Redirected Steps

“Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord.” Acts 3:19

What is your first thought when you hear the word ‘repent’? Do you think, “I’d rather go through surgery” or “how wonderful it is that I ‘get to’ repent”?

Repentance is not merely a change of mind but a radical change in one’s life that involves an arising from sorrow, forsaking sin, turning or returning to God with a transformation of life. In other words…we ‘get to’ renew our relationship with God and experience rebirth!

Action is required to repent. It must be a deliberate choice to stop the road we’re on, turn around in the opposite direction, and start picking up our feet to take our first steps. The first steps are never easy but soon we pick up the pace as we spot the billboard that reads ‘deliverance’.

Take a look at a few other 're' words, in Scripture with the prefix ‘re’, I found in the concordance of my Bible: revenge, restrain, rebellion, regret, remove, rebuke, reject, responsibility, repay, require, resent, renounce, and resist. Now let’s look at a few more; repent, respect, reverse, restore, rebuild, rebirth, receive, reclaim, record, reflect, refresh, reward, return, regard, release, rely, relief, remain, remember, remind, remove, reassurance, revive, respond, renew, resolve, redeem, and REJOICE!

Thought I’d close with a little ‘re’ prayer and encourage you to do the same today with some of the words listed above:

“Dear Father, I come to You with great respect—for You are the Most Holy God. Remind me today of Your power to rebuild my life, which can easily break. I want to return to You and ask that You reveal any rebellion in me that would only lead to regrets. Remove everything that restrains our relationship and replace it with a spirit of total refreshment. Restore me once again. Renew me as I am reassured my sin no longer remains on my record. It brings a release like none other. I celebrate my rebirth as You grant me the reward You promise is now mine. There is reason to rejoice in the redeeming blood of Your Son, Jesus, Amen.”

What does your Bible concordance say about words that begin with 're'?