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There is one thing that always gets my kids, ages 4 through 9, to roll their eyes. I can’t help it though.
Every time they say “sorry” to one of their siblings, I always stop them and say “And what does I’m sorry mean?” (insert an eye roll and a “mommmmmm.”) But I make them say it every time. “Sorry means that I won’t do it again.”
I do this to help them not say sorry haphazardly, but I also make them do it for another reason: it is the building blocks of understanding something much stronger than saying sorry.
Before long, my kids will understand how to say sorry to God. Because it is much more than saying sorry, it is about a true change of mind.
It requires knowing how to repent.
True repentance is turning away from one thing, but also turning toward something else. And it took me decades to learn that, so I want to make sure my kids do not struggle with learning that.
How To Repent- And Not Go Back to Sinning
What does repentance mean?
The Hebrew word for repentance is shuv (שׁוּב), which literally means to turn and go in a different direction. The Greek word for repentance is metanoiein, which means to change one’s mindset.
Therefore, biblical repentance is not simply about saying sorry for going in the wrong direction. It is making a deliberate choice to change direction, a direction that is holy and as close to God as possible.
Think of a road trip in which you are looking at an old-school map. If you are going in the wrong direction, you don’t simply just stop going in the wrong direction and freeze. You turn a different way; you turn to something else. Hopefully that something else is the right thing.
Let’s say you are trying to quit smoking because you know it is not good for your body and 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 says “Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.” So you try to turn away from smoking.
However, this does not mean replacing smoking with another bad habit. Instead, it means filling it with something better. That is how we get closer to God through repentance. Otherwise, the act of repentance would not bring us closer to God.
Repentance in the Old Testament versus the New Testament
We see repentance in both the Old Testament and New Testament of the Bible.
In the Old Testament, one example is King David. King David is a complex man, who wrote some of the most beautiful Psalms but also completed some of the most egregious acts. However, in 1 Samuel 13:14 we know that God says David is a man “after God’s own heart.” So how could God still say that after David’s horrific act with Bathsheba?
The answer is simple: because David repented. A lot. He didn’t only feel guilty, but He asked God for forgiveness AND turned from His ways. That is big in God’s eyes.
In the New Testament, in the beginning of the Gospel of Mark, John the Baptist talks about confessing our sins as well as the forgiveness of sins. He does this paving the way for Jesus to come.
Then when Jesus arrives, His first message is about repenting and believing the Good news.
Now, we can experience genuine repentance because of this.
What is the first step to repentance?
I have seen different lists with the first step to repentance, some even with a third step, or even a fifth step, on how to repent.
However, you don’t need a complicated step-by-step method to pray to God. Our God makes it as simple as possible to remove evil things from our heart. It is truly a beautiful thing. Human beings complicate what our Heavenly Father made super simple.
To repent, you need to confess your sins to God, and then turn away from them. That’s it. It truly is that simple. God will work out the rest of the details with you as you constantly seek Him to remain far from the sin of the past.
Some great Bible verses about repentance
The word of God will never fail us. God’s word talks often about repentance, yet it is not often spoken about enough in churches. If it is such an important topic, how come we don’t talk about it enough?
To answer that would be merely hypothesizing and not fair to the followers of Jesus. What is more important than deciding that is deciding how to repent, not for a particular sin or a list of sins, not for minor sins or major sins, but for our sinful nature as a whole.
These Bible verses can help us not only learn more about how to be a repentant person, but also how to create a spiritual discipline of repentance. If we are truly constantly seeking the kingdom of heaven as they did in the early church, it is important that we are constantly repenting to God.
Now that is a part of repentance that is often forgotten about.
We focus a lot on being forgiven once in the name of Jesus Christ, that we focus on the joy of being forgiven. There is nothing wrong with that, but I don’t think that is the way God intended repentance to look like.
Repentance is a way of life.
It is a way of taking a new direction in life instead of living in the bad things we did in the past. It is constantly removing evil thoughts and choosing to take a different direction, and glorifying God in the process.
Here are some Bible verses to pray through as you consider how to repent:
“Then Hezekiah repented of the pride of his heart, as did the people of Jerusalem; therefore the Lord’s wrath did not come on them during the days of Hezekiah.” 2 Chronicles 32:26
- Repent at my rebuke! Then I will pour out my thoughts to you, I will make known to you my teachings. (Proverbs 1:23)
- “This is what the Sovereign Lord, the Holy One of Israel, says: “In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength, but you would have none of it.” (Isaiah 30:15)
- “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near!” (Matthew 3:2)
- “Produce fruit in keeping with repentance.” (Matthew 3:8)
- “I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.” (Luke 5:32)
- “I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.” (Luke 15:7)
- “Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord,” (Acts 3:19)
- “Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest and repent” (Book of Revelation 3:19)
- “Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death.” (2 Corinthians 7:10)
Need More Help With Learning How to Repent?
The International Day of Repentance is September 23 of every year. IDOR has resources about repentance including how to have a day of repentance in your community!
Conclusion
Our Lord Jesus Christ is waiting for us, with open arms. God’s forgiveness is beautiful and overwhelming. We know that the only way to God is through Jesus (John 14:8).
And when Jesus left, He gave us the best gift of all, the Holy Spirit. How shocked do you think the disciples were when Jesus said there was something even better than Him coming?
Because of the Holy Spirit being in us, we know it is now easier than ever to turn to God about anything, especially repentance. And He will be there waiting with open arms to walk us through the rest.
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