How does a person know if He or She has truly Repentant or not?

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Permalink Reply by Grazer #E2H on June 2, 2013 at 1:33am

Victory requires a battle, battles require weapons and armor. God is both the weapon and the armor

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Permalink Reply by Shanthi on June 3, 2013 at 12:39am

Hi Greg...

I feel the same way and I ask the same question many times.  God did place the Holy spirit as his guardian for us to watch over us all the time.  Why can't we forgive ourselves and we think of our old sins...cos my Pastor said the enemy keeps reminding us of it.  What you need to do, is rebuke that feeling and say thank you to the holy spirit for reminding you not to feel bad (bad feelings, reminder of our past sins and provoking us all comes from the enemy)  The King  of darkness is bored and he challenges us like he challenged Jesus...so don't give up buddy...Just rebuke in Jesus name.

God has forgiven you.....remind yourself or his love and your gain Victory

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Permalink Reply by Seek on June 3, 2013 at 7:51am

Ask God to answer this.  It may take some time.  But the way I began to do things recently was to not worry if I was right or wrong, saved or unsaved, and rest in knowing I WAS unless God showed me otherwise.  And you know what?  He showed me I WAS right with Him.  I was praying this very thing in church....am I doing right, am I right with You (even though trying not to worry on it if I didn't get an answer), and a friend who couldn't be there as she was going out of town, called me to come outside during church as she had something for me.  It was a bracelet she said reminded her of me, it has charms of various animals.  The card said we are indeed new creatures and OH HOW HE LOVES YOU SO! 

I've worried and obsessed over whether I was right or not with God, whether I was doing the right things.  When I stopped obsessing and letting it cause me grief and worry, God responded.  And I was honestly already at a point where I KNEW He loved me and I was saved.  But I was questioning if I was doing right and if I loved Him enough.  And He answered me.

And yet?  I still battle unwanted thoughts.  Talk about hormones!  Mine are a HUGE issue.  Medications and vitamins, eating better, etc. are all beginning to help somewhat, yet we will ALL fall prey to thoughts and feelings all our lives.  As long as we still live in a body of flesh, that is a given.  If the Holy Spirit gave us victory over everything, why is it Paul asked why do I do the things I do not want to do and those things I want to do I do not?  Why is it Paul had a thorn he wanted removed and God said no?  The Holy Spirit isn't our magic genie.  God's will comes first and foremost, and sometimes He wants to strengthen us up by leaving us to fight the battle, a daily fight. 

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Permalink Reply by Shanthi on June 3, 2013 at 8:20pm

Dear Greg,

Try not to worry too much.  Like SeeYeFirst said we are still in the body of  flesh and we will have all kinds of struggles everyday.  Each day is something new.  Yes the holy spirit is not magic and it is true that you got to seek God for everything, even the tiniest doubts, just ask him what to you do about the doubt.  

Like this morning...when I woke up...I was in so much doubt over my faith in God...I sat on the bed staring at my sleeping husband...WHY..WHY WHY..I asked God.  I told him I am tired of everything, tired of praying, tired of my life, tired of being faithful........the list went on and on.  I just closed my eye for 15mins..(not sleeping) realised it's time to get up and walked out of the room like a zombie :) and without me realising  it  all those WHY questions just disappeared. 

 You know what..I did not even want to pray this morning...and I felt guilty not doing so.  On my way to work,  I was very silent throughout my journey and that miserable low feeling came back to me, bad thoughts came to my head again...than i truly heard My inner man praying, I could hear  him...wow..what a feeling.

 God did not answer me... He just knew I needed to let it out. I guess God does not change us immediately, he has forgiven us for all the past and gives us time to grow.  Preachers can help, but in the end its just us and God...We got to ask him for help.  Of  course, I don't get any immediate answers sometimes, and I feel God just let me down...but we all know he is true and he just takes sometime.  He is a busy MAN... 

Take him as he is there all the time...be angry, upset and cry to him...u will be amazed how your relationship changes when you have an intimate relationship with him.  

I have taken him as my Dad...cos I loss my beloved dad years back.

