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“In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, and saying, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!’” (Matthew 3:1,2).

“The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel” (Mark 1:15).

The Bible is full of warnings which tell us that we must repent. But what does it mean to repent? Let me give you an example. Imagine you’re driving down an unfamiliar, lonely two-land road and you see a sign that says, “Road Closed 1 Mile Ahead.” You think to yourself, “that looks like an old sign that somebody forgot to put away: I can probably ignore it.”

Pretty soon you see another sign that says, “Road Closed 1/2 Mile Ahead.” Frustrated at the highway department for leaving so many signs around, you continue driving. Cresting a slight hill, you come upon temporary barriers which have been placed across the road, and as you slow to a stop you see why the signs were there. A bridge has been washed out by a flooded stream, and there is no way to continue driving without plunging into the raging torrent below.

At that point, you “repent”; you decide that driving forward doesn’t make sense anymore, and you turn around and head back the other way. Then you begin to wonder, “what if I had driven this road in the dark? What if I hadn’t seen the barrier in time to stop?”

Jesus said that we never know when we’re going to reach the end of our road here on earth, and that we need to repent in order to be ready for what’s after this life.

“There were present at that season some who told Him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. And Jesus answered and said to them, “Do you suppose that these Galileans were worse sinners than all other Galileans, because they suffered such things? I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish. Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them, do you think that they were worse sinners than all other men who dwelt in Jerusalem? I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish” (Luke 13:1-5).

What do we need to repent of?

1: We need to realize that living our way (as opposed to God’s way) leads to eternal separation from Him in the Lake of Fire.

“But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone” (Revelation 21:8).

2: We need to agree with God that we are sinners who need to be forgiven.

“Repent therefore of this your wickedness, and pray God if perhaps the thought of your heart may be forgiven you” (Acts 8:22).

3: We need to remove our trust from any religion, work, or other person—and put our trust completely in Jesus Christ, who died for our sins and rose again.

“Testifying to Jews, and also to Greeks, repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ” (Acts 20:21).

What’s next? When we turn from our way to God’s way and put our trust in Jesus Christ for salvation, our lives will reflect the change of direction.

“Repent, turn to God, and do works befitting repentance” (Acts 26:20).

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