“Now repent of your sins and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped away. Then times of refreshment will come from the presence of the Lord, and he will again send you Jesus, your appointed Messiah.” Acts of the Apostles 3:19-20 NLT
This was a part of Peter’s second preaching message in Jerusalem. He and John had just healed a man begging at the temple gates. When an amazed crowd appeared he preached Jesus.
Jesus Himself preached: repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand (Matt 4:7), as did John the Baptist before Him. Repentance is true sorrow for sins committed, not a compulsory rattling off of sins in a confessional, or a ‘sorry I got caught’ scenario. True repentance leads to a change of heart.
True repentance leads to a refreshing in the presence of God. It is a cleansing of our hearts and an opening up to God. Without true repentance we will not see God and continue to trudge around in our bog.
Unfortunately those who are self-righteous become angry when challenged with their sin and attempt to silence the confronter. This can lead to murder. How desperate are the self-righteous to keep their lies? Have mercy Lord!
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