'Lent is a time for new beginnings which start with repentance.
True rrepentance is an active, positive attitude which effects real and deep changes.
Repentence involves recognizing the wrong, and, where possible, putting it right'.
'Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.'
Matthew 3:2
Repentance means to face up honestly to the past and to turn from it...
The Biblical meaning of repentance is ...turns from sin, selfishness, darkness, idols, habits, bondages and demons both private and public.
Joyce Hugget.
'We turn from all that binds and oppresses us and others, from all the violence and evil in which we are so complicit, from all the false worship that ha controlled us. Ultimately, repentance is turning from the powers of death. These ominous forces no longer hold us ransom in their grip; they no longer have the last word.'
Jim Wallis
A time for new beginnings
Repentance and receiving God's forgiveness go hand in hand.
'If we confess our sins to God, he will keep his promise,
He will forgive us our sins and
purify us from all our wrongdoing.'
1 John 1:9
When we have confessed we must move on to receive and embrace God's forgiveness and love. To fail to do so implies that we give greater importance to our sinful self than to God's goodness.
We must learn to accept that God's goodness is greater than our badness;
that there is joy in God's heart in extending to us the forgiving love which sets us free from past sin.
So we must refuse to hold on to our sense of guilt and accept the healing that comes from Him.
ref: Joyce Hugget.
