How do you repent?

[jeffness]

I never really thought about this until tonight, but I realized something I really struggle with is repentance. I don't struggle with the idea of repenting, I just don't know how to do it. What I have gathered is that we are supposed to just feel bad for our sins and then ask God to forgive us, but I know there is more to it than just that, I just don't know what it is. So could someone please, in plain english tell me how do you repent? You constantly hear, "You need to repent" but no one ever explains how to, so any help is greatly appreciated.

Thank you and God bless.

 

[savedtoserve]

Repentance is a change of thought and action to correct a wrong/sin and gain forgiveness, referring to confession to God, ceasing sin against God, and resolving to live according to Gods law. It typically includes an admission of guilt, a promise or resolve not to repeat the offense/sin

Acts 3:19 (NIV) "Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord."

Repentance is a complete change of mind and living, when we repent our sins to God i.e. ask for forgiveness for all our sins we are openly asking for God to change our heart and whole being. Thinking differently

Romans 12:2
And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

 

[HisFollower]

Repentance is the change if mind, and the change of heart, and the change of will; with which we will have a sincere remorse for our sins that touches our heart, and causes us to reform our life. But the key to it all is sincerity, without which is no repentance. A person may stop stealing because they got caught, but they did not stop because they thought it was wrong; and we must know that our sin is wrong in order for it to be sincere.

 

[farouk]

Romans chapter 2 is a good passage to read on the important subject of repentance. God bless His Word to you.

 

[stephen]

I never really thought about this until tonight, but I realized something I really struggle with is repentance. I don't struggle with the idea of repenting, I just don't know how to do it. What I have gathered is that we are supposed to just feel bad for our sins and then ask God to forgive us, but I know there is more to it than just that, I just don't know what it is. So could someone please, in plain english tell me how do you repent? You constantly hear, "You need to repent" but no one ever explains how to, so any help is greatly appreciated.

Thank you and God bless.

Others have replied...correctly and with which I agree.

Different words in scripture embrace the action of repentance ....

There are 8 different words translated 'repent' in the bible.

All of them include the English words....sorry..to turn back..regret..compassion..change the mind for the better morrally..change of attitude..to regret the consequences of sin..real change of mind toward sin and its cause, not merely the consequesces of it.

I sum up by saying that "repentance" is one of the main themes of the bible, being found 110 times from Gen 6:6....to
Rev 16:11

In His Love

 

[SpiritLedEd]

could someone please, in plain english tell me how do you repent? You constantly hear, "You need to repent" but no one ever explains how to

To repent is to decide to stop an action or habit you are engaging in and move ln a different direction. Repenting of sin is easy, I've done it thousands of times. What's difficult is staying on the right path after you've repented. Try not to feel guilty, however. The apostle Paul had problems with repentance also (see Ro 7:7-8:2).

SLE

 

[faithworks]

Yes, repentence is a 180 degree turn from what you were doing.. Only Yeshua can bring about repentence in you... and He brings the change also..

Blessings & Shalom,
debbi rennier

 

[Cherubpuff]

The holy spirit will fill you when you truly have repented.

Repent and DON'T LOOK BACK!!!

 

[spirit1st]

Jesus dies for All our Sins 100% !
But, in our flesh we make mistakes!

These sins can affect our relationship with Him and alsi bring death or sickness to our weak bodies !

If we ask Him to forgive us and mean it? Then He will protect the flesh !

Some sins are done in our minds, We might not even know we did them?

Some day we find out we have a problem in our flesh ? It could be because of Sin or NOT?

But even then , He has provided healing!


Jas 5:14 Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord:
Jas 5:15 And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him.



1Jn 2:1 My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous:

 

[rlowe]

TRUE Repentance being open to change & meaningfully saying:

1> Heavenly Father, please forgive me - I know in my heart You know best & want the best for me, help me not to stray.

2> Heavenly Father please take control of my thoughts & actions + soften & renew a right spirit in ... my heart.

3> Heavenly Father help me remember that EVERYTHING & EVERYONE is your making & think/act accordingly.

