To Truly Repent!

Sunday's Devotion (2-27-05)

"I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish." Luke 13:3 (KJV)

Hmm... what are we supposed to repent of? It doesn't say what we need to repent of here, so I guess I can go out and steal. I mean it doesn't say that I need to repent of stealing, right? I don't need to worry about stealing then! I hope that none of you agree with what I have said, so far. This is how pitiful our justification for ourselves can get. The truth is that because this scripture doesn't tell us what to repent of, we need to check ourselves for sin. We need to evaluate ourselves. Do we have a hang up in our lives? Is there a certain sin that we keep returning to, like a dog returns to his vomit? Some of you are reading this and sinning this very moment, while you read! Some of you will wait until you're done reading this and then go do a daily sinful routine. The problem is that you may not read the Bible, and you don't know what you're doing is a sin. Here's an example: In the church today, people are worshipping something other than the Lord, praying to something other than Christ. It has become a routine for the church and the thing they're worshipping and praying to is actually an image of what's supposed to be Christ. This is sin. Why? It is written: "Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness [of any thing] that [is] in heaven above, or that [is] in the earth beneath, or that [is] in the water under the earth: Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God [am] a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth [generation] of them that hate me;..." Exodus 20:4-5 (KJV). That very topic right there, recently became one of my favorites to talk about. I've realized that it's a big, huge problem. REPENT!

There are several things that we need to repent of. The problem is that often we don't want to repent, we want to justify ourselves. The problem with that is, only God can justify us. Only God's justification can save us and that justification comes when we repent! Many of you are not happy, and perhaps not forgiven because you say, "I have not sinned!" You continue to deny your sin, when all that will happen when you confess is that you will be forgiven. Therefore in a way, you fear being forgiven! I fear not being forgiven. Most of the time when I mess up, you'll see me right away saying, "Lord, forgive me, please!" You can never find too much forgiveness. There's something in your life, holding you back... there's something that you don't want to give up. There's something that you're in denial about, saying, "It's not a sin!" and it is a sin and it's coming in-between you and God! Now is the day of freedom for you - today is the day to say, "Lord, I have sinned." Today is the day to be forgiven and to find peace with God. Are you ready to repent? Repentance is your only way to Heaven.

Let's end this on this note, for those of you who don't understand what it is to repent. To repent is to both ask for forgiveness and to turn from your sin. Repent also means to change your mind. When God changed his mind in the Old Testament when He wanted to destroy His people for their sins, it said, "God repented." He changed his mind and turned from the actions he was about to do. You have to change your mind about your actions, you have to be truly sorry and you have to stop committing whatever sin you are committing! It isn't just about saying a simple prayer, "Father forgive me, but I'll do it again later!" You have to be willing to give up your sin and you have to actually try to give it up. Now that you know what it means to truly repent... give it a try!

Prayer: Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for this message and for all things. Please forgive us of all our sins and we forgive all those who've wronged us. Please help us to truly repent and give up our evil deeds. Help us to get rid of any routine sin that we do without knowing it and just any sins in general. In Jesus name. A-men!

News: We here at GLK started an emergency call to prayer effort, for Terri Schiavo. We believe in the rights for the disabled and we believe what is going on with Terri and the court's decision to remove her feeding tubes is wrong. This isn't just a sin against another human being, but this is an attack against God. We're believing that God will strike the fear of God into the hearts of the courts and into Terri's husband. Her feeding tube is set to be removed, but let's not pray for the tubes to stay. Instead lets pray for a miraculous healing of her mind and body, for if she is healed they will see that God is not to be messed with. Say a prayer for her now and keep her in your prayers until this thing is over. Go to our News & Weather page for more coverage on this. Thank you for praying with us and for Terri!

God bless!

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