of regular basis because of our fear of rejection. Like if I find out there's something that needs to be be repented over in my life, yeah, there can be an orphan-like attitude that rises up in me, say, uh oh, God's about to reject me.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah. When the opposite is true, he's made every way open to show me his kindness, and it's his kindness that leads us to repentance. Yes, it's remembering that my father is not gonna reject me over this. Yes. He's he's his spirit has has uh opened my eyes to this thing that needs to be repented over uh because he wants me to bring, he wants to bring me more in line with the way his household works, with the way, with the way his kingdom works. Yeah, and this is not about rejection. He's not about to reject me. No. Um the opposite usually happens is that I tend to be the one who does the rejecting. If I'm slow to repent and I have an attitude of unrepentance in my heart, I'm the way who m I'm the one who creates distance from God in my own heart. I shut myself off because of my fears, absolutely, as opposed to realizing I am a son in God's house. Yeah, this is for the betterment of the whole house that I repent. Yeah, it'll bring me more in line with his name if I repent. Yeah. Um yeah, totally. I I love that. I love that repenting as a son. Like, uh, I think that's that's so good. Um, and it probably is worth saying, there is a practically speaking, there is there's something really important to remember about the gospel, is that the gospel is by faith, you know, in grace. Like it's uh it's by faith from beginning to end. So we are saved by our putting our faith in the gospel, yeah, the good news of our salvation. Yeah, the the growth as his sons and daughters continues to be by faith and grace, yeah. Um but it can be very, very challenging in real time because of our fears, uh, but we are we are completely accepted by God. Yes, completely. Even even in the moment where we recognize something where repentance needs to happen, yes, God's not hanging us over uh uh the threat of you can't be my son anymore. Absolutely. Because this is true in your life, right? He's it's it's that's settled. Yes. So to the whole process of repentance is uh is very secure in that.
SPEAKER_00:Yes, and I think that again, obviously the enemy would would love to come in and does love to come in uh and uh make the ground shaky under that that notion that we are that we are sons and daughters.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah, yeah, because something powerful is about to happen. You're about to actually let go of something you've been hanging on to. You're gonna release that, you're gonna let it go, and you're going to leave it with God, and you're gonna receive from him the truth he wants you to have instead. Yeah. The enemy's scared to death of that.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, and I think it's I think one of the things that we need to remember is that repentance isn't always just, I mean, I think I it isn't always about like whatever your pet sin of the of the day is or the season is, obviously, immoral, obviously whatever. Which is what is so it is about that, but it isn't just about that. That's what I'm trying that's what I'm trying to try to say, is that it is repentance isn't just you know for those things, it's actually also for any way that God wants to unveil his kingdom to you, right? When God shows you a better way, this could be about and it it isn't necessarily I I you know I haven't fully thought this through, but you know, it could be about how you spend your money, or it could be how you spend your time, right? It could be about um, you know, things about like opening your home, you know, the kinds of people that you get nudged towards, right? You get the that you interact with. It isn't just about those ways that I mean ultimately God's reality is ultimate truth. So if your way is, you know, we like to put it a little bit like it isn't necessarily it's it's just that his way is better, right? And then the dis the sin might come if it's you know, if you say no, right? The disobedience part. But I think the repentance is just as simply like in these moments, acknowledging that God's way is better, like seeing, seeing God, seeing his way, seeing the thing he is asking you. It's looking, right? Looking again, right? I'm looking again and I'm acknowledging that what God has for me is better. And then I'm going to just say, surrender to that, right? I'm going to acknowledge that whatever God has for me. And again, there's there's lots of there's lots of freedom, you know. This isn't this isn't meant to, what I'm what I'm saying is not meant to cause people to question everything. Like just relax, right? Like just relax in that. Like, but it is that at top from time to time in your life, God will come and just say, that thing that you're doing, hey, let's let's go a little different, let's do something different with that. Let's go a little deeper with that, or let's change that up a little bit. Right. And I and I think, you know, again, it is it is all of it, right? It is the the sinful stuff and the dysfunctional stuff, but it's also like the complete surrender of your life, where if God asks you to to do something, to change your behavior from something that is good to something better, yeah, that his way is better, yeah, and the in the saying no to that, then that becomes something.
