By Timothy Wilson
We were first drawn to God by an inspired conviction of Holy Spirit. We were transformed from death to life. It was the greatest miracle each of us will ever experience. We now live in a transformed existence, full of the mercies and grace of God. In fact, we are full of God Himself through the transforming power of the Blood of Jesus.
When we received His salvation, we received all of God’s gifts for us. Repentance is one of the gifts we were granted when we entered the transformed life of being a Son of God. We no longer have to seek repentance. All of the power of repentance dwells within our transformed being. God is infinite and so are all of His gifts to us. That means that repentance dwells within us and we have an infinite supply of repentance.
Let’s put this into perspective. Let’s say that when on the day you were born you were given 1 trillion dollars. Now let’s say that you live 100 years. In order to use up all your money you would have to spend over 27 million dollars per day. Needless to say you would never be concerned about money. You would have an endless supply of funds that are available to you whenever you would need it. In fact you would grow up never even thinking that you didn’t have enough provision of money. The gifts of God are just like this, and endless provision.
Repentance is a living existance within us. As we live our daily lives, we make mistakes. Holy Spirit is faithful to illuminate those mistakes to us. We don’t have to go looking for things to be repentant for, Holy Spirit will reveal issues to us as He sees the timing that we should deal with it. Then we can tap into our endless provision of repentance and then move on.
In a sense when we are born again we become repentance. We exist in an eternal form of Godly repentance that flows through us day and night. We must tap into this God created repentance in order to truly have repentance revealed in our lives.
In my life as a blood-redeemed believer, I have tried to use repentance as a method of coming closer to God. My act of repentance was not an act of faith or belief in God’s ability to forgive. But rather my action of repentance was a fleshly manipulation of trying to eliminate the guilt I was feeling for the sin. I would say the words, “God forgive me for this sin in my life”. The words were correct but my heart was not poised for forgiveness. I was simply trying to eliminate the pressure of the sin.
In actuallity, God has already forgiven that sin and my actions could not bring me closer to the God that already dwelled within me. As a born again blood-redeemed believer filled with power and presence of Holy Spirit, my reaction to sin should be different. I should be tuned into Holy Spirit’s conviction, not my own self-condemnation, and allow Him to move my heart towards the supply of repentance that already is a part of who I am. I should be trusting in Holy Spirit’s ability to illuminate the sin and move me towards a simple statement of faith like, “Holy Spirit thank you for revealing this to me. Thank you for the provision of repentance in my life for that sin. I freely confess this sin and receive God’s forgiveness through the provision of repentance into this area of my life.” I must make my confession of sin an act of faith not an act of my flesh.
If I choose to rely on my own ability to repent of the sin, the sin will not be resolved and will become a division in relationship to God. This is the true intent of the enemy in our lives. My focusing on the sin instead of focusing on God’s provision for forgiveness is playing into the ememies plan.
This may seem like a subtle difference, but what I am truly doing is stating, by faith, that it is not my ability to repent but it is God’s supply of repentance for me. This faith action will truly take care of the action or word that was not compliant with my Christian walk. When I repent in my own strength it is futile, frustrating and empty. When I tap into the supply of God’s repentance for me, it is an act of faith, is pleasing to God, and it will represent a true turning that takes place in my life.
I do not have the ability to turn from sin within my own strength. I must utilize God’s repentance power within me to truly turn from sin. It is not my ability to repent, but rather God’s repentance working through me that allows me to turn from wickedness. When we extend God’s repentance into our natural realm we are empowered to overcome sin.
It is also important to understand that we are God’s possesion. The act of salvation is an exchange of man’s life for God’s life. We become part of His kingdom. We belong to God. 1 Peter 2:9. We freely gave up death for eternal life. This now puts us in a marvelous position.
Let’s use another example to illustrate this. In my daily life, I have need of a car. I go through a process to obtain this car. I go to the car lot and choose a specific car that I want to purchase. I then go through a transactional process to purchase that specific car. Now the car belongs to me. It is subject to me and my desires to go where and when I need to go. I take care of the car with scheduled maintenance and cleaning. This will allow the car to be ready for my use in any occasion.
I was chosen to be a servant of God and to be subject to His direction. In exchange for eternal life, I have freely given up my will and choices because it has been revealed to me that God’s ways are higher than my ways. His choices for me are better than the choices I could make for myself. His freedom is true freedom and not an imitation freedom that my natural man could come up with. It is a natural desire to want freedom; it is foreign to our natural man to receive true freedom by choosing to be a servant. This is the ultimate act of faith on our part.
The only way we can truly receive the revelation and freedom of true repentance is to give up our life and choose to become God’s willing servant. Then Holy Spirit is free to live and move within us to usher us into the Kingdom that God has already provided for us through His Son.
Acts 11:18b
“We can see that God has also given the Gentiles the privilege of repenting of their sins and receiving eternal life.” (NLT)
Rom 2:4
Don’t you see how wonderfully kind, tolerant, and patient God is with you? Does this mean nothing to you? Can’t you see that His kindness is intended to turn you from your sin? (NLT)
John 6:44
For no one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them to me, and at the last day I will raise them up. (NLT)
John 6:65
Then He said, “That is why I said that people can’t come to me unless the Father gives them to me.” (NLT)
James 1:17
Every good gift and every perfect ([a]free, large, full) gift is from above; it comes down from the Father of all [that gives] light, in [the shining of] Whom there can be no variation [rising or setting] or shadow cast by His turning [as in an eclipse].
Romans 11:29
For God’s gifts and His call are irrevocable. [He never withdraws them when once they are given, and He does not change His mind about those to whom He gives His grace or to whom He sends His call.] (AMP)
1 John 1:8-10If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth. But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness. If we claim we have not sinned, we are calling God a liar and showing that his word has no place in our hearts. (NLT)
1 Peter 2:9-10
But you are not like that, for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light. “Once you had no identity as a people; now you are God’s people. Once you received no mercy; now you have received God’s mercy.” (NLT)
Acts 17:26-28
And He made from one [common origin, one source, one blood] all nations of men to settle on the face of the earth, having definitely determined [their] allotted periods of time and the fixed boundaries of their habitation (their settlements, lands, and abodes), So that they should seek God, in the hope that they might feel after Him and find Him, although He is not far from each one of us.For in Him we live and move and have our being; as even some of your [own] poets have said, for we are also His offspring. (AMP)
Isaiah 55:6-9
Seek the Lord while you can find him. Call on him now while he is near. Let the wicked change their ways and banish the very thought of doing wrong. Let them turn to the Lord that he may have mercy on them. Yes, turn to our God, for he will forgive generously. “My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,” says the Lord. And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts. (NLT)
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