From that time Jesus began to preach and say, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” Matthew 4:17.
Today your LORD (יהוה) God (אלהים) says:
I want to make your life beautiful, the most beautiful life ever lived and the way you help Me to do that is to repent. Repentance is acknowledging the truth to get out of darkness into light. Repentance is not merely sorrow for sin, even weeping over wrong things you have done does not necessarily show repentance, for you could still be rejecting the truth of My Word about forgiveness, righteousness, healing, and restoration. True repentance often has no tears but joy for it brings newness of life and a hope that does not disappoint. If it doesn’t get you free from the lie that captured you into sin it is not repentance, it is only remorse and it will not change your life from darkness into light and you will just keep succumbing to sin. Jesus told the disciples they were clean and purged to be fruitful by My Words which He had spoken to them.
For the sorrow that is according to the will of God produces a repentance without regret, leading to salvation, but the sorrow of the world produces death. 2 Corinthians 7:10.
The original language in which the New Testament was written and circulated was Greek, and in Greek the word you see as “repent” is metanoeó (μετανοέω), which is from the words meta and noieo, metá means “changed after being with” and noiéō, “think”– properly, “think differently after,” “after a change of mind”; to repent (literally, “think differently afterwards”).
When the prodigal son repented to return to the father, I tell you he got back to his right mind. The man possessed by a legion of demons got his right mind back when he got free of the demon spirits that were deceiving him and blinding his mind, that is, keeping him in the darkness where he had no light of the truth coming in to dispel it.
The word in Hebrew for repent, for the Old Testament is written in the language of Hebrew, is shuv (שׁוּב),” which means to repent, return, turn back, and restore. You see it used for days of repentance, for returning, and for restoration. This should show you the meaning of repent, it is a turning back from going the wrong way in which you were headed by operating under the lies of the world, the flesh, and the devil, and changing your mind to think the truth of My Word as your operating system, which sets you free from the darkness and pain of deception and takes you from darkness to light, to restore to you the abundant life and the good things you have lost in the years you gave to the deception you operated under of lack, poverty, sickness, addictions, fear, worry, and greed, which caused you to sin and wander far from the truth that can save your soul (mind, will, and emotions). Once you are freed from wrong thinking to the truth you can prosper and be in good health in all areas of your life to which you apply the truth of My Word.
That is why the devil and his demon spirits that followed his rebellion, which was deception, seek to blind you to the truth of My Word so they can take you captive to do evil which ultimately causes you and others to perish because you are operating under lies. This is what he did to Adam and Eve and they gave in and fell into lies with him. That is why in counseling Timothy in how to pastor his church, Paul admonished Timothy as follows:
The Lord’s bond-servant must not be quarrelsome, but be kind to all, able to teach, patient when wronged, with gentleness correcting those who are in opposition, if perhaps God may grant them repentance leading to the knowledge of the truth, and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, having been held captive by him to do his will. 2 Timothy 2:24-26.
Repentance is acknowledging that you have been operating under a lie and receiving the truth of My Word to flush out that lie. That was why Jesus told His disciples they were clean by the Word He spoke to them. I have rescued you from the realm of darkness into the marvelous light of the Kingdom of My Beloved Son. My Son is the Word made flesh, He is the truth, and He is the Light of the world. No follower of His will ever walk in darkness for such a one that continues, abides in, and keeps My Word will have the Light of Life in them and upon them.
Good things grow in the light. In the light, your life can’t help but become fruitful with good works, all prepared for you in advance. For in My Light you see Light. And that light of truth is the fountain of eternal life that will well up in you once you believe in Jesus and receive through Him My promise of the gift of the Holy Spirit in you. And this fulfills My promise that I made to you of eternal life that I gave you since the foundation of the world.
But because Adam corrupted his seed by rejecting the imperishable seed of My Word and receiving the lies that My Word is not truth, which planted in his spirit, and plunged you all into the darkness of living by the flesh. He put you into darkness. He went below the light line, born from below now and not above.
And He was saying to them, “You are from below, I am from above; you are of this world, I am not of this world. Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for unless you believe that I am, you will die in your sins.” John 8:23-24.
Without faith in Jesus you have not received My gift to you in Him of complete payment of the judgment you owed Me and full satisfaction of the sentence imposed for sin upon you. For a gift not received by the donee is not a completed gift. It returns to the donor or goes into unclaimed property.
