In Ezekial 33:11 you will find that God does not take pleasure in the death of a wicked person. It further states that if we turn away from our evil ways, we will live.

What is repentance? Simply stated, it is assuming the blame for your sinful condition before God and taking sides with Him against yourself. Godly self-condemnation is part of repentance. This means that you must stop casting blame for your sins on someone else, rather you accept the condemnation that comes to your mind as the Holy Spirit begins to work in your heart. By doing this your will come to the realization that the above deviancy's and inappropriate desires are, what the Bible calls sin. You agree with God that these sins are controlling factors in your life and that you want to hate them as He does. You then ask for His forgiveness and seek His help to remove these devastating actions from your life. Recollection and repentance are ongoing throughout the entire program and will extend through the remainder of your life. Christ gives you power through His indwelling Spirit, so you are able to begin your walk through the following steps.

In many instances recollection and repentance walk hand in hand and either one can lead the other in sequence. Normally repentance will follow recollection, as the Holy Spirit brings our sins to mind and you confess that you cannot of yourself become free of them. It is human nature for you to deny your sins, directly or indirectly. Sometimes you minimize or make lame excuses for them, blaming others. (See Genesis 3:12, 13) However, when you give the Holy Spirit the authority to begin the cleansing work, you will acknowledge those sins that He brings to your mind.

Feeling godly shame and remorse over the deviant acts that you have committed leads to agreeing with God and seek His mercy as you lay yourself on the alter, to be cleansed by the blood of His Son, Jesus Christ. This can be seen in the deep sorrow you will experience over your deviant acts. (Sins) and in confession of your behavior; in full accord with God, that your deviancy is sin. Proverbs 28:13; "He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoever confesses and forsakes them shall have mercy." If true godly repentance has worked in your heart, you will have no relief until you have confessed every sin brought to remembrance by the Holy Spirit. This is explained beautifully in Psalm 32:3, 4; "When I kept silence, my bones waxed old through my roaring all day long. For day and night thy hand was heavy upon me: my moisture turned into the drought of summer." You can only find true peace with God when you come before Him, broken- hearted over your sins.

With God's guidance, you will be able to deal with these sins. Isaiah 55:7 states, "Let the wicked forsake his way and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the Lord; and He will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon." You will then begin to act upon the compunction of your deviant (sinful) acts.

Biblical repentance is seen as an actual turning away from sin. There are three Greek words in the New Testament that relate to the word repent:

________1. In Matthew 3:2 the word repent means having a change of mind about sin.
________2. In Matthew 21:29 the word repent means having a change of heart about sin.
________3. In Matthew 3:8 and also in Acts 20:21 it means to have a changed life, by
__________turning away from your sin
__________

You will then have a deep desire to put into practice all of the scriptures that teach that you must walk in true holiness and right standing with God. Titus 3:8 reminds us to be careful to maintain good works. Therefore, one of the most characteristic marks of anyone who is truly repentant is the desire to walk in a different way than what they did prior to coming to God through the Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

You must always remember that Christ came to save you from your sins not (IN YOUR SINS)

Some people teach that all a person has to do is to believe and receive Christ as their Savior. This what is called easy believizm. Unless you take all of the preceding steps of repentance and make Christ the Lord of your life, you have done nothing for yourself. You therefore call God a liar, because he says, "except you repent, you will all likewise perish". Luke 3:13, 15

Why is there a need for me to repent of my sin?
Acts 3:19

You might ask yourself, "Am I so much different from other people?" The answer to this question is an emphatic; Yes! You are different because God formed you uniquely. The Bible says that you were created in the image of God and that when you repent of your sinful nature, your body becomes a temple of the Holy Spirit and God has a spceial purpose for your life. click here

As I reflect on the above statement, what should my attitude be?
Psalm 139:14


As you begin to walk in this new found life with the Lord, your prayer should always be as David's, in Psalm 139:23, 24 "Search me O God and know my heart! Test me and know my thoughts! See whether there is any baneful motive within me, and lead me on in the everlasting way!" RBV

In other words, you now have a responsibility to walk vigilantly, ever reminding yourself that you were once a destitute being, but are now an heir of the most high King of Glory. You must say with David and Isaiah that you will rejoice in that the Lord is your strength and has become your salvation. Remember, He is a safeguard to those who trust in Him. Christ promises that He will never leave or forsake us. You may be forsaken by those you love or by those you considered your friends, but be assured that the Lord is always with you to give comfort in times of sorrow, peace in the midst of life's storms, His ever-present love and grace to give you the ability to stand strong in His might. You are assured in John 6:37 that all who come to the Lord, will not be cast out, if you repent of sins.

_____________________Lesson For Life -- Repentance:

Read the following passages of scriptures: Psalm 51, 6, 32, 132, 143

(1) Ask God for mercy and not justice. If you got what you deserved, you would go directly to Hell. No stopping or passing go.

(2) Admit wrongs rather than trying to make excuses for your actions. This is one of the most important steps under the heading of repentance. The longer you try to make excuses for your actions, the harder it will be to see that you do not need to justify anything except your relationship with the Lord.

(3) Ask God for restoration rather than to seek escape from the consequences of your actions. Remember, if the only purpose of going through this step is to escape the consequences for your former action, you have not truly repented of those actions (sins).

(4) Seek a new mindset:
________A. Remove the seed of sin in your heart; the continual renewing of your mind in the Word of God will deplete lust in your mind and heart.
Romans 12:1,2a says "I beseech you therefore brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God which is your reasonable service; And be not conformed to this world, but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind..."

(5) Make a resolve to do right. You must then commit yourself to that resolve.. If this undertaking is not a serious one, it will avail nothing but future heartache.
________A. Offer yourself for retribution, that restoration may take place in your life.
Read Luke 19: 2-8

________B. As the Berlin Wall was torn down in 1989 by lovers of peace and unity, so can the wall of sins be torn down in your life if you will continually bathe yourself in Gods Word.

(6) Seek righteousness rather than that warm gooey feeling that most people associate with Christianity.

________A. This means that you must start doing what God wants you to do, not just those things that make you feel good about yourself.

Remember Whip Wilson's line, "The devil made me do it.."?... The devil may have put the thought into your mind, but you are the one who must react to that thought. You will either accept or reject it according to your relationship with Christ.

(7) Pray for those who have been hurt by your sins, that God will heal them physically and emotionally from the trauma that you have inflicted upon them.

________a. Your sins hurt those that you love and who love you just as much as they hurt you, maybe even more so.

________b. You should not ask God to punish others for the things that they have done to you, because your actions against them have caused this reaction from them. Rather,you need to pray for them, that they too will come to the truth of Gods will for their lives.

Finally: Remember that God is ever seeking ways to restore those who have strayed from Him. Therefore trust in the Lord, keep reaching out to Him in your own behalf and also on behalf of the one(s) you have afflicted.