The word repentance in the dictionary means: “Feeling of contrition or rejection, demonstrated by the sinner in relation to their sins, leading them to practice good to obtain remission.” We see the word repentance many times in the Holy Bible, and we understand that this is a most important point for us to achieve salvation.
Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord, (Acts 3:19, NIV)
The verse above teaches us that we must repent and then turn to God. Only then will our sins be wiped out. There is no conversion without repentance. In no way can we accept Jesus Christ and continue living in the same practices. Repentance generates in human beings a change of life, character, thoughts, and attitudes.
In Acts 3:19, we understand that God determined He will bless His people with the outpouring of the Holy Spirit under the prior conditions of repentance, turning away from the sin of the perverse generation around them, and converting: turning back to God, listening to everything that Christ, the Prophet, tells them, and always progressing in sincere obedience to Christ.
The Four Conditions for Revival in 2 Chronicles 7:14
if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land. (2 Chronicles 7:14, NIV)
We need, constantly, to be turned toward God, renouncing our own wills and desires. We must humble ourselves, pray, seek God’s face, and turn from wicked ways.
Humble ourselves: God’s people must recognize their faults, show sorrow for their sin, and renew their commitment to do God’s will.
Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. (Matthew 5:3, NIV)
We understand that “poor in spirit” means recognizing that we have no spiritual self-sufficiency and that we depend on the life of the Spirit, on divine power and grace to enter the Kingdom of God.
Pray: God’s people must cry out in agony, asking for mercy, being dependent on Him and trusting in His intervention. Prayer must be fervent and persistent until God answers from heaven.
He will respond to the prayer of the destitute; he will not despise their plea. (Psalm 102:17, NIV approximation)
God will in no way fail to answer a prayer made by anyone, for this is the only way we communicate with Him. God can make many things happen in our lives through our prayers, for His ears are attentive to our cry.
Seek God’s face: We must, with dedication, seek God’s face with all our heart and long for His presence, not simply try to escape adversity.
Seek the Lord while he may be found; call on him while he is near. Let the wicked forsake their ways and the unrighteous their thoughts. Let them turn to the Lord, and he will have mercy on them, and to our God, for he will freely pardon. (Isaiah 55:6-7, NIV)
The sinner must seek God while the promise to hear him is in effect, for the time to receive salvation here has a limit. The day will come when He will not be found.
Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says: “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion, during the time of testing in the wilderness, where your ancestors tested and tried me, though for forty years they saw what I did. That is why I was angry with that generation; I said, ‘Their hearts are always going astray, and they have not known my ways.’ So I declared on oath in my anger, ‘They shall never enter my rest.’” See to it, brothers and sisters, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. (Hebrews 3:7-12, NIV approximation)
Turn from wicked ways: God’s people must repent sincerely, abandon specific sins and all forms of idolatry, renounce worldliness, draw near to God asking for mercy, forgiveness, and purification.
Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. (Hebrews 4:16, NIV)
The Threefold Divine Promise
When these four conditions are fulfilled, the threefold divine promise of revival is accomplished. First, God will turn away His wrath, hear the anguished cry, answer the prayer, and show compassion. Second, He will forgive sins, purify the people, and restore His favor, presence, peace, truth, justice, and power among them. Third, He will heal the people and their land, pouring out rain, favor, physical blessings, and the Holy Spirit, with spiritual awakening among His people and the lost.
When someone recognizes their errors, humbles themselves before God’s mighty hand, seeks His face in prayer with all their heart, and turns from their wicked ways, God looks upon them with mercy and reverses every sentence.
This verse remains valid even today, for our God has not changed. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever.
For the Lord to do something in our lives, we first need an attitude of change. We are dependent on God, His care, and His mercy. We must seek Him until He answers and draw God’s attention to our lives.
There is no Christian life without dialogue with God through prayer. It is extremely important for the Christian to live a life of prayer and constantly seeking God.
It is necessary to recognize our wicked ways and abandon them. It doesn’t matter what we’ve done until now; what matters is from here on, how we will move forward from this moment.
Repentance is change in a person’s life! The one who stole no longer steals, the one who killed no longer kills, the one who prostituted themselves no longer does so, for now they live according to God’s will.
Allow God to change your life today! Repent and come to the fold, for the Lord desires to save you. You are important to God.
