For everyone has sinned; we all fall
short of God’s glorious standard.
Romans 3:23 New Living Translation (NLT)
Repentance – the action of repenting; sincere regret or remorse. It’s being sorry.
To rearrange your thinking, feeling, and being in order to forsake that which is wrong. To turn from sin with God’s help and seek a new direction.
“Therefore, tell the people of Israel, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Repent and turn away from your idols, and stop all your detestable sins.’”
Ezekiel 14:6 (NLT)
“Therefore, I will judge each of you, O people of Israel, according to your actions, says the Sovereign Lord. Repent, and turn from your sins. Don’t let them destroy you!”
Ezekiel 18:30 (NLT)
“…and if that nation I warned repents of its evil, then I will relent and not inflict on it the disaster I had planned.”
Jeremiah 18:8 New International Version (NIV)
“The Redeemer will come to Zion, to those in Jacob who repent of their sins,” declares the LORD.
Isaiah 59:20 (NIV)
He [John] went into all the country around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. As it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet: “A voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him. Every valley shall be filled in, every mountain and hill made low. The crooked roads shall become straight, the rough ways smooth. And all people will see God’s salvation.’”
Luke 3:3-6 (NIV)
John’s clothes were made of camel’s hair, and he had a leather belt around his waist. His food was locusts and wild honey. People went out to him from Jerusalem and all Judea and the whole region of the Jordan. Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River.
Matthew 3:4-6 (NIV)
Early in my Christian walk, I committed the same sin over and over again. Every time, I’d cry afterward, but would eventually sin again. I was caught in a vicious cycle, one that quite frankly, I didn’t want to stop because I enjoyed that particular sin.
As I continued walking with Christ, the Holy Spirit convicted me for that sin. One day, I asked myself if I enjoyed the sin more than I loved the Lord. My answer was a resounding “NO.” Although I wanted to stop sinning, I didn’t have the strength within my flesh to do so. I cried out to the Lord, confessing my sin and repented. It’s important to note that even after I repented, the desire for that particular sin remained. However, I now had a new-found, greater desire and determination to walk holy before the Lord.
Aretha Grant, “How to Repent: 4 Steps for True Biblical Repentance,” Crosswalk.com, Oct. 16, 2019
Repentance is a serious business and should be entered into gravely, with a sincere heart. You should be seeking a renewed heart and mind. The Holy Spirit strengthens us and helps us through the repentance process. But before we can repent, we must acknowledge we are wrong, that we are sinners. To repent, we must:
Have godly sorrow for our sin
Confess our sin
Turn from sin (with God’s help)
Choose holiness every day