March 28 2026, Saturday teachings

The devil deceives. You are tossed to and fro, carried about by every wind of doctrine and by the cunning craftiness of men. You are pushed and pulled in different directions because you lack the knowledge of your identity—your rights as a child of God.

But as a student of the Word of God, you must understand this truth. That is why, at this moment, you are going to pray.

Our prayer is for the strengthening of the spirit man—that you may rise spiritually, hear the voice of God clearly, and understand it.

Whatever burden is upon your heart—anything that weighs you down, distracts you, or competes with God’s presence—even the inner noise and confusion within your heart—now is the time to lift it up before the Lord.

Open your mouth and present yourself before Him.

For every noise within your heart, ask the Lord to silence it.
Let every distraction be stilled.

So that only His voice will reign in your heart at this moment.
So that you will hear Him alone.
So that His voice will dominate, overshadow, and fill your heart—bringing healing and peace to your soul.

For salvation begins with the forgiveness of sin.

And reconciliation—bringing man back into right relationship with God—is essential. These three things are necessary, because without them, there is no validation of salvation. Your salvation cannot be confirmed without them.

The validation and justification of anyone’s salvation begins with one foundation: repentance.

Repentance comes first.

It is the key factor, because without repentance, the others cannot follow. God will not forgive where there is no repentance. And if there is no forgiveness, there can be no peace. Without peace, there is no reconciliation with God.

Yes, the Lord Jesus is the mediator—but He mediates on behalf of those who have repented. Repentance is a decision of the heart: to change, to turn away from sin, and to begin a new life.

So, what does repentance really mean? What does it stand for?

That is what we will be looking at today.

But before we continue, we have people joining from different regions—EMEA (Europe, the Middle East, and Africa), the Americas, and Asia. Wherever you are, you know your region.

We would like to hear from one person in each area to briefly share what was covered during the week, so we can understand where everyone is.

Sister Nice, let’s start with you—what did you learn during the week?

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Now, understand this:

When the Spirit of God speaks, it does not come to your ears alone, nor does it depend on your intellect. It reaches deeper—it speaks to your spirit.

It does not come to your brain. That is why your intellect is not the primary instrument in the things of God. When the message of the gospel comes, it is not dependent on eloquent speech or human wisdom.

You do not rely on your intellect to grasp spiritual truth.

In the realm of the gospel, human knowledge and personal wisdom are insufficient. What you know, by natural understanding, cannot carry you far in the things of God. For the Lord uses what seems foolish in this world to confound the wise—so He is not dependent on human intelligence.

Are you following this? Are you truly understanding?

What God works with is the heart.

We have already seen the importance of the heart. When God tests a person, He tests the heart. When He led the Israelites through the wilderness, it was to reveal what was in their hearts—their true condition.

Your heart is everything.

What distinguishes one person from another is not merely their mind, but their heart.

Within the heart lies:

• Courage
• Boldness
• Fear
• Doubt

All of these reside in the heart.

So when a heart has been polluted or corrupted by sin, the evidence of that corruption is fear. A fearful heart reveals a weakened spiritual state.

This is why Scripture says that God has not given us the spirit of fear.

When fear is present, it is not neutral—it carries consequences.

When you read in Revelation 21, you see that the fearful, the unbelieving, and all who live in falsehood are listed among those who will not inherit the kingdom of God. This shows how serious fear is.

So understand this: a life dominated by fear cannot enter the kingdom of God. It is not possible.

And where does fear come from? It comes from the heart.

I remember an experience one day. I was in a vehicle when suddenly there was a problem with the hood. Everyone in the car began to panic and shout out of fear. There was confusion everywhere.

But one young man beside me reacted differently.

While everyone else was panicking, he remained calm and began to speak in a completely different way. I stayed quiet and observed him. What he said stayed with me.

He looked at those who were afraid and questioned their fear. To him, there was no need to panic. His reasoning was simple: whether you are afraid or not, life still runs its course.

You fear death—but fear does not stop it.
You refuse to fear—but life still continues as it will.

So he asked, what is the point of fear?

That moment revealed something powerful: fear is not always about circumstances—it is about the condition of the heart.

Fear is not always something you consciously choose—it often already exists within the heart.

You see it in everyday life. People are afraid to take risks. Afraid to step out, even in practical matters. Afraid to invest, afraid to try, because they do not want to lose what they have.

That is fear.

What separates people, on the physical level, is that some push past that fear and act with courage. But when we bring this into the spiritual realm, it becomes even more serious.

