Participants: Steve Nelson
Series Code: FC
Program Code: FC000393
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00:30 Welcome to Faith Chapel. My name is Steve Nelson.
00:33 Our message today is titled 00:34 "A New Heart and A New Life." 00:37 But before we begin let's begin with a word of prayer. 00:40 My dear Father, Lord, we thank you for the 00:42 opportunity we have today of spending some 00:45 time in your word. Lord, I just pray as we 00:48 go through the pages of your word, that you will 00:51 show us Father, your plan for our life. 00:54 That your spirit will recreate us in your image 00:57 as we spend this time with you, 00:59 in Jesus name, amen. 01:02 There is an interesting quote in Psalms 51:10-13. 01:08 The Bible tells us: "Create in me 01:10 a clean heart, O God; 01:12 and renew a right spirit within me. 01:16 Cast me not away from thy presence; 01:18 and take not thy Holy Spirit from me. 01:20 Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; 01:23 and uphold me with thy free spirit. 01:26 Then I will teach transgressors thy ways; 01:29 and sinners shall be converted unto thee." 01:34 The Bible is telling us that our greatest need is 01:36 for us to have a new heart, a clean heart. 01:39 One that only God can give to us. 01:41 It says that God will be the one who will 01:43 renew within us a right spirit. 01:45 But David is pleading here that God don't cast 01:49 me away from thy presence. 01:51 Take not thy Holy Spirit from me. 01:54 There are many in the Christian world today 01:56 who have trouble understanding 01:58 their true relationship with God. 02:00 Often times we don't see ourselves 02:02 the way that God sees us. And I believe it's 02:04 important for us to understand what is it 02:07 that God is looking for within me today. 02:11 What is it God's requiring from me, 02:13 in order for me to be able to say it like 02:15 David, then I will teach transgressors thy ways 02:18 and sinners will be converted unto thee. 02:21 I believe that we need to pray for revival. 02:24 I believe the most desperate need of the 02:26 church today is to pray for revival. 02:29 In Luke 11:13 we see this text. 02:32 It tells us "If ye then, being evil, know how to 02:37 give good gifts unto your children: 02:39 how much more shall your heavenly Father 02:42 give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?" 02:46 What is the Bible saying here? 02:48 The Bible is saying that you with 02:50 your selfish motives, your bad habits, 02:52 your corrupt thoughts, if you are able to do 02:54 what is right in your own strength, 02:58 if you are being as the Bible says; 03:00 evil are able to give good gifts to your parents, 03:04 how much more is God willing 03:05 to give us the Holy Spirit. 03:08 God who is exceedingly, abundantly greater in 03:10 love and matchless gifts and we are, 03:13 He is able to give us the greatest gift our soul 03:16 needs and that is the Holy Spirit. 03:18 So what's the problem? I believe our problem is 03:21 that we are not connected to the source of power. 03:24 There is an interesting quote in the book 03:26 Maranatha that states it like this; 03:28 "All that Christ receive from God we too may have. 03:32 Then ask and receive with the persevering faith of 03:36 Jacob and the unyielding persistence of Elijah. 03:39 Claim for yourself all that God has promised." 03:43 What is the author telling us? 03:45 God, the author is telling us that God 03:47 wants us to seek diligently with the 03:50 persevering faith of Jacob. The unyielding persistence 03:53 of Elijah, to claim for ourselves, the promises 03:57 the God has within His word for us. 03:59 God wants us to come to Him and to seek the 04:02 very thing that we need, and that is a new heart. 04:06 In order to have a new heart, 04:08 I believe we need to have a revival. 04:11 A revival is something like this. 04:15 We are told that we are no longer, 04:17 that we are pilgrims and strangers on this earth. 04:20 But some of us somehow believe that 04:22 we are on some sort of vacation I believe from 04:24 heaven, that we've been blessed with wonderful 04:25 that we've been blessed with wonderful gifts of 04:27 truths and knowledge from God's word. 04:30 Somehow all of these blessings, 04:32 we think they entitle us, that we should enjoy 04:35 the pleasures of this earth for a while. 