If you’re following this blog, I’ve been unpacking a profound process God led me through during my vacation this past summer. The Father did such a beautiful work that I wanted to share it with you. This process included four crucial ingredients, all of which flow into the others: Rest, repentance, restoration, and renewal.
In my last post I explored our deep need for rest—along with the unwelcome gifts it brings. When we truly rest, our flesh fights back. We become acutely aware of beliefs, habits, burdens and unhealthy partnerships we’ve picked up along the pathway of life. What we face feels ugly, but seeing the truth is a gift, because “the truth shall set you free” (John 8:32). This freedom in God’s truth comes through repentance.
Repentance in a nutshell
Repentance is about laying these beliefs, burdens, habits, and unhealthy partnerships down so we can experience the glorious freedom of God’s restoration and renewal.
As I unpack in my new book, Deeply Devoted, repentance is a process of self-discovery, led by the Spirit of God, that helps us see what needs to change in us. Along the way, we discover:
- Why what we did was bad
- Why we did what we did: The false beliefs that feed the sinful behaviour
- What we need to do to break free from our sin cycle
- The gospel truths that set us free from the false beliefs
- What we need to do to clean up our mess
Another way to put it: Repentance is a change of heart that changes our ways.
Many of us resist true rest, because we’re afraid of facing our flesh. But this reality check is mission critical, because without repentance, we can’t experience God’s restoration and renewal the way we need and crave it.
Where to begin with repentance
My advice is simple: Start with the stuff that bubbles up when you rest. Not all of it is sin, per se. As I posed in my last post:
When you let go of striving and simply rest, what emerges? What resistance? What anger, sadness, conviction, or temptations? What longing aches there? What inner monologues begin babbling? What disappointments make an appearance? What is my soul seeking? What feels absent, lacking, or missing?
We can also ask God, “What am I carrying that I don’t need to? What am I stuck in? What am I running from? What do you want me to give you right now?”
When something emerges, I start by praying, “Father, would you come and be perfectly one with me right now in this (your emotions / struggle).” And then we ask him to show us the answers to the five questions I listed above. Remember, this is a process. It may take some time, and it will certainly sting at points.
You may have a long list of stuff to deal with. That’s okay. Don’t get overwhelmed. Look to Jesus, and ask him to guide you. He’ll do it, friends.
Common themes
Like it or not, you’re a predictable creature. So am I. My sin isn’t merely something I did. It’s something I do. I repeat the same patterns over and over again in different scenarios. The same is true of everyone around me. They do the same stuff over and over again too. They let us down, hurt us, and neglect us. And then life itself seems rigged, doesn’t it? Unfair. Disappointing. Tiring. Almost like it’s wired to take more from us than it gives. So we grieve, rant, mutter, grumble, complain, and settle for less and less as we carry more and more.
All these things are important to God. All these things must be named, addressed, and sometimes healed in order for us to truly thrive. Facing this stuff is hard. It’s tiresome. But in the end, it’s so rewarding.
Now what?
So, I got to the end of this post and realized I’ve only scratched the surface of what I could unpack about repentance. You may feel a little like I’ve ripped off y0ur bandaids and exclaimed, “Good luck!”
But I’m going to stop here. And here are a couple things I want you to know.
- Any progress is powerful. Just start with one thing. Then another. Then another.
- Everything I know about this, I learned by seeking it out myself. Yes, I’ve taken training in prayer ministry, but most of what I know, I know because I’ve experimented with it (with Jesus). He can show you what to do, too. Ask him to guide you!
- I unpack much more about this repentance process in my Deeply Devoted book. I highly recommend checking it out.
- Jesus is calling me to write a book about processing your soul with God. My goal is to make the complicated simple. Doable. Repeatable. So pray for me in that; the work has just begun.
Next up: Restoration and renewal.
