Practicing Repentance
Sow for yourselves righteousness; reap in mercy; break up your fallow ground, for it is time to seek the Lord until He comes and rains righteousness on you.
“Break up your fallow ground” means to rend your heart, break down the barriers of your soul, and repent. I believe one of the hardest things to admit, especially for those “seasoned saints” or anyone who has walked with the Lord for any length of time, is our misunderstanding of repentance. I will admit that I once believed the word “repent” was directed only towards unbelievers or used only in the context of an altar call. Until recently, I never embraced the beauty that repentance brings to my relationship with Jesus.
Repentance is not just a one-shot deal or something we did in the past when we first came to know Christ. Jesus' first recorded word in Scripture was "repent." Therefore, I think we ought to put forth more effort into understanding what that truly means. Repentance is an active, continual process that has been redefined in my life by taking a step back and recognizing how I manage and react to my sin.
When the fall of mankind first took place in Genesis, breaking perfect divine fellowship with God, Adam and Eve sewed fig leaves together to cover themselves up because they had sinned. Just like Adam and Eve, I tend to just cover up my sin internally or justify it somehow. I tend to hide away, to isolate myself from others, to break fellowship, or cling to religious works. Instead of eradicating it out of my heart, I tend to just manage it or downplay its offense.
I've heard that the greatest hindrance to Christianity—aside from pride—is hypocrisy because it makes you think that you are okay. I think this is especially highlighted today in the Church because our definition of repentance has been calloused, misunderstood, or worse—completely taken out of our disciplined walk with Him.
Perhaps we do not practice repentance because we are fearful to admit our true self to the holy and righteous Savior. Perhaps we do not fully understand His character. It’s worth noting that immediately after the fall, God initiated contact with Adam asking him, “Where are you?” He wanted to allow Adam to confess. God is always giving us opportunities to repent because He is always ready to forgive.
Adam covered up his sin emotionally because he did not understand the character of God (Genesis 3:10). Adam’s fear wasn’t out of the reverence that God deserves but a mischaracterization of the heart of God. Instead of covering up emotionally and justifying our offense, we ought to cast our offense at His loving feet in reverence of who Jesus is.
Perhaps we don’t practice repentance enough because we don’t have a true understanding of how great our sin is to the heart of Christ. I will never truly know what Christ went through as He took every single sin I'll ever commit upon His royal shoulders on the cross. When someone tells me a white lie or rudely cuts me off in traffic, I'm quick to forgive them because I justify it as something minor in comparison to what others have done. But Christ does not view our sin that way at all. Scripture tells us that every sin, minor or not, is a grievous offense to His heart because it's "missing the mark" of perfection.
Like David, I pray for a broken and contrite heart, pleading that God would reveal any unconfessed sin in my life. This is a prayer I had to learn how to pray because it is really difficult. I don’t want to admit everything I’ve ever done wrong to God. I don’t want Him to know that I rolled my eyes, mocking someone else’s ambitious dream. I don’t want Him to know that I was bad mouthing that woman during service today. He doesn’t need to know all that… Oh wait—He already knows. So often I forget that there are no surprises with God. There is nothing I can do that will make Him love me any less. There is nothing that He will not graciously forgive me for.
One of the most practical habits I've put into practice in my spiritual life is to name the actual sin with Scripture. For example, instead of generalizing my confession, "Lord, forgive me for messing up today" or "Forgive me for complaining," I'm learning to identify in Scripture exactly why I have offended Christ. Once I began praying Scripture to Christ regarding my offenses, I've experienced a far more tender and broken heart, an overwhelming outpouring of His grace, and I am more inclined and eager not to make the same mistake again—that is how repentance works! Repentance is an outward representation of an inward change.
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
The blessings of repentance have far outweighed the temporary pleasure of staying in sin. By repenting, I become righteous before the Almighty God and He sees me as His precious child—blameless, pure, and redeemed. Acts 3:19 says, “Repent, then and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord.” I cannot tell you just how refreshed I am in His presence when I come to Him pouring out my heart in true, genuine, and constant repentance.
When was the last time you practiced true repentance?
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Hannah is a twenty-something Tucson native saved by the overwhelming grace of Christ. She is currently a university instructor while also pursuing a graduate degree. Hannah loves creating videos for her church, listening to country music, camping and hiking, binge watching Gilmore Girls and traveling on spontaneous road trips. Her favorite days consist of a great cup of coffee, a good book, and enjoying monsoon thunderstorms. She longs to see young women thrive in their relationship with Jesus, knowing He always has immeasurably more in store for us.