Repentance

As I read prayer requests and talk to women on Tuesdays at NewSpring, one of the things I have begun to really think about is the need for repentance.

Too many times we pray, God forgive my sins, but we never really do business with God about SPECIFIC sins. That can be the very reason so many people ask Jesus into their hearts but don't walk away from a life of sin. That was the case in my own life for many years. I KNEW what the sins were but it was almost like I didn't want to let them go because they had been part of my life for so long.

You're going along fine and then you commit that same old sin and then you feel bad and you say God I'm so sorry, please forgive me and then the cycle is later repeated. The reason it is repeated is because there is no repentance.

Repentance is NOT saying I'm sorry or I messed up or even I sinned. The Greek word matanoeo that is translated repent means to changes one's mind or purpose. Saying I'm sorry doesn't mean I have a change of mind or purpose. It may just mean oops, I got caught or I am just feeling guilty because I know it was wrong.

Paul says repentance comes from "godly sorrow"; that recognition that I have done something that is such an affront to a holy God, I cannot conceive of doing it again. Thus my mind is changed by the power of the Holy Spirit as He convicts me of sin so that I agree with God about how horrible my sin is and I begin to take every thought captive so that I can be obedient to Christ.

Jesus' first sermon was "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.". The book of Revelation is full of Jesus telling people to repent or the consequences of not repenting. (2:5, 16, 21, 22; 3:3, 19; 9:20, 21; 16:9, 11) In the Old and New Testaments combined repent and repentance are used 67 times. Even something that is repeated 2 or 3 times means pay attention to this so this tells me repentance is pretty important to God.

Lord God, help me to truly repent of my sins, to have a change of mind about my thoughts and actions so that my life might glorify You.