You find that:

• You are afraid to pray, especially at night
• You are afraid to share the gospel with others
• You hesitate because of “what ifs”

What if they reject you?
What if they insult you?
What if something goes wrong?

Nothing has even happened—but your mind is already filled with fear.

What if your spouse leaves you?
What if things don’t work out?

These thoughts come from within—that is the issue.

Fear is one of the primary tools the devil uses to hold a person captive, especially a child of God.

Because the moment fear takes hold, power is lost.

Fear weakens you.
Fear neutralizes the power of God in your life.
It suppresses the anointing.

Where there should be boldness, authority, and spiritual strength, fear shuts it down.

So understand this clearly: fear destroys the effectiveness of a child of God.

And where is this fear rooted? In the heart.

That is why the condition of the heart is so important.

Now, to understand this better, we are going to look at two passages of Scripture.

Now, we are going to look at two passages of Scripture.

First, let us turn to the Book of Numbers—Numbers chapter 13. We will read from verse 25 down to about verse 32.

Then, we will also read from 1 Samuel chapter 17, beginning from around verse 20 to about verse 38.

Let’s start with the first passage: Numbers chapter 13, from verse 25.

Please open your Bibles and follow along. Have we all found it? Are we there? Good.

Let’s continue.

After forty days of exploring the land, the men returned to Moses, Aaron, and the entire congregation of Israel in the wilderness of Paran, at Kadesh. They brought back a report and showed them the fruit of the land.

They said, “We went into the land to which you sent us, and truly it flows with milk and honey—and this is its fruit.”

“And this is the fruit of it,” they said. “Nevertheless, the people who dwell in the land are strong, and the cities are fortified and very large. Moreover, we saw the descendants of Anak there. The Amalekites dwell in the south, the Hittites, Jebusites, and Amorites dwell in the mountains, and the Canaanites dwell by the sea and along the Jordan.”

You see, their report already began to stir fear.

But then Caleb quieted the people before Moses. He calmed them down and said, “Let us go up at once and take possession of the land, for we are well able to overcome it.”

However, the other men who went with him said, “We are not able to go up against these people, for they are stronger than we are.”

Do you see the difference in their reports?

They all went to the same place. They saw the same things. Caleb was there with them. Yet one person saw differently from the others.

The others looked at the situation through the natural, focusing on size, strength, and obstacles. But Caleb saw through spiritual eyes—he was not focused on appearances or limitations.

These men focused on what they could see. They looked at the size of the people and even began to name them one by one:

“The Amalekites are there… the Hittites are there… the Amorites are there… this nation is here, that nation is there…”

And their conclusion was fear:

“Therefore, we cannot go.”
“We cannot take the land.”

This is the same mindset many have today:

“They said don’t preach in the workplace.”
“They said don’t speak about Christ here.”
“They said don’t do this, don’t do that…”

So fear holds them back.

But another person sees the same situation differently and says:

“Even in that place—that is where it is even more important to preach the name of the Lord.”

Do you see the difference?

It is the heart.

Those who shrink back already have hearts gripped with fear, and their report reveals what is inside them.

That is why the heart is so important.

Tell me—can God work with a fearful heart?

It is not possible.

True repentance begins in the heart. Transformation starts there.

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Now, let us turn to the second passage: 1 Samuel chapter 17.

We begin from verse 20:

“And David rose early in the morning, left the sheep with a keeper, took what his father had given him, and went as Jesse had commanded. He came to the camp as the army was going out to fight, shouting for battle.

For Israel and the Philistines had drawn up their armies—army against army.”

“And David left his supplies in the care of the keeper and ran to the army. He came and greeted his brothers.

As he was speaking with them, suddenly the champion of the Philistines appeared—Goliath by name—coming out from their ranks. He spoke the same defiant words, and David heard him.

And when all the men of Israel saw the man, they fled from him and were greatly afraid.”

Do you see that?

Their reaction revealed their hearts. Fear took hold of them, and they ran.

The men of Israel said, “Have you seen this man who has come up? Surely he has come to defy Israel. And it shall be that the man who kills him, the king will reward with great riches, give him his daughter, and make his family free in Israel.”

Then David spoke to the men standing by him and asked, “What shall be done for the man who kills this Philistine and removes this disgrace from Israel? For who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?”

“…and remove this disgrace from Israel. For who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?”

The people answered him, “So shall it be done to the man who kills him.”

Let’s pause here. We don’t need to read the rest to understand the point. You can already see the difference in heart.

While all the men of Israel were running in fear, David was stirred within. His spirit was vexed. He was angry. “Who is this uncircumcised Philistine,” he thought, “that he dares to defy the armies of the living God?”

