Repentance is an act that has weighty implications on your spiritual life. It seems like an ordinary word, but I want you to know that it’s very act is so powerful that it has real impact and effects in the spirit realm and also your mind. God says He only dwells with him who has a contrite spirit. The word contrite means; feeling or showing sorrow and remorse for a sin or shortcoming. To be contrite means to be repentant of a wrongdoing.

How to repent

The proper way to repent and be contrite is to talk to God by yourself. While it’s not a bad idea to talk to a friend, counsellor or a loved one, that is not repentance. Confessing your faults to a friend is not repentance. Confessing your sins to a parish priest or pastor is not repentance. And you don’t need an intermediary between you and God in order to repent! Here’s what you need to do, and let it be from the depths of your heart; You reach out to the Lamb of God who came to take away the sins of the world and tell Him you’re sorry for your sins, mistakes, disobedience and wrongdoings. 1 John 1:7 ‘But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.‘ You ask Him to forgive you and cleanse you with His precious blood, then you ask Him to give you grace never to repeat that sin or mistake again. Yes, you also need to ask Him to give you strength to overcome whenever the enemy wants to tempt you in that particular area of sin or weakness you just repented of. Jesus Himself is your Advocate, and not your best friend, parish priest or pastor (See 1 John 2:1).

When to repent

Repentance is not an act you do only when you got saved and accepted Jesus into your heart and life. Rather, it is something you do as much as required. You see, in this life, there are many snares and temptations that the enemy (and the worldly system he rules) throws on the paths of God’s children, and at times, God’s children fall for it. That is one of the reasons why repentance is a continuous practice.

1) You repent every time you sin, err, or make a mistake. You are prone to mistakes often. You know, the Bible commands you to walk in the Spirit and not fulfill the lusts of the flesh (See Galatians 5:16). There are times you’re not watchful and the flesh kind of slips up on you! But at such times, the Lord expects you to repent, get up and move on!

2) You repent whenever you are disobedient to God. Many times, God’s children disobey His instructions, either deliberately or because of the cares and busyness of life. The devil, who is the spirit of disobedience (see Ephesians 2:2) also causes God’s children to disobey Him at times, and he achieves this by offering them a ‘seemingly better way’ which always ends up in trouble and affliction… The way out of such a situation is repentance!

3) You repent every time the Holy Spirit convicts you. There are times you’re wrong without knowing it. You miss it in this area or that area and you just don’t know that you’ve grieved the Spirit of God. He then begins to move in your heart and starts to stir your conscience. You begin to feel unrest in your heart, you seem to hear the gentle voice of the Holy Spirit in your heart trying to get your notice and attention to a particular issue… That is the Holy Spirit convicting you, and your proper response is to find out from Him where you’re wrong and then repent immediately!

Two (2) Fruits of repentance

Matthew 3:8 ”Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance”.

Repentance is humbling yourself before God, acknowledging His mercy and grace! That is why it is written that “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble” (see James 4:6)

If you humble yourself before God, you will have His grace and mercy manifesting in your life, and these fruits of repentance will be yours!

1) Repentance brings emotional peace and rest! This is a wonderful thing. Every time you turn away from sin, mistakes, or disobedience, one of the first things the Lord does is that He fills your heart and mind with His peace! A supernatural peace, that improves your total wellbeing. Divine peace, that protects your mind and emotions with a God-backed assurance. Philippians 4:7 “and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus”.

The peace of God is divine and it gives total rest and calmness to the mind and emotions, it kicks out troubles, anxiety, fear, and emotional stress.

John 14:27 ” Peace I leave with you. My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”

2) Repentance shuts the door against the enemy! Yes, you might wonder how true this is… But I assure you, it is absolutely true. Remember, God is always drawn to the humble and contrite of heart according to His word in Isaiah 57:15 “…I dwell with him who has a contrite and humble spirit”.

When you repent before God, the door through which the enemy has been coming in to cause emotional distress and troubles is shut against his face! Repentance brings God in and takes the devil out. It deprives satan of any legal ground and in turn gives you the legal right to confront the devil and command him to take his hands off your mind and emotions!

Learn to do these things and experience the supernatural peace of God!