Repentance is an essential and transformative aspect of the Christian faith, involving a heartfelt turning away from sin and a sincere turning towards God. It is marked by confession, godly sorrow, and a commitment to change, leading to forgiveness, restoration, and a renewed relationship with God. Through repentance, believers experience the grace and mercy of God, enabling them to live lives that honor Him.
[00:00:00] We're the spray friends together on our knees, let us pray friends together on our knees. And I fall on my knees with my face to the rise in sun, all over the earth, you see on the knees.
[00:00:27] Welcome to the Bible Speaks with Elgin Carelock. The Bible Speaks is a weekly ministry of harvest international.
[00:00:33] Our prayer is that the Bible Speaks will encourage you in your study of God's Word. You will be able to contact Elgin at the address given at the end of this broadcast. And now here's Elgin.
[00:00:46] Brothers and sisters, I welcome you in the name of our risen Savior Jesus Christ to another episode of Words of Inspiration. And today, our discussion will be on the discipline of repentance. Our spiritual inspiration coming from Ezekiel 18, verse 30, which reads,
[00:01:11] Therefore, you Israelites, I will judge each of you according to your own ways, declared as the sovereign Lord. Repent. Turn away from all your offenses, then sin will not be your downfall. As believers, we all have the goal of not letting sin cause separation between us and God.
[00:01:34] We understand that the very first commandment is that God shall have no other God before me, but do we apply this to all of the things we know causes us to sin.
[00:01:47] The reason I believe the Holy Spirit gave me this topic is because there are things, habits, proclivities that we have a very difficult time repenting from because it brings us great pleasure. This can include everything from food and shopping to alcohol and sex.
[00:02:09] The primary problem in each of those scenarios is our flesh. When we gave our lives to Jesus, it was a spiritual curse. Your flesh was not saved. And unfortunately, your flesh knows you better than anyone else. And when it craves something can be very persuasive.
[00:02:31] A couple of that with a sinful nature from Adam and you have the potential for the problem. Roman 7 verses 18 through 19 reads, For I know that nothing good dwells in me. That is in my flesh.
[00:02:48] For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing.
[00:03:03] What I believe Paul is describing is the journey to repentance and the discipline to stay away from those things that so easily be set us. One of the primary factors of experiencing true repentance is confessing our sins to God with deep contrition.
[00:03:21] We can't just say what we think is right. We have to mean it. The next thing is to turn away from it and to not look back. The problem is there are things we have done for so long as it becomes part of who we are,
[00:03:39] and totally walking away is not only difficult but can cause anxiety of losing that part of our identity. When Paul says, but not the ability to carry it out. It's not because he doesn't have the power of the Holy Spirit to help him overcome.
[00:03:59] He's struggling with the actual physical nature of losing something that brings pleasure. I quit smoking more than 20 years ago and nothing could ever get me to go back to that
[00:04:13] because when I truly turned away, the Lord removed that taste from me and I won't ever pick it back up again. On the other hand, as I get older, there are certain foods my doctor and my body say I cannot have
[00:04:30] because it's not healthy and causes pain when I eat them. However, there are times when my flesh insists and I give in and spend a couple of days in excruciating pain.
[00:04:42] God has not taken the taste from me because I have not reached a point where I can truly turn from them and never look back again. So how do we develop that type of discipline? I wanted to share five ways with you in our time together.
[00:05:06] Now, we're lying on God's strength and the Holy Spirit. Galatians 5 for 16, reading from the New and the National version says, So I say, walk by the Spirit and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.
[00:05:24] We have to really lean on the Holy Spirit during the times our flesh is pushing us to do those things that we know we shouldn't. But have trouble resisting. Number two, use the word of God.
[00:05:40] Just as Jesus did when Satan tried to tempt him in the desert, we have to use the word of God to ward off those times when temptation is at its highest.
[00:05:52] What if it tricks I learned is that you can't have thoughts in your head when you are speaking out loud? So sometimes you have to speak to the temptation out loud, rebuked that desire using the word of God even if you have to say it more than once.
[00:06:12] Number three, small victories. We know that repentance is a 180 degree turn from sin, but sometimes we win by turning 45 degrees at a time. If we are praying to God and asking the Holy Spirit for strength, you will not lose what you've gained,
[00:06:33] even though it may take longer to get to the full 180 degree turn. Number four, avoid situations of temptation. Proverbs 4 verses 14 through 15, reading from the English standard version reads, do not enter the path of the wicked and do not walk in the way of the evil.
[00:06:56] Avoid it, do not go on it, turn away from it and pass on. Some of the temptations we have have triggers. We must avoid those things that put us in situations where we are weak. For example, if you drink when you're with friends watching sports,
[00:07:17] limit those interactions and also tell them you're trying to stop, and they too can help you abstain. Number five, having accountability partner. James 5 and 16 reading from the New International version reads, therefore, a confessor sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed.
[00:07:42] The prayers of a righteous person is powerful and effective. When you are looking for an accountability partner, make sure it's someone who's character matches yours. But more importantly, you respect their wisdom as led by God.
[00:07:58] So brothers and sisters, repentance is an essential and transformative aspect of Christian faith. Involving a heartfelt turning away from sin and a sincere turning towards God, it is marked by confession, godly sorrow and a commitment to change, leading to forgiveness, restoration and a renewed relationship with God.
[00:08:25] Through repentance, we experienced a grace and mercy of God, enabling us to live lives that honor Him. So be vigilant, be sober, be determined and be disciplined. I thank you for spending time with me on today and I look forward to our conversation on Sunday.
[00:08:47] Until then, have a wonderful weekend and God bless. I've wandered for me. This program is cared for by listeners who care. Your prayers and financial investment in this ministry helps to keep the good news on the air.
[00:09:12] We look forward to hearing from you and invite you to write us at Harvest International Post Office Box 66090 Ocalaflora 3448. Again, that's Harvest International Post Office Box 66090 Ocalaflora 3448. Amen.