The heart is what made the difference.

Now, imagine yourself in that moment. Where would you stand? Would you run with the others, or would you stand and face the giant?

Remember how tall Goliath was—nothing less than ten feet. Standing before him, you had to look up three times your own height. Even the strongest and most muscular would have been intimidated. But the fear of the men was not just about height; it was spiritual. Goliath was a champion, a warrior who had fought and won many battles.

Yet David was not afraid. Why? Because his heart was different. His heart was new, clean, and receptive. It was a heart prepared and repentant, ready for God’s use. He had been tested before, and the Lord had already equipped him. That is why he could stand while others ran.

Fear is what paralyzes most, but a heart aligned with God sees beyond giants.

He was not looking at the sides. He was not distracted by the obstacles around him.

You see, when your heart is changed—when it has truly repented—you no longer focus on the size of the problem. You don’t get weighed down by the load, the storm, or the challenges of life. Those things no longer control you. That’s what happens when the heart is transformed through repentance. The heart changes, and with it, your perspective changes.

Problems in life will no longer sway your words, your attitude, or your faith. Even if today you were to lose everything, if someone tells you, “Praise the Lord,” would you still be able to respond with “Hallelujah”? At first, maybe not. You might pause, wondering why you should praise Him, what reason there is to give thanks in such circumstances. That’s the natural response of the untested heart.

But a heart that is renewed through God responds differently. Every time you praise the Lord, it comes naturally—no hesitation, no doubt. You can jump, shout, and celebrate because your heart is anchored in Him, not in your circumstances.

Look at Job’s story. Everything he had was taken away. His trials were real. But his heart was tested—and even in the midst of immense loss, his faith and devotion endured. Life’s challenges can strike anyone, at any time. It’s not about what happens to you; it’s about the condition of your heart.

The heart is where everything begins. If your heart is fully surrendered and unshakable, nothing—no loss, no fear, no trial—can stop you.

Look at it physically: whatever a person commits to in their heart, they will act on. That’s what the Lord observed in Genesis 11, with the story of the tower of Babel. The people united with one vision in their hearts—they wanted to build a tower to reach heaven. They were not discouraged; they started working toward it. Whatever your heart is committed to, you will pursue it.

Do you realize that if you decide you want to beat the fastest runner, it can be done—not by your legs, but by your heart? Endurance comes from the heart. It’s not the strength of your limbs, but the resolve in your spirit. The moment your heart gives up, your body falters. Your legs grow heavy, your head feels weighed down, and you can’t continue. That’s why a change of heart is so critical.

When your heart is truly transformed, punctured with conviction, or aligned with God, you can make a decision and stand firm. But if your heart is poisoned or corrupted, you will struggle to follow through. The devil knows this secret, so he attacks the heart. Sin is like a spiritual virus—it pollutes the heart, weakens your spiritual immune system, and makes it hard to commit to God.

That’s why some people come to altar calls repeatedly. They surrender their lives to Christ, but because their hearts are not fully changed, they return to their old ways. They keep giving their lives to Christ over and over, yet the true transformation never takes root—because the heart is not fully aligned.

Yet, no change occurs. That’s why we say true salvation is the repentance of the heart. We’ve been talking about the heart all week, and now we want to focus on repentance—what it really means.

So, what is repentance? Simply put, repentance means to change. To truly repent, something must cause that change. Just like in physics, where an object will remain at rest until something acts on it, your heart will remain the same until it is moved—something must act on it, something must affect it.

Spiritually, that “something” is an encounter with the Lord. Think of Paul on the road to Damascus—his life was transformed because he met Jesus. That encounter brought the change. Repentance is a heart that responds to that encounter, a heart that turns away from its old ways.

Many things can trigger this change. Life experiences, events, or circumstances often lead a person to decide to turn back to God. For example, a serious illness may bring someone to their knees, crying out, “Lord, if you spare my life, I will serve You faithfully with everything I have left.” That moment of confrontation, that encounter with reality, can spark true repentance and a transformed heart.

Or perhaps you’ve had an accident—maybe you broke your hand, or your leg was injured, and suddenly you realize you can’t do the things you used to do. Because of that, you decide to change your lifestyle. For instance, you stop going to clubs and instead start attending church. That’s change—real, visible change.

I remember my own example. I was involved in a car accident while living with my father. After my life was spared, one of the changes I made was to stop drinking beer. To this day, I don’t drink beer. It wasn’t about alcohol in general—just that one specific habit. That was the “takeaway” from that life event. You can decide to stop a certain behavior because of a circumstance, but that doesn’t necessarily mean a total transformation has taken place.

