Dharius Daniels - What TRUE Repentance ACTUALLY Means

This is important: repentance requires a change of