04:38 But somehow we are on vacation that, 04:40 but it is true or have we forgotten 04:43 the hour of our visitation. Matthew 5:8 says it like 04:48 "These people draw nigh unto Me with their 04:50 mouth, And honoreth Me with their lips, 04:52 But their heart is far from Me." 04:56 The Bible is telling us that we can come to 04:58 God, we can worship Him, we can spend time 05:00 with Him but even though we may speak 05:03 these things with our mouth or our hearts 05:05 not close and connected to God. 05:09 That is why our greatest need 05:10 is revival and for reformation. 05:13 We need the outpouring, indwelling the 05:15 transforming power of the Holy Spirit. 05:18 Zachariah 4:6 says; " Not by Might Nor by 05:21 Power but by My Spirit says the Lord of hosts." 05:25 God tells us to be holy as He is holy, 05:27 but He is telling us, we can't do it ourselves. 05:30 It is His spirit that must work this transformation. 05:35 We can't change our hearts, only He can do that for us. 05:40 There is nothing I believe that Satan fears 05:42 more then we will clear the path for Jesus to do 05:46 the work that He wants to do then as we remove 05:49 the hindrances, so the Holy Spirit 05:51 can work within our hearts. 05:53 God wants to pour out His spirit on this 05:55 church, on this world, and He is really 05:58 and He is able to do it, but are we ready? 06:01 I believe there is nothing that Satan fears more 06:04 then for us to get ready, because he knows when 06:07 we do this, He knows that when we get ready, 06:10 his time for deceiving and destroying will 06:13 soon come to an end. He knows that when the 06:15 church is ready, we will do the works that God 06:17 has called us to do. He knows that we will 06:20 work the works of Jesus, 06:22 if we have the faith of Jesus. 06:24 The Bible tells us in Matthew 24:12; 06:27 "Because iniquity shall abound, 06:29 the love of many shall wax cold." 06:32 Has you love for Jesus waxed cold? 06:35 If so, you need to ask yourself, 06:37 is there something in my life that is 06:39 separating me from Him? 06:40 God wants to restore us into His image. 06:43 He wants to recreate us. He wants to give us a 06:46 new heart but are we doing what He's asked us to do? 06:50 And that is why we are talking about this 06:52 message today "A new heart and a new life." 06:56 A revival of true Godliness, 06:58 I believe is our most urgent need. 07:00 Because with this, with this work we will begin 07:03 to see the works that God wants to do through us. 07:07 But this can only be done through prayer 07:10 and confession and forsaking of sin. 07:13 It's not a matter of understanding some 07:15 truths, it's not a matter of just understanding 07:17 what the Bible says about being a Christian. 07:20 We have to have this life assimilated into us. 07:23 We need to become like Jesus. 07:27 It's not until we reflect Jesus, not until we are 07:32 showing to the world the love of Christ. 07:34 We will then be able to give the light to the 07:36 world that He has called us to give. 07:40 He wants to work for the world, 07:41 He wants to revive the world, 07:43 He wants to draw the world to Him but does 07:46 the world see Him in us? Does the world see 07:49 the reflection of Christ when they 07:51 look at you and they look at me? 07:53 Or do they see something else. 07:56 It was a revival that prompted the early rain. 07:59 It was a revival that brought the disciples 08:01 together in unity and I believe that same 08:04 revival the Bible tells us it's going to happen. 08:07 Here are the very closing work of time 08:08 and I believe that time is soon. 08:11 That revival will also be a greater, 08:14 in greater proportions then what happened 08:16 in the early church. 08:18 Why do I say greater proportions? 08:20 Because Romans tells us in Romans 5; 08:23 "where sin abounded, grace did much more abound." 08:26 It's not hard to look around the world today 08:28 and see that sin is abounding. 08:30 It's not hard if you look around 08:31 and you see the problems. 08:33 It's not the same world that used to be when 08:35 your grandparents, my grandparents grew up. 08:38 It's not the same place. I'm not saying that the 08:40 world was right then but the world today is 08:43 fast approaching the boundaries of God's grace. 08:47 Because, like Sodom and Gomorrah, 08:49 we are fast coming to an end, and soon, very soon, 08:53 God is going to visit us with His judgments. 08:59 But, how do we change our hearts? 09:01 How is that I can do the works of Christ? 09:04 How is that I can be what Jesus wants me to be? 09:07 Jeremiah 29:13 says it like this; 09:10 "And you shall seek me and find me, 09:14 when you search for me with all your heart." 09:19 You see our part is to seek Christ. 