Take care brother....

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Permalink Reply by Seek on June 4, 2013 at 5:52am

Greg, I don't hear God "audibly".  I close my eyes, and put myself with Him in my mind...focus on Him, and listen...internally.  We have our conversations there, inside the spirit.  I've had the same issue.  And God even spoke with me on my questions to this very thing.  The voices you hear?  Those are the world, the clamor of all the no's you've had spoken into you, the clamor of satan speaking negativity into you, the clamor of your own flesh speaking negativity.  I can hear two answers to the same thing.  So unless I get a clear understanding, a KNOWING deep down, or until God gives me some tangible evidence of something, I don't act off the first voice that I hear since I can hear two answers overlapping at times.  God's answer to me on this was that as I concentrate on the Word, on good things, I will, over time, replace the droning of the negative.  I'll begin to hear more of the Word inside and not the dual answers and clamor and confusion the world has sown into me all these years. 

And I hate to say this, but I believe your pastor is wrong in this area.  I do believe you're the one said your pastor said he's always open to being taught.  So, ask him what is meant by growing from glory to glory and maturing.  There is not always a "radical change".  God works in mysterious ways and in DIFFERENT ways.  Some may exhibit an immediate change because they have deeper issues that will need to be worked on, or they're a more pliable person, we don't know the answer.  Some may exhibit slower change because they've spent many many years walking without the Spirit and have so many ingrained wrong ideas that it takes time to work it out.  I know some very good Christian people who I do not doubt their sincerity of faith, and yet they didn't change overnight from what they've told me.  Others claim they have changed overnight.  We are all different and God handles us all where we are with what He knows is the best way to train us up.

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Permalink Reply by Carla on June 10, 2013 at 7:23am

Hi Gregory,

 

This scripture comes to mind:

 

The Conflict of Two Natures

Romans 7:14-25

¹⁴ For we know that the Law is spiritual, but I am of flesh, sold ^[m]into bondage to sin. ¹⁵ For what I am doing, I do not understand; for I am not practicing what I would like to do, but I am doing the very thing I hate. ¹⁶ But if I do the very thing I do not want to do, I agree with the Law, confessing that the Law is good. ¹⁷ So now, no longer am I the one doing it, but sin which dwells in me. ¹⁸ For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh; for the willing is present in me, but the doing of the good is not. ¹⁹ For the good that I want, I do not do, but I practice the very evil that I do not want. ²⁰ But if I am doing the very thing I do not want, I am no longer the one doing it, but sin which dwells in me.

²¹ I find then the ^[n]principle that evil is present in me, the one who wants to do good. ²² For I joyfully concur with the law of God ^[o]in the inner man, ²³ but I see a different law in ^[p]the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner ^[q]of the law of sin which is in my members. ²⁴ Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from ^[r]the body of this death? ²⁵ Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, on the one hand I myself with my mind am serving the law of God, but on the other, with my flesh the law of sin.

It seems to me that if we were actually to attain 'sinless perfection' in this life we would somehow (in our sinfulness) be prone to pride over being 'sinless'.  I don't believe it's something we can reach in this life.... We need to be constantly reminded how much we need Jesus moment to moment and every second of every day.  If we were sinless I believe we would forget that and eventually go our own way.  We need Jesus, and we need to be reminded of that.  It's a continual ongoing relationship building trusting relationship... We will enjoy being complete and perfect in Him once we are home.

I love this song.

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Permalink Reply by Richard L. Broch, Sr. on June 11, 2013 at 8:56pm

Hi Gregory,

Good discussion with some excellent in-put being posted.

My thoughts are-- we repent (and I believe baptism by immersion should be carried out at this time, Acts 2:38), then our sanctification period begins (and could last the rest of our lives).

Let's look at Galatians 5:17, " For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please."(N.A.S.B.).

This is an on-going battle between our in-dwelling Holy Spirit and the old baggage we are still carrying around.

How long does this battle go on?.........Could be days, months,.....or years.

 

Over all, we, and people around us, should notice positive change(s) when we receive Christ into our hearts.

 

Grace and Peace.

 

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