I've Repented... Now What?

As I said last Sunday, repentance is a Simple and Painful Gift from God. All it requires is an acknowledgement and decision to turn away from ourselves and the things that we run to for identity and pleasure, and then turn to Christ. I also said that repentance is more than a one-time decision, but is a life. So how do you live your life in repentance?

As Thomas Watson has written in his wonderful work, The Doctrine of Repentance: “Sorrow is good for nothing but sin. If you shed tears for outward losses, it will not advantage you. Water for the garden, is poured in the sink, does no good…Oh that our tears may run in the right channel and our hearts burst with sorrow for sin!” In other words, sorrow by itself is of no avail other than making us feel like we have had a spiritual breakthrough…unless it moves us to mortify the sinful desires.

Here are some very practical ways you can go about your fight with sin and your pursuit of Christ:

1) Listen to spiritually nourishing music.

I love music. I love all kinds of music. You give me the name of a band and I’ll look it up and start listening. I love 60’s folk, 70’s rock and disco (Go ABBA!), 80’s pop, 90’s grunge, 00’s dub-step and everything in between. But when I am struggling and seeking Christ’s face, I find that listening to praise music or specifically Christ-focused music helps gather the threads of my attention to Christ. Of particular note, I enjoy Indelible Grace, City Alight, Sovereign Grace, Sandra McCracken, Bifrost Arts, John Mark McMillan, Gungor, Israel Houghton, Ghost Ship, King’s Kaleidoscope, Ellie Holcombe, NEEDTOBREATHE…Perhaps I need to write a whole different Weekly on this! I’ll stop. The key is something that will lift your mind and attention to eternal things. And, yes, this can happen with Florence + the Machine (have you listened to her latest album?!) or Brandi Carlile.

2) Listen to Sermons and Podcasts that will challenge you.

Instead of gravitating toward ear candy, seek out sermons and podcasts that challenge your thinking. I am a podcast junkie. Perhaps another Weekly just on this! Pick out two or three podcasts you can listen to on your drive into the office or on your morning walk. I would recommend Off the Wire (haha!), Typology, White Horse Inn, Born to Impact, The Ed Mylett Show…Oh man, I’ve got a slew more. But…for another day.

3) Take apps off your phone that tempt or distract.

Apple has a great way to monitor how much you’ve been on each app. Google how to find this info out and you can see just how much time you spend on Facebook, Instagram, email, etc.

4) Put software on your phone that limits the amount of time and the times you use your phone.

5) Put on software that blocks unsavory sites and give a trusted friend the password so you can’t change it.

6) Have goals.

Set out to read a book a month. Work out for an hour everyday. A certain number on the scale. A certain weight on the barbell. Goals help you get outside of temptation by focusing on where you’re going. If you don’t have goals and a direction, you are meandering. Sure. Meandering can be good for the soul. But being directionless will allow others and the world to set your agenda.

7) Work at self-knowledge.

This is a vital piece in the life of repentance and faith. As two counselors have written, “In all our years of ministry we have never known a single person whose relationships suffered because of lack of doctrinal fits. Not one! But there are many stories of collapsed ministries, estranged marriages, distant children, failed friendships and coworker conflict because people had little self-understanding” (Plass and Cofield, The Relational Soul, 109).

8) Spend time in quiet solitude with God.

Each of these words matter. Set aside a time to simply sit in quietness and listen. Listen to your thoughts. What are you anxious about? Excited about? Then listen to God. Have a plan of what you will read each morning from His Word and chip away at that plan. Write down your prayers and your thoughts in a journal. What will you do today to serve others? What will you do today to see God at work in the everyday stuff of life. Write it down. And then be quiet again.

9) Get a spiritual director or counselor.

This is vital in your growth as a person and in the application of your self-understanding. This can be a living person or a dead person through their writing. That is, read good books to nurture your spiritual life. I might start with the Thomas Watson book I mentioned in the beginning. Be looking out for more on an idea I have for such a group for spiritual direction in the coming weeks that we can do as a church.

10) Do.

There were probably things on this list that you have heard before. I have often read lists of practical guides and thought to myself, “Come on. Tell me something new! What’s the secret sauce?” Well, this last point is the secret sauce. Knowledge alone puffs up. But love (which is affection AND action) builds up. You have heard many sermons and read much by way of living the Christian life. The secret sauce is obeying what you already know. It’s really that simple. And if you find yourself stumbling, start with this list again and try to do what is written here.