Heart Health - Repentance

The Exercise of Repentance. This fourth exercise makes your heart super duper healthy. What is repentance? Repentance is simply doing a U-turn, a 180-degree turn. To repent means a change of mind that should ultimately lead to a change of action and it often begins with confession. Repentance is a change in direction. Matthew 3:8 “You must prove your repentance by a changed life” (TPT). When it comes to repentance, there are different categories of people.

The first category are the people who believe that they are good, therefore, they do not have anything to repent of. However, the Bible says if God were to mark iniquity who can stand? There is no good man. The second category are people who believe there is no redemption for them. Such people feel that God cannot forgive them. The question is not can God forgive you? The question is, can you repent? God says when you come in repentance, He will not cast you away.

Can there be forgiveness without repentance? I have heard different views about this. But I will say this, God will not ask you to do what He cannot do. God expects us to forgive even those that have not asked for forgiveness. Why will He tell us to do it? It is because that is what He did. The Bible says while we were yet sinners, He died for us. Jesus forgave and prayed for the forgiveness of those who were nailing Him to the cross. All our sins, past, present and future He forgave on the cross. Do not get it twisted, forgiveness is one thing and relationship is another. We should forgive whether people apologize or not. However, the person may never be able to have a relationship with us again.

So why do we need to repent? We need to repent so that we can enter into the mercies of God - the mercy of restoration of a relationship with God. Repentance is the gateway to mercy and it is mercy that gives us access to the things of God. That means that if we do not repent, we cannot really have a walk with God. And without a walk with God, we cannot enter into the fullness of God. If you practice the exercise of repentance daily, your heart will be so healthy.

Reflections
1. What do you need to talk to God about based on today’s reading?

2.Write out one action to take based on today’s reading.