Spiritual Cardio

1 John 1:⁹ “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (NKJV)

The Exercise of Repentance. This is the fourth exercise for a spiritually healthy heart. Repentance is a heart exercise, a spiritual cardio exercise that makes your heart super, duper healthy. What is repentance? Repentance is simply doing a U-turn, a 180-degree turn. To repent means a change of mind that should lead to a change of action. Confession is the first step. For example, you are heading South but you intend to go North. You do not need to fast and pray, if you continue, you will get to the South. But guess what? If you do a U-turn, you will be traveling Northward, then you have repented. Repentance is the change in direction.

Someone said, ‘Oh, Pastor, I am such a good man. I am sorry it is coming from me directly. But I am just a good man. I do not get involved in any mess. I am just too good’. Such a person is disillusioned because he does not even know himself. If God were to mark iniquity who can stand? There is no good man. Someone came to Jesus and said, ‘I am a good man, I have obeyed all the laws.’ Jesus said, ‘I like your zeal. What you should do is sell everything you have, give it to the poor, and come and follow me’. I do not know which one gave him the most heartache: selling everything he had or following Jesus. It is because both of them will ‘kill you’. You will have to die to your goodness so that you can take on Jesus’ goodness, Jesus’ righteousness.

Until you turn away from your trust in your wealth or riches and begin to follow Jesus, you are not good. You have not repented, and you need to repent. That is for the category of people who say there is nothing to repent of. ‘I am a good girl, Pastor, I have always been a good girl. I am not like those useless girls you see around. In fact, I see some of them in church. But I am better than them’. Listen, my dear, you need to repent. Of what? Of arrogance, that’s what. Category two is those who say, ‘Pastor if you know what I have done. Even if I were God, I cannot forgive me’. Have you met such people or are you such a person? Some say, ‘Pastor, you only say God will forgive me because you do not know what I have done’. Such people feel that God cannot forgive them. Yet God is saying to you, there is nothing you can repent of that God cannot forgive.

If you can say, sorry, there is forgiveness for you. The question is not can God forgive you? The question is, can you repent? God says when you come, He will not cast you away.

Prayer: Father, I admit that apart from You, there is no goodness in me. Cleanse me from all unrighteousness and set my feet on the path of righteousness, in Jesus Mighty Name. Amen!