The Repentant Heart

Saturday 14 January
READ: Ezek.11:19-21
MORE LESSON: John.8:36

A repentant heart is one which has turned to God from satan, through the name of Jesus, to serve the living and true God (1Thess.1:9). True repentance is not just about being sorry for your sins and mistakes and becoming personally determined not to commit sin again. It is not just about telling God or someone that you are sorry, and will not repeat such sinful acts again. True repentance is about your spirit man (the man's heart) being rescued from the control and dominion of the power of sin; the force that makes a man to do what he knows he is not supposed to do and yet he keeps doing it (Col.1:13; Rom.7:18-19, 22-25).
A repentant heart is one in which Jesus is in control; therefore unclean thoughts, wickedness, immorality and all such do not dwell there. When satan brings these things to the heart of the man, they are repelled by the Spirit of God who now controls the man. A repentant heart is one that is cleansed by the blood of Jesus, and the Spirit of God now resides in him. He is regenerated (Titus 3:5), made alive (Eph.2:1), and full of the life of God (Eph.2:12). The conscience of a repentant heart has been made alive; so he is conscious of sin and the fear of God. He has also been empowered to rebel against sin and follow after righteousness by the Spirit of God (Titus 2:11-13).
A repentant heart has passion for God and the things of God only because the Spirit of God dwells in him. He has positioned himself under God for the cleansing power of the blood of Jesus. The attractions of a repentant heart are those things that are Heaven-wards (Col.3:1-3). His former ways of life no longer appeal to him, and he can indeed say, ...[I am] a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. When a man admits that he is a sinner and acknowledges Jesus the Son of God as God's provision to take him out of the power of sin, God's Spirit takes hold of that man's spirit, sets him free and empowers him to live a sin-free life. You can enjoy that today if you want to. Will you ask the Spirit of Jesus to do that for you right now?

Prayer/Action
* Jesus, I repent of all my sins. Give me a new heart that thirsts after God and His righteousness, in the mighty name of Jesus.
* I proclaim I am a new creature. Old things have passed away, all things have become new in me, in Jesus’ name.

TODAY'S PROPHETIC PRAYER
2017 is bright and beautiful for me, I shall testify, in the name of Jesus.