True Repentance

Lately, I've been learned a lot about repentance. I dare say many of us know what true repentance is. It's been something I have struggled with always. I was talking to my sister one day this week and told her about the work God has done in my life lately. In response she said, "so it was a true repentance." Then the light went off! So that's repentance!!
I'm not going into great detail, but I will tell you that true repentance has everything to do with Jesus living in you. It means possessing His Spirit only and laying down and turning from the things which are not of Him, and running into His grace. The things I thought I had once repented of really just hung around because I hadn't fully decided that I was turning from that lifestyle, I still liked the idea of it. That is not repentance, that's called confessing. Huge difference. Confessing is acknowledging that you did it, your sorry, but then you go out and do it again. The reason you did it again is because you didn't truly repent. Repentance is getting rid of everything that stimulates that lust and idolatry in your heart. It's hating the sin you are living in or committing. It's asking God to take away that desire, and put in you His desires for your life.
I am the image of God. I bear His image as a human being. I am to mirror Him, and reflect Him as Holy as I can. I am a broken mirror, however, because of sin. But God is putting me back together everyday so that I can reflect who He is and bear His image clearly and perfectly once more. Jesus is normal, and what we would be like without sin. I have to keep stripping off my old nature and put on the brand new nature that is being renewed, DAILY! I have to ask myself before I do anything, "What will this reflect about Jesus?" In my music, in my love, in my thoughts, in my words, in my actions. A life that images God is not glorifying me, but God. Circumstances can be redeemed by God to reflect that glory of God. We are made to image God, and it is where my joy is rooted, in mirroring Jesus! I was not made to find joy in the things of this world, but in everyday mirroring Jesus and allowing Him to glue the broken mirror so that I can mirror Him more. If what you are chasing after is not imaging Jesus, or making the best name for Jesus if you are a professed Christian, you've got some repenting and life changing decisions to do.
When we can grasp the truth that our lives are really all about Jesus it changes our whole outlook on life. We do not belong to ourselves, we were bought for a high price. We do not live for ourselves. When we understand that it's all about Jesus, the scriptures make a lot of sense. When we understand His love for us, when we set our thoughts on the things of Him. Where is your mind and heart? Are they set on the things of Jesus, or the things of this world? Make Jesus the King of your heart.


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