Repent
From the book 'A World Deceived'
The repentance process is very difficult to explain as it is a lifetime experience. Once God reveals what spirit controlled you from the time of your natural birth, you will wrestle with that spirit, while you dwell in this body.
You need the living God each and every day of your life. He is the only One who can help you overcome that spirit. This is why the believers (the true church) offer themselves up to God each and every day for the renewing and transformation of their minds (Romans 12:1-2).
I would like to use the conversion of Paul as the basis of this chapter. When Jesus spoke to Paul he used the following words as written in Acts 26:16-18.
But rise and stand upon thy feet: for I have appeared unto thee for this purpose, to make thee a minister and a witness both of these things which thou hast seen, and of those things in the which I will appear unto thee; Delivering thee from the people, and from the Gentiles, unto whom now I send thee, To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me.
The above clearly explains the state of mankind. It shows how mankind is blinded and that it lives in darkness and under the power of Satan.
The word repent used in the New Testament comes from the Greek word "metanoeo". It means: to change, transform, to think differently or reconsider. Please keep this in mind as you read the rest of this chapter.
In order to put the process of "Repentance" into words, we compiled the following guide. It will help you if you allow yourself to be instructed by the words of the Bible.
In order to hear (John 9:31), understand (Eph 1:17-18), and live in union with the living God (John 10:16), mankind must repent (change) and be converted (Acts 3:19; Luke 3:13; 13:5; 15:10; 2 Tim 2:25-26).
For a person to be transformed (Rom 12:2) from the spirit of darkness to the Spirit of light (Rom 7:25), he/she must first acknowledge that he/she is a sinner and that he/she lives under the power thereof (Matt 9:13; Mark 2:17; 1 John 1:8).
When a person acknowledges that he/she is a sinner, he/she must admit to the following:
By nature were you born in sin? The answer is yes.
Who is the father of sin? The answer is Satan.
By nature who is your father? The answer again is Satan.
Your natural spirit is referred to in the Bible as the devil, which all of mankind is born with.
Most people will stop right here as they will close their mind as soon as someone uses the word Satan or the devil. But Satan is real and empowers this whole world as he is the father of every man, woman and child. The problem is that there have been many organizations and religions that have used the word Satan and devil in their teachings but not in truth.
If you cannot acknowledge to the above in truth, there is no hope, as you will never know the difference between good and evil. You will die in your present state, which is sinful (Eze 18:20; Rom 6:23; 8:5-8; James 2:26) and under the power of the devil.
It will be almost impossible for anyone to acknowledge to the above (Matt 19:26; Mark 10:27; Luke 18:27) if you are in bondage to any man-made religion or institution (Matt 15:9).
Through the stronghold of religion (2 Cor 10:4; 2 Thess 2:11) all of mankind has been deceived and made to believe that they live in union with God. In truth they live in sin, according to the flesh, separated from God and under the power of sin (1 Cor 1:14), referred to as the spirit of darkness or the devil, which works through the flesh (1 Cor 1:29; Rom 8:8).
So, while the spirit of this world (Satan) has made you believe that you are a child of God, in truth you are under the power of sin and the devil. This is how Satan has transformed himself into an angel of light (2 Cor 11:14).
But thanks be to God my Father, for we no longer have to live according to the flesh and under the power of sin (please remember now who by nature your father is). To all those that turn to God in truth, He will reveal Himself through Jesus Christ and destroy the workings of the devil (your natural state) and free you from the power of sin (1 John 3:8-9).
Once you submit to serve the true and living God and commit yourself to follow in the footsteps of Jesus Christ, He will start to lead you to REPENTANCE or the changing of spirits (2 Tim 2:25-26). He will teach you in all His ways (John 6:45; 14:26), and He will help you to overcome the spirit of this world and the workings of the flesh (Rom 7:25; 12:21; 1 Cor 15:57; 1 John 2:13-14; 4:4; 5:4-5; Rev 2:7, 11, 17, 26; 3:5, 12, 21; 12:11; 21:7). He will reveal Himself through Jesus Christ to you (Luke 10:21-22; John 8:19; Gal 1:16), and above all, He will open your eyes (Isa 42:7) to a new and better world - His Glorious Kingdom (Col 1:12-13).
Some of you may have walked to the infield of a Billy Graham Crusade or walked to the front of one of your churches to turn your life over to God. Through the process of Repentance, God will reveal to you that this has all been a misconception and a lie (John 8:44; Rom 3:4). If that is all you have to do, there would have been no need for Christ to come in the flesh.
Once, I myself was blind but now I can see. For more information how to become Born of God we encourage you to keep reading this book with an open heart. (For the purpose of those that do not have a copy of the book we like to change this to: read all of the pages and articles listed on this web site). We also encourage you to continue to study all of the Scriptural references in truth, for it is not me that speaks but the Sprit of my Father in heaven.
As your Bible we suggest you use the Authorized King James version. Throughout the history of the Bible most translations became distorted as a result of ignorant men of this world (2 Cor 2:11; 2 Peter 1:20; Rev 22:18-19).
JOHN 13:20
VERILY, VERILY, I SAY UNTO YOU, HE THAT RECEIVETH WHOMSOEVER I SEND RECEIVETH ME; AND HE THAT RECEIVETH ME RECEIVETH HIM THAT SENT ME.