What It Really Means to Repent

[What It Really Means to Repent]( Current Teaching Series [Rethinking Your Life]( [Listen to Today's Broadcast]( [What It Really Means to Repent]( By Rick Warren — 01/15/2024 [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Pinterest]( [Email](mailto:?subject=I'd%20like%20to%20share%20a%20Daily%20Devotional%20from%20Pastor%20Rick%20with%20you&body= “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 (NIV) Somewhere along the way, “repent” became a negative word. When many people hear that word, they think of a guy holding a sign on the corner telling people to “turn or burn” because the end is near. But the world’s idea of what it means to repent is totally wrong. “Repent” is actually the most positive, transforming word in the world. The word “repent” just means you change your mind. It’s not when you stop doing bad things—that’s the result of repentance. Repentance simply means you used to think one way and now you think another way. You used to think guilty thoughts, and now you think forgiven thoughts. You used to think damnation and discouragement, and now you think peace. You used to think selfishness, and now you think of others first. You used to think ambitiously, and now you think about how to serve. You think about God as he really is—a kind and loving Father. You think about yourself as God sees you—with value and purpose. You think about what really has meaning in life. Repentance is when you start rethinking your life in order to match how Jesus thinks. When you repent and turn from darkness to light, it’s not about not getting to do the things you want to do anymore. It’s about doing only the things that matter because your mind is set on what’s most important. It’s the most positive change in the world. Do you need some refreshment? Do you need to recover from life’s hurts and be revived after loss or failure? Then you only need to repent. When you do, you’ll come into God’s presence and experience real joy and peace. [PLAY today’s audio teaching from Pastor Rick >>]( Talk It Over - Why do you think people don’t like the idea of repenting? What do they think it will mean for their lives? - How is being in God’s presence refreshing - Look at Acts 3:19. Why does repentance involve returning to God? Are you ready to turn to God? Here’s a prayer you can start with: “Dear God, I know when I die, I’m going to give an account of my life to you. I know I have sinned against you, and I have lived by my plan, not yours. I want that to change, starting right now. I want to turn away from my sins and toward you. “Thank you for sending Jesus to die for all that I’ve done wrong so that I don’t have to pay the penalty. I know I don’t deserve your forgiveness. I know only your grace can save me, Lord. I could never be good enough to get into a perfect place. “Jesus, thank you for loving me so much that you took all my guilt on yourself. You made me acceptable for heaven, and I humbly ask you to save me. I believe in you, Jesus. And I believe you will keep your promise to save me. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.” If you just prayed to accept Jesus, please email me at Rick@PastorRick.com and let me know. I’d like to send you some free materials to help you start your journey with Jesus. The post [What It Really Means to Repent]( appeared first on [Pastor Rick's Daily Hope](. [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Pinterest]( [Email](mailto:?subject=I'd%20like%20to%20share%20a%20Daily%20Devotional%20from%20Pastor%20Rick%20with%20you&body= [Get the Rethinking Your Life Bible Study when you give a gift to support Daily Hope!]( Your brain is the most complex organ in your body, and one of God’s greatest gifts to you. 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[LEARN MORE]( [Series Summary]( Message 1: Why You Need to Think About What You Think About Message 2: Learning to Think Like Jesus Message 3: Choosing to Manage My Mind Message 4: Rethinking the Problem of Sin Message 5: How to Win Over Persistent Temptations Message 6: Defeating Discouragement Message 7: Changing How I Think About Pain Message 8: Recovering from Traumatic Experiences [PLAY TODAY'S BROADCAST]( Pastor Rick Warren [Facebook]( [Instagram]( [Linkedin]( Enjoy today's devotional? Listen to Pastor Rick’s daily audio teaching at [PastorRick.com]( Did someone forward this devotional to you? [Subscribe to Pastor Rick Warren's Daily Devotional.]( Rick Warren is the founding pastor of [Saddleback Church]( one of America’s largest and most influential churches. Pastor Rick is the author of the New York Times bestseller [The Purpose Driven Life](. His book [The Purpose Driven Church]( was named one of the 100 Christian books that changed the 20th century. 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