Repentance

Definition of Repentance – The action of repenting; sincere regret or remorse; to change one’s mind; to turn away. Example: “Each person who turns to God in genuine repentance and faith will be saved.” Synonyms: remorse, contrition, contriteness, penitence, regret, ruefulness, remorsefulness, shame, guilt.

As a woman of God who represents the Lord on a cultural forefront, misrepresenting God is one of my biggest fears. There were times when I would get in the flesh or would knowingly be disobedient to Jehovah. My guilt and shame would oppress me harshly. The fact that I was a woman of God consciously sinning while ministering, and “supposedly” leading people to God, made my downfall worse. I would ask myself, “Why have you done that?” “What kind of Christian are you?”, and “What will people say?”

The thoughts of how I failed as a Christian would replay in my head over and over again, eating my soul alive. I would be so filled with guilt, shame, and failure because I knew that I knew better. And still, I failed. What I didn’t realize was that repentance is not a one-time deal. It is not something that you can only use once. Repentance is your spirit crying out to the Lord, and whenever it does, it is your choice as a person to go to Him and ask for forgiveness, period. Faith is crucial in this endeavor. We have to believe that He will forgive all our sins and cleanse us so that we can move forward with a clear conscience.

This is not just for Christians. Repentance is for all people. You may or may not believe that Jesus Christ is Lord. However, you can repent today. You first have to let go of being your own god, relying on your own goodness. You then receive Jesus’ righteousness by faith. You receive His goodness and let Him transform you into a brand new creation. You believe that He has paid the price to make you clean in God’s sight. He has paid the price to make you a son of God. Jesus Christ is the only and true way to salvation for your soul. Baal is not a god that forgives; Allah is not a god that forgives; no other god will forgive your sins and clear your conscience. There is only one that can do these things and that is the Lord Jesus Christ.

As previously stated, repentance is not a one-time event. I believe that it is because of what it means to repent. While there will be certain emotions that will come forth in genuine repentance, the key is to want change. True repentance leads to change. It is not just feeling sorry when we fall, and it is certainly not asking God for forgiveness in a flippant way. So I encourage all of you as well as myself. When we feel a need to repent, let’s do so in faith in Jesus. He will forgive you and push you forward into His righteous path.

We as Christians don’t do things perfectly, but every day should be a day that we strive to walk like Jesus. Having the heart to repent when we don’t walk like Him is a blessing because when we no longer feel the need to repent of our sins and move forward in life with no moral conscience, we are in big trouble. That is what makes us different from satan himself: The ability to repent. So many people refuse to repent and make a choice to live like satan, doing what they want without a moral conscience. So let’s strive to walk in humility. It is a blessing to have a tender and contrite heart. It is the first step to holy change.

My heart goes out to those individuals that continue to fight against Jehovah and refuse to repent; you will forever be in my prayers. You are the people that make a difference between good and evil, and I am confident that the Lord wants you to do good and be blessed by it. Repenting is the key to your salvation and everyone’s salvation for that matter. It is the first step to being born again. Without repentance, you will continue to live in sin: fornicating, living a life of homosexuality, lying, stealing, manipulating and any other path you take in life that does not line up with the will of Jehovah God. I encourage you to come to repentance, and I will continue to pray for your salvation.

For those that are ready to repent, continue to seek the kingdom of God, and continue to strive towards being like Jesus. The Lord will meet you where your desires are and bless your efforts!