Month: June 2023

That’s True Repentance… Making A Decision And Carrying Out Your Decision To Turn From Sin.

Going back to the Father you have offended; to the God who loves you saying: “I’ve made a mess of my life. I can’t run my own life. I sinned against you.  I need you.”

The wonderful thing is, he planned to say to the Father ‘make me as one of your hired servants.’

But his Father was watching for him from far off, and as he got closer, he ran to meet his son.

This is such a beautiful image of how God is. When we begin to turn, he’s watching for us. The father saw him a long way off and ran to meet him. That’s how God is.  That’s how he meets us. And he kissed him, and he never let him say “let me be one of your servants.’

No, he said,  “Bring out the best robe, kill the fatted calf, put a ring on his finger and sandals on him.” That’s the result of true repentance.

It’s worth repenting to be welcomed like that by God.

So,

1) “He came to himself. ” He said basically, “I made a mess of my life. I wasted everything my father gave me.” He faced the truth of what he did.  He didn’t blame anyone else or try to hide from it any longer.

2) Then he took action. He didn’t just sit there in self-pity. He said “But I’m going to make a decision to turn around and go back to my Father and say I’m sorry; and he turned and went.”

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Now Let’s Talk About The Nature Of Repentance.

There is one parable that Jesus told, which is the most vivid and perfect illustration of true repentance.

It is the parable of the prodigal son, and somebody else has said it should be called the ‘caring father.’ (If you’re a woman reading this who have been unfaithful in your marriage, then you’re like me as I was the prodigal daughter at one time.)

Luke 15:11-32

The second son, from a wealthy family, decided to get all his inheritance now. So he went off to a distant country and lived it up in sinful things and sinful living. After he spent his inheritance, a famine came, and the only job he could get was feeding the pigs.

Here he is, in rags, feeding the pigs- hungry and longing to eat the slop that the pigs were eating.

Then this is what happens- in verse 17: “But when he came to himself, he said”….

that’s the main point- you have to come to yourself– your moment of truth,
see yourself as you really are and as God sees you and what He wants for you.

Luke 15: 17  “When he came to himself, he said ‘how many of my father’s hired servants have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger! I will arise and go to my father and will say to him ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you, and I’m no longer worthy to be called your son.  Make me like one of your hired servants.”

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Where The Word Repent Comes From And How The Bible Defines It.

There’s 2 Main languages of the Bible: the Greek of the New Testament and Hebrew of the Old Testament. Each of all those languages has a specific word for repent- but only if we put the two languages together, do we get the full meaning of repentance.

The Greek word for repent, in secular language, is always translated- “to change your mind; to change the way you think.”

So first of all, repentance is changing your mind about the way you’ve been living.

For example:  “I’ve been living to please myself  and I’ve been doing my own thing and from now on I’m going to live to please Jesus my Savior.”

It’s a decision, as I said, it is not an emotion. You can repent without any obvious emotion, but you cannot repent without a change of your will.

The Hebrew word for repent means literally “to turn around”.

You’ve been facing the wrong way with your back to God- you turn 180 degrees and face God saying “God I’m sorry for my sins.  God here I am, tell me what to do and I’ll do it.”

So you put the two together, and you have a complete picture of repentance.
Change your mind and change the way you’re thinking about your sin; then turn around toward God telling Him your sorrow for sinning against Him.

Faith comes only AFTER repentance.

The whole message of the bible is in this order: Repent and Believe.

I believe there are a lot of people who are struggling for faith. The truth is you’re not struggling for faith, you’ve never met the condition of repentance. You see, it’s the first of the six foundational doctrines and if you don’t have that foundational stone in place, the rest of what you’re building upon in your spiritual life will always be wobbly.

Preacher Derek Prince says “I have counseled hundreds of Christians, who come with their personal problems. After a lot of experience, I came to this conclusion; at least 50% of the problems that professing Christians are having is because they have never truly repented. They have never really changed their mind.  They never really made a decision to the Lordship of Jesus in their life.