4> Heavenly Father please help me to get & stay in the main stream of Your Holy Spirit's flow.

 

[Tom2109]

This is a question I would also like to know the answer.

I believe there are some things which I have not repented for and which I seriously need to, but I can't remember them all.
I've sinned so much I feel like there's nothing left in my spirit but despair, hopelessness, fear and anxiety but I will find a way to get through by Jesus.

I have recently started to turn my life round and have found alot of my attitudes and thoughts changing, yet I still feel the connection between the Lord and I far, as if he does not hear my prayers sometimes. I still have fears and anxiety and cannot relax in the name of the Lord.

Would I have to verbally confess, and would I have to confess each and every one? Would I have to confess to somebody eg a Pastor and get prayer for it?
Thanks alot for your time.

 

[Veracity]

David said, “I will confess my transgressions to the LORD”

A repentant heart recognizes that God is holy, nothing we do is good. There must be a place where we recognize the awesomeness of God and the nothingness of "me". You must come to the place where nothing else matters except striving to please God.

Sometimes when we first come to the Lord we are torn up like an old rag, and we realize such, we are guilty, we are ashamed, not of anything in particular, but we know we are worthless in comparison to anything of God. "Forgive me Lord, I am a sinner." And He forgives us, and hopefully we go on to complete His instructions for entering heaven at some point. Sometimes people become a bit self rightious and sin, repent casually and go on. They do not stay tender to Gods conviction, and that is when things will crumble in the relationship to Christ.

Everyday we may sin, that is why we must have a strong prayer life. The Lords prayer is a good outline for praying, not just reciting the verses, but putting them into action inserting our own words and circumstances. It is an OUTLINE, not a chant.

You must know the things that you do that are not pleasing to God, usually it's the things you hesitate on, and do it anyway. He already knows your sin, everyone of them, He wants you to confess this to Him personally. There are things we say and do everyday that can become sin, and we don't even think about it..after you have confessed and asked Him to forgive you for the sin you know you have, ask Him to reveal any secret sins, forgotten sins. Ask Him to convict you of sins you have forgotten so that you may further die to flesh. The last part of the Lords prayer about "And do not lead us into temptation, But deliver us from the evil on" very important that we ask God to hide us from Satan and his sneaky ways.

Most crooks in court are sorry for their actions...but they were not sorry enough to avoid doing them, they had a choice to do good, and chose evil. They are sorry because they got caught. We are all caught...and we should be sorry.

 

[rlowe]

Say to the Lord, "Please forgive me of my sins, known & unknown, in thought, word, and deed. Cleanse me and renew a right spirit in me."

Then go to any person you remember wronging in any way & ask forgiveness from them.

 

[spirit1st]

Sin is rebellion to GOD!
Once Born -Again ? Our spirits are perfect and stay perfect! They have NO desires toward anything of this world!

It only in our flesh minds where the problems are ! We need to turn away from sin . Asking the LORD , to help us , if we cannot over come these things! And forgive us!

satan puts many evil thoughts in our minds . Hoping we will start to live them or dwell on them , there for wanting them!

Jas 4:7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

We can tell him too get going and take your dumb thoughts with you in the mighty name of Jesus Christ! .he must go , but will try again!


Our flesh mind is what needs renewed and the battle field!

The spirits mind , once Born of God has no problems! Except to be fed Gods living word , to grow to mature to be like our lORD!

Rom 7:22 For I delight in the law of God after the inward man:


2Co 4:16 For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day.

Eph 4:24 And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.

Col 3:10 And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him:

1Jn 3:9 Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.

 

[Travis]

Repentance for the born again Christian should be akin to something like breathing, or blinking our eyelids. We shouldn't even have to think about it, we should just do it when it's needed. I find answering the question of, "how does one repent," kind of like answering the question, "how does one breath?" Well... I don't know... I kind of just do it, you know? I don't spend too much time thinking about it, I just do it.

