By Marianne Mauti
The Repentant Heart
In part three of our series on, 'The Heart of the Matter' we discovered how the process of a hardening heart can effect the spiritual life of the believer. The Bible tells us it is the responsibility of the believer to set their heart on the right path: " Listen, my son, and be wise, and set your heart on the right path" Proverbs 23:19. If you have ever come to a crossroad and been tempted lead your heart down the wrong path, or you are already on the wrong spiritual path, it is never too late to change your direction! Today's article takes a look at what we need to do to reverse the hardening process and change our direction! Join us now for the fourth installment in this important series entitled: "The Repentant Heart"A Heart of Repentance
From the moment I was born, I had an intuitive awareness that something was missing (we all do). At an early age I felt the spirit of God began to draw me to him. I can still remember the day I heard Billy Graham preach the message of the Gospel on my little black and white TV. I was 13 years old when the message of repentance and salvation pierced my heart. I realized for the first time in my life that I had been born into sin, that all men had sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. But then I heard him speak of love, hope and restoration to God through His son Jesus Christ. I understood in that moment I was a sinner in need of His salvation. I learned that only Jesus He could atone for my sin and I was overcome with gratitude. I finally understood what I had been missing in my life, it was Jesus in my heart! When I asked Jesus to forgive me of my sin, to come into my heart and be the Lord of my life, something deep inside of me changed. God gave me a new, clean heart!
I remember, after that experience, the sorrow I felt the first time I did something that I knew was wrong. A deep remorse came over my heart. I knew in my spirit that I had created a it problem between God and I and I did not want that! I felt a conviction for my actions and wanted God's forgiveness. My heart was never more sensitive to the voice of God than it was when I was first saved. I will confess that over the last 40 years it has been a daily process of acceptance and repentance, in order to maintain a healthy spiritual heart and mind. 'Accepting' the fact that I would always have to check my heart for any seed of spiritual rebellion and 'repenting' for the times I failed and needed to make things right with God! I have experienced many things in my Christian walk, and I know this for certain;
The only person or thing that can destroy my relationship with God….is ME!
True Repentance Begins in the Heart
The Bible tells me, if I keep my heart soft and pliable before God, he will be faithful to show me the areas in my life where I need to repent and then promises to give me the strength to do it! This sounds like it should be a relatively easy process, doesn't it? Actually it is when we commit to doing it on a daily basis. If however, we allow our mistakes to begin to create a division between us and God, it can cause our heart to begin to harden toward God. The longer we go without dealing with it, the harder it gets. If you are anything like me, when I have failed God often in certain areas, I feel guilty asking Him over and over to forgive me. That is very dangerous place to be and we must always be on guard for that! The truth is we all fall short. That is why God's forgiveness is new every morning! We will make mistakes, sometimes we will make the same mistake over and over, maybe even for a long time, but if our heart remains tender before God and we repent, God is faithful to forgive. The struggle lies in keeping a tender heart before God, in the midst of our failure. When we get saved we are a new creation in Christ, but we come into this new birth with all of our past memories and experiences. As we let God's Word teach us and we renew our mind daily we will begin to look less and less like the old man and more and more like Him.
This is a life long process.
Just like small children fall and get bumps and bruises, we spiritually get bumped and bruised! God our heavenly father, who loves us far more than our earthly father, doesn't throw His spiritual children out of His house when they make a mistake, any more that an earthly one does. What God does want, is for us to recognize our sin and seek His forgiveness, which He willingly gives.There has to be a constant willingness and a desire in our heart to remain obedient to God. It requires an attitude of repentance that comes from a yielded heart! We don't ever have to fear God, He will always lead us in the direction of forgiveness. As long as our heart attitude is to do what is right, we will hear His voice and receive His forgiveness. "Don't you realize that God's kindness is meant to lead you to repentance?" Romans 2:4
True repentance begins in a heart that desires more than anything, to be in right relationship with God. True repentance is an acknowledgment of sin and our sincere desire to turn away from it. God uses His Holy Spirit to bring our sin before us, not to bring condemnation on us, but to help us to see what is is that we need to change. The Holy Spirit's conviction is a good thing!
Repentance is not an outward action (although there will be an outward evidence of repentance), nor is it a process of trying to reform yourself. It is a heart attitude change. If you heart is not repentant, any lifestyle change you make will only be temporary or inadequate. It isn't something that applies to only certain sins, but to the overall sin nature from which individual sin come (a rebellious spirit). The individual sins are just the symptom of an underlying condition in the heart of a believer. A heart that has been poisoned or plugged up because of unrepentant sin cannot continue to pump the life giving spirit of God through the soul and spirit of a believer. Sin becomes a heavy weight, a burden on the heart of a believer who does not repent! "…… Neither is there any rest in my bones because of my sin. For my iniquities are gone over my head; as a heavy burden they are too heavy for me. " Pr 28:3
Confess Your Sin
Confessing our sin is the first step in true repentance. Turning away from the desire and the action of our sin is the next step. The greek word for 'turn' is epitrepsate, it means: to turn away from, but it also means a turning toward! It is a 'whole turning "to" God.' WOW! Turning, is a conscience decision to take a new direction. Not only is it a turning away from, but it is a 'turning toward' (returning to) God. When we hear His voice in our heart calling us to repent, we must respond by turning from our sin and move once again toward Him! "Therefore repent and turn, so that your sins may be wiped away, in order that the time of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord." Acts 3:19 When our heart re-turns to God the sin is wiped away, just as if it never happened. As a result of our re-turn to Him, we get to experience a new time of refreshing in the presence of the Lord. How wonderful !
