 Don’t know about you, but the word repentance brings to mind doomsday movies with some deranged-looking man standing on a city street corner holding a sign and shouting out to all,
“It’s the end! Repent now!” Some may believe it’s a word whose meaning has lost its use in our do-as-you-please, everything’s ok if it makes you happy culture. Current belief, even among some Christians, is that if you say you’re sorry, God forgives you, and all is well—until the next time. But God knows your heart. He knows if you’re giving him lip service or if you’re sick at heart over your misdeed. If we’re honest with ourselves, we’ve all given Him lip service, knowing full well we’ll repeat the offence. The Lord says: “These people come near to me with their mouths and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship of me is based on merely human rules they have been taught.” Isaiah 29:13 (NIV). True repentance is a matter of the heart. We do something we know we shouldn’t, and we ask for forgiveness because, in our hearts, we know we’ve done something unacceptable in God’s eyes. We’ve caused harm to others and ourselves. True repentance causes a heart change. Our souls ache because in our spirit, we know we have rebelled against God and done something contrary to what He has spoken to us in His word. Repent means to turn around. Go in the opposite direction. Once we are Christ followers, we are constantly being changed to become more Christ-like—not by our own strength or works, but by the Holy Spirit’s work in us. Yes, we may slip, but we can’t live joyfully in sin because the Holy Spirit will not allow us to be joyful and content while we live in disobedience. Instead, conviction becomes our constant companion. When we find ourselves in that place, God’s grace is there as well—The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, a broken and contrite heart—these, O God, you will not despise. Psalm 51:17 (NIV). It is not always easy to get ourselves out of the situation; sometimes we have entrenched ourselves in sin. But nothing is impossible for God. And when we turn to Him for help, He will give us a way out and the strength to follow through. We come to Him with all our mess, and He takes us into His arms because He is good and loves us more than we can ever comprehend. If the Holy Spirit has brought an area of disobedience to mind as you read, don’t ignore His gentle nudge. Surrender it to God, receive His forgiveness, and ask Him to help you turn and walk in His ways.
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