To Repent Part 2 of 4

To repent, or tshuv is not to change ones mind, but to change ones direction. It literally means to turn. We must change our actions in order to repent. Not just say words, that for so many are empty.

If this offends you please realize I am not writing this to any one person or group of people. It is something we must all take home.

If it does offend please pay even closer attention to this article.

(note see article : The Sword)

It is not simply saying we changed our minds, and continuing on the same path as before. It requires a physical change. If there is no physical change in our lives ,then we did not repent. It is less about the words, and more about the actions.

We must realize that there is a true need for repentance in our lives. Not just from some fear of hellfire and brimstone. We must see that we are in desperate need of a change in our lives. Our lives without our Messiah, and His teachings are leading us to ruin and destruction. Not only in some future world to come, but in this one we are in now.

At the end of my article (The other side of Tzedakah) I wrote about the need for repentance being that our Messiah is still with us, and feels our pain through our suffering. We must take this to heart. We must not seek repentance purely out of selfish reasons, but as a realization of our need to change. Not just our thoughts, words, or actions, and not just one day a week. But our need for true change in our lives, all of our life, everyday.

Please see this and take it to heart. IT IS NOT ABOUT US, IT IS ABOUT HIM. Him being God! We all focus so much on blessings and curses in our lives, and in doing so we forget that they are there for a purpose. They are there to show us the choice, to lead, and show us the very real True God. And in doing so to return to Him and His ways.

To return to our God, and His ways is true repentance. But for most of us its not that simple, because we have lost track of who our God is, and what our God wants. There is a true need for repentance in this world, and we need to get back to an understanding that can, and will lead us to it!

We must understand that repentance is not a one time thing. So many have a misunderstanding of what Salvation is. I hope to address this in future articles. But for know lets talk about it as it pertains to repentance.

So often many take the one time act of raising a hand, walking down an isle, and saying some words to be repentance. Through this misunderstanding of repentance they are now saved from all there sins, so now they can sin without the worry of missing out on Heaven, or going to Hell.

This is not repentance!!!

This is only the first step in understanding the need to return to God. It is not the end, but the beginning. The best analogy for repentance I have ever heard comes form the Bereans online. There analogy goes as follows.

“anyone who has ever driven knows that every straight line is actually a series of small turns.”

You cant drive on a straight path in a car without turning your wheel constantly making minor correction in order to keep yourself out of the ditch. There are always obstacles, potholes, and changes in inclines on the road, trying to knock you off the path.

This in a nutshell is repentance. It is the constant corrections necessary in our lives to keep us on the straight and narrow. We have to remember that repentance is not a one time thing, it is a lifetime of contently turning towards God and His path!


We must realize that our sins do actually separate us from our God. Many agree that we need a closer walk with Yeshua (Jesus), many speak about a closer relationship with God. But few realize that our sins actually keep us apart.


Hab 1:13 Your eyes are too pure to see evil, you cannot countenance oppression. So why do you countenance traitors? Why are you silent when evil people swallow up those more righteous than they?

Can we see why we need a better understanding of Sin and repentance yet?

A call of repentance is in fact a call of returning to God!

We must gain a new found respect for the Word of God, All of it. We must seek a truer understanding of what it is we are to turn back to, and how so we can truly repent. We must learn to tremble at Gods word.

Isa 66:2 Didn't I myself make all these things? This is how they all came to be," says ADONAI. "The kind of person on whom I look with favor is one with a poor and humble spirit, who trembles at my word.

How many of us today truly tremble at Gods Word? How many think of it as having actual applications to our lives? How many see the Word of God, compare it to our lives, and truly tremble at the realizations that we are not even close to keeping the Will of God? To do this, and seek to return to the ways of God is true repentance!

We must ask ourselves, do I tremble at His Word?

We have been given such incredible tools to seek insight into Gods Word in this modern age. The tools our generation has to discover the truth in Gods Word is without comparison in ages past. We no longer have to be from a wealthy family to learn to read Scripture. We no longer have to know Latin to be able to read Scripture. We no longer have to depend on men to tell us what God wants in our lives.

We can know the wisdom of the ages by simply turning on a computer. We can access the Bible in almost any language in the world. We have tools to learn languages that were just a dream to understand for many in the past. In moments we can pull up commentaries, ancient writings, and translations.

Yet we must realize that where much is given, much is expected. We have been given incredible gifts in this regard. We must use these tools to seek Gods understanding, and not mans. We must strive to Tshuv, to repent, to turn back to God. We must seek His ways and not ours, only then can we truly say we have repented.

Repentance is not simply asking for forgiveness of some sin you cant even define. Repentance is a turning, it is admitting the sin, and quitting the sin. Admit it, and quit it! It is a true turning, not just in mind, and heart - but in action!

Do we tremble at Gods word? Not just treat it with the dignity, and respect it represents and deserves. But to actually read Gods Holy Word and understand that we are meant to follow it in our lives. Read it and follow it through!

Is it enough to call people to repentance, or to repent without teaching, or knowing what repentance is? Is it enough to walk an isle, raise a hand, or say a prayer? Is it enough to simply change ones mind, still continue in sin, but with a better outlook on life?

NO IT IS NOT!!!

As we go forth and test these new ideas in Scripture let us pray that our Father gives us His Spirit of wisdom, understanding, and truth. So we may see and walk as our Messiah walked, and be true disciples in the Name of Yeshua (Jesus). May we pray for eyes to see, ears to hear, and hearts to change for the glory of our God