SPEAKER_03:But yeah, the the process of that feels so familiar. So I would just like to say up, put it out there that any self-limiting beliefs or ideas that I have that limit me from doing the thing God's asking me to do. Yeah. It's okay for me to call that sin. Yeah. Yeah. Um, and usually the way that comes to the surface is by God putting an opportunity or nudging me or c you know, through somebody else's invitation, inviting me into something I feel is too big for me or too much for me, I sense resistance within me, and it can get it can get dark and negative pretty quick. Agreed. Um and and if I'm with if I'm willing to pay attention to that moment and invite the Holy Spirit to help me understand why do I feel so and so strongly anti-that idea. I feel like that would be a good thing for me to say yes to, but something inside of me is really reacting. If I'm willing to to stay in that moment and let the Holy Spirit show me why, yeah, usually it's an argument I have with that I'm not capable of that or up to that. Yeah. If I if I decide to wrestle with that, I could wrestle with that for weeks. Yes, absolutely. But if I'm willing to say, Yeah, if if this self-limiting belief I have is keeping me from doing what you want, God, I'm willing to call that sin. Yes. And I I wish I could remember how this goes, but it's something like if you can call it sin, right? You it can be forgiven. Or if you can call it sin, you can let it go. But it's there's some idea there that's like if I say, Oh, this is just the way I am, I could wrestle with that for weeks. If I'm willing to say, Yeah, this self-limiting belief I have isn't from God. Yeah, I'm willing to call that belief right there sin.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah.
SPEAKER_03:Which means I can ask God to forgive. If if it's sin, I can say, I'm sorry for this sin that I have. Well, I would say forgive me.
SPEAKER_00:Can I just tweak a little bit? I think, because I think, you know, in these places in my life, right? Like if you say, Well, this is just the way I am, like you could you could wrestle with that for the rest of your life. Yeah, because you're just trying to approve who you are. Well, you're never, yeah, you're actually never gonna find freedom. Yeah, but it's not really wrong, right? But if you just if you acknowledge, right, I here's here's one of the things, and this is like sort of a recent discovery, I guess, of the nature of God. That if if I have a place in my heart that has to be wrestled down, and maybe it's even a sinful behavior, that I can I can maybe even take weeks to wrestle that down with God as his son, and he's not going anywhere, right? Right? Like, and it's it's like it's something better that he has for me, you know. Again, you know, but you're in the right. But it's like, but you're in that moment, and I think I think that that's anytime that we um gosh, any time that we do this that there's such freedom in that to go through these, like to surrender to these uh like to go through these seasons where it isn't just neat and tidy, it's actually very kind of messy, right? Where we're we're like, okay, adjusting how we look at the world, adjusting our, you know, again, ultimately, adjusting our behavior, you know, we do say this isn't just about behavior modification, although we do have to modify our behavior, but that isn't the the source of it. Um the the behavior modification is the fruit. Uh so where our behavior is modified so that we we act more like heaven, right? So we have act, but I think it's like the the freedom to actually be in that place with the Lord, to work through that with the Lord, that He's actually not going anywhere. And I think that that's that's ultimately there's a there's a there's a discovery, you know, per perhaps that sinful thing is simply this, that I've put a limit on what God will do will and can do through me. Yeah. Right. Right. And yeah, objectively, that's a sinful uh because I'm because God's put like I've put limits, I've I've seen my life uh in a different way than God sees my life. Yes. So I've I've moved outside of God's reality. Therefore, yeah, therefore, you know, I feel like maybe we're expanding the the definition of like we're blowing up the definition of sin in people's minds, which is true. Right.
SPEAKER_03:Well, sooner or later, that's going to lead to behavior that is obvious. Right. Absolutely. Absolutely. But the root of it is back here where you're not seeing it the way God sees it. Absolutely.
SPEAKER_00:Well, that's not what's only human, but I think just say I don't want to leave that moment because I think I'm I'm kind of circling around it, and maybe and we get what I'm saying. Yeah. But it's really just that the freedom is that it's just stay in that place with God. Yeah. Stay in that place. Yeah right. Don't like don't walk away disappointed because you haven't, you know, the maybe the behavior hasn't fixed itself yet, or whatever, however you want to say that. Stay in that place with God, stay in that place, even if it is a just invite, keep inviting God into that place of struggle. Yeah. And you will find like it's almost, it's like the sure thing is like you will find breakthrough in time, right? Knowing, but at the same time, yeah, absolutely, feel remorse, but whatever, about like, but keep inviting God into that place. And sooner or later, there will be breakthrough. Yeah, that's right.
