True Repentance

Wow, my heart is being flooded with things today. I was tossing the idea around about why the Lord would not allow me to pray for "repentance" when I was at a recent music event. It was so very evident that His presence was there so strongly, I was almost driven to the floor. wouldn't this be a perfect time to pray that repentance would flow through the place? But He would not allow me to think this or say it. All I could pray was that His glory would be known to every person- and I know it was. It was all about how He was everything and we were nothing.I was thinking of what real repentance was and then comparing it to surrender. I think most people are willing to be repentant about the sin in their lives- maybe not. But I think that they don't know what they are supposed to be repentant of. Unless they have the Lord on the throne of their hearts (surrendered all) they will have no idea the extent of their sin of self.Repentance is a change of how you think. It is a change of perspective, from seeing yourself as the center of the universe to seeing God as the center of the universe, and trusting your life to his mercy. It is to surrender. It is to throw down your crown at the feet of the rightful ruler of the cosmos. It is the most important change you will ever make.Not about moralsRepentance is not about morals. It is not about good behavior. It is not about "doing better." Repentance is putting your trust in God instead of in yourself, your wits, your friends, your country, your government, your guns, your money, your authority, your prestige, your reputation, your car, your house, your job, your family heritage, your color, your sex, your success, your looks, your clothes, your titles, your degrees, your church, your spouse, your muscles, your leaders, your IQ, your accent, your accomplishments, your charity work, your donations, your kindness, your compassion, your self-control, your chastity, your honesty, your obedience, your devotion, your spiritual disciplines or anything else you can come up with of yours or associated with you that I left out of this long sentence.Repentance is putting all your eggs in one basket--his basket. It's getting on his side, believing what he says, throwing in your lot with him, giving him your allegiance.Repentance is not about promises to be good. It is not about teeth-clenched straining to "put sin out of your life." It is trusting God to have mercy on you. It is trusting God to fix your evil heart. It is trusting God to be who he says he is--Creator, Savior, Redeemer, Teacher, Lord and Sanctifier. And it is dying, dying to your need to be thought of as right and good. -Michael FeazellIf we are still hanging on to ourselves, there is no amount of repenting or sraining to stop sinning that is going to help.We wonder why we continue to do the same thing over and over, why we are not overcoming. When we come to Christ (if we truly surrender all) then it should be "no longer I, but Christ."I live no longer, but Christ lives His life in me. In all of His dealings with us He works by taking US out of the way and substituting Christ in our place.If we continue to become "more of Him" then we will in turn become "less of ourselves". It is our "self" that is in the way. He has already given us the power and ability to overcome sin. It is just that He is not reigning in us as King of all. We are not allowing Him access to all.I always picture in my mind the actuality of me being less inside of me, being emptied out- just an empty vessel- and then me, as a vessel being filled with Him. To do that though, we(self) have to be dead and gone.If we would all do this and continually do this- think of all that we could overcome (or He could overcome for us).But we are content to live in a lower level of faith because we would rather hang onto our own rights, wants and ways- and then keep repenting and trying to "do better".There is something to all of this. More than what I am saying here, I just don't have the words for it yet.I do see why Oswald chambers says "Surrender is not about the surrender of the EXTERNAL, but of the will (the internal, the heart). When that is done, all is done."Just more thoughts...Satisfied in Him alone, chanin

Such great points, moreofhim! Thank you for bringing up such important issues all the time.Here's a sin Jesus tells us to stop. LUST.The old testament says "Do not commit adultery."Jesus says, "You have heard it was said, "Do not commit adultery." But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart." Matt 5:27. Jesus magnifies this law, bringing out the spiritual nature of that commandment, if one is lusting after people, pictures of people, that is considered wicked adultery in the eyes of a holy God. Lust for your spouse is what God intends.The seriousness of sin is described by Jesus in the very next verse following what He just said about committing adultery in your heart. "If your right eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell." Matt 5:29. It's not shown in the bible this verse is to be taken literally, but spiritually it should be followed. If a sin is too tempting for you, stay away from it as fast and hard as possible. If looking at women causes lustful thoughts, don't look at them, even on the streets. Look at the sky or a man, avoid sin.This is what Jesus says. If you don't think we should do what Jesus says, then examine your christianity, because Jesus is the only thing that will matter when you meet God on Judgment day and all secret sins are exposed. How is Jesus your Lord if you do not obey Him? Read what He teaches, study His life, and FOLLOW HIM that way, not just follow an imaginery Jesus that is-in your mind- so loving He won't do the things He says in the Bible. You'll find your mistake on the Day of Wrath, better to repent now.This is one sin, another is hatred of your brother is the same as murder. But lust is a sin that is very openly accepted by so many, because so many people want to satisfy that sinful desire. Even myself at times (I'm a woman, so it's kind of rare :). Take every thought captive and make it obedient to Jesus, this can be done. If it's a struggle, then it's a struggle, no Christian is promised a cake walk.

Lust and sexual sin in general is an astonishingly pervasive problem. It's destroying so many people and ministries.It may be one of the primary reasons we see so much "easy-believism" being taught: professing Christians (particularly men) didn't really want to let go of their sexual sin, so they justified it by saying that it wasn't possible to have freedom from sin in this life and that Holiness was not a result of true salvation. Hence this "carnal Christianity" nonsense.I could go on for quite a while, but I'll keep it short:1) God hates sin. This includes sexual sin.2) If you're in sin, you need to repent.3) Repentance includes forsaking the sin.4) God can and will free you from sin if you are truly desiring to serve Him instead of sin.I think the hardest part for me was a lack of confidence that God would really break me free, so two passages for those in a similar situation:1 Corinthians 1013 There hath no temptation taken hold of you but such as is common to man. But God is faithful; He will not suffer you to be tempted beyond that which ye are able to bear, but with the temptation will also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.1 John 514 And this is the confidence that we have in Him: that if we ask anything according to His will, He heareth us.15 And if we know that He hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of Him.