09:22 He is telling us that we need to seek Him but 09:24 He's promising us that when we seek Him we 09:27 will find Him but only, only when we search 09:31 for Him with all our hearts. 09:34 This is what a revival is about. 09:35 This is what the latter rain experience will be about. 09:38 God's people will be together, 09:41 seeking to know God's will, 09:42 seeking to empty themselves of themselves 09:45 and seeking to be filled with Jesus. 09:49 But how does this process happen? 09:51 Here in the Southern states, we watch a very 09:54 interesting process take place each year. 09:59 If you go out in the spring time you will see 10:01 the farmers plowing their fields and they 10:03 will be tilling their fields and in a few 10:05 weeks later you'll see, as the fields are 10:09 tilled and crops are growing. 10:11 You will see little shoots start to grow up. 10:14 Out here in the Midwest, they don't 10:17 have to irrigate the crops because the rain 10:23 comes and as the rain comes, it gives the life 10:24 giving water that makes the seed grow and 10:26 nourishes it through the soil 10:27 and it grows up into a healthy plant. 10:31 It's interesting to note though that it's only in 10:34 the latter part of the year, 10:35 the rains that come, the latter rain as it were, 10:38 that come in the latter part of year. 10:40 Take the plant and it gives it what it needs to 10:43 finally grow and for the grain to finally produce. 10:49 It's the same way with the Christian life. 10:52 Unless we are receiving daily of God's word 10:55 and daily receiving the influences of the Spirit, 10:58 when it come time for the latter 11:00 rain to fall we won't be ready. 11:02 God is telling us that we need to receive 11:04 His word within our hearts, not only in our 11:07 hearts, we need to allow it to change and 11:09 transform us. If the plant does not allow 11:12 the, does not have enough water to grow. 11:15 It's not going to grow to where it can have grain. 11:17 You and I need to grow in our 11:19 spiritual walk with Christ. If we are not to the 11:22 point where He has been able to transform us, 11:25 we will not be to the place where we can 11:26 receive the outpouring of the Holy Spirit 11:29 and finally be changed into the image of Christ. 11:34 We are told that as the dew and the rain are given, 11:38 first to cause the seed to germinate and then to 11:40 ripen the harvest, so the Holy Spirit is given to 11:44 carry forward from one stage to another, 11:47 the process of spiritual growth. 11:49 It's much like what we just talked about with 11:51 the grain and the harvest here in the Southern states. 11:53 The ripening of the grain represents the 11:55 completion of the work of God's grace and the soul. 11:59 By the power of the Holy Spirit, 12:01 the moral image of God is to be 12:03 perfected in the character. We are to be wholly 12:06 transformed into the likeliness of Christ 12:11 To be wholly transformed in the 12:12 likeness of Christ is the work that 12:14 God wants to do in your life today. 12:17 He wants to change you. He wants to make you, 12:20 mold you, shape you into the image of His son. 12:23 But unless the early showers have done their 12:26 work, unless we've received of the early rain, 12:28 when the latter rain comes we will 12:30 not be able to receive it. A plant that is not 12:32 grown and fully matured, will do it no 12:35 good to receive the latter rain, because the 12:38 grain will not be able to be ripened. 12:40 What we need today is the early rain 12:43 I call the revival rain. It is now that we need 12:48 to receive this revival rain in order for us to be 12:51 able to receive the latter rain when it comes. 12:56 But what would this revival do for us? 12:58 I believe that it will bring unity and it will 13:05 change us, as we put on the armor of 13:07 Christ we will become like Him. 13:10 But not until we do this, not until we receive 13:13 from Him and put on His armor, 13:14 well, we will be able to stand in the battle 13:16 that is soon to take place. You see, it was after 13:19 that the disciples were perfectly unified, 13:21 it was after that they were no longer striving 13:23 to see who is gonna be first, 13:25 it was after they had finally decided that 13:27 Jesus Christ was everything to them, 13:30 that the Holy Spirit was able to be poured out. 13:34 But I believe sometimes we've gotten 13:36 the carpet for the horse. Sometimes we realize 13:39 that we need to spread the gospel, 13:41 but we've lost the power that we really need to 13:44 be plugged into the source, 13:46 to be able to do the works of Christ. 13:49 Is it possible that we are just idling 13:51 through the great gospel commission? 