What is repentance?
-
Read Tract - 'Repent or Perish!'
* Repentance means that we confess and renounce our past, present, known and
unknown sins to God in prayer.
* Involves a complete transformation of lifestyle. It is not a
modification of the old one. We become new creatures in Christ Jesus - the old
has gone, the new has come!
2 Corinthians
5:17 - Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation;
the old has gone, the new has come!
When do we repent?
* When we begin
a spiritual relationship with the Lord our God, the first step is
true, heartfelt repentance, and includes confession and renunciation of past and
present sins, and living a life of holiness and godliness - in obedience to
God's commandments.
*
We confess Jesus Christ is Our Lord and Savior and our belief in
Christ's crucifixion, resurrection, ascension and return as King of kings and Lord of
lords.
Why do we repent?
* Firstly, God
commands everyone everywhere to repent, and He has set a day for judgment.
*
There are many scriptural references about repentance:
Acts 17:30-31 -
In
the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people
everywhere to repent. For he has set a day when he will judge the world with
justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to everyone by
raising him from the dead.”
Matthew 3:2 -
and saying, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near."
Matthew 4:17 - From
that time on Jesus began to preach, “Repent, for the
kingdom of heaven has come near.”
Mark 1:15 -
“The time has come,” he said.
“The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe
the good news!”
Luke 3:3
- He went into all the
country around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness
of sins.
* Jesus gave strong warnings about repentance. Catastrophes
are coming upon this earth because of unrepentant sins and disobedience to God's
commandments:
Luke 13:3-5 -
I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all
perish. Or those eighteen who died when the tower
in Siloam fell on them—do you think they were more guilty than all the others
living in Jerusalem? I tell you, no! But unless
you repent, you too will all perish.”
* Sin separates man from God, and this barrier must be eliminated through
repentance if our prayers are to be powerful and effective, because God will not
listen to the prayers of those who cherish sin in their hearts:
Psalm 66:18-20
-
If I had
cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened; but God has surely
listened and has heard my prayer. Praise be to God, who has not rejected my
prayer or withheld his love from me!
* Repentance and
baptism is the pre-requisite to receiving God's Holy Spirit:
Acts 2:38 -
Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus
Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the
Holy Spirit.
* Full-immersion
baptism is the biblical method:
Matthew 3:16 - As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the
water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending
like a dove and alighting on him.
How do we prepare for
repentance?
Firstly, to begin a
spiritual relationship with the Lord Almighty and a powerful and effective
prayer life, we start with:
1)
Repentance
The first step is repentance where we confess and renounce past, present,
known and unknown sins to God in prayer.
We confess our faith in Christ's crucifixion and resurrection and accept
Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior in our life.
2) Spiritual and Household Cleansing - (As per Prayer page)
A spiritual and household cleansing must be conducted to remove anything
that is an abomination to the Lord and will distract us and interfere with our relationship
with Him.
This includes, for example, smashing idols and burning sorcery/witchcraft books if anyone has
been involved in idolatry (the worship of false gods).
3) Covering ourselves in the Blood of
Jesus - (As per Deliverance page)
'There is Power, Power Wonder-Working Power in the Precious Blood of Jesus!'
Being in a right spiritual relationship with God and covering ourselves in the
Blood of Jesus will protect us from any human and demonic attacks, accidents, catastrophes
and sicknesses.
I cover everyone seeking deliverance in the precious Blood of Jesus
Christ.
I cover my body, mind, soul and spirit in the precious Blood of Jesus
Christ.
I cover my home in the precious Blood of Jesus Christ.
4) Cast out Demons (from our lives
and homes) - (Remember:
Demons cannot enter the body of a Christian who is filled with the Holy Spirit).
There is a difference between demons operating internally and externally
(Read Tracts: "Dangers Of The Occult: Exposed," "Exposing
And Destroying Witchcraft!" And "You Can Be Set Free!").
5) Daily Prayer - (As per Prayer page)
Read Tract
- Powerful and effective!
prayers.
My prayer page includes what we need to know for powerful and effective
prayers and a few examples to get started.
6) Bible Study - Studying God's Word for at least half an hour each day
will help us learn more about God, how to serve Him, please Him and do His will and
live in obedience to His Commands.
Our lives will have meaning, purpose, focus and direction.
Who do we live for? God and to fear Him and obey His commands!
What do we live for? We live to do God's will and proclaim the Gospel throughout
the world!
Crucial points about repentance
* Firstly,
prior to starting our prayer of repentance, we prepare by searching for and
collecting the relevant scriptures with an online Bible for the keywords
'forgiveness of sins,' and claim God's promises in prayer.
For example:
Isaiah 1:18, Psalm 103:12, 1
John 1:9.
Isaiah
1:18 -
“Come
now, let us settle the matter,” says the LORD. “Though your sins are like
scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they
shall be like wool.
Psalm 103:12 - as far as the east is from the west, so far has he
removed our transgressions from us.
1 John 1:9 - If we confess our
sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from
all unrighteousness.
* Faith and
repentance is the pre-requisite to answered prayer.
* True, heartfelt repentance is the pre-requisite for forgiveness of sins.
