CBN TEACHING SHEETS
Keys to Powerful Living: Repentance
By CBN.com
CBN.com
-- How a Change of Mind Can Change Your Life
If you have ever changed your mind about anything, then you
understand the basis of one of the most important spiritual principles
in the Bible: repentance.
What is Repentance?
Repentance implies a change in direction -- 180-degree
course correction in our relation with God. It begins with a decision
to turn from sin and surrender to the lordship of Jesus Christ.
And it's vitally necessary for anyone desiring to draw near to
the Lord and walk with Him every day.
That's because every person is born with a sinful nature that
finds expression in sinful actions. This sin creates a chasm between
God and man that cannot be bridged by our human efforts (Romans
3:23, 6:23)
Our sin, however, is not the end of the story. In fact, God works
through everything that happens in our lives, including our sin,
to draw us to Jesus (John 6:44, 45; 14:6; Romans 8:28, 29).
No matter what you have done, God has made a way home -- through his Son, Jesus Christ. His death on
the cross and triumphant resurrection secures for you all the
blessings of God, including forgiveness. All you have to do is
repent and turn your life over to Jesus (Acts 3:19)
This is what the Bible calls being "born again" of the Spirit
of God (John 3:3,5). We enter into the born-again experience by
repenting of our sin, yielding our lives to Jesus as Savior and
Lord, and trusting in faith that He will forgive and cleanse us
from all sin (Romans 3:23; 10:13; 1John 1:8,9; John 1:12).
A Daily Walk
Repentance is also the key to growing daily in your relationship
with Christ. That's because the Christian life is a journey --
we are not perfected in an instant. For the rest of your life,
you will contend with the sinful and selfish tendencies of your
flesh. The only way to overcome this ongoing struggle with sin
is through repentance.
Some attitudes and actions are obviously sinful. The Bible calls
these the "works of the flesh" and they include: immorality, impurity,
sensuality, idolatry, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissension's,
factions, envying, drunkenness, carousing, etc. Such works of
the flesh, if not repented of, results in spiritual death (Gal.
5:19-21; James 1:15).
In fact, anything that is not a faith-filled response to our
circumstances and relationships is sin (Romans 14:23; 1 John 5:17,
James 4:17). Anxiety, worry, fear, bitterness, depression, pride,
resentment and anger all have their roots in sin. Also, anything
that takes the place of trusting in the Lord -- such as fortune-telling,
psychics, horoscopes, numerology, astrology, -- needs to be repented
of.
Finding Faith to Repent
If you have been struggling with a besetting sin, repentance
may seem like a difficult thing. But consider that the Bible says
"the kindness of God leads you to repentance" (Romans 2:4). Another
verse lets us know that God is patiently waiting for us to repent
(2 Peter 3::9).
Your heavenly Father is not looking for ways to punish you. Yes,
God is just, but He is also a loving Father searching for the
lost coin or the one lost sheep -- willing to leave 99 in the
safe pasture to find the one that has gone astray.
One of the most powerful portraits of God's love can be seen
in the parable of the prodigal son. After the son changed his
mind and headed home, the Bible says, "while he was still a long
way off, his father saw him, and ran and embraced him, and kissed
him" (Luke 15:20). This is God's heart toward you when you come
to Him in repentance.
As You Pray
God is patiently waiting with open arms, for His sons and daughters
to come home. All it takes is humility on our part and faith to
believe that a loving Father will hear our honest pleas and cleanse
us of our sin.
Take a moment right now to repent -- to change your mind and
turn from whatever is separating you from God and those around
you. "Father, I believe You love me. Your Word says that it is
your patience and kindness that leads me to repentance. So I come
to You humbly, and confess my sin. I thank You that You forgive
me by the blood of Jesus, and ask for a fresh cleansing of my body, soul and
spirit. Teach me how to walk honestly before You in repentance
every day. In Jesus name. Amen."
We must trust Jesus Christ to forgive our sins and determine
to obey Him for the rest of our lives. That way we can know
God and find peace again.
The Bible says: So you will be saved, if you honestly
say, Jesus is Lord, and if you believe with all your heart
that God raised Him from death. God will accept you and save
you, if you truly believe this. (Romans 10:9-10)
Is there any good reason why you cannot turn your life over
to Jesus Christ right now?
How to give your life to Christ:
1. Admit you are a sinner and need forgiveness.
2. Believe that Jesus Christ died for you on the Cross and
rose from the grave.
3. Through prayer, confess that Jesus Christ is the only
way to God and commit to live for Him for the rest of your
life.
What to Pray:
I know that I am a sinner and need your forgiveness. I believe
that You died on the cross for my sins and rose from the grave
to give me life. I know You are the only way to God so now
I want to quit disobeying You and start living for You. Please
forgive me, change my life and show me how to know You. In
Jesus' name. Amen.
If you prayed that prayer, please send
us an e-mail to let us know. Or you can call our CBN Prayer
Counseling Center at (800) 759-0700. We would love to talk
with you and send you some literature to help you begin your
walk with the Lord.
How you can know you are forgiven:
The Bible, God's Word says:
You were saved by faith in God,
who treats us much better that we deserve. This is God's gift
to you, and you have done nothing on your own (Ephesians 2:8).
For those who put their faith in Jesus: He gave them the right
to be the children of God... God Himself was the one who made
them His children (John 1:12-13).
Therefore having overlooked the times of ignorance, God is now
declaring to men that all everywhere should repent, because He
has fixed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness
through a Man whom He has appointed, having furnished proof to
all men by raising Him from the dead" (Acts 17:30,31)
I now rejoice, not that you were made sorrowful, but that you
were made sorrowful to the point of repentance; for you were
made sorrowful according to the will of God, in order that you
might not suffer loss in anything through us. For the sorrow
that is according to the will of God produces a repentance without
regret, leading to salvation; but the sorrow of the world produces
death" (2 Cor. 7:9,10)
Scriptures For Study
Romans 3:23
Who has sinned?
Luke 13:3, Acts 17:30, 31
Who needs to repent?
2 Peter 3:9
Repentance and God's patience
1 John 1:8-10
God's promise if we repent
Luke 15:7
How repentance brings joy
Psalm 51
David's example of true repentance
We're Here For You
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700 Club, and other outreaches, CBN ministers to millions
of people every day. If you need someone to pray with you, please
send
us online prayer request or you can call our CBN Prayer Counseling
Center at (800) 759-0700.
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