The Bible teaches that any form of restoration must start with true repentance. Repentance is a radical change of one’s thinking, personality and behaviour from a state of rebellion against God’s commandments to obedience to God’s word. A repentant person turns a new leaf through a new relationship with God, after attaining a new understanding of his or her nature and character. Repentance is usually demonstrated by remorse, mourning over sin, weeping, wearing of sackcloth, making restitution for wrongs committed and humbling oneself before God. However, the emphasis must be on taking a new course in life that proceeds from a new relationship with God. God always responds positively to a broken heart. Psalm 51:17 says:
“The sacrifices of God are a broke spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.”

In Joel 2:12, God specifically called His children to approach Him in repentance with fasting, weeping and mourning wherever they needed restoration, saying:
“… turn ye even to me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning:”
God still honours genuine weeping and mourning in repentance. It is a pity that such open declarations of repentance are no longer “fashionable” in contemporary churches. There are two aspects to true repentance: it looks upon the errors of the past with a weeping eye and unto the future with a watchful eye. To fast, mourn and shed tears of sorrow because of sin was the normal practice of the founding leaders of many Christian denominations. The wonderful effect of such expressions of deep genuine remorse of sin is that it usually marks a permanent departure from a sinful lifestyle. Although repentant people may still fall into error in the future, sin and immorality cannot remain a lifestyle for them because they will not want to go through the experience of deep remorse again. The determination to live in holiness therefore becomes their life ambition. In contrast, those who come to God for salvation with levity, while chewing gum and chatting with friends, may not have given any deep thought to their sinful past and the implication of the decision they   are making. Such people may not place much value on their salvation. They usually don’t take sanctification seriously and therefore stand the risk of falling back into sin. How genuine is your repentance?
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.