“Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel, every one according to his ways,” says the Lord GOD. “Repent, and turn from all your transgressions, so that iniquity will not be your ruin.” (Ezekiel 18:30 NKJV)
The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not willing for any to perish, but for all to come to repentance.” (2 Peter 3:9 NASB)
“Now after John [the Baptist] was arrested and taken into custody, Jesus went to Galilee, preaching the good news of [the kingdom of] God, and saying, “The [appointed period of] time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent [change your inner self–your old way of thinking, regret past sins, live your life in a way that proves repentance; seek God’s purpose for your life] and believe [with a deep, abiding trust] in the good news [regarding salvation].” (Mark 1:14-15 AMP)
As we continue to stand in the Gateway of Repentance pondering just what this gateway represents, we can’t help but sense something shifting within us. The foundations of our thoughtlife are being shaken. It is becoming obvious that the house of our lives has in many ways been built on faulty foundations. As the created we have not been thinking like our Creator. For the first time we have an overwhelming desire to find out how to look at things as our loving Heavenly Father looks at them. This also begins to cause us to examine the way that we speak, and the way that we act.
Repentance is a radical change of mind, vocabulary, and actions. It is a complete turning away from sin and self toward righteousness and God. It is not simply regret or being sorry, it is a complete reorientation of life. It involves sincerely turning away from my old lifestyle toward the lifestyle that I was created to follow. This moves me away from disobedience to a desire to obey the ways of the One who gave his Son for me. It opens my head and heart to move forward on the walkway toward salvation.
At this point it is critical to differentiate the journey thus far from the actual destination of restoration. Walking down the pathways of Godly Sorrow and the Goodness of God are not in themselves repentance. Passing through the Gateway of repentance is not salvation. As important as each step on this journey is, these steps are not a mandatory element of reaching the destination. My Heavenly Father could airlift me directly to the doorway of salvation if that is what he chose to do. It is the enemy that wants to trip me up through deception and confusion by trying to get me stuck along the way. While repentance will change the way that I think, speak, and act, it will not rescue (save) me. Repentance in itself is not the restoration that I am walking toward. It is simply a way of helping me get where I need to go. Stopping here may bring a temporary change, but without continuing on the path this change would not last long. There is more walking to do.
Let’s take a breather at this point of…
…Eric’s Life Lesson # 470: Pathway to Restoration – Part 10