"They went out and preached that men should repent." - Mark 6:12
"I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance." Luke 5:32
"I tell you no, but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish." - Luke 13:5
Everywhere in the bible we are told to "repent", but what exactly does that mean? I had this question for a while, but after some prayer and study (and a very encouraging sermon by Pastor Donnie Holley of Seabreeze Church) I feel that I finally understand the true definition of "repentance" and how we can easily apply it to our lives. Let's first look at the dictionary definition according to the Oxford English Dictionary. "Feel or express sincere regret or remorse about ones wrongdoing or sin."
That's pretty close, but it's not close enough. Yes, part of repentance involves feeling regret or remorse about what was done against God. For some of us, an addiction is what separates us from God (Sin is anything we do that separates us from God). Sometimes it is an addiction to sex (outside of marriage), drugs, alcohol, fast food, self-harm (cutting, bulimia, anorexia, ext.), pornography, pride, or wrath. Why are these things sinful? Many are because they are forbidden by His word, but most of them are simply because they separate us from God. How can you think about the love of Jesus when you are so angry you are about to make yourself a new window to the neighbors apartment with your fist? How can we come to know Jesus when we are lusting after every woman with a bit of figure and satisfy our urges to her image, distancing ourselves from our wives? Fast food? How can that be bad? The chemicals and fat in that food is damaging to our bodies, but the true problem is an addiction to it. How can we fast for prayer with the option of a dollar meal around every corner?
The problem is that we can't. Therefor, we repent. I much prefer the Merriam-Webster definition: "To turn from sin and dedicate oneself to the amendment of one's life."*
That is repentance and it comes naturally with a close relationship with God. There are many ways to battle sin and addiction, trust me (you will hear my full, unabridged, testimony in the coming weeks). First, pray daily. Now, I don't mean a simple blessing of your meal or saying a little prayer you found in a devotional or on the internet (those are great, but not what will help in this situation). Find a "secluded place" to just talk to God. For me, that is currently a little dock outside of my workplace. My shift ends at 1:15 am and I can spend anywhere from five minutes to a half an hour out there in prayer. It is where I lay all of my problems upon the Lord. I pray for my pastors, my friends on missions, my friends who are struggling with their faith or in their life, my wife, children, parents, in-laws, and customers that I spoke with on the phone that day. Then I lay all of my fears out. "Lord, I know you are sovereign and have faith that you will provide, please take this anxiety and fear from my shoulders and cast it back to Hell, where it belongs." You know what? It works. Every time.
Another, very powerful way to grow closer to God (and begin the natural process of losing your desire to sin) is to read your bible daily. It doesn't matter if it is a single verse or the whole book of Acts. If you are reading to comprehend, you will be absolutely amazed at the changes you will see in just a few days.
Perhaps the biggest help, though, was pointed out by Pastor Donnie Holley. The verse is Romans 6:11. It reads, "Even so consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus." Alive to God in Christ Jesus! We cannot be both sinners and Christians (though we can still be Christians and make mistakes). As Pastor Donnie put it, our sin was nailed to the cross with Jesus and in the eyes of God, we are still perfect. Essentially, sin dies in the presence of Jesus. That is a fact to which I can, and will, testify.
So, in closing, the only way to successfully end an addiction that is hindering your relationship with God and your Christian life, is to "repent" and actively seek His presence. Make Jesus your mentor, your councilor, your therapist,and never forget that no problem is too big for Him to handle. Nothing you have done is too shocking or shameful for Jesus to hear. He will bring your comfort and joy, knowing that your desire is to deepen your relationship with Him. Reading daily scripture is important, it will be the most common way for God to communicate to you. It is amazing how much relevant information has come to me in times of need from the bible. Never forget that it is the Living Word.
Thank you all so much for reading. I hope that this will help some of you because this has been weighing on my heart. In Jesus, I love you all. God bless you.
Jimmy
* "Repent." Merriam-Webster.com. Merriam-Webster, n.d. Web. 21 Apr. 2014. <http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/repent>.
"Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®,
Copyright© 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977,
1995 by The LockmanFoundation. Used by permission.
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