True Repentance: Returning to God with Your Whole Heart

Today we continue our journey through the final days of the Lenten season. This is Holy Tuesday.

As we discussed yesterday, this season is not just about tradition, sacrifice, or giving something up. Rather, it is about coming home to God. We are making sure that our hearts are in the right place as far as this Christian walk is concerned.

We understand that Lent is inviting us into a wilderness experience, again, not to leave us lost, but to help us find our way back to Him. And I love how we don’t just speak about the negative, but we always look for the good news. After all, The Gospel is Good News. Amen?!

At the heart of this journey, Family, is repentance. And this is more than just saying, “I’m sorry.” True repentance is a posture of the heart; it’s about turning entirely, completely back to God with sincerity, humility, and hope.

A classic example from the Bible is in the story of David when he recognized his sins and cried out to God for mercy. 

In Psalm 51, we encounter King David at one of the lowest points of his life. How many of us have had some really low moments in life? Perhaps having gone through a breakup and divorce. Heartbreak. So painful. Maybe it was something with the children or with our health? Perhaps it was related to being out of a job and seeing the bills piling up and not only that, the creditors won’t stop calling.

 There is always an example and a lesson to draw from in the Bible. Let’s look at David.

After being confronted for his sin with Bathsheba, David doesn't deflect or deny. You know there are some folks who refuse to concede defeat, some who are just never wrong, some people who are even wrong and strong.

David knew what he did, he knew it was wrong, and he owned up to his wrong. He surrendered.

His prayer is raw and vulnerable: “Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.” (Psalm 51:10 KJV) 

This moment reveals what true repentance looks like. 

David doesn’t just ask to be excused; he longs to be changed. He confesses his sin, acknowledges his brokenness, and turns to God for inner transformation. 

The reality, Family, is that true repentance is not about external appearances; it’s about an internal reorientation. 

David’s words remind us that repentance is not just sorrow over sin but a desperate cry for spiritual renewal and restoration.

Another point is that repentance brings refreshing.

In Acts 3:19 (NKJV), the apostle Peter declares, “Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord..” (Just by way of information, the book of Acts I am told was written by Luke. I thought it was Paul and then this verse said it was Peter speaking. Hmm. But just so we are clear. And I stand corrected.)

The point is, that repentance is often seen as a heavy or painful word. But we want to leave from here know that repentance is actually an invitation to relief. 

When we truly repent, we don't just unload guilt, we receive grace. The promise is not just forgiveness but refreshment. The spiritual fog lifts, and we begin to see clearly again. The peace of God returns. It’s a divine reset. 

Family, repentance, reviewing one’s actions, expressing sincere regret and changing one’s thinking and actions, clears the way for intimacy with God and restores our ability to walk in His purpose with clarity and strength.

Then what happens? We will be washed white as snow. 

Isaiah 1:18 offers one of the most hopeful and vivid pictures of God’s mercy: “Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.” 

I am so glad about this, because I do not know about you, but my sins were many. The Bible tells me, tells us, that no matter how deep the stain of our sin, God promises a complete cleansing. This is not a surface-level fix—it’s a total renewal. 

Lent reminds us that we’re not stuck in our past. The invitation to return to God with our whole heart means we can step into freedom, forgiveness, and a future not defined by failure but by grace. 

As we walk this Lenten journey together, Family, let us remember that repentance is the pathway that leads us out of the wilderness and into the new life made possible through the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

So no matter where we are on our spiritual journey, we are never too far gone.

Like the father in the story of the prodigal son, God is always watching and waiting with open arms. When we return to Him in true repentance, He runs to meet us, clothes us with righteousness, and restores our place in His presence.

This Lenten season, let’s not just talk about change, let us walk the talk. Let us allow God to transform us.

aub - 15Apr25

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