They’re still thinking of decisions from this point of view:  “now if I do this-what will it do for me?  If I do that-what will it do for me?”

When you’ve repented, that’s not the way you think. You think “If I do this, will it glorify Jesus? if I do that, will it glorify Jesus?”

And so we have many,many people who are double-minded. The Bible says a double-minded man is unstable in all his ways. (James 1:8) He doesn’t have a solid foundation, so he can’t produce a stable building.

So, I encourage you to take a few moments and ask yourself-
“have I ever really truly repented? Or am I double-minded?”

Is it: “On Monday my aim is to please Jesus. On Tuesday my aim is to please myself.” ? See, you have the worst of both worlds. Because a double-minded person is like living with a split-personality.  It’s pure confusion to live that way.

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Repentance Is Not An Emotion.

I’ve seen many times, some preachers will seek to work people up into an emotional attitude, and then call them to faith in Christ by praying a ‘sinners prayer’.

Very often, that leads to a let down, because when the emotion runs out- they’re left with nothing… no real transformation into becoming a new creation in Christ because they based it on an emotion.

So keep in mind- repentance as defined in the Bible is not an emotion. It is a decision that doesn’t spring from the emotions,  it springs from the will.

If we can reach people’s will (or our own) and turn that will,  we’ll see permanent conversions.

Many so-called conversions in the church today are not permanent because they had never really changed their will. They had an emotional experience- they got excited.

Maybe they felt wonderful for a few weeks or months or even years, but in the end they don’t have what it takes to go through because their will was not touched.

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So In This Post I Want To Talk About What True Repentance Is.

We’re also going to look at the perfect illustration that Jesus gave of what true repentance looks like.

We don’t hear too much about sin or repentance these days.

It seems like many would like a ‘feel good message’,
but this is one of the most important things you can learn, and practice, in your life.

First, it’s important we understand what repentance really is, and what it is not.

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What does it mean to turn from sin? True Repentance Explained FAITH AND SPIRITUAL HEALING· FOR UNFAITHFUL WIFE What Does It Mean To Turn From Sin? True Repentance Explained.

Perhaps you’re here because you’re at the end of your own proverbial rope.
Maybe adultery has touched your life in some way and you’re facing a huge mess now. If you’re the one who was unfaithful, this post is for you.

We can be at such a loss in trying to sort through all the hurt and destruction from our choices that it’s hard to know where to start.

How do you put your life back together, heal broken hearts (that you broke),
and find some semblance of self-respect, healing and peace again?

It’s a process, my friend.

But the first step is always repentance.
Repentance to God, and then your spouse.

You might think talking about God, repentance, or anything spiritual, is not relevant to an affair recovery website; or that affairs have nothing to do with God talk. I disagree. It has everything to do with God.

Because if we understood how our sins hurt us, and hurt God and our relationship with God and our eternity… we would want to repent of them and allow God’s love and forgiveness to bring healing.

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Signs there is a Spiritual Attack against you

Anyone who has done anything for God has had to deal with spiritual attacks. Although they are an inevitable part of life, knowing how to use our spiritual weapons can be the difference between victory and defeat.

In order to realize our need to use the spiritual weapons of our warfare more, we need to be able to recognize when indeed it is an attack from demons that we are facing. When we are under attack, we won’t always FEEL like doing the things we really should to shield ourselves and fight back.

This is why we need discipline. God can and will turn things around if we do the basic things in the Word. We do need to submit to God in this way. Then we can resist the devil and he will flee from us.

I hope this video helps you.

Michael

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2. Make Yourself Completely Accountable To Your Husband.

My second advice for women who were unfaithful, may be hard at times but it goes along with the process of recovery from your affair.