Mark 1:4 - And so
John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness, preaching a baptism of repentance
for the forgiveness of sins.
* God will not listen to the prayers of unrepentant sinners.
* It is impossible for an apostate to be brought back to repentance.
The word 'apostasy' is not mentioned, instead
the word 'falling away' is used in the Bible and there are strong warnings.
Apostasy means to 'stand away from' the faith. In other words, to turn away
from the Gospel and stand opposed to the Living God.
Apostates sin deliberately, habitually, knowingly and defiantly.
It is dangerous for a believer to fall away, and once a believer turns away
from the faith it is not possible for him to return to God.
Hebrews 6:4-6 - It
is impossible for those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the
heavenly gift, who have shared in the Holy Spirit, who have tasted the goodness
of the word of God and the powers of the coming age and who have fallen
away, to be brought back to repentance. To their loss they are crucifying
the Son of God all over again and subjecting him to public disgrace.
How do we repent?
* Pray the following prayer of repentance.
* We never repeat memorized prayer or read from paper like a robot.
* When we repent we always pour out our feelings and emotions to God in true,
heartfelt prayer with godly sorrow.
2 Corinthians 7:10-11 - Godly sorrow
brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly
sorrow brings death. See what this godly sorrow has produced in you: what
earnestness, what eagerness to clear yourselves, what indignation, what alarm,
what longing, what concern, what readiness to see justice done. At every point
you have proved yourselves to be innocent in this matter.
Prayer of faith and
forgiveness of sins:
Heavenly Father, God Almighty, Creator of the universe, heavens, the
earth, sky and sea and all that is in them, I come to you in the Name of my Lord
Jesus Christ and I believe that Jesus, your Son died on the cross for my sins and
rose again from the dead, after being in the heart of the earth, the grave, for
three days and three nights, and that He is
exalted above the heavens, and seated at the right hand of your throne, and He
will return as King of kings and Lord of lords.
Matthew 12:40 -
For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the
Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.
Hebrews 12:2
- Let us fix
our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy
set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the
right hand of the throne of God.
Revelation 17:14 - They will make war against the Lamb, but the
Lamb will overcome them because he is Lord of lords and King of kings—and
with him will be his called, chosen and faithful followers."
I believe that Jesus your Son and Great High Priest is divine - totally pure, holy,
blameless and set apart from sinners.
Hebrews 7:26 - Such a high priest
truly meets our need—one who is holy, blameless, pure, set apart from sinners,
exalted above the heavens.
I belong to you and I want to live for you.
I totally commit, devote and dedicate my life to you. Father, help me to live a life of obedience,
reverence, faithfulness, submission to you and your Son, your laws and commands.
Father, I confess all my sins to you, past, present, known and unknown, I'm sorry for them all and renounce them all. (You can name your sins and renounce each one individually. e.g. idolatry
e.g. greed or gluttony
etc).
(If you have been involved in idolatry and/or immorality in any of its
forms, you need to mention that you commit to destroying any idols including occult
- statues, sorcery books, etc, and immoral items - horror, vulgar and obscene music, movies, books, magazines, etc).
Thank you for the promise of forgiveness of sins in your word:
Isaiah 1:18
- “Come now, let us
settle the matter,” says the LORD. “Though your sins are like scarlet, they
shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like
wool.
Psalm 103:12 - as far as the east is from the west, so far has he
removed our transgressions from us.
1 John 1:9 -
If we confess our
sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from
all unrighteousness.
Father, I thank you that I'm completely purified, redeemed, sanctified,
set apart and made holy for you and set free from all my sins through Jesus'
precious holy blood and great and perfect sacrifice.
I'm a child
of God with a new life in Christ Jesus.
2 Corinthians
5:17 - Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation;
the old has gone, the new has come!
Father God, please
come into my life and fill me with the Holy Spirit, transform my life completely
and help me to stop sinning. Help me to live according to your Word. I ask for your
guidance and strength to walk the path of holiness, godliness, purity, truth and
righteousness. Help me along the straight narrow way that leads to eternal life
in your Kingdom.
Ephesians 4:24 - and to put on the new self,
created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.
Surround me always with your awesome, holy, glorious, majestic presence
and splendor.
I pray in
Jesus Name. Amen!
Where do we repent?
* We repent in a
solitary place away from all distractions, where we can completely focus on God
and His Son Jesus Christ.
Other scripture
references about repentance:
Matthew 3:8 - Produce fruit in keeping with
repentance.
Matthew 3:11 - “I
baptize you with water for repentance. But after me comes one who is
more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize
you with the Holy Spirit and fire.
Luke 24:47 -
and repentance
for the forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations,
beginning at Jerusalem.
Acts 3:19 -
Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of
refreshing may come from the Lord,
Acts 19:4 - Paul
said, “John’s baptism was a baptism of repentance. He told the people to believe
in the one coming after him, that is, in Jesus.”
Acts
20:21 - I have
declared to both Jews and Greeks that they must turn to God in repentance and
have faith in our Lord Jesus.
Acts 26:20 -
First to those in Damascus, then to those in Jerusalem and in all Judea, and
then to the Gentiles, I preached that they should repent and turn to God and
demonstrate their repentance by their deeds.
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