What Does The Word Repentance Mean?
In the Bible, the word repent means “to change one’s mind.” The term repent or repentance is used eleven times in the Book of Acts. To repent means to rearrange your entire way of thinking, feeling, and being in order to forsake that which is wrong. Repentance is the way provided for us to become free from our sins and receive forgiveness for them.
9 Steps On Your Way To Repentance
Before saying a REPENTANCE Prayer, you should read the book of 2 Samuel 12:13-23 to have a clear understanding of how to address this issue of repentance correctly.
When we further read Psalms 32:5 we see that David used three different words to describe his confession (Repentance) He “accepts” his sin; he did not to “cover” his sin; and he was willing to “confess” his sins. David did not hold back or cut corners or have moral compromise not even did he makes excuses, offers rationalizations, and he did not shift blame.
Here are the steps to genuine repentance:
1. Recognize and Acknowledge the Sin
- Examine Your Heart: Reflect on your thoughts, actions, and behaviors, identifying areas where you have strayed from God’s will. What areas have you fallen short.
- Admit Guilt: Afterall you can’t repent what you don’t admit. So be honest with yourself and God about your sin without justifying or excusing it (Psalm 51:3-4).
2. Feel Godly Sorrow for the Sin
- Not Just Regret: Genuine repentance involves sorrow for offending God, not just regret for the consequences (2 Corinthians 7:10).
- Brokenness: Allow yourself to feel the weight of your sin and how it separates you from God.
3. Confess the Sin to God (Psalm 51)
- Be Specific: Acknowledge your sins one by one in detail before God in prayer that is what we call true confession (1 John 1:9).
- Seek Forgiveness: Humbly ask for His mercy and forgiveness, trusting in His grace.
- Don’t hide anything: God already knows your heart. Confession is for your healing and restoration.
4. Turn Away from the Sin (Renounce It)
- Change Your Mind and Actions: Decide to forsake sinful behaviors and habits. True repentance means leaving sin behind (Isaiah 55:7) and even change in direction (Acts 26:20).
- Practical Steps: Remove temptations, seek accountability, and make changes in your lifestyle to avoid falling back into sin.
- identify the root cause of your sin (pride, lust, greed, etc.).
- Replace sinful habits with godly ones. For example, replace lying with honesty or bitterness with forgiveness.
5. Turn to God in Faith
- Trust in Christ: Turn to God fully by believing in Jesus’ sacrifice for your sins and trusting His power to cleanse and restore you (Acts 3:19).
- Commit to Obedience: Draw near to God through prayer, Bible study, and living according to His Word.
6. Make Amends (If Applicable)
- Restitution: If your sin harmed others, seek to make it right where possible (Luke 19:8). Zacchaeus demonstrated this by returning what he had stolen (Luke 19:8).
- Ask Forgiveness from Others: Seek reconciliation with those you have wronged. Commit to repairing relationships and building trust through your actions.
7. Receive God’s Forgiveness and Grace
- Believe in His Promise: Accept God’s forgiveness and cleansing, remembering that He does not hold your sin against you anymore (Psalm 103:12).
- Let Go of Shame: Don’t dwell on past failures; instead, walk in the freedom and newness of life God offers. Holding on to guilt after receiving forgiveness is unnecessary and can hinder your spiritual growth.
- Memorize verses about God’s forgiveness (e.g., Isaiah 1:18, 1 John 1:9) to help you resist the enemy’s attempts to condemn you (Romans 8:1)
8. Bear Fruits of Repentance
- Show Evidence of Change: Let your repentance result in transformed attitudes, behaviors, and actions (Matthew 3:8).
- Live out your repentance through acts of kindness, obedience, and service.
- Regularly evaluate your spiritual growth and seek accountability.
- Share your testimony to encourage others to turn to God.
9. Stay Vigilant Against Future Sin.
- Repentance is a lifelong process. We must continually guard our hearts and stay dependent on God’s grace (1 Peter 5:8-9).
- Surround yourself with godly influences who encourage you to walk faithfully.
- Rely on the Holy Spirit to empower you to resist temptation and live righteously (Galatians 5:16).
Yes, genuine repentance is painful, but it is a sweet pain. It demands brokenness of heart (Psalms. 51:17; Isaiah. 57:15) but always with a view to healing and restoration and a renewed vision of the beauty of Christ and forgiving grace. Repentance is more than a feeling. Repentance should be taken the way we wash our bodies regularly so as to remain clean, so should we repent regularly to clean our souls so that we can be pleasing to God.
Why We Find It Difficult To Repent
Satan and the world system have led us to believe the lie that our value or worth as human beings is dependent on something other than what Christ has done for us and who we are in Christ by faith alone. If a person believes that other people hold the power to determine one’s value or worth, we will always be reluctant to reveal anything about our inner life that may cause their estimation of us to diminish.
Refusal to repent is to elevate our own souls above God’s glory. My safety and standing in the community is of greater value than God’s name and fame. I don’t repent because I cherish my own image more than God’s.
Repentance Prayer
I am sorry for all my sins, and I repent of them all. I give you my life today, and I confess my faith in your Son Jesus Christ that he is Lord. I believe that Jesus died and resurrected to give me eternal life; I confess my faith in him, and I accept him as my personal Lord and Savior. I promise to faithfully serve Jesus Christ throughout the days of my life. Amen.
Pastor Nathaniel
