Gipsy Smith: "If there is a man or woman who has been trying to live a Christian life and has no joy in it, and no victory in it, and no song in it - I know the reason.
It is that they have never repented. They have started wrong. (Google image, Sad person)
Repentance is the most neglected doctrine in the New Testament and the most unpopular. People do not like to be called to repentance and you do not often hear it preached.
And yet the Bible is a handbook of repentance. It enforces it, commands it, and so demands it that no substitute can be
accepted for it.
Over sixty times the Scriptures enforce it, and all the Epistles are written to show men how to repent, so that no one need be in a fog as to what repentance means, yet multitudes of people are.
You ask, "What is repentance?" It is not conviction of sin. Conviction is an element of repentance but you can be convicted without repenting. No one repents until he is convicted, but not all who are convicted do repent.
Conviction is not enough. It is not repentance. And, "except ye repent, ye shall . . . perish" (Luke 13:3). Is sorrow repentance? No, it is not enough to be sorry for your sins. Something more than tears is needed.
If repentance is not conviction, and not sorrow, what is it? Is it promising to do better? No. some of you have been doing that for years and you are further from God than ever.
What is repentance? Repentance is turning from sin to God.
Repentance is getting hold of that which is our curse by the hair of its head and tearing it out by the roots. Pride is one of them. Pride can be a damning as drunkenness - and is. There is pride of face, pride of place, pride of grace, and pride of race.
We need saving from our good self, our religious self, our spiritual self - as much as from our bad self. Satan is very subtle and if he cannot hinder by our badness, he will hinder by our goodness.
If he cannot hinder us by our depths, he will hinder by our heights.
If he cannot alienate us from God, he will hinder us by our self-righteousness, and if we are not careful he will come to us as an angel of light.
Pride, self-righteousness, sham, fraud, hypocrisy, lust, duplicity
- the sin in your life which enslaves you, let it go. Kill it - and all other things in your life that are wrong will slink away like so many whipped curs.
What is repentance then? It is the moral response of the awakened soul to the call of God, the home of the soul. Have you repented? Have you turned from sin unto God?" [Taken from Herald of His Coming Newspaper, Vol. 76 No. 10 (910), p. 6, used by permission.]
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| Praying over Bible |
Father, there are folks around us who have been trying to live a Christian life, but who appear to have no joy, victory or song.
Help us be willing to examine our lives to see if we may be
guilty of pride of face, pride of place, pride of grace, pride of race, which may hinder our Christian walk.
Do we need saving from our good self, our religious self,
or even our spiritual self - as much as from our bad self?
True repentance is turning from our sin, to You, as You
can save us from the curses we embrace, and to tear them
out by the roots, and to abandon them completely.
As the evil one is sly, he tries to separate us from You,
our loving God, by anything we're attached to.
May we be determined to be open to Your Holy Spirit's
honing in on what may be hindering us in our walk with
Christ Jesus, to be convicted of our sins, and to experience
true repentance.
In His name we pray. Amen.
Christ Jesus, to be convicted of our sins, and to experience
true repentance.
In His name we pray. Amen.
Today's Bible verses-
"Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain,
that are ready to die: for I have not found thy works
perfect before God. Remember therefore how thou hast
received and heard, and hold fast, and repent . . . As
many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore,
and repent" (Rev. 3:2-3, 19).
"And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but
now he commandeth all men everywhere to repent"
(Acts 17:30 KJV)
“When I refused to confess my sin, my body wasted
away, and I groaned all day long. Day and night
your hand of discipline was heavy on me. My strength
evaporated like water in the summer heat”
(Ps. 32:3-4 NLT; Acts 17:30 NIV).
"Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil,
and he will flee from you. (v. 9). Draw night to God, and
he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners;
and purify your hearts, ye double-minded" (James 4:8, 9).
Today's quotes-"Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain,
that are ready to die: for I have not found thy works
perfect before God. Remember therefore how thou hast
received and heard, and hold fast, and repent . . . As
many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore,
and repent" (Rev. 3:2-3, 19).
"And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but
now he commandeth all men everywhere to repent"
(Acts 17:30 KJV)
“When I refused to confess my sin, my body wasted
away, and I groaned all day long. Day and night
your hand of discipline was heavy on me. My strength
evaporated like water in the summer heat”
(Ps. 32:3-4 NLT; Acts 17:30 NIV).
"Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil,
and he will flee from you. (v. 9). Draw night to God, and
he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners;
and purify your hearts, ye double-minded" (James 4:8, 9).
~ Larry Lea- "The devil has only one purpose for you: to destroy you. He'll try to do it any way he can. And any territory you give up to him, he'll gladly take over. Never forget that. There's a battle to be won. And once we have on the armor of God, we're ready to go out and win that battle. But we must remember when we're faced with trouble that the root of our battle is spiritual, so our armor must be spiritual. . . . As it was for David, something inside us has to rise up so that we don't back down from the devil when he taunts us." (Taken from pp. 133-134 of THE WEAPONS OF YOUR WARFARE).
~ Max Lucado-
~ Mary Southerland- "When I have sinned and run to Him for forgiveness, He says, “Let me have it.”
I am so thankful God knows me and loves me still. He patiently waits for me to get to the end of myself and then says, “I’m here, child. Let me have it.” (From Mary Southerland's blog post, "Let Go and Let God." Check out Mary’s CD, Love That Never Fails).
Today's question-
Are you shocked that you're reduced to trust Jesus in what you're dealing with?
When life doesn't make sense, and you're reduced to look to
Jesus, it is so your confidence will be in Him. Don't be ashamed or discouraged, but take heart, as He loves you, and He has an over-all good plan for your life. Honor Him through the midst of suffering, and keep doing what He directs, even if you don't see results. Commit to His leading, and trust your life will receive the power He's promised you.
List of recent sermons of CFC ministers. CFC Potsdam church has a live service at 10 am Sunday's for shut-ins. If for some reason you can't make it to the church you usually attend, click on the above link, and still get fed!
Upcoming posts-
#11 It Takes power to Extend the Kingdom
21st- Tuesday's post by Dr. Wesley L. Duewel
#12 God's Power in the Ministry of John Wesley
23rd- Thursday's post by Dr. Wesley L. Duewel
I Am a Stranger in the Earth
25th- Saturday's post by James H. Cagle
#13 God's Power in the Ministry of Charles G. Finney
28th- Tuesday's post by Dr. Wesley L. Duewel
Jean's blog
(Click to see snippets of the 7 recent posts)
(Click to see snippets of the 7 recent posts)
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Jean's published book
Thank you for this clear explanation of repentance, Jean.
ReplyDeleteSo many have never even been taught what it is. I trust this post will enlighten many, and be of help in their walk of Christian faith.
DeleteVery enlightening.
ReplyDelete