13:53 Is it possible that somehow we are 13:55 waiting for someone else to do the job? 13:57 Maybe you are thinking your pastor will do this job. 13:59 Maybe you're waiting for the church to do 14:00 this, but God is calling you to do this work. 14:04 God is asking you to be able to 14:06 allow Him to transform your heart. 14:08 He is asking you to get on your knees today 14:10 and to pray and seek for His 14:13 transforming power in your life. 14:16 Second Corinthians 3:18 says it like this; 14:21 "But we all, with open face, beholding as in a 14:24 glass, the glory of the Lord are changed into 14:27 the same image, from glory to glory, 14:30 even as by the Spirit of the Lord." 14:34 What is happening here? 14:35 The Bible is telling us that we look into a glass 14:39 and as we into this glass we are changed. 14:42 Why is this? Because as we look into this glass, 14:44 we are beholding Jesus Christ and it's 14:47 impossible to behold Jesus Christ 14:49 and not to become changed. No one whoever beheld 14:52 Christ was ever the same again. 14:54 But this isn't something that 14:55 you can only do just once. It's the process that you 14:58 need to do day by day, hour by hour, 15:01 moment by moment you need to keep Christ 15:05 in the center of your thoughts 15:07 and allow Him to control your will. 15:12 You see it's the transformation that He 15:14 wants to do that will fit us 15:16 and prepare us for the latter rain. 15:20 A number of years ago, my wife and I had a 15:23 little planter box outside of our house. 15:27 Every year we would plant pretty little 15:29 flowers and every spring as the flower 15:32 would come, the plants would come and grow, 15:34 we would watch them bloom. 15:37 People would drive by and comment oh, 15:38 I just love those beautiful flowers 15:40 in front of your house. Well, one year we got 15:42 too busy and in the spring time 15:44 we didn't plant flowers that year. 15:47 And it wasn't long before all of a sudden, 15:49 little shoots started to pop-up. 15:51 We were kind of surprised because we 15:52 didn't plant flowers but yet here shoots popping up. 15:56 Well, didn't take us long before we realize 15:58 that these shoots were not 16:00 the product of their ancestors. 16:02 While we were sleeping, while we were 16:05 not doing what God had asked just to do in our 16:08 spiritual life, weeds can grow up. 16:11 Just like in our planter box, weeds had grown up. 16:15 You see it's what you plant and what you 16:18 nourish that's what will grow. 16:20 If you stop feeding yourself on the word of God, 16:23 if you stop taking time to seek Him and to ask 16:27 Him to change you and to transform your life 16:30 soon you will find out that something else has 16:33 taken the place. It's not a hard thing, 16:35 it happens very easily. You can just one day 16:39 neglect to pray, one day neglect to take the time 16:43 to study Him in the morning and pretty 16:46 soon, the next day it's much easier because 16:48 you have forgotten what it was like. 16:52 It's a difficult task, but God is calling us 16:55 to do this work in our lives. 17:01 I believe it's also very important for us to 17:03 guard the kind of food that we eat. 17:05 I don't know about you but I'm very picky 17:07 about the type of food that I eat. 17:09 I want to go to a restaurant where I see 17:11 that the people in the restaurant are wearing 17:14 gloves, because I know if they're wearing 17:15 gloves that their hands at least are going to be 17:17 insulated, if they haven't washed them. 17:19 The food will at least be safe. 17:22 Not only that, but I also want to know that the 17:25 type of the ingredients that they use are good 17:28 ingredients, wholesome ingredients. 17:30 I don't want food that is been spoiled or gone bad. 17:33 And it's the same way in our spiritual life. 17:35 If we do not take the time to pray and ask 17:39 God for the right type of food, we can easily 17:42 start to simulate things that aren't good for us. 17:44 And pretty soon before we know it, 17:47 we develop an appetite for things that maybe 17:49 aren't right for us, that aren't wholesome for us, 17:51 but we think they're okay. 17:53 Because we haven't come to Him and said 17:55 Lord show me what it is you would have me to read. 17:59 What it is you would have me to hear, 18:01 to listen, to think about. Father, teach me your way. 18:06 We can only do this, if you keep our focus on Him. 18:10 Again from the little book Maranatha, 18:12 there is a very interesting quote in page 86, 18:14 it says it like this; "The Holy Spirit will take 18:17 the things of God and show them to you. 18:21 Christ will lead you to the threshold of the Infinite. 