It's gonna be a short one today.
I know I haven't been publishing as often lately, life's just become pretty crazy lately.
Ok, so God's really been pushing me toward true repentance. Typically I think about repentance as when I sin I pray to God, ask Him for forgiveness, thank Him for His forgiveness, and then move on with my life. I do this for the same sins a lot as well. This is not true repentance. True repentance is understanding you have committed a sin, and then turning from that sin and to the cross of Jesus Christ. When I repent like I mentioned above, I turn to God and the cross of Christ, but I then turn immediately back to my sins. I don't turn away from them and focus only on the cross. This leads me into struggle cycles with the same sins, and I do not experience how I am supposed to be truly living: for Christ and not for this world. Two verses that remind of how I am supposed to act in a life of repentance are Acts 3:19 and Colossians 3:2.
Acts 3:19 -
"Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord"
Colossians 3:2 -
"Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things."
The verse from Acts tells us that turning to God is how we repent, and that when we do so it will be refreshing! The verse from Colossians tell us to look to heaven and God by setting our minds on things above and not to look to the world for what we should do. Why do I turn away from God and to my worldly sins? Sins and this world do not bring about "times of refreshing", only God can do that.
This is my prayer: With these things in mind I strive to turn to God and stay fixated on Him when I repent so that I will turn away from the things of this world.
-Matt
