What does repentance mean anyway? And what doesn’t it mean? Lets start with what it doesn’t mean. It doesn’t mean that you can just keep going on sinning. It does mean that you must stop sinning. It doesn’t mean that you have to live a perfect life. It does mean that you are going to stop living in sin, walking in sin, behaving sinfully, and being addicted to sin. Would you like to be free from all your sin addictions? I know I do, I think all Christians want to be free from the slavery of sin, if you don’t you probably aren’t a Christian yet.

I just read an excerpt from the Lutheran Concordia on repentance and wow what a mess they have made of it. Basically what they teach is what to do when you fail to repent successfully. Nothing on how to actually repent successfully. Lutherans I have learned have no intentions of repenting successfully, they are quite satisfied with making a weak attempt at repentance, fail, then ask God for forgiveness. You will never meet a bunch of “please forgive me Jesus” Christians as you will at a Lutheran church. The sad part is that they, for the most part, never learn to repent successfully.

I get it, we are going to repent attempt, (that’s what I call it) and we are going to fail. We all do, that is just a fact of lilfe. But how do we get over the hump and learn to be victorious and free of our sin habits? It is easy …NOT!

Of course it is hard, being a disciple of Christ is not an easy road, you have to accept that simple fact, so suck it up buttercup and let’s get started.

The first part is easy. You make a commitment to follow Christ no matter what, you have given your life to Him and you have held nothing back. You are all in come what may.

The second part is harder, you are going to be tempted, maybe it is your favorite sin or one which you are most vulnerable. Listen carefully, whenever you are tempted you are also at the same time being tested. God never tempts us and he himself is never tempted but we are tempted when we are drawn away by our own lusts. But… now that you are in this mess, God is going to use this opportunity to test you, did you really repent of this sin? He wants to know, actually He wants you to know, He already knows.

Now is the time to exercise your faith, no matter how weak, but you must use it in the moment to put your trust in your Savior. He is more then able and he is more then willing to help you in your time of need. Cling to him and don’t let go, he will save, rescue, and deliver you.

The process in simple, I write about it all the time. The execution is not so simple as a matter of fact it very well may be the hardest thing you have ever done. With some folks this whole process in accomplished in very little time, with others it may take weeks, months, years. Unfortunately with others they never succeed in repenting successfully, and I am afraid that in the end they will perish because Jesus made it very clear that we must repent, and of course he meant that we must repent successfully and not just repent attempt. FYI one temptation and one deliverance takes place quickly, more on that below.

I have found memorizing certain verses helps, even whole sections or a whole Psalm. I have memorized Psalm 16, it is just 11 verses, and if I can’t remember it I can always grab my phone and read it from one of my bible apps. But it is really better if you have it memorized, Scriptures are powerful weapons. This is a fierce battle you need all the weapons you can get

Another hurdle you will face is the waiting, I’m sorry but our Lord Jesus Christ does not come at our beck and call, it is going to take some time and you are going to have to wait for Him, and it is going to be painful so be prepared for that. But it has been my experience that the wait is quite brief and yes it is definitely worth it. 

Next hurdle will be satan’s suggestions. He is going to try his hardest to get you to give up on trusting Christ and to give in to your sin. This is big deal for the devil, he does not want to lose you to Christ his arch enemy. Be ready for this, brace yourself and wait for your Deliverer.

Wait for Christ to come to your rescue, for heaven’s sake don’t try to take on the spiritual forces of evil on your own strength. Are you kidding me? You will most assuredly lose. Can you fight satan and win? All by yourself? Why would you even try when the all powerful one resides within you who is just waiting for you to call on Him. He loves to deliver his children, he loves it. Don’t be an idiot here and decide to fight the evil one on your own strength. Your job is simple and clear, put your trust in Jesus and wait for Him to deliver you. Please don’t be a quitter here, there is way too many quitters in the church as it is. Buck the trend, get on that straight and narrow road and don’t let anyone knock you off of it. This is the only way to learn to love God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength.

Now may the Lord bless you and keep you, may he make his face shine on you and be gracious to you, may he lift up his countenance on you and give you peace. Amen

P.S. this is taken from a chapter of a book I am currently writing called, “Loving God With All Your Heart, Soul, Mind and Strength.” If you are interested in obtaining a copy when it is released let me know in the comments section.

Jake