So, here we are on earth, living. If you are reading this — you’re not dead yet! And God is asking you to repent. God is saying – repent now, before it’s too late to repent. What are you saying back to God?
Let’s look at repentance. What is repentance? Why should I repent? How do I repent? What is not “repentance”? What if I do not repent? What does it look like – to repent?
What is repentance?
Repentance is admitting your sinfulness to God, in a prayer, and turning away from that sinfulness – turning to God. The word image is – stop, turn around, and go the other way.
When we are living for self, without regard to God and His agenda, then we need to stop, turn around, away from “that“ — and actively walk towards God (repent) – actually start following His agenda instead of our own agenda (actually follow Him).
See: Prayer of Repentance
What is not “repentance”?
Words, just words, without “followance“. Words by by themselves, is not repentance.
To be born again, we must turn to Him with more than simple words. We must turn 180 degrees from sin, and accept Him fully as our Lord and Savior. He requires sincerity and truth from our heart. Don’t speak worthless prayers!
“You really think that the God who made you,
THE God of the Universe,
is going to accept just part of you,
a halfhearted commitment to Him?
No way.
A halfhearted plea
— is not what God is listening for.
A heart-felt guiltiness and
sadness because of your sin
— is not repentance.
Raising your hand to say yes to Jesus
— is totally useless without
1) acknowledging Jesus
as the Son of God come to earth in the flesh,
2) genuinely turning away from sin (“repentance”), and
3) truly following Him.”
– Source: No Tolerance for Error
See: Practicing Sin – Not Following Christ
Why should I repent?
When this life is over, and we’ve lived it all for self,
we’ll have nothing in eternity – but self, and self, that’s all:
no good, no joy, no love – no pleasantness again.
For God is good; God is joy; God is love. God is why pleasantness exists.
If all we have is self, and nothing good from God
If all we have is what we generate, and what’s from God is gone
If God gives all that’s good in life, and now He’s gone for good
What misery we’ll have, and nowhere else to go.
There is a place assigned to go where nowhere else exists but there
It’s far from where God’s blessings flow; it’s bad and worse, no good at all.
– Source: There is a place
See: | Jeremiah 7 – Warning to Repent | God’s System of Justice |
How do I repent?
You yield to God, get off the throne of your life, kneel in your heart – and say a prayer of repentance to God, something like:
“Jesus, I do not know you, but by faith
I acknowledge You as God come to earth in the flesh of a man.
I acknowledge to You
that I am a sinner in need of your forgiveness.
I am so far from what You would have me be.
I repent of my past
and ask that You will forgive me.
My desire is to follow You
for the rest of my life.
I bow my heart to you as my Lord and Savior.”
See:
The Gospel of Jesus Christ
Believe in the name of Jesus
What if I do not repent?
Keeping it. Loosing Him. The rich young ruler (Matthew 19:20) kept his one thing that Jesus said was keeping him from faith, and he left Jesus, sad, and still lost in his sins. He lost-out with Jesus.
What’s your problem? What is it for you …keeping you from truly following Christ? A refusal to bow in humbleness? You know. Which one:
Riches which control you,
ego, vanity,
sex outside marriage,
rebelliousness, pride, fame, power,
self-centeredness, willfulness…?
Keep it and you stay under condemnation
[separated from the grace of God]
– on the path that leads to destruction.
(Original paragraph found in How Much Is …Enough?)
See: Me When I Die …still in sin
What does it look like – to repent?
“The only opt-in Christ will accept – is a 100% opt-in… total surrender, total repentance, total acknowledgement of Him as Christ the Messiah, total life submission to Him as Lord, total followance.”
– From the OMGjesus article: Ashamed of Yourself?
It’s not about
how much you’ve sinned,
or
how much you sin after salvation.
The Apostle Paul himself is “what it looks like – to repent”:
“Here’s a word you can take to heart and depend on:
Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners.
I’m proof—Public Sinner Number One—
of someone who could never have made it apart from sheer mercy.
And now he shows me off—evidence of his endless patience—
to those who are right on the edge of trusting him forever.”
– 1 Timothy 1:15-16 MSG
Repenting is: yielding your will to God in sincerity and truth
“Salvation is all about the penalty of sin, and what God requires of us to be made free of the penalty. It’s not about how much you’ve sinned, or how much you sin after salvation. God requires sincerity and truth.
The faker, false inside his soul, was never born again and has yet to yield the knee. Still lost and broken, the faker “christian” is a hollow suit, not who he claims to be. His issue is not “sin” or “sins”. The issue for all who birthed from a womb, is: yielding your will to God in sincerity and truth. (Galatians 6:7-8; 1 Corinthians 5:8)
God wants all of me, not some fraction. And fakers fake, giving fractions. At least the transparent Godless sinner is honest about being a sinner! The faker is, well, the biggest loser in the end… because he/she “thought” they were just fine.”
– Source: Before a good cup a’ Joe
If we have been sincere and truthful in our repentance with God, then our life will surely show it.
“…do this well,
fearless in your struggle,
keeping a firm grip
on your faith
and
on yourself.
After all,
this is a fight we’re in….”
– 1 Timothy 1:15-20 MSG
FOR MORE:
So, here we are on earth, living. If you are reading this — you’re not dead yet! And God is asking you to repent. God is saying – repent now, before it’s too late to repent. What are you saying back to God?
_____________
1 Corinthians 1:17-25 “…the simple message of the cross of Christ.“
Does saying a “sinners prayer” save one from going to hell?
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