Repentance is something we need to do for ourselves, nobody else can do this for us. Only we know the true condition of our own heart and how we have turned away from God.
You can start with a prayer to God, out loud in your own words. Please understand God’s love for you in this — he wants you to come back to him. God is faithful and will not abandon you. Confess all your sin to him in complete honesty and don’t leave anything out. Start with the first thing that comes to your mind and don’t sugar-coat it — be completely honest about it, no matter how bad it sounds. Make it personal, and take responsibility. Don’t pass blame and choose to forgive(*) any other people who may come to mind. Once you start you will find you probably have plenty of material to continue with. So don’t stop, keep going and leave it all there in that prayer.
It’s important to acknowledge that Jesus, God’s only son, paid the price for our rebellion — my rebellion. He paid the price for sin by freely giving his life in our place — my place. Believe and accept this wholeheartedly as it’s the only way you can be free from the control of sin and its penalty of death. It’s the only way you can experience the true freedom and relief found in God’s forgiveness. Declare your belief in Jesus and acceptance of his sacrifice openly to God. Speak it out loud to him. But only do it if you really do believe, as God will see through any “lip service” or half-hearted repentance — really commit!
(If you’d like some assistance with this, there’s an example prayer of repentance included towards the end of this book.)
(*) A note about forgiveness:
Sometimes this is easier said than done. But forgiving others is crucial so that God can forgive us. Jesus said if we hold onto unforgiveness towards others, then God won’t forgive us. Conversely, if we do forgive others, God will forgive us. Forgiveness can be a real challenge for some who have been seriously wounded by another. But please don’t let it rob you of receiving your own forgiveness. Unforgiveness is like a cancer that eats away at the person that holds onto it. You don’t need to pretend they didn’t hurt you or that what they did wasn’t wrong — no such thing! But you do need to make the choice to hand it over to God and leave it behind.