It is very hard for a proud person to repent, that is, to acknowledge that what they are believing is a lie and to change their mind to think a new way in accordance with My Word. And that is the danger of pride, rejecting My Word of truth because you think you know better. You become My critic rather than My follower. The Pharisees and priests and scribes suffered from this and it made them despise and reject Jesus and his followers. And yet Jesus was there to heal and save them. The proud resist Me because their hearts are not right. There is no place for repentance in them. They will never acknowledge that they have done wrong. They want the benefit while they stay in their unbelief and sin.
See to it that no one comes short of the grace of God; that no root of bitterness springing up causes trouble, and by it many be defiled; that there be no immoral or godless person like Esau, who sold his own birthright for a single meal. For you know that even afterwards, when he desired to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no place for repentance, though he sought for it with tears. Hebrews 12:15-17.
He wanted the blessing but his hardened, bitter heart had no room in it for repentance, only remorse at what he lost, but no desire to change his way of thinking. They want the benefits of the sanctified ones in light while they dwell in the darkness, letting their flesh rule them.
This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil. For everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. But he who practices the truth comes to the Light, so that his deeds may be manifested as having been wrought in God.” John 3:19-21.
Repentance is coming into the light and letting the light expose all that is darkness within you so that you can let the light drive out the darkness of lies, sin, and evil that has lived in you too long and been destroying your beautiful life. People say they have sinned against Me but actually you sin against yourself, for sin will destroy you and when you sin you are destroying yourself physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Your sin does not enter Me, it enters back into you to work destruction in you.
He also loved cursing, so it came to him; and he did not delight in blessing, so it was far from him. But he clothed himself with cursing as with his garment, and it entered into his body like water and like oil into his bones. Psalm 109:17-18.
“But he who sins against Me injures himself; all those who hate Me love death.” Proverbs 8:36.
When Jesus was questioned, and this question is asked even now, why when an accident took place (the tower fell in Siloam) certain people were killed and others were not. The crowd wanted to know if they were then the biggest sinners in Jerusalem. Jesus answered, “I tell you, no, but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.” Luke 13:5.
This statement of Jesus establishes that no one is saved and kept in perfect protection without repentance. Everyone’s mind needs renewal or you will not believe that you need Jesus to be saved and come to know the truth, you will not believe you are forgiven, that you are healed, that you are provided for, and that you are blessed in all you put your hand to.
Repent and believe in the good news was the theme of Jesus’ preaching. Repent the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand!
I will now reveal to you why: Repent, return, REJOICE, and restore, and it will be better for you than it was before. And that sums up the parable of the prodigal son, which is the story of the human race and Me. The son rejected the father and his house and went off to the lusts of the eyes, the lust of the flesh, and the pride of life and it all turned from merrymaking to heartbreaking toil and remorse. But coming to his senses at last, he decided to return to his father’s house where there was the abundance of good things that he had been seeking when he had the best all along. He acknowledged he was living under a lie and went back to claim the truth.
But when he came to his senses (to himself), he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired men have more than enough bread, but I am dying here with hunger! 18 I will get up and go to my father, and will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven, and [h]in your sight; 19 I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me as one of your hired men.”’ 20 So he got up and came to [i]his father.
So you see repent, he realized he was living under a lie and acknowledged the truth, that is he came to his right mind and stopped destroying himself. He acknowledged he had done wrong and deserved nothing from the father but in him he had hope of restoration.
But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion for him, and ran and [j]embraced him and kissed him. 21 And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight; I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ 22 But the father said to his slaves, ‘Quickly bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet; 23 and bring the fattened calf, kill it, and let us eat and celebrate; 24 for this son of mine was dead and has come to life again; he was lost and has been found.’ And they began to celebrate.
The result is rejoicing followed by restoration. When you repent and return after wandering off in sin, know that I have so much joy over you that all the heavenly host rejoices with Me and we invite you to the celebration. And the result? Restoration to your sonship as a joint heir with Christ. You are with Me always and everything I have is yours. And that is even better than Adam had it in Eden. When I restore it is better than before.
I love you. Always be quick to repent of any deception you followed that led you into sin. Acknowledge it and confess it to Me but don’t get stuck in remorse, repentance gives hope of a new beginning filled with grace. Remember the prodigal son and join in the celebration and then look for restoration. The restoration comes with the rejoicing that you are beloved, forgiven, blessed, and favored in Christ by what He has done to restore you. Thank Me for so great a salvation and learn who you are in Christ. Change your mind after being with Me in My Word and change your life. You can live a sin free life in Christ.