4-6-20 Lord, I Repent

Hi Friends,

     If you were driving down the highway and realized you were going the wrong way, what would you do? Turn around, right?! That’s what repentance is all about. Listen:

“Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord.” Ac 3:19 NIV

     We all want peace and joy in our lives and for things to somehow work to our benefit, yet we are ignoring the most important and vital part of being able to have that kind of life. We are forgetting The Creator of Life. Since God is the Maker of life as we know it, only God gets to say how it should function in a healthy way. In a way indeed where every human who follows His Plan, can have this amazing life we all desire. This doesn’t mean life is going to be easy, but it does mean it’s going to be fulfilling in spite of the challenges. And it is only as we surrender to God’s Plan that we can have this Abundant Life where peace and joy become our reality no matter what is going on around us. Because the key to this kind of life is not what’s going on around us, but what’s going on inside us. 

     Be aware. Let’s think about that example about driving down a major highway but going the wrong way. The first trick to make sure we are going where we want to go is to be aware that we are going the wrong way. If we don’t realize this, we will simply keep going further and further from our intended goal. This is one of the reasons God allows us to have those “negative” emotions that we experience. When we get frustrated, when we are confused, when we feel depressed, stressed, angry, hopeless…all of these are meant to signal us that something is not going right. The moment we become aware of these unpleasant emotions, this should signal us to turn around because we are about to go the wrong way. Instead of heading towards peace and joy and goodness, we are about to go down a road of wrong decisions if we act on those negative emotions. We need to turn around and come back to God. We need to repent.

     There are many reasons why we may be experiencing those negative emotions and one is certainly that we have unresolved sin in our lives. Since Pride is the root of all evil, its opposite, Humility, is always the solution that will lead us to righteousness. We need to humbly examine our hearts and pray for God to reveal any immorality within us, then work with Him to correct it. Repentance begins with being aware that we are not following God’s Holy Will, and then it leads to us letting go of that sinful habit and learning to act according to our New Nature in Christ. The more we choose to admit we are far from perfect and desperately need God to change us, the more humble we will be and the more like Jesus we become. While our identity has changed from “sinner” to “saint,” we still behave in sinful ways. This is why it is vital that we work with the Holy Spirit in this transformation process we call Sanctification. 

     A saint is NOT someone who is perfect. A saint is someone who has The Perfect One living inside of us. While God has changed our name, has given us a New Identity, we still have to change the way we think, feel and what we desire. This New Creation nature of ours is not sinless, but as we transform, we sin less. Because Christ is in us, everything about us must become refined so that we can be more and more like Him. That means repenting of our lingering sins. Once we become aware that we have this sin within us, we cannot allow that old nature attitude to rule over us anymore. Jesus is now our Lord, not our old Self. And so we repent, we turn towards God, AND we turn away from that old way of thinking, feeling and wanting. That old way of living by “I think, I feel, I want” must transform into “God thinks, God feels, God wants.” 

     Again, God is the One Who created Life so only God gets to say how it supposed to work for everyone’s benefit. As we let go of sin and pursue holiness, everyone wins: God is glorified, others are blessed and we are fulfilled. Anything less results in the chaotic, self-centered, corrupt world that we see before us. Repentance is a holy state of being and, if you have surrendered your life to Jesus and are now a saint, then this is a HUGE part of the Abundant Life which will give us all we truly ever desired to have. This type of Life gives us the true Love of our Creator. It opens the door for us to belong to God’s Forever Family where we can love and be loved. It gives us an eternal security that nothing and no one can take from us. (Ro 8:39) These are the greatest things our hearts long for, My Friends: to be loved, to belong and to be secure. As we choose to live according to God’s Plan, forsaking our own fumbling ways, this is exactly what we get!

     Repentance is a topic that is sadly not talked about enough, my Friends, but it is as vital for a fulfilling life as breathing is. Let’s spend this week, especially given what we are currently experiencing in the world, reflecting on what’s going on inside of us. Let’s examine the things we need to let go of, and turn to God to help us form new, righteous habits so our “sins may be wiped out,” and so we will reflect Him more and more. If you truly want to have “times of refreshing,” I hope you will sincerely pray this bold and powerful prayer with me:

“Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way of everlasting.” Ps 139:23-24

Until we meet again, keep lifting your eyes to God, He’s closer than you think.

<>< Peace, Diane