  • Be accountable of your time away from your husband.  We’re not used to giving an account of where we are and what we’re doing.  Or, show proof we really were where we said we were going to be.  It was hard for me at first too.  But then I realized- I was the one that created this mess for us– not him.  So, I had to own up to the consequences if I wanted to get my marriage back and have my husband trust me again.
  • I didn’t even go out shopping alone very much at that time, and when I did, I had my cell phone on and always answered when he called. Not answering his calls was also a trigger for my husband, so I was diligent with that. Just remember, this season won’t last forever.  But the more consistent you are in this, the quicker he’ll heal.
  • Give him all your passwords and emails. Let him have complete access to all your social media accounts, your emails and your phone.
  • Understand how he feels when you’re not with him.  Leaving the house will be a huge trigger for your husband and he’s going to be worried. You would be too if the roles were reversed.  What helps even more is when you take a proactive approach and show him everything before he even asks. This is all very important if you want to heal your husband’s heart after your affair.

I’ll be honest, there will be times you’ll get sick of being accountable. Frustration and despair will likely come in when it seems everything you do is shrouded in a cloud of suspicion. Those were hard days for us. But the hard days became less and less, and eventually he trusted me again. It can happen for you too.

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The Top 5 Ways To Help Your Husband Heal After Your Infidelity:

1. Be Sure All Ties To The Other Man Are Broken.

This may be obvious, but it is also likely going to be the hardest to follow through with in the beginning.

  • Push past the withdrawal.  There is something called withdrawal that occurs, much like when an addict goes without their drug of choice.  It’s uncomfortable and hard at first.  But keep your eye on the prize-your husband’s healing and your marriage’s survival is at stake. Don’t make the mistake I did and let this one drag on…you just might go back to your affair partner too many times and risk losing your husband for good.
  • Cut off any means of communication with affair partner.   Don’t leave any openings that he could communicate with you or that you could contact him in a weak moment (that means blocking him on all social media and his number on your phone). I realize this is a hard step to make, but it’s critical. Keep reminding yourself, every contact you make with your affair partner, is a step backwards. If you REALLY want to save your marriage and you’re tired of feeling so confused and torn up inside, you’ve got to end all contact.

If you’re struggling with this, I encourage you to read would your affair partner make a good spouse?

Here’s a visual for you when you’re feeling tempted advice-for-women-having-an-affairto contact your affair partner, I used to think of it like playing the game of Sorry.

You move up the board and things are going good, then you roll the dice and it has you go back to the beginning of the game to start all over. Having contact with your affair partner, however minor you think it is, is like going back to the beginning of healing for your marriage and for yourself.

Even if your husband does not find out you had contact, YOU will know. And your heart cannot heal from the effects of the affair until all contact is broken off.

If you’re still struggling with this, you can read more about breaking off an affair here.

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The Nature of Rebellion

Rebellion is related to pride and is the refusal to submit to God’s authority and it is the spirit which leads men to do wicked things which hurt God’s heart. Let us remember that God is good, wise and righteous. Rebellion against God then, is stupid and evil. It is wrong. It deserves to be punished, isolated, eradicated for the good of God and the whole Universe.

It is the rebellious nature in man that makes him want to disobey God’s word and do his own thing. This rebellious nature must be put to death before man could ever become a loving, trusting obedient son of God.

Rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, according to God’s Word. (1 Sam 15:23). God hates it intensely and will never accept it. It is not right to rebel against God, because God is good and just and never makes bad decisions. The rebel considers he knows better than God. It is this pride which causes him to refuse to listen to the word or voice of God. Cutting himself off from God’s wisdom, the rebel is a fool. He is the fool mentioned in the book of Proverbs. Those who don’t listen to God’s word can never please God. You must make up your mind which you prefer – the spirit of rebellion or the spirit of obedience to God. If you want to know God and be forgiven you must lay down your rebellion and admit that you were wrong in it. This means going a different way to the rest of the world which is led by this spirit of rebellion against God. You must make the choice.

Many people are shocked and offended by this kind of black and white teaching. Many consider themselves quite good – and certainly not deserving any kind of condemnation. The next lesson on the law of God, however, reveals something of the standard which God calls for from us, who owe our existence and prosperity and all that we enjoy to God and His creative power. We should consider ourselves at least once in our life in the light of God’s Law – before deciding whether we think we need a Saviour or not.

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