The Christian life is a life of repentance, definitely not a one time thing (not saying anyone else previously implied that, just stating this as a fact). Whenever the Lord gives us sight in an area and shows us we are wrong, we should instantly repent of what we believed (that was wrong) and learn the truth from the Lord. We should be like rag dolls when the Lord is dealing with us.

Not saying I'm there by any means, just that I think that is where we should all be, or want to be at least.

But, because we are in these bodies of death, we so often have to fight tooth and nail against ourselves to make this a reality.

Travis

 

[rag4aCrown]

Bringing forth gifts worthy of repentance, CRYING OUT, Abba Father. Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. If thine eye (heart) be single, the whole body is full of light. amen.

True repentance comes from the heart. God knows our heart. He searches the depths of our heart and has the reigns in His hand. Amen.

FROM THE HEART... Amen.

 

[Justin15]

The greek word for repentance is metanoia which is translated "after/before one's mind" or "to change ones mind'. This is illustrated most effectively in the conversion of Paul the Apostle on his way to Damascus in Acts 9:1-20. Paul (saul) was a judaizer, like many in that day, which is the belief that keeping the Mosaic Law could earn one's place into Gods Kingdom. He saw the Christians as an apostate religion arising to lead astray those who practiced Judaism. Judaism asserted ones own merit could achieve the standard of perfection God so evidently set forth for salvation; and Christianity taught that mankind was utterly lost in sin and without hope in the world to achieve the divine standard set forth and that Jesus Christ fulfilled that standard for all who believe in Him (Person and work). These two systems opposed each other and brought hostility among them. So in the opening of the Chapter we find Paul on his way to persecute more Christians, however on his way to Damascus Jesus appeared to Paul from a vision revealing that Paul had been persecuting Him. This revelation astonished Paul, that he had been wrong all his life, that he was killing God's chosen people, that Christianity was right, everything Paul thought was to be true he recognized to be wrong! Paul "changed his mind" about who Jesus Christ was. Many people have there thought about who Jesus is, and what He did, just as Paul did. Repentance is God revealing His Son as the only way, only truth, and only life 2 timothy 2:25 to a dead soul and that soul responding in submission to God's revelation. It is to change one's mind about Jesus Christ, which results in a change of will, desire, and purpose 2 corinth. 5:17. Repentance is evidenced outwardly in behavior James 2:14-26 and is necessary for salvation Acts 2:36-38. A person repents when God reveals His Son to that person John 6:44 and the individual turns from known sin in his life motivated by godly sorrow. Repentance is a lifestyle, known also as progressive sanctification, as a servant of Jesus Christ continues to read the Word of God he is sanctified by It John 17:17, turning from revealed sin and conforming to the image of his Savior, Jesus Christ Romans 8:29 Paul responded to the vision in full submission to the revealed truth. He went on to preach the gospel to the known world and eventually was martyred for his faith in Christ.

 

[Travis]

Repentance is a lifestyle, known also as progressive sanctification, as a servant of Jesus Christ continues to read the Word of God he is sanctified by It John 17:17, turning from revealed sin and conforming to the image of his Savior, Jesus Christ

What if they don't know how to read?

 

[Chad]

What if they don't know how to read?

Hi Travis. We have a responsibility to preach to the world.

Matthew 28:18-20

And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

Romans 10:16-18

But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed what he has heard from us?” So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ. But I ask, have they not heard? Indeed they have, for
“Their voice has gone out to all the earth,
and their words to the ends of the world.”

 

[Justin15]

Hello Travis, intellectual competence is not a requirement for salvation nor for sanctification as i'm sure we already know; even the disciples were thought to have lacked the intellectual ability the world demands.Acts 4:13 God has ordained a structure in the church, the Scripture clearly teaches we are one body in Christ. The body, or sphere of believing Christians, are to be in unity and one accord, ministering together as a whole for the edifying of the body of Christ. If one individual lacks the ability to read another is able to help in that area, no Christian can grow effectively without a body of believers to minister to their individual needs. Ephesians 4:11-16 Praise God for His wisdom!

What if they don't know how to read?