Repent is not a one and done deal. It's a spiritual struggle for a lifetime known as the sanctification process, it's like the angel and the devil on your shoulders pulling you toward opposite directions, and Paul talked about that in Galatians using Isaac and Ishmael to illustrate this struggle between the spirit and the flesh. In Jesus's words, this is the unclean spirit coming back to reclaim his old house, and oftentimes he returns with more unclean spirits. This is one aspect in Christianity that I don't feel related to very much, that how could Christians rejoice over all situations under all circumstances while suffering from this "withdrawal symptom"? You know, especially when I'm stressed and weary, in my weakest moment, that's when I face the strongest temptation of backsliding.
“Repent is not a one and done deal. It's a spiritual struggle for a lifetime known as the sanctification process,”
repentance is a decision you make in light of the lord wedge that you have served sin in life. It should be a grievance to the heart when we realize our sins put Jesus on the cross.
If we ignore our sins we can never come to repentance
“Now I rejoice, not that ye were made sorry, but that ye sorrowed to repentance: for ye were made sorry after a godly manner, that ye might receive damage by us in nothing. For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death.”
2 Corinthians 7:9-10
in every person is a war between good and evil it’s part of humanity this struggle
“I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me. For I delight in the law of God after the inward man: but I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.”
Romans 7:21-23 KJV
it’s a war between mans spirit and his flesh it’s been so since the fall
“And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart.”
Genesis 6:5-6 KJV
repentance is when you realize your deeds are serving Satan and you make a decision to stop doing that that’s where repentance lives. You may not stop
Immediately but once you make the decision your not able to freely continue because of your conscience you’ve decided through hearing the truth that your not going to serve satans Will anymore
“What then?
shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid.
Know ye not, that
to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey
; whether of sin unto death,
or
of obedience unto righteousness?”
Romans 6:15-16
repentance is when you choose obedience over sin because you’ve heard the truth that every time a person sins they are serving satans Will for their life that leads to death.
“to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey
; whether of sin unto death, “
a sinner yields themselves to the Will of sin the Will of the flesh , a Christian makes the decision to yield to Gods Will instead
You change from willingly being a servant ofnthe devil and his Will lust , greed , pride , grudge bearing ect those are the devils ways Christ taught us Gods ways
our cchoice is once you hear the truth to accept the truth and to follow after God and his ways revealed sin the gospel. To do this we have to repent of all we thought we knew about God become students or disciples of Jesus Christ beginning at Jesus repenting and starting here
“The law and the prophets were until John:
since that time the kingdom of God is preached, and every man presseth into it.”
Luke 16:16 KJV
We can’t keep seeing God the way Moses revealed him we have to accept who Jesus is , what Jesus said ect
repentance is simple it’s when we actually start taking the gospel seriously . Make the decision not to work with our enemy to destroy us , but turn to God and serve him who came to save us
it’s not repentance to pretend our sin doesn’t count , it’s not repentance to insist “ everyone sins “ it becomes repentance when we make the choice to stop serving sin and start serving God
whatever mistakes we make along the way we have Jesus to deal with that to make the decision to convert from satans servants serving and enjoying sin knowing the truth , and start believing and serving God enjoying the fruits of righteousness
repentance is a lifetime commitment to serve God and when you realize you’ve messed up to confess and repent and stand back up and walk again.
We have to repent of what’s in our head me heart and start letting Jesus teach us what’s meant to be there that’s where repentance comes from
“I came not to call the righteous,
but sinners to repentance.”
Luke 5:32 KJV
all it takes is for us to accept the truth ( but not then explain it’s not true )
“in meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them
repentance to the acknowledging of the truth;
and that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will.”
2 Timothy 2:25-26 KJV
We need to start looking at it like it is sin is the Will of Satan , the gospel is the Will of God . Repentance is when we choose Gods ways as our life’s path.