What is repentance?

You wonder why John the Baptist vehemently rejected and rebuked the Pharisees when they came out to him at the Jordan where he baptized people. He called them a ‘brood of vipers’. He instructed them to go and bear fruit worthy of repentance. Why? Because they had no true fruit out of a repentant heart. All they did was portray a life of self-righteousness; they never engaged in true sorriness! They never cried; never wept for forgiveness. They never changed course. Rather, they engaged in a righteous drama. They engaged in a righteous lie! We cannot afford to engage in a righteous drama. We have to engage in the real thing. They acted out their belief in God. It was a long long drama that they acted out; nothing went on in their heart, and so no Godly fruit was birthed.

True repentance is almost like a laceration; a cut. True repentance is taking responsibility of our wrong and wanting to do something about it. You feel the pain of your wrong. It pricks you. You wish you had never done it; you wish you had never said those words; you wish you had not gone there. You can feel it when you grieve the Holy Spirit. It pains you. It makes you weep, just like Peter wept when he knew he had denied Jesus three times. Luke 22:61-62 says And the Lord turned and looked at Peter. Then Peter remembered the word the Lord had spoken to him: “Before the rooster crows today, you will deny Me three times.” And he went outside and wept bitterly.

Do you ever weep bitterly when you have sinned against God? It is only when you do this; when you are cut at the heart, that you can bear fruits unto repentance. That is when a time of refreshing can come into your life. That is when we can be restored and renewed and changed.

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Linda Faith

Linda faith is the Editor in Chief of Jewels Magazine. She co-pastors along with her husband Revival Worship Church, Tampa. She is a prolific writer and powerful speaker, inspiring many women to be all God has called them to be. She is the founder of Joy Women’s conference which reaches out to empower, inspire and motivate women in their faith walk.