Repentance Again
As I have contemplated repentance, I’ve constantly been asking myself, “How can I repent more?” What I mean is, how can I be more like Jesus and less like Wes?
Repentance by its very nature implies that there must be change. And not just any change, there must be dramatic change; Change from wrong to right.
Sometimes the required change is an external change. I’m physically doing something that I shouldn’t and I need to stop doing that thing and do a good thing instead.
Sometimes the required change is an internal change. This will be a change that entails changing the way that I think about a particular subject. When these internal changes are made in the mind, the inevitable result is a change in heart.
I’ve thought a lot about what hinders us, and me specifically, from true repentance. One thing that I’ve identified is simply a lack of change in the patterns of my life and the patterns of my thinking.
If I don’t change what I physically do, repentance is hard, and maybe impossible. If I don’t reconsider the way that I think, repentance is equally hard, and again, maybe impossible.
I’m not sure who said it first, but I’ve heard in many settings, this saying, “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.”
Not to be too nitpicky, but I don’t care for the saying as it is commonly phrased. I would instead say, “If you want to make yourself insane, simply do the same thing over and over again and expect different results.”
Insanity is the result. It’s a good saying, however you like it best, because it’s so easy to identify with personally. We’ve all done the same things time and time again. We’ve all been surprised when the results didn’t change, even though there was no reason for them to change.
The same is true of true repentance. If there is no fruit of true repentance in your life, in other words, real, noticeable differences, there’s a good chance that you haven’t changed anything.
You want change. You greatly desire change. You don’t like the current state of things in your life. But have you made any changes?
Start small and big changes will follow. Following Jesus doesn’t look like a life of making big decisions; Following Jesus is made up of small details. Following Jesus is considering all things and then making the next right decision. And then the next right decision. And then the next right decision.
And we won’t always get it right, but that’s where grace comes in. That’s when His blood comes and continually washes us. But don’t allow a wrong decision to lead to another. Dust yourself off and make the next right decision.
Repentance isn’t all about rule following. It’s about glorifying God by constantly and continually turning to Him. Don’t get stuck! Make a change.
Much Love!
Wes LeFlore (918) 607-8489 or huskerwes1@gmail.com
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The Same Mistakes
How do people make the same mistakes repeatedly? I think there are many possible answers to this question, but I’ll only discuss one in this article for the sake of brevity.
First, why do I even ask this question? I ask it, because here I sit in my office, writing this article, with a terrible sunburn on my face, neck, forearms and calves.
Is this my first sunburn? I wish I could say it was. I’ve had so many sunburns in my life that I can’t begin to guess how many I’ve had.
So, what do we call a person who makes the same mistake over and over again? A fool? A slow learner?
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True Repentance
In our text this week, one of the things we’ll touch on is the nature of true repentance.
It’s a very interesting thing to observe that in the scriptures we see people who feel regret after they have sinned, weep after they have sinned, feel convicted when confronted about their sin and even confess that they have sinned, and all without ever repenting of their sin.
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Proofs
What is the first time that you can remember praying? Something that is now very interesting to me, when looking back on my childhood, is that before going to church and before giving my life to Jesus, I used to pray.
I remember walking through the woods, walking through fields, and talking to God. I was ignorant to who God was, but you could not have convinced me that He didn’t exist. I am not unique in this experience, in fact, I believe that long before we come to faith in God, He speaks to us.
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There’s Something in Your Teeth!
We have some friends in town this weekend that have traveled from Tulsa to stay with us. One of those friends is my best friend from college. He was the best man at my wedding, former band mate and former adventure and misadventure partner, Mark Johnson. This article is dedicated to him.
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Back to the Jungle!
Unless something happens to prevent it, the week of June 11-18, Rex and I will be partnering with The Park Church of Christ of Tulsa, and going back to the Reserva Biologica Tawahka, the giant rainforest and biological reserve of southeastern Honduras.
This will be my eighth trip there and Rex’s second. It is home to a people that have become very near to my heart. A people that are the toughest I’ve ever encountered, yet soft-hearted and hospitable. A people that are open to the gospel and eager to learn about Jesus.
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Different Types of People
Something that is very fascinating to me, that I have spent a great deal of time considering, is the general moral differences between people.
What I mean is, people react differently to common temptations. It fascinates me that some people appear to be drawn with a powerful persuasion toward a variety of sinful activities, while others can reject the same with ease.
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Caught Between Love and Longing
In our Wednesday night series on the topic of holiness, this week we found ourselves discussing the topic of heaven and the Christian’s longing to be there. Specifically, we were discussing John’s prayer in Revelation 22:20, Come, Lord Jesus.
I was in the middle of explaining how going to heaven should be one of our greatest desires and how we should want Jesus to return more than anything else in this world when I was caught off guard by a comment.
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A Plea for Prayers and Patience
One of the most difficult things to do is the thing that is often first required – the choosing of a topic. This sounds simple enough, but there is nothing simple about it.
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Who Are Those Sacks For?
The sacks on the table at the front of the sanctuary are donations for Carpenter Place, formerly known as Maude Carpenter Children’s Home, a girls home in Wichita.
Unlike other girls homes, Carpenter Place provides a Christian home environment. Their aim is help each girl realize her true potential in Christ, with an ultimate goal of reuniting that girl with her family.
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