Isaiah 1:16 Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean; put away the evil of your doings from before My eyes. Cease to do evil.
Yesterday, we addressed the subject of godly sorrow which is a human emotion that is the result of the conviction of the Holy Spirit when we understand that we have offended God and failed Him. It is overwhelming sadness, shame, guilt, and grief due to the sin in our lives.
God has a Divine Order for everything. In 2 Corinthians 7:10, we read God’s Order for Salvation. For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to Salvation. Here we see the three-step process to be Saved. It begins by hearing the Word of God and the Gospel of Christ. So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God. (Romans 10:17) Once a person hears the Word and believes that Jesus died for them, they will come under the conviction of the Holy Spirit and experience godly sorrow.
Godly sorrow produces repentance. Most people believe repentance means to confess your sins. While this is true it is only the beginning. Repentance is the total surrender of one’s self to God. The Greek word for repentance is metanoeo. It means to change your mind; to think differently. This is why Paul wrote I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the Mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect Will of God. (Romans 12:1-2)
To repent is to turn from your sin and evil ways and turn to God. It is an about-face in life. As the Greek meaning says, it means to change your mind and to think differently and when we think differently, we act differently. Repentance is one’s willingness to turn your back on the world and seek God and His Kingdom with all your heart.
When people hear the Gospel preached and they believe it, they will experience godly sorrow. They will then be led to repentance because they want to be Saved. The problem is, they do not fully understand repentance. They want to be Saved and spend eternity in Heaven, but they don’t want to turn from the world and change. They want to remain the same; continue to live in sin and be Saved at the same time. This is not God’s Divine Order for Salvation. Again, the Word says, For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to Salvation.
To repent is to seek transformation in your own life. The Holy Spirit is capable of doing this and He wants to change us, but until we give Him permission and want it ourselves, we will be stuck in the godly sorrow stage of this process.
Therefore, repentance is to allow the Holy Spirit to transform and renew our minds. Repentance is to die to self and throw yourself on the Altar to be a living sacrifice to God. It means total surrender to God and His Kingdom. We can ONLY do this when we place our faith in the Finished Work of Jesus on the Cross of Calvary.
The Lord God spoke through the Prophet Isaiah and said Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean; put away the evil of your doings from before My eyes. Cease to do evil. (Isaiah 1:16) We have been washed by the Blood of Jesus. Now let us resolve in our hearts to cease to do evil. This, my friends, is repentance.
Turn from your sin and God will……….turn the tide……….in your life!
Praise God! Doreen
www.bettsministries.org
