Repent And Return To God

What does repent and return to God mean?

1. Repent
• Leave the quality of selfishness behind
• Stop seeking to benefit yourself at the expense of others
• Stop harming yourself, others and all of nature
2. Return To God
• Return to the quality of bestowal (God's quality), return to God in quality
• Seek to benefit others instead of yourself
• Connect with others in mutual concern and consideration
• Reach harmony and balance with all of nature

Copyright © 2014, Carter Kagume. All Rights Reserved.

Repent and be Saved

The purpose of these three stories is to show two things:
1.  If you repent you will be saved.
2.  If a prophet decrees judgment and it doesn’t come to pass right away that doesn’t mean s/he is not a true prophet. If people repent they will be saved.

1.  Elijah and Ahab (1 Kings 21: 17-28, NIV)
17 Then the word of the Lord (YHVH) came to Elijah the Tishbite:
18 "Go down to meet Ahab king of Israel, who rules in Samaria. He is now in Naboth’s vineyard, where he has gone to take possession of it.
19 Say to him, 'This is what the Lord (YHVH) says: Have you not murdered a man and seized his property?' Then say to him, 'This is what the Lord (YHVH) says: In the place where dogs licked up Naboth’s blood, dogs will lick up your blood—yes, yours!'"
20 Ahab said to Elijah, "So you have found me, my enemy!" "I have found you," he answered, "because you have sold yourself to do evil in the eyes of the Lord (YHVH).
21 He says, 'I am going to bring disaster on you. I will wipe out your descendants and cut off from Ahab every last male in Israel—slave or free.
22 I will make your house like that of Jeroboam son of Nebat and that of Baasha son of Ahijah, because you have aroused my anger and have caused Israel to sin.'
23 "And also concerning Jezebel the Lord (YHVH) says: 'Dogs will devour Jezebel by the wall of Jezreel.'
24 "Dogs will eat those belonging to Ahab who die in the city, and the birds will feed on those who die in the country."
25 (There was never anyone like Ahab, who sold himself to do evil in the eyes of the Lord (YHVH), urged on by Jezebel his wife.
26. He behaved in the vilest manner by going after idols, like the Amorites the Lord (YHVH) drove out before Israel.)
27 When Ahab heard these words, he tore his clothes, put on sackcloth and fasted. He lay in sackcloth and went around meekly.
28 Then the word of the Lord (YHVH) came to Elijah the Tishbite:
29 "Have you noticed how Ahab has humbled himself before me? Because he has humbled himself, I will not bring this disaster in his day, but I will bring it on his house in the days of his son."

2.  Isaiah and Hezekiah (2 Kings 20: 1-11, NIV)
1 In those days Hezekiah became ill and was at the point of death. The prophet Isaiah son of Amoz went to him and said, “This is what the Lord (YHVH) says: Put your house in order, because you are going to die; you will not recover.”
2 Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the Lord (YHVH),
3 “Remember, Lord (YHVH), how I have walked before you faithfully and with wholehearted devotion and have done what is good in your eyes.” And Hezekiah wept bitterly.
4 Before Isaiah had left the middle court, the word of the Lord (YHVH) came to him:
5 “Go back and tell Hezekiah, the ruler of my people, ‘This is what the Lord (YHVH), the God (Elohim) of your father David, says: I have heard your prayer and seen your tears; I will heal you. On the third day from now you will go up to the temple of the Lord (YHVH).
6 I will add fifteen years to your life. And I will deliver you and this city from the hand of the king of Assyria. I will defend this city for my sake and for the sake of my servant David.’”
7 Then Isaiah said, “Prepare a poultice of figs.” They did so and applied it to the boil, and he recovered.

3.  Jonah and Nineveh (Jonah 3: 1-10, NIV)
1 Then the word of the Lord ( YHVH ) came to Jonah a second time:
2 “Go to the great city of Nineveh and proclaim to it the message I give you.”
3 Jonah obeyed the word of the Lord (YHVH) and went to Nineveh. Now Nineveh was a very large city; it took three days to go through it.
4 Jonah began by going a day’s journey into the city, proclaiming, “Forty more days and Nineveh will be overthrown.”
5 The Ninevites believed God (Elohim). A fast was proclaimed, and all of them, from the greatest to the least, put on sackcloth.
6 When Jonah’s warning reached the king of Nineveh, he rose from his throne, took off his royal robes, covered himself with sackcloth and sat down in the dust.
7 This is the proclamation he issued in Nineveh: “By the decree of the king and his nobles: Do not let people or animals, herds or flocks, taste anything; do not let them eat or drink.
8 But let people and animals be covered with sackcloth. Let everyone call urgently on God (Elohim). Let them give up their evil ways and their violence.
9 Who knows? God (Elohim) may yet relent and with compassion turn from his fierce anger so that we will not perish.”
10 When God (Elohim) saw what they did and how they turned from their evil ways, he relented and did not bring on them the destruction he had threatened.

Copyright © 2013 , Carter Kagume. May be used for research purposes only. May not be used for any commercial purposes.

Repentance

You are God, the One True God
You are God, the One and only
You, and only You, are God
"I, even I, am the Lord, And besides Me there is no savior." (Isaiah 43:11, NKJV)

I stand before You, O One True God
Embarrassed and ashamed
I have gone far astray and have come before You to repent
"Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, And cleanse me from my sin." (Psalm 51:2, NKJV)

I can no longer pretend to be what I am not
I lay bare my heart before You, in absolute remorse and sincerity
I take full responsibility for my errors and admit to my wrongdoings
"For I acknowledge my transgressions, And my sin is always before me." (Psalm 51:3, NKJV)

I have sinned against You, O One True God
I have turned away from Your holiness and have forgotten Your righteousness
I repent for my wickedness and for my evil ways
"Against You, You only, have I sinned, And done this evil in Your sight - " (Psalm 51:4, NKJV)

I repent for coveting my neighbour's possessions
I repent for lying
I repent for stealing
I repent for committing adultery
I repent for murdering
I repent for not honoring my father and my mother
I repent for not observing the Sabbath
I repent for taking Your Name in vain
I repent for worshipping idols
I repent for having other gods before You

"Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow." Psalm 51:7, NKJV)

From the bottom of my broken heart
I repent before You, O One True God
Forgive me for failing You
"Hide Your face from my sins, And blot out all my iniquities." (Psalm 51:9, NKJV)

You are my salvation and to You I now return
I repent! Please forgive me, please take away my sins
Restore me to Your glory and make me whole again
"Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a steadfast spirit within me." (Psalm 51:10, NKJV)

Copyright © 2013 , Carter Kagume. May be used for research purposes only. May not be used for any commercial purposes.