SPEAKER_03:It's just and it's just God loves being in that place with you, even though you might be impatient, you might be in God's frustrated with me, he's almost done with me.
SPEAKER_00:It's like, no, don't assume you know right the motives of God. Because we're because we're so we so look at ourselves with human judges. Yeah, yeah, yeah. We're just not good judges, and we're the harshest critics on ourselves.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah, and could I just throw in real super quick just the four Rs again? Yeah. So practical, you know, like the the four R's are first one is repent, and it's it's recognizing the thing, the issue that you're looking at, yeah, is you're calling it sin. You're asking God to forgive you, you're you're ready to fully release it to Him. So you repent. Um, the second is renounce. Yeah, it's like actually saying this thing is sin and it is doing no good for me, and I'm done. So repent, renounce. The third is release. That's actually understanding that God doesn't take a sinful thing from you, yeah, habit, attitude, whatever it is. You actually have to release it to Him. And we like to encourage people, release it at the cross.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah.
SPEAKER_03:Our friend uh Amy Howard likes to say, release it to the wounds of Jesus. Yeah, but actually letting go of that. So say, in your to your point, Anthony, there's an there's a way you're seeing things that is not like the way God sees it. You're actually saying, I'm releasing that vision of things to the wounds of Jesus. Um I am dropping it there. I'm releasing it. Yeah. With full expectation of the fourth R, which is receive.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah.
SPEAKER_03:And and I just think it's important for people to just maybe just mark that down, you know, repent, renounce, release, receive. Yeah, it's just so helpful because we often jump from recognizing something is off to thinking we can just receive from God.
SPEAKER_00:Yes. And I just I we're gonna talk about this next week. So put a pet. We're gonna it it really is, I think, and we're just just to put a pen in something, is the the importance of making the declaration. Okay, good. The the the importance of speaking a word aloud. Yeah. And why that's biblical. Okay, good. Right, yeah, okay, so just writing writing it down.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah. And the the reason why that whole thing just came up was in the behavior modification thing.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, and I think just to give get back to it, is like I hope in a in a healthy way, because again, I don't want to heap condemnation on people, because again, definitely not. Like nobody wants like anyone who's a genuine hearted believer, like this could there's a way that you could hear what we're talking about, and then it heap a whole lot of like weight and pressure on you. Yeah. My better. My hope is is that we've we've actually in expanding, you know, things that can be sinful, right? Because they're all ways in which uh that it's basically where any of us fall short of God's design. Right. So if I've expanded that, or if if we've expanded this conversation has helped expand definitions of maybe sinful, at the same time, I want you to take a deep breath in knowing that God has not rejected you, He He has fully accepted you, you're fully accepted in the beloved, in His, like you are His. You are a son and daughter. It's just that like I want, I want you to take the cap off of the of the ways that God wants to work through you. I want to I want to blow your mind with the possibilities and expand your imagination for what's possible for a believer who's living a completely surrendered life. Yeah, how that's you know, not boring. It's actually exciting when God reveals something to you and He causes you to you know break past the limitations that you've created in your own mind. You know, and again, you know, we're no experts on this, we just recognize that this is actually part of the deal, right? We have not arrived right this process that we're talking about. We're walking through it all the time. Yeah, so it's so it's like so. I want to expand a little bit your definition of the things that that God's trying to get you to repent of. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And also give you, like to free you up that God is with you in that. He's not going anywhere, he's not heaping the condemnation on you. In fact, the enemy's heaping the condemnation on you. So you need to break out of that. Yeah, but but and God will help you with that too. Yeah. So, so it's really this idea of like, I love how the you know the flow of this conversation has gone. It's like, okay, so we started with inquiring of the Lord, beginning to talk to him, but when he talks to us, it will give us an opportunity to repent. Yeah, right. Because he's always going to move in our life, he's gonna speak in our life that opens that opens us up to a greater reality, whether that's of his love, you know, or what he's doing, or you know, whatever, any kind of kingdom way that he show things shows things to us.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah. Is it maybe this is maybe it's it's a good place to have us begin wrapping it up, but uh Acts chapter 3, verse 19, isn't that the verse that says, repent uh so that times of refreshing might come from the Lord? Yeah. I think I think that's Acts 3.19. Something like that, yeah, yeah, for sure. And I just on the heels of what Anthony just said, I would just say I've walked with this man for many, many years, and he with me, and I think it's safe to say you and I have really discovered more and more what a source of joy and refreshing repentance really is. Absolutely. And that has been a shift of paradigm. I know it has for me, and I think probably for you too, of just recognizing repentance actually really does bring refreshing.