18:24 You may behold the glory beyond the veil, 18:27 and reveal to men the sufficiency of Him who 18:30 ever liveth to make intercession for us." 18:35 What's happening here? The author is telling us 18:38 that Jesus wants to pull back the 18:40 curtain as it were, pull back the veil. 18:42 He wants to give us an undimmed view of His glory. 18:46 He wants us to see Him and all of 18:49 his fullness because we do this. 18:52 We like Moses will be changed. 18:54 The Moses came down from the mountain. 18:56 was, had to veil his face because the glory of 19:00 God had shown upon Him. The people could not 19:05 look upon Him from that glory. 19:08 It's the same way with us. The more time that we 19:10 spend with Jesus, the more it will be seen 19:14 and known that we are like Him. 19:17 If you want the world to be changed, 19:19 it's not a matter of what you say, 19:21 but it's also matter of what you do. 19:24 Many professed to believe the Jesus can save us. 19:27 We believe that He can save us from our sins. 19:29 We actually sing song "Jesus saves, 19:31 Jesus saves," But do you really believe, 19:34 do you really believe that He can take a life 19:37 that is sin, sick and totally change His behavior. 19:43 Or do you believe it's just a choice? 19:46 I believe it's a choice to trust in God, 19:48 but I don't believe that you 19:49 and I have the power to do this. 19:51 I believe the man's wisdom can lead us into 19:54 a lot of truth and knowledge, 19:55 but only God can change the sin, sick, soul. 20:02 It's an important question for us to 20:04 think about because unless there is a true 20:07 change, the revival will not take place. 20:12 What do I mean by this? You see it's possible for 20:16 us to have revival and still not have reformation. 20:22 A revival without reformation means nothing. 20:25 You see it's like many times you will see 20:27 people who will go to great lengths to change 20:30 their clothes in order that they look 20:32 appropriate maybe in church. 20:34 They will do many things, they'll change 20:35 their diet, they will change the music they 20:38 listen to, will do all the external things just to 20:41 show often, just to show that they're Christians. 20:45 But does that mean that they're a Christian? 20:48 Think about it for a moment. 20:49 Unless the Holy Spirit is one that's changing 20:52 your desires, it's you that's doing the work. 20:57 If you are the one who is doing the works 21:00 within you, you are not reflecting 21:03 the image of Christ. You are reflecting 21:05 your own image, oh you can deceive people. Many do. 21:09 Often times they look at someone 21:10 and say wow! Look at their life. 21:12 They must be a good Christian, 21:15 it's not for us to know the heart. 21:17 But in time, sometimes a fruit doesn't bear the taste. 21:22 Sometimes the fruit has shown 21:23 that the outward adorning, the outward change as it 21:26 were is not reflective of a new heart. 21:31 Titus 3 verse 5 says it like this; 21:36 "Not by works of righteousness which we 21:38 have done, but according to his mercy 21:42 he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, 21:45 and by renewing of the Holy Ghost." 21:49 You see it's not the works of righteousness 21:51 that you and I can do. It's the works of 21:53 righteous that Christ does within us that changes us. 21:58 And this is why I believe that revival 22:01 has to be tied with reformation. 22:04 A revival has to come first. 22:07 Revival, we are told signifies a renewal of 22:10 the spiritual life. A quickening of the 22:12 powers of the mind and a resurrection 22:15 from the spiritual death. This is what revival does. 22:17 It brings to our senses, to our minds a 22:19 realization that we need to change. 22:21 It causes to realize that we stand 22:24 before God unrighteous. That in our own 22:27 righteousness we only have filthy rags, 22:29 that we need something more, 22:31 that we need the righteousness of Christ. 22:37 But in order for that change to happen, 22:40 something else has to take place. 