Gifts of Repentance

Early last year I was heading back to Uganda for a five week journey to a dozen communities. My heart and mind were thick into preparation, spiritual readiness, anticipation and leaning into what the Spirit might have me bringing that trip.

While my own thoughts were focused on freedom, the freedom to have emotional health in the midst of turmoil, the freedom to commune with God despite our circumstances, and more, the Spirit reminded me that I must not leave repentance out of the mix.

And I was quickly reminded that, yes indeed, there is not freedom without repentance.

In prayer ministry, for instance, the primary and initial goal is to reach a knowledge of our offense against God, against others and against ourselves.

Once we have this knife-in-the-belly ah-ha, the rest is a matter of a few sentences declared in the spirit realm, and voila, freedom. Shackles fall off.

My own journey with Christ truly began when I entered into repentance. Inner healing and emotional freedom takes hold when we are willing to name all that has gone wrong, and our part in it.

I came to see repentance as a gift of immense value. In attachment theory lingo it is the ability to go from mad to sad, a primary ability if one is to mature.

Without repentance, this ability to go from mad to sad, our inner being, our thoughts, emotions, choices and decisions, are stomped up like a mud-filled, leaf-filled creek.

Everything becomes stagnant and spoiled.

The kingdom cannot flow through our being.

I began to experience that the judgment seat of Christ is nothing to fear for those of us willing to lay bare our innermost being before the Lord. In fact, judgment is the place of intimacy and freedom if we will enter into it willingly and honestly.

There is nothing to fear. For a life laid before the Lord finds immense compassion and grace. We think we will find rejection and condemnation, but not so.

God has acted out his desire to rush to us and cover over every sin and stain and evil device in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Forgiveness and freedom is there for anyone who says, “Oh my, yeah this has been the state of my heart. I am so sorry.”

Repentance, forgiveness, and wholeness are merely ours to now receive.

Ask for repentance. It is the most amazing gift, and not everyone can attain it. But for those who can – life awaits.

Entering into the pain of remorse, going from mad to sad, is the gift of the gospel. For in the good news of Jesus Christ, we need not get stuck in mad or sad, rather these mechanisms within our psyche’s enable us to find the love of God come near, where all things are washed clean in the blood of Jesus Christ.

Where might you enter into repentance today?

“God we come to you with hearts that betray. We betray ourselves and others and you. We live in make-work projects to avoid the depths of our own souls. We engage in nice-little-lives to avoid you. We are so sorry.

Today we renounce all that stands between you and us. We say no to fear. We say no to busyness that stands you off in a corner. We enter into repentance today.

With the strong arm of our Lord Jesus Christ we reach back into our lives to where fear of you first took root, and we uproot it with nothing left behind.

We unwind this fear of repentance from around our beings, heart, mind, body, and soul, and we declare every link of this heavy chain smashed and severed in the name and the blood of our Lord Jesus Christ. No more!

We gather all the pieces of this chain and everything attached to it and we sent it to the place where the true living Lord Jesus Christ chooses to send it. Be gone!

And in agreement with each other and our Holy Spirit we cancel the assignments, the curses, and the authority of the enemy that has been over our lives because of this fear of you. Be done!

In place of this fear we receive the gift of repentance. We call forth the mighty spring rains of the Spirit and we stand in the washing of our Lord, declaring all things drenched in your presence and goodness. Thank-you Lord.

This work of your heart and hand over our lives today, we simply wrap in the love of the Father, the name and the blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, and we breathe the breath of the Holy Spirit through it.

Any mucking of the enemy we say ‘No, it’s not going to happen’ for we reserve and preserve this work for the glory of God and God alone.

For ourselves we simply step into the delight of our Lord and Savior, God and Father, and our precious Holy Spirit. We give thanks and give you the glory God. Amen and amen.”