12/05/2024 – How to Repent
John 16: 8 And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment:
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There are specific steps to repentance. The first is conviction of sin. You must be convinced that you have sinned. Stop justifying yourself, pointing to others and to circumstances. Take responsibility for your sin. God will not leave this up to you. No one can do this alone. Conviction of sin in the work of the Holy Spirit.
The second step is contrition. The definition of “contrite” in the Bible is to be “broken-hearted for sin, deeply affected with grief and sorrow for having offended God. The turning point of your life is the moment of brokenness. God must bring you to the point when you are convinced of how horrible your sin is, and that there is nothing good in you. You have nothing to hang on to… no hope but the work of Christ. Have you reached that point? That is where God brought a man named Saul of Tarsus. His knowledge and upbringing, his best intentions, his lineage, had to be sprawled on the ground. God confronted him with his sin and led him to repentance.
Peter had to weep bitterly when he was exposed for the sinner he was. Have you been exposed? Are you ready to admit the sinner you are? Are you ready to come back to the Lord to receive forgiveness instead of punishment and that times of refreshing may come to your life, your family…???
The third step is conversion. There must be a change in the actions and the direction of your life. There must be a palpable change in your goals and attitudes. But above all, there must be a change in you. Unless you radically change, you will continue to do the things your nature craves.