Just As If I never Sinned
The Bible tells us that when we confess our sin , turn away from it and back toward God, we are cleansed from our unrighteous act, and we stand before God 'just as if we had never sinned'. The greek word for justified is dikaloo which means; to render or to regard as innocent, free, right standing, righteous. Justification means 'to declare righteous'. The new testament writers, specifically Paul, use the term in a judicial sense. Declaring to the believer that because of what Jesus has done on your behalf, you are now righteous! All things between you and God are now made right! Romans 3:23-25 speaks of being justified by the grace of God, "For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God, being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus; whom God displayed publicly as a propitiation (appeasement, satisfying a debt) in His blood through faith." It is just as if you never sinned, how wonderful is the mercy and forgiveness of God! " Being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus." What an amazing promise God has made to us! We are justified through His grace because of the redemption we receive through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!
Renewing Your Mind
The heart and the mind are eternally connected. Repentance requires they both be in agreement, heading in the same direction. It isn't enough to want to do what is right in your heart if your mind doesn't follow. The word of God is our manual for righteous living ( being in right relationship with God) and it tells us that part of the process of repentance is turning away from the sin and renewing of our mind (it is an action that must be prompted by our will). He assures us that if we follow His instructions, we can depend on the grace (His divine enablement) of the Holy Spirit. All we have to do is ask!
A change of heart is always connected to a change in our mind! You must be willing to mentally let go of the thinking that you associate with your transgression. You have to keep your mind stayed on God to keep your heart in check with God. The Word of God tells us that our thinking is something we can and need to take responsibility for. Our thoughts aren't going to miraculously change because we are sorry for our actions , but the Bible offers us a prescription for renewing our mind, "Finally brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things." Phillipians 4:8
When we fill our minds with what is true (not the lie of the enemy), honorable (not indecent) , pure (not unrighteous), lovely (not gross and twisted), commendable (not critical), looking at what is right (not always focusing on what is wrong), what is commendable ( not our faults or failings), then a transformational process in our thinking can occur! "Do nor conform to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is god and acceptable and perfect." Romans 12:2
We no longer think like the world and as a result we no longer act like the world. When you are tested, the condition or state of your mind will be revealed. Our mindset is often a pretty good barometer or indication of where the heart is. If we conform our mind to the worlds way of thinking our heart will follow, but if we allow the transforming power of His Word to continually saturate our mind we can protect our mind and thus our heart! Understanding what is good and acceptable to God, according to His Word, will enable you to maintain a righteous relationship with God!
Spiritual fruit is the outward evidence of an inward change! True repentance is always accompanied by a change in our behavior. John the Baptist urged the Pharisees and Sadducees saying, "Therefore bring forth fruit that is consistent with repentance.", Matthew 3:8. While the fruit of your repentance may not immediately be visible to others it should be visible to you! I believe you know in our heart if there has been true change and soon your daily life will begin to reflect that change! Your life will become more consistent with God's Word until it becomes a way of life!
Spiritual Fruit is also grown in our life when we take responsibility for our actions and accept the consequences. There are always consequences for a rebellious heart. What we choose to do or not to do, not only has an effect on our relationship with God, it also has an effect on those we love and care about. While God does completely forgive or sin and transgressions, it isn't always possible to undo the consequences they created. God does promise that He will use everything in our life for good. We learn and grow from our mistakes and we can help others not to make the same ones!
Conclusion
A repentant heart is a healthy heart! We have all fallen short of the perfect character of God. We are all a work in progress. Over time the type of sin we fall into and transgressions we make change. They become less about the physical outward sins and more about the motives and intentions of our heart. Those are the ones we can get pretty good at hiding from others, but not God! It is in the secret workings of our heart and mind that we must pay close attention to. The way we do that is to have a repentant heart !
Next in this series Part 5: "Guarding Your Heart"...the key to protecting your heart
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FORGING YOUR FAITH
To 'Forge' something, is to mold and shape something for suitable use. We believe that our lives are constantly being shaped and molded by the hand of God for His divine purpose! This publication strives to encourage believers who are beginning this process and those who are well into it! We also believe a truly successful life is a Christ-Centered Life! We hope you will join us and become a regular reader!
Thank You and God Bless,
Marianne Mauti
Founder and CAO
'Forging Your Faith' is the online Christian publication of 'Christ the King Church' in Bellevue, Pa.
About Marianne Mauti: Marianne is a writer and blogger as well as a Pastor at "Christ the King Church" in Bellevue, Pa. She is currently the Dean and Chief Operating Officer of "Christ the King Seminary" a full time Bible Institute. For more information about us please contact us at: crowncntr@aol.com
About Marianne Mauti: Marianne is a writer and blogger as well as a Pastor at "Christ the King Church" in Bellevue, Pa. She is currently the Dean and Chief Operating Officer of "Christ the King Seminary" a full time Bible Institute. For more information about us please contact us at: crowncntr@aol.com ***********************************************************
ARTICLE RESOURCES
ARTICLE RESOURCES
* The Bible
*Dr. George R. Beninate: Is Bishop of "Christ the King Church" in Pennsylvania, West Virginia and in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. A Doctor of Theology, Biblical Apologist, conference speaker, lecturer and my spiritual father.He is also the Author of several books including,"The Age of Glory", Thank you for your relentless pursuit of truth!
