One Little Word: Repent

“Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” Matthew 3:2 (New American Standard Bible, NASB)

Repentance is more than a feeling or sorrow for what you’ve done wrong. It involves your mind and will to choose to turn from wrong and do what’s right. The word repent in the original language refers to a change of mind, a change in direction, a change of lifestyle and behavior. It can be pictured as someone walking in a certain direction who decides to turn around and walk in the totally opposite direction. That is repentance.

To repent means to turn away from sin and turn to God. Godly repentance doesn’t just involve turning from something (sin), but it also involves turning to something, namely God. To do this, you must change your thinking. To keep thinking along the same old thought patterns sets you up to continue to do the same old things you’ve always done.

You must change your mind to change your lifestyle. For example, if we keep thinking defeat, we will continue to live defeated lives. So, how do we change our minds? Breaking out of old thinking isn’t something that can be done by sheer willpower.

And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. Romans 12:2 (KJV)

We must change our thinking by renewing our minds to the Word of God. So many of the habits and struggles we deal with stem from wrong thinking, and the Word of God has the transforming power to alter our thought life. The more we turn from wrong thought patterns by reading, speaking, and acting on the Word and casting down wrong thoughts to replace them with God’s thoughts, the more we change. That’s what it means to have the mind of Christ. By the Word, we change how we think, feel, speak, and act. In other words, it transforms us from the inside out.

As a result, our minds are renewed to go in a different direction- the right direction. When we repent, we then experience the kingdom of God (or the King’s domain), which is at hand (among us). We turn from sin, negative attitudes, bad behavior, and a life headed the wrong way. Repentance causes us to allow Jesus to reign over our thoughts, words, behavior, and lives. Repentance brings about a changed life. That’s an awful lot rolled up into one little word: repent.