Today's devotion is from Acts 11:18
When they heard these things they became silent; and they glorified God, saying, “Then God has also granted to the Gentiles repentance to life.”
Biblical New Covenant repentance is a good thing that brings life and blessing, it is not a ‘woe is me,’ sad, sorrowful, condemning, self-reliant attempt to change your ways under the threat of hellfire.
Biblical New Covenant repentance is something we do by grace, it is a life giving, hope restoring, faith building and joy filling fruit that effortlessly comes out of believers as a result of abiding in the vine!
Just to recap from yesterday’s teaching, the Greek words for Biblical New Covenant repentance are, 'metä-noe'ō' and “metä'-noiä,’ meaning, to change one’s mind.
When your mind is renewed and you think and perceive things according to the Word, there is no room for deception.
How we think and what we believe can either substantiate truth and Bible faith, or it can erode our faith and give the devil a place through deception.
The Lord has made a way for us to have the mind of Christ and it is when we believe the way that we should believe that we truly begin to gain access to His riches that have been set-aside for us as His children.
True repentance is not trying to change your ways through your own efforts, remorse and condemnation, it is changing your thinking from self reliance and righteousness through works to God reliance and righteousness by grace through faith in Jesus!
Our thinking begins to change the moment we experience the epiphany of His amazing, unconditional love for us. That change of perception is the beginning of true New Covenant repentance.
Romans 2:4 (AMP)
Are you [so blind as to] trifle with and presume upon and despise and underestimate the wealth of His kindness and forbearance and long-suffering patience? Are you unmindful or actually ignorant [of the fact] that God’s kindness is intended to lead you to repent (to change your mind and inner man to accept God’s will)?
PRAYER
"Father, show me Your love, renew my mind and enlighten my thinking as to Who You really are. Wipe away all deception and grant me continual repentance [a new, life giving way of thinking] in Jesus Name!"