22:41 It's more than just realizing the need. 22:44 Now you have to allow the spirit to change you. 22:48 Isaiah 55 verse 6 says it like this; 22:51 "Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, 22:54 call on Him while he is near." 22:58 God is telling us that we need to seek Him 23:01 while He is to be found, to call on 23:03 Him while He is near. When we do this, 23:06 this is the first step, because in seeking Him 23:09 we now come to the place where we are 23:11 willing to allow Him to change 23:13 and transform our life. God wants to do this 23:17 work through you, but you have to be willing 23:20 to allow Him to do it through and in you. 23:25 Second Chronicles 7:14 says it like this; 23:29 "If my people, which are called by my name, 23:34 shall humble themselves and pray, 23:36 and seek my face, and turn from their wicked 23:39 ways; then will I hear from heaven, 23:42 and forgive their sin, and heal their land." 23:47 God is saying that if we come to Him 23:51 and we seek His face and we humble 23:52 ourselves before Him that He will heal us, 23:55 that He will change us. And this is where the 23:58 reformation comes into place. 24:00 This is where God will take now and restore us 24:04 into the image of Christ. Revival awakens our 24:06 need. Reformation changes us into the image of Christ. 24:11 It is the reformation that we so desperately need. 24:13 Isaiah 55 says it like this; "Let the wicked 24:17 forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his 24:21 thoughts: and let him return unto the Lord, 24:24 and he will have mercy upon him; and to our 24:26 God, for he will abundantly pardon." 24:31 What is God is telling us? He is telling us that 24:34 if we seek Him, if we forsake the path that 24:38 we've been on, if we are willing to turn around 24:41 that He will changes, He will pardon us, 24:43 but only that, God wants to transform us. 24:47 Forgiveness is always guaranteed 24:49 when we seek God. But God wants to do 24:52 more for us than that. He wants to change us. 24:54 He wants to transform us into the image of His Son. 25:00 It doesn't happen quickly. It's not a hurried prayer. 25:03 It 's not just a quick in the morning; 25:06 thank you God for this day, be with me, 25:08 keep me safe. It's a matter of daily 25:10 seeking God to hear His voice and to know His will. 25:16 But you see it also there is interesting thing to 25:19 realize, there's hindrances to our revival. 25:21 Not long ago, my wife and I took a trip. 25:23 And on this trip we were coming back 25:26 home and as we came back home we looked at 25:28 the map, we planned our route, but as we got 25:32 down the road, we realized 25:34 that we were no longer going home. 25:38 We stop, we had to pull over, we looked at the 25:40 map again, we realized where a road had 25:42 actually made a gentle turn we had gone straight. 25:45 And this can happen in our spiritual life as well. 25:48 Sometimes we don't realize, we become 25:50 disconnected from God and before we know it 25:52 we are down the road, away from Him 25:55 and we are no longer walking with Him. 25:59 What do we have to do? 26:01 We had to stop and we had to turn around. 26:04 In order to get back on the right path, 26:06 we had to stop and we had to turn around. 26:10 The Bible tells us that what will happen to us is this. 26:15 Isaiah 30:21 says it like this; 26:20 "Whether you turn to the right or to the left, 26:23 your ears will hear a voice behind you, 26:25 saying, This is the way; walk ye in it." 26:31 What do we have do? When we pulled off to 26:32 the side of the road, we had to turn around. 26:35 God is telling you when you get off the path, 26:38 there is only one path at least we turn to life, 26:40 but if you get up to the left, 26:41 we get up to the right. God is telling you, 26:44 you will hear a voice behind you saying, 26:46 this is the way, walk you in it. 26:50 God wants us to be on the right path, 26:53 but He knows that often times 26:55 we find it difficult to hear His voice. 26:58 But unless we've spend the time with Him 27:00 we won't know when we've gotten off the wrong path. 27:04 In politics, there is the right-wing 27:06 in the left ring parties. The left is described as 27:10 progressive, the right is conservative. 27:12 But reality is, if you get off on either 27:14 side you are in the ditch. There is only one path 27:17 for you to be on, and that's the path 27:19 that God has called you. Revelation 3:20 says it 27:22 like this; "Behold, I stand at the door, 27:25 and knock: if any man hear my voice, 27:27 and open the door, I will come in to him, 27:30 and sup with him and he with me." 27:34 God is telling you that He is standing at the 27:36 door of your heart. He is knocking. 27:39 He wants to come in. He's asking you please 27:43 open up the door of your heart. 27:45 If you've gotten off the path, listen to the voice. 27:48 Let Him change you, let Him turn you around 27:51 today and set you on the path again. |
Revised 2014-12-17