“Remorse went out of fashion around the same time that “Stop feeling guilty,” and “You’re too hard on yourself,” and “You need to love yourself more” came into fashion.”
― Gail Godwin, Flora
True repentance is being sorry about your sins to the point of turning away from those sins and walking the other way, toward God and the teachings of His Word.
Many people are sorry for being caught breaking the laws of the land, but few are remorseful for the harm that they have caused others by their selfish actions.
Many are of the same mindset as that of convicted murderer Isaiah Doyle of New Orleans. He took the stand in the penalty phase of his trial in Jefferson Parish and promptly told the jury he was guilty of first-degree murder, had no remorse, and wished he could kill the jury.
In a selfish world where everything is about ‘me’, it is very difficult for people to grasp the idea of being repentant from the heart. The heart and conscience of man have become so desensitized that man is unable to hear the voice of his conscience telling him what is right or wrong anymore. Man, without the voice of a God-fearing Conscience, is left to his own natural reasonings that there is no right or wrong; leaving him without spiritual direction and without a moral compass in a deceptive world, which is dominated by demons of darkness who are encouraging him to do what is right in his own eyes, and justifying his law-breaking behaviors by comparing himself with the lawless world around him, instead of by the Holy Standards of God’s Word, from whence all the laws of the land originated.
John the Baptist, Jesus and the Apostles all preached the message of Repentance. The reason given for repenting was that the Kingdom of God was near.
The Kingdom of God is not meat and drink, but joy, peace and righteousness in the Holy Spirit. The Kingdom of God is God dwelling by His Holy Spirit in temples of clay on this earth, until the fullness of time when He shall cleanse the earth from all evil and repopulate it with only those who will walk in the Truths of His Word with obedient and pure hearts. Then the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the Lord from sea to sea, and all men shall know the Lord from a little child, to the old man. Then nothing shall hurt nor destroy, while the lamb lays down with the lion, and the child plays with snakes, that refuse to bite or harm.
Repentance is to prepare our hearts to be able to live and abide in the Holy Presence of a Holy Christ, as He rules the earth with Righteousness, Truth and Justice.
There will be no more double standards, one for the public, and one for behind closed doors. All that defile and corrupt will not be allowed to dwell, nor will they be comfortable, in this Holy and Pure Transparent Presence of the Holiness of God and His Christ.
The Prodigal son repented by becoming miserable with the consequences of his sinful, lawless life and by removing himself from the pig pen, and returning to his father’s house, asking for forgiveness.
God will never repent for you. God will never remove you from the pig pen. God will never force you out of the misery caused by your own wrong, sinful choices to live outside of His favor and blessings and perfect will for your life. Only you can do the repenting. Only you can remove yourself from your present lawless lifestyle. Only you can become miserable enough in your present circumstances that you will fall down on your knees and humble your heart, asking your God to forgive you and help you to change your ways to please Him, and not please yourself.
This is True Repentance!
God already caught you, and already has a court date set for your judgment. Just because the sentence against the crime isn’t speedily executed, doesn’t mean that you are free from punishment, and are being overlooked. Your judgment day is coming. Why not make it today, instead of after you die? If we judge ourselves by His Word, He has no need to judge us. (Ecclesiastes 8:11, I Timothy 5:24)
Surrender is the key to True Repentance!
There is nothing you can do to make yourself righteous before God. You cannot try harder. You cannot make new resolutions. You cannot practice seven habits, or twelve steps, to arrive at a new and improved person. You are born into sin and need a Savior! Jesus Christ is that Savior, and He alone is Righteous. He alone gives the unmerited favor and strength of His Spirit, to change your lawless life. He alone can forgive, and He alone can change a lawless heart, causing that heart to desire to be a part of His Kingdom, in purity and freedom from the shackles of this world.
As you confess your sins, after hating your present pigpen lifestyle, and surrendering your weaknesses for His strengths, He steps in and begins to transform your carnal mind into a spiritual mind, by the Spirit and Life of His Words. (Romans 12:2) David cried, “I have hid your Word in my heart that I might not sin against you!”(Psalm 119:11)
True Repentance begins by seeing yourself as God sees you, and desiring to become what God wants for you, in His Kingdom of joy and peace and right-living. This change can only come from His Power, and from living in the Presence of His Holy Spirit.
You become like Him, by spending time with Him on a daily, moment-by-moment basis, reading and studying His Word; while seeking more and more of His loving and merciful Presence to dwell in your spirit and soul.
You become His earthly Temple, that will be turned into a Glorified Eternal Temple on the New Earth and in the New Heavens. You were made to dwell among the angels, in purity and holiness, not in the slop of the pig pen of this world, nor in the torment and darkness of an eternal hell, without God.