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Repentance
Marlene:
Well, when I read that article and listened to the audio. It made me see just how depraved I really am. We, can look around and say hey I am not that bad. But, in reality we are. Yes, humble you it does. Right before I found Ray's website I had done something I never dreamed I would do. He put up with it for quite awhile with me. Like hit me with a brick. Well, I did repent and turned from it. I pray I would never be so stupid again. Then, thinking I should go to Hell I wished I could die and go. But, know God brought me to this website. I read like a crazed woman for two days with no sleep. Then, I would go over it and over it.
My Father, who was in church very little. Once said something to me I never forgot. He said, the easy part is knowing God forgives us. The hard part is the walk. Yes, getting saved is not a walk in the park that is for sure. But, isnt it wonderful he carries us when we can't walk any further.
In His Love,
Marlene
aqrinc:
Eileen, Christopher, Claudia, Dave, Marlene,
Thanks for replying and contributing to this post.
Eileen, i will testify he is right, be sure to download and listen to the audio often.
Christopher, you got punched in the mouth, i was busted, cried first time in years (I think i am tough).
Claudia, what i saw for the first time was ugly, i so need my Lord Jesus Christ for everything now.
Dave, hearing on the audio: Forgiveness>>Repentance>>Cleansing, He Forgave, we Repent, He Cleanse's.
Marlene, it is so humbling to see how really abysmally low we have sunk, and we think we are something, HA.
Let me add just a couple things, since downloading that audio in august of 2008, i have listened to it as
many as 3 times per week. It is so important to this walk we are on today that we be humbled and quickly.
So when The Apostle Paul says:
Rom 7:24 O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death? we can understand.
george. :)
judith collier:
I was reading a book by some one and this person said, "all our good God wants is the love of His creatures" and at that moment a zillion light bulbs turned on(knew the bible was true)(I thought it was true before but not like this) and I repented of not loving Him as I should and said, "Oh my God I do love you with all my heart" Something swept through me and I KNEW I was forgiven and His presence stayed with me for days upon end. I have sinced sin many times but never had this happen again. Judy
aqrinc:
Hi Judy,
Did you get a chance to read the paper by Ray or listen to the audio yet. ???
http://forums.bible-truths.com/index.php/topic,3709.msg27923.html#msg27923
Audio Download link: http://bible-truths.com/audio/Ray_Repent%201.mp3
Excerpt from: Repentance By L Ray Smith:
The reason that I want to talk about repentance is because repentance is a major door to understanding. I tried to understand many things before I truly repented.
Now, we repent in increments. You know, as children you repent. Your parents spank you, you repent! And you learn to do things, and you mature. If you want a good definition of maturity:
Maturity is a way to act that is more beneficial to yourself and others than a child would act.
So when you are old enough to know about repentance as a teaching of the Church, most of us have gone through some kind of a repentance. I went through a repentance and a baptism when I was about 24 I think. And I thought I had repented. I was baptized (immersed in water). From that day on I tried to do better because I knew I had done this public thing and I knew I hadn’t done it just for the heck of it. And I probably made some progress in doing better and living better. You stop doing some bad things, you start doing some good things. And I thought, this is what the Christian life is all about. I’m on my way, I’m doing it.
Unitl one day, I didn’t know when it happened, but looking back, I left my first love. And that does not necessarily mean your “first love” as in chronological order like first, second, third etc. It means your “paramount” love, your main love, the FIRST. What should be first in your life: Christ. I left that love, went back into the world, BIG TIME, and then just floundered around.
I never forgot there was a God. I never stopped praying. But I was carnal. You’d think that baptism and repentance was nothing! I mean, that wasn’t doing anything for me. I was now in TOTAL carnality. Wine, women and song. And I tried to study the bible off and on throughout those years. I never put it away completely. It was always there and I was reading it and so on. But NOTHING…I mean, maybe I could learn some verses, maybe I learned a little about historical settings, some facts and so on, but spiritually I wasn’t going ANYWHERE. I wasn’t going anywhere…I made a concerted effort to have a good time. (As best I knew how with what little money I had and so on.) And there were a few times God even let me make a few dollars. I got into something once where I was making 40-50 thousand dollars a month and I thought, oh now I’m there! No…He took that away.
But then God started to make me feel convicted about my sins that I still had. But I was convinced you couldn’t overcome them! You know, when you are in your 50’s and still not able to conquer these sins…when? How? Will it ever happen? I was pretty convinced it wouldn’t happen. But I’m thinking about these things more and I’m studying. And then I started finding that some things I was doing I didn’t need to do anymore. And it isn’t anything I did. God just took something away from me. Took away a burden, a sin, a guilty conscience about something. Just took it away and it was no longer a struggle. But I never stopped wanting to get rid of it ALL. That was always there. Get rid of it all. (You all want to know what those things were….it doesn’t matter, they’re all the same!) You know, lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes, pride of life….
You can’t take credit for it; in His time He will do it. If you are going to be one of the few that are actually chosen, then God is going to do it. So why am I up here telling you if He’s going to do it, just go home and let Him do it! Right? Because God uses the “foolishness of teaching”, that’s why. That’s the only reason I’m up here. He uses the foolishness of preaching. Some of you will remember this day. It will be a turning point in your life! You’ll say, “that Saturday afternoon Ray was preaching about Repentance, it changed my life forever!” That is, if God has decided that is what today will do for you…
george :)
Beloved:
I agree that Ray has showed us all something in this paper. Even us here at BT have beams in the eyes and have no reason other than God's mercy towards us to boast or feels superior towards others. Here is a living parable that He pointed out to them at the the time.
(Luk 18:10) "Two men went up to the Temple to pray," He said; "one being a Pharisee and the other a tax-gatherer.
(Luk 18:11) The Pharisee, standing erect, prayed as follows by himself: "'O God, I thank Thee that I am not like other people--I am not a thief nor a cheat nor an adulterer, nor do I even resemble this tax-gatherer.
(Luk 18:12) I fast twice a week. I pay the tithe on all my gains.'
(Luk 18:13) "But the tax-gatherer, standing far back, would not so much as lift his eyes to Heaven, but kept beating his breast and saying, "'O God, be reconciled to me, sinner that I am.'
(Luk 18:14) "I tell you that this man went home more thoroughly absolved from guilt than the other; for every one who uplifts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be uplifted."
Reading Rays paper in fine and dandy but how long will it take us to assimilate what he has written and have it embedded in our minds. This too is a work of God because it is He that gives to those He chooses, the hunger and determination to persue His Word. All we can do is beg and pray for this.
beloved
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