SPEAKER_01:It does.
SPEAKER_03:And and so this whole thing of the enemy wants to keep you from that.
SPEAKER_01:Yes.
SPEAKER_03:And so what a beautiful thing if more and more sons and daughters of God recognize repentance as like the entrance to refreshing. Yeah, like it's yeah, God can be counted on for this.
SPEAKER_00:Like you Yeah, one of the things, just sorry to interrupt. That's right, because there's actually, you know, I was thinking there's a there's a number of ways that we repent. Like we all know repentance with tears, right? Like one of the things, um uh just something that came to mind, and it's worth throwing this out there as well. Is uh I remember the conversation that we were a part of a couple years ago. We, you know, a couple years ago, you and I had a chance to go to Asbury uh in Kentucky, where there was this, there was this for at least I think two weeks, 14 days-ish. There was this wild outpouring of the Holy Spirit. Right. And where, you know, youth, young adults, and adults all gathered in this auditorium in a small town, Wilm Wilmore, Kentucky, yeah, for about two weeks, and God moved, He moved powerfully, but he also moved very gently. Yeah, and peace was sort of uh, you know, the this thing, this marking characteristic of whatever that move of God was. One of the things, and and I say all that to say, one of the notable things is that we've we heard this testimony of, I don't know how often it was, but it seemed as though, you know, people would come into the room and they couldn't wait to repent. They couldn't wait to get to the altar. Like they would come in, they would, you know, because they would cycle people in and out. People would come for maybe whether they would come for 30 minutes or they would two hours, and they would they would come and go as they, you know, either visited the town or you know, were in the midst of their studies. But the they couldn't wait. It was as though they discovered the goodness of God in the area of repentance. Right. So they realized whatever I'm hanging on to, or whatever my worldview is, it's like I need to go and get God's perspective on it. I need to go and unload this thing that I'm carrying. And they would do it, they would do it. They would do it in an ex an excited sort of way, like they couldn't wait to do it. That's right. Like, let me get, let me get there so I can unburden myself. Yeah, right. And so that's an that's another way to look at this. Yeah, right. It's the and I think this is the this is the better way. I mean, again, repentance, I'll take it whatever, whatever way it comes, I'll take it. But I think it's just to expand that we can joyfully repent. We can actually like uh in a in a in a beautiful way, come and just acknowledge, God, you want to take this burden from me. I realize this way that I've been living is falling short. And so I I can actually do this. I can do this in a tearful way, I can do it in a mournful way, but I can also do it in a joyful way. Yes, God, I know what you have is better for me. So I just want to maybe just as we land the plane, just throw that out there. That repentance in any any shape or fashion is good. So maybe, maybe as just as we land the plane here, maybe just take a minute and just pray, just pray for just conversations with the Lord, and then just grace to just you know, grace to repent. Yeah.
SPEAKER_03:Do you want me to do that? Yeah, go for it, go for it. Yeah, all right. Oh God, we do, we love you. Thank you for this conversation. And God, we do celebrate repentance today. And um God, we we've prayed for our friends um that they would appreciate that they would experience the grace to take another look at repentance if they've wrestled over this, if they find themselves avoiding, you know, opening up to you because they're afraid of repentance. Lord, give them new boldness, fresh boldness to know that you're trustworthy. Yes, Lord. Uh, God, they that that times of refreshing are right there for them on as they walk through this process. And God, we pray for rich times of burden lifting, you, uh, them letting go of burdens at your feet at the cross and experiencing you, then uh taking that from them and then pouring out your blessing. God, we pray for a shift. Um, God, I just want even wanted to declare over somebody who's been intrigued with this conversation. Just say, yeah, this conversation has been for you. So go ahead and expect that God is presenting you with a new amazing challenge of just letting go to him in a fresh way through this old word repent. You know, that it's going to take on new meaning for you. So don't be shy about it. Jump in and let God lead you through repentance. And God, we thank you for all this. And it's so good to be here together on these episodes. Thanks for meeting us here. In your powerful name, Jesus. Amen. Well, that's a wrap on this episode. It's been a privilege to have you as an honored guest as we all learn to hear God better.
SPEAKER_00:If your time with us has been encouraging and you think this conversation will be helpful to others, we would love it if you could share this podcast with the people around you. Until next time.
