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Doug's Columns

True Repentance

What does embracing the real deal look like?

If you think repentance is some kind of one-and-done ticking a box… you might want to sit down for this one.

Some of us have a view of God as far from who He really is as the little green army men are from the actual soldiers Uncle Sam sends around the world to do bad things to bad people. Of course God won’t seem very imposing to someone who has mistaken the child’s flannel-graph idea of him for the real deal.

Stop and think about this for a minute. God’s holiness is so overwhelming to someone who gets a real glimpse of it that Isaiah, who was one of Israel’s greater prophets, — I say again, greater prophets — and had already written 5 chapters of the actual Bible described his reaction this way:

And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with smoke. 5 And I said: “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!” — Is 6:4,5

The only way out of that feeling was to find himself on the receiving end of cauterizing fire from the altar of God in heaven itself.

Do you think that degree of holiness changes any in the New Testament? The Apostle John saw an angel — just an angel! — face to face and he dropped like a dead man to worship him but was rebuked for it. Twice.(Rev 19:10; Revelation 22:8,9)

Once we know just who it is we are dealing with and his excellence, we begin to see our own wickedness the way He sees it. At the end of that journey, we are left with no excuses, no finger-pointing, only the understanding that the more we can rid ourselves of these nasty chains, the more free we will be to enjoy his presence.

That pang of guilt a believer feels isn’t meant to be condemnation, it’s a check-engine light.

A mature believer understands that ignoring that is just as risky to your soul as skipping oil changes is to your engine. You might not notice the impact right away, but the longer it goes, the worse it’s gonna get for you.

This week we talk about how you can tell if your own repentance is heart-felt and real, or if it’s that comfortable lie we tell ourselves to avoid dealing with harsh reality.

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While you’re at it, here’s his latest book:

Lionhearted: Making Young Christian Males Rowdy Biblical Men

Dear young Christian male, this book you’re about to read is meant to challenge you to your very core. Its intent is not to make you feel warm and fuzzy. Some of the chapters will upset you greatly, especially if you’re a dandy who was raised with kid gloves by a helicopter mommy.

That said, in addition to the holy introspection contained herein, this book will also shoot adrenaline into your soul. It’ll push you to be a Godly risk taker and earth shaker. A veritable Rebel With A Cause just like the Captain of Our Salvation, the Lord Jesus Christ.

If you want a feel-good book that tickles your ears and morphs you into a little Christian popinjay, this tome ain’t for you. You should put this book down and walk away from it immediately. However, if, young man, if … your motto is to give God your utmost for His highest, and you wanna live a life worthy of Christ’s death, then this book will be grist for your mill.

Get your copy of Lionhearted: Making Young Christian Males Rowdy Biblical Men TODAY!

Doug Giles

Doug Giles is Pastor of Liberty Fellowship in Wimberley, TX, and is the founder of ClashDaily.com (290M+ page views). Giles is also the author of the NEW book, The Wildman Devotional: A 50 Day Devotional For Men. Follow Doug on Instagram and Truth Social at @thegilesway and on Twitter @TheArtOfDoug.