Saturday, September 13, 2008

“It is time to Repent”



True repentance is done freely. We don’t repent just when someone else has found you out or discovered your sin.

1 John 1:9 If we [freely] admit that we have sinned and confess our sins, He is faithful and just (true to His own nature and promises) and will forgive our sins [dismiss our lawlessness] and [continuously] cleanse us from all unrighteousness [everything not in conformity to His will in purpose, thought, and action].

When we freely admit our sins, it is God’s nature to forgive us.

When we repent we are cleansed right away from all unrighteousness, all that is not in conformity to His will in purpose, thought, & action.

Repent means to turn from sin, change directions. Sin is anything against God, His ways, His standard, His word, & His law. Once you turn, change direction, you must turn to Christ, depending on what He did at Calvary to forgive you, for mercy, & for all that comes with salvation.

When we do repent, turn, & confess our sins there will be a time of refreshing.

Acts 3:19 So repent (change your mind and purpose); turn around and return [to God], that your sins may be erased (blotted out, wiped clean), that times of refreshing (of recovering from the effects of heat, of reviving with fresh air) may come from the presence of the Lord...

There will even be recovery from the damages of sin. PRAISE GOD!

SIn leads to more sin & becomes a downward motion. You get deeper & deeper & become in bondage to it. The only way out is to repent, to look to what Jesus did for you at Calvary, & with the help of the Holy Spirit who gives you power to overcome.

You will perish if we do not confess & turn from your sins. (turn with abhorrence)

Luke 13:3 I tell you, No; but unless you repent (change your mind for the better and heartily amend your ways, with abhorrence of your past sins), you will all likewise perish and be lost eternally.

Wow, what a strong word Abhorrence. Today sin is so excepted that we just glaze over it. Things that we thought were sin when we first got saved, are no longer sin (or is it).

Acts 26:20 But made known openly first of all to those at Damascus, then at Jerusalem and throughout the whole land of Judea, and also among the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, and do works and live lives consistent with and worthy of their repentance.

We need to live our lives worthy of our repentance. If we truly have repented our lives will show it.

We need to live a life of repentance. Looking to Jesus Daily. (Heb. 12:2) Trusting daily. Die Daily to self. Humble yourself daily. We live & move & have our being in Him daily. We walk in the light daily. We walk in the Spirit daily. We look for help of the Holy Spirit daily. Just because you did things yesterday does not mean it carries you through today.

His mercies are new every morning. We can have a new day each day. Yesterday is past, tomorrow is not here, today is the only day we can live.

We were buried with Him so we could live in newness of life.
Rom. 6:4 We were buried therefore with Him by the baptism into death, so that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glorious [power] of the Father, so we too might [habitually] live and behave in newness of life.

We all have sinned. Rom 3:23-24 So it doesn’t matter if you are just getting born again or you have been saved a long time, you must repent & turn from anything that does not & is not of God. And then turn to Jesus.

We do not take the time to repent. We do not repent enough. We have excepted sin so long that we deceive ourselves into believing that we are OK and it is not sin.

I heard something yesterday that hit me strong. Rom. 6:7 whatever a man soweth, that will he reap. There are times we sow bad seed & weeds grow. A bad crop grows & repentance is the only way to kill those weeds & bad crop.

To take heed, Repent, turn to God or you will reap what you sow!!!!

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