Repentance

Repentance

MY QUESTION for GOD

Why is repentance important for effective leadership?

A MOMENT with GOD

You confessed, “We have sinned against the Lord! We will go into the land and fight for it, as the Lord our God has commanded us.” So your men strapped on their weapons, thinking it would be easy to attack the hill country. But the Lord told me to tell you, “Do not attack, for I am not with you. If you go ahead on your own, you will be crushed by your enemies.” This is what I told you, but you would not listen. Instead, you again rebelled against the Lord’s command and arrogantly went into the hill country to fight.

Deuteronomy 1:41-43

Repentance is motivated by the realization that you have done something wrong in the way you are living and treating others. The Bible calls this sin. Repentance means you admit your sin and make a commitment, with God’s help, to change your life’s direction. While it is not a popular concept these days, repentance is essential because it is the only way to arrive at the two most important destinations: where God wants to lead you here on earth, and where he ultimately wants you to end up—heaven. Because of repentance, change is possible. You can experience God’s fullest blessings both now and for eternity. Repentance is that divine moment when you decide to move toward God instead of away from him. For repentance to occur, you must tell God you are truly sorry for your sin, and you must commit to turning away from your sin and living in obedience to God. In the verses above, the Israelites confessed their sin, but they didn’t really mean it. They seemed to be saying, “Oh, sorry about that. Now let’s get on with the conquest of the land.” Apathetic repentance is not repentance at all. When you repent, you must truly be sorry and committed to change. You must also realize that even though you have repented, the consequences have already been set in motion. God was not going to allow the Israelites into the Promised Land at this particular point; their sin had prevented that. By refusing to submit to God’s discipline, they proved God’s point that their repentance wasn’t genuine. Repentance is demonstrated by change, and it is through confession and forgiveness that you experience real change.

DIVINE PROMISE

IF MY PEOPLE WHO ARE CALLED BY MY NAME WILL HUMBLE THEMSELVES AND PRAY AND SEEK MY FACE AND TURN FROM THEIR WICKED WAYS, I WILL HEAR FROM HEAVEN AND WILL FORGIVE THEIR SINS.   2 Chronicles 7:14