Surrender and repentance are linked together. When we fully surrender to God, we repent of our wicked ways and come back to a right standing with God.
Why Repentance is Linked to Surrender
In Episode 25, we talk about surrender to God and its effect on contentment. When we run from God having unbelief or doubt, we affect our contentment and satisfaction in life. Usually we “think” we are contented with our life until something happens in life. And as a result, we are hurt, angry, depressed, or resentful. These life circumstances can get us down if we try to hide those feelings or wallow in self-pity with a glass of alcohol, or some other numbing substance or activity like mindless scrolling on social media. But with God, we have that contentment. And it can be found in surrendering our lives to Him each day. That surrender is a form of repentance. We chose to submit to the authority of God and Him alone.
What is Repentance?
Repentance flows throughout scripture. There are multiple references to it in the Old Testament and the New Testament. In Hebrew, repentance means to turn back or return to God. In Greek, it means to change one’s mind. A person turns from their sin and turns to God who forgives them.
Even God Repents
When I began digging into repentance more, I found that repentance is attributed to God as well. I have read these scriptures before but it didn’t hit me until I found them. God understands repentance. He requires it of us so we can be in His presence. But He is an example of what it means to be repentant.
And the Lord relented from the disaster that he had spoken of bringing on his people.
Exodus 32:14
Relent is another way of saying repent. Because He is God, He did not sin. But He was sorry for what He was planning and decided that He would not carry it out.
Why is Surrender and Repentance Needed?
God is holy and for us to be in His presence, we need the sin to be removed. Once it is removed, we experience a time of refreshment from being with Him.
Therefore repent and return, so that your sins may be wiped away, in order that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord.
Acts 3:19 NASB
When is Repentance Needed?
Initially, when we believe in God and accept His gift of salvation, we turn from our sins in our lives and move forward in following God in His ways of walking.
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.
2 Corinthians 5:17
The old life and way that we lived before is no more. We have a new way of life to live each day. It is living and serving God alone. Once we decide to follow Jesus and accept what He did on the cross for us, we don’t need to make that decision to follow Him over and over again each day. It was a one-time- once-for-all decision.
When we repent, our sins are wiped away. We become like a new person. And we have a new focus on how we live each day.
Repentance is Needed Daily
However, I have found that we need to repent daily. Even though Jesus died for us and we accepted what He did for us on the cross, we fail daily. When we try to do this life each day on our own and without God’s help, we fail. Let me share how I began to know that repentance is needed daily.
In 2020, I became a contributing writer with a group of forty ladies from different places all over the world for a website called Pray With Confidence. Over the months that followed, we formed bonds with these ladies in an online group by praying for the needs of each other. One of the ladies, Dr. Leanna Hollis, from Mississippi, invited us to a repentance retreat that she led. A few of us decided to attend and meet up with each other.
At this retreat, Leanna explained the concept of repentance for the forgiveness of sins, why it was needed, and the action we were taking of going up to the repentance bowl, one by one. We wrote sins from the past, that week, or the day on a piece of paper. You put the paper in the bowl and when you swish it around, the paper disappears. It is a visual representation of our sins being made white as snow.
“Come now, let us reason together, says the Lord: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool.
Isaiah 1:18 ESV
The ink is red and the paper is thin so the ink transfers to the water. The paper is clean but the water turns red from the ink. Our sins are no more but they are transferred to the body of Jesus who died for us. The burdens I was carrying were being lightened that day.
Repentance Bowl Continued
When we went to the repentance bowl a second time, I was ready to continue releasing my load of sin to the Lord. But I confess, that when Leanna said we were going to the repentance bowl a third time that weekend, I thought, how many more times do I need to confess? 🤪
I think of the parable of the unforgiving servant (Matthew 18:21-35) and how Jesus taught to forgive a person seventy-seven times, not just seven or even once. But that number is representative of continual forgiveness of that person, not just that one time or 77 times. God is ready to continually forgive me – every day. And I am to forgive others every day as well. (Note: Some versions say 70 x 7. The meaning of continual forgiveness is still the same).
If God is willing to forgive me every day, I should repent every day. And why? Because when I get to the end of my day, I look back and am reminded of the things I said or did that were not glorifying to God. I need to take that time to repent and set things right with God. And if those sins were against another person, I need to apologize to them.
This allows me to be in that right standing with God again.
Do you Surrender all to Jesus?
An old hymn, I Surrender All, has these words:
All to Jesus I surrender
All to Him I freely give
I will ever love and trust Him
In His presence daily live
I surrender all
I surrender all
All to Thee my blessed Savior
I surrender all
Have you chosen to follow Jesus and surrender your life to Him? If not, I suggest that you do. It is the best decision that I made in my life nearly 50 years ago. On our website, Gods Plan Guided Steps, go to the page: godsplanguidedsteps.com/you-can-know-peace/. There will be a short description there on how you can have peace in this life with Jesus and peace after you die as well. Then there is a link to Billy Graham’s website to Steps of Peace and how to accept Christ.
Have you repented lately? It is time to lay all your burdens down to the Lord. And I suggest it becomes a daily practice of lightening your Lord. Remember Acts 3:19 says that times of refreshment come from being in God’s presence.
Go in peace, my friends. Repent. And enjoy the times of refreshment in God’s presence.
Thanks for the above down to earth reflection about repentance. I find it very encouraging as to how I can improve for my spiritual life …always with God`s helping hand.
You’re welcome, Paul!