Repentance Does Not Equal Remorse
Throughout Christianity and the Bible you find the word “repentance”. What do you think when you hear the word repentance. Most people will say that it means to regret, to be remorseful. In fact, the Oxford Language dictionary presents a definition of repentance as “sincere regret or remorse”. This brings to mind a scene from an episode of the classic television comedy series, “The Office”. The episode is entitled “The Coup”. In this episode, the character Dwight Schrute attempts to steal the job of his boss, branch manager Michael Scott. He fails and unbeknown to Dwight, Michaels finds out about it. At first, Michael leads Dwight to believe that he has succeeded in supplanting him and that Dwight is the new branch manager. Michael then abruptly lets Dwight know that he knows all about Dwight’s attempted coup and betrayal and advises Dwight that he has completely failed. Shocked by this information, Dwight drops to his knees in abject remorse, hysterically crying and begging Michael for forgiveness. Dwight totally prostrates himself at Michael’s shoes, vowing never to betray him again and promising to do Michael’s laundry for a year. Ultimately Michael relents and offers reconciliation but takes up Dwight on his laundry offer. This is what many picture as repentance. Begging God for forgiveness and offering to do God’s laundry for a year. That is not repentance. Repentance is a radical change of your attitude.
A Radical Change In Your Perspective
Repentance – a radical change in your awareness. Radical as in right down to the very root of your being. Repentance has nothing to do with the breaking of any traditional moral code. You can endeavor to strictly keep all the moral codes of the world, imposed by all the priesthoods, encoded in all the religions of the world. It would mean nothing as far as what the scriptures teach about repentance. To repent is to radically change your attitude toward your life and circumstances. When you do that, your perspective changes. When that happens, your awareness of being changes. When that happens, it will inevitably be reflected in the circumstances of the external world around you.
In the New Testament, the word for repentance is taken from the Greek word metanoia. Literally metanoia translates to “change of mind”. It is not about regret or shame or guilt or walking over hot coals to do penance. Metanoia or repentance implies a conscious decision to face a new direction. Take this example of metanoia. When you stand with your back to a source of light, you cannot see the light. You are only aware of your shadow and a reality of darkness. By simply turning around and changing your point of view you no longer encounter darkness. Your awareness has changed. You are now aware of bathing in the radiance of the source of light.
Your Responsibility – God’s Gift
Repentance is both your responsibility as a child of God as well as a wonderful gift from God. You want things to change in your life? Are you currently sick and tired of the ways things are in your life? If so, then repent – totally change your view of the current picture of you “missing the mark”. Replace it with another view, a view of you “hitting the mark”. In your mind’s eye – in the fertile fields of your God-given Imagination – create. Create a scene just as if you were a movie director, but the movie was your reality, your life, not a movie. Create, then be the actor in that scene that portrays the rock solid reality of the fulfillment of your imagination dream creation. Feel it. Live in it. Be in it. It simply is. It really is real.Live in the end. Then stop. Surrender the deepest and most heartfelt thanks to God Almighty for the completion and fulfillment of your dream. In your heart, let loose and be like one of those blubbering contestants on a television game show when they realize they won the grand showcase prize. Let the course of events, timing, manner and methods be completely directed by God as to the details. The fulfillment is God’s gift to you as long as you do your part by fulfilling your responsibility of a radical change in your awareness. God’s methodologies, from the very depths of Universal Intelligence, are far beyond comprehension. Dismiss any thought or indwelling of circumstances that do not sync up with your vision. Have faith that your consciousness, your awareness of being, is now your true reality. You do not have to see it – You know it. Read carefully how Scripture defines faith: “Faith is the assurance of things not seen, the evidence of things hoped for.” The assurance of things not seen. Stop reading for a moment. Just ponder the richness and beauty of that wonderful definition.
Perhaps you are currently caught in a financial bind. Maybe you feel like your bills got you by the throat and are throttling you to death. Let me ask you this question – What would it be like to you, if in fact, right now, you had plenty of money for all your needs as well as the ability to help others. Would you hide this money from your creditors and those that you would help including yourself? On the contrary, you would happily pay all your bills, buy what you want to buy and help those that you wish to help. So where does this wonderful circumstance begin? In…..Your …..Imagination with your chosen state of awareness. Metanoia…..Repentance…..A Radical Change of Mind. Don’t wait until next week or next month or next year. Do it now.
A New You In 2022
Repentance is dwelling in Imagination. Imagination is Divine. When you dwell on the Divine, the realization then hits you that the Divine dwells within you. The Kingdom of God is within. Your Imagination creates your ultimate reality. Your complete faith in Universal Intelligence solidifies that reality in your external circumstances. Any current awareness that you stubbornly hold onto that you are “missing the mark” or “falling short” is sin. Repentance is turning away from sin. You turn from sin by assuming in your Imagination that you are “hitting the mark”, whatever you choose that mark to be.
Repentance is a radical change in your awareness of what is. The word radical has been defined as “very different from the usual”. Take this brand new year of 2022 and choose radical. Choose the gift of repentance. Right now is truly the time to break free from the sickening cycle of “I will never do it again” only to observe that in one day or one week or one month from today you are doing it again and right back on that frustrating hampster treadmill, right back to “the usual”.
Claim your desire. Change your attitude. Live your repentance. Manifest your desire. Be a living, breathing demonstration of the glory of God, the Eternal I AM.