Stopping beer doesn’t automatically make you stop lying, for example. Some habits may still be very much alive, even if you’ve changed one area of your life. You might quit one thing out of fear, consequence, or convenience, but other parts of your heart remain untouched.

For instance, a doctor might tell you your lungs are damaged from smoking. You might quit smoking, not because you desire holiness or eternal life, but simply because you don’t want to die. You give up one behavior, but other sinful tendencies may still be active in your life.

True repentance and heart transformation go beyond reacting to circumstances—they change the root, not just one branch of your life.

You didn’t stop smoking because you wanted to go to heaven—you stopped because you didn’t want to die. That’s a change, but it’s often driven by life events. Some of you are here today because of a circumstance in your life. Maybe your boyfriend or girlfriend broke up with you, and in the midst of that depression, someone preached to you. You didn’t want to stay stuck in that sadness, so you decided to come and listen. That’s why you are here. If that breakup hadn’t happened, maybe you wouldn’t have come. In the middle of that pain and tears, God brought change. Praise the Lord. Hallelujah.

Sometimes change comes through life events—something happens that shakes you, and it leads you to decide, “I need to change.” Other times, change comes through the anointing of God working through a pastor or spiritual leader. You hear the message, see their example, and it moves you: “I want to be like this man of God.” And yes, some people even start to emulate outwardly—dressing similarly, copying hairstyles, shoes, or attire—simply because that influence sparked a desire to change. That’s also a form of transformation.

Finally, change can come directly through the gospel. When the truth of God’s Word is revealed to you, it exposes your heart. I remember a young man who shared that one night he was in a club. In the midst of the loud music, the heat, and the crowd, God opened his eyes. Suddenly, he saw himself clearly—what he was doing, what he had been participating in—and he was shaken. His body trembled, he began to shiver, and he cried out, “My God! Is this what I’ve been doing?”That moment changed him. He ran out of that place, leaving it all behind, because the gospel had struck his heart.

Change comes in different ways—through life events, through the influence of godly examples, and through the power of the gospel—but all of it points to one truth: your heart must be touched and moved for real transformation to occur.

He ran out, and I believe nothing could have made him stay in that place. That moment was God working through the gospel. It was the Lord who revealed the truth to him. The Lord exposed what he was doing—that is the power of the gospel, the message of God. When your eyes are opened by God’s Word, or when someone preaches the truth to you, you begin to understand the mysteries of the kingdom and the reality of the afterlife. At that moment, you decide, “No, I will change, so I don’t end up in destruction.” That is the essence of repentance.

So when we talk about repentance, our focus is not just on outward actions or temporary decisions—it is on the heart. This is why we speak of gospel repentance. Gospel repentance is the repentance that comes from the message of God. It is not optional; it is essential.

Gospel repentance is a law, a principle, a gate—the very first principle of the kingdom of God. It is the first law, the first rule, the first righteousness required to enter the kingdom. In other words, it is the first gate you must pass through to inherit the kingdom of God.

If you say you want to enter the kingdom, it is not enough to simply raise your hand or make a surface-level decision. The first requirement is repentance. Anyone who is not repentant has no place in God’s kingdom. Repentance is the first gate, the first rule, the first law—the initial righteousness—through which every believer must pass.

The kingdom of God is like a journey from point A to point Z, and along this journey, there are gates—spiritual gates, spiritual checkpoints. Just as when you travel by plane, you encounter gates at the airport, so the kingdom has gates too.

At an airport gate, what happens? They check your documents, verify your credentials, and make sure you are allowed to board. They don’t just hand out food and let you celebrate—there’s a process, a verification. In the same way, the first gate of the kingdom of God functions as a spiritual border control. Your credentials are checked.

This is why I say righteousness matters. Your righteousness provides your credentials to enter the kingdom. These credentials are like travel documents or a passport. When you genuinely repent, God issues the certification of your repentance. It records the day and moment you turned from your old ways and committed your life to Him.

However, if you backslide and fail to return, it’s as if that certificate is withdrawn. You no longer carry the credentials necessary to pass through the gate. When your time on earth expires, these spiritual credentials—your repentance, your salvation, your deeds—are what will stand before God. They are proof that you have fulfilled the first righteousness, the first requirement, to enter His kingdom.

To be born again and enter the kingdom of God, you must pass through this gate. Gospel repentance is the key. Without it, the kingdom remains closed to you. It is the first law, the first rule, and the first righteousness you must fulfill to truly be part of God’s kingdom.