Why do we Fear Repentance?

“If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.” 2 Chronicles 7:14 (NIV).

Personally, it took me some time before I came to have a peaceful coexistence with the concept of repentance. Initially, I perceived repentance as this huge religious process. At times, my young Christian mind often got this mixed up with the Catholic concept of confession. Going into this confined space and citing all of the bad that I had perpetrated was a daunting thought. I couldn’t see God desiring a detailed “fall-short” report from me.

Yet, the Scriptures didn’t shy away from this word. And the first call that Jesus made to those around Him as He began His Ministry time on Earth was very specific:

“The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.” Mark 1:15 (ESV).

I can now see that my mental buildup for some heavy religious concept had overshadowed my understanding of a very simple word. In Greek, the word that is translated as repent is METANOEO. META means change or move. NOEO is speaking of the disposition of your inner self. Put together, it is a request for us to change our disposition towards life and reality. An inner change of heart that can produce new behaviours. The way we act, speak, and live, can be altered – and thus bring a beautiful change on the inside of ourselves.

In my fleshy pursuit of life, I have often ended up heading away from God and His presence. My eyes became focused on things that were not of Him. And as I moved further away from Him – His voice dimmed, and my flesh overcame all that I should have known and understood in Him. What was needed was a recognition of the problem, followed by a response to fix it. This is repentance.

It is a course correction that features us turning our back on what we are doing in the moment and refocusing our eyes and purposes back on Him: a major course correction that involves a 180-degree change in direction. Moving back to His proximity clears our minds of the wrong stuff; it brings us home. It puts God back into our hearts.

Feel His hand on your shoulder and hear His voice in your heart. Repent.

Alter your course. Repent.

A simple change. Repent.

Return to the Lord. Repent.

“Now return to the LORD your God, for He is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger, abounding in loving kindness….” Joel 2:13 (NASB 1995).

There is no reason to fear nor avoid repentance. Now is the time to embrace that need to change. We must react to the error of our ways with something that counters the wrong path we are on. Will we become frozen, worrying about punishment or judgement? We do not need to sit in agony, lamenting over what is happening to us. Repentance solves that!

Please take this outlook to heart and mind. See repentance not as a great hurdle of facing failure and admonishment – but as the simple embracing of a new course being chosen. We adjust and travel back to God! And just like the Prodigal Son’s Father – He runs to us, greets us, and restores us to Him in all that we were and all we are destined to be.

Say it out loud, with eyes firmly focused on turning yourself back to be close to Him:

“Lord, I repent!”

Your Turn! Share your thoughts in the comments below. Thank you!