TODAY’S SCRIPTURE Luke 13:3

The Greek word for repent is metanoia. It means “to change the mind so as to change the life.” Many of us have thought for years that repentance meant to stop doing something and “turn away” or “turn back.” Repentance means to have a change in our actions. Our struggle has been to make these changes permanent! If we are not careful, we will repeat the same sins every day because we didn’t really repent and turn away from the past sins.

The late Coach Don Meyer used to say, “Practice doesn’t make perfect; it makes permanent.” His thought process was that if you practice something the wrong way, it doesn’t make it right. It just makes it permanent.

The same is true with repentance. You can repent every day, but unless you change and turn away from the sin that is impacting your life, you will continuously return to that sin and never change your way.

Repentance has to be more that that just a feeling or a thought — it requires action.

Today, I will…pause and pray for God to help me to “turn” and “change” when I repent. I will make mental or written notes of my desire to change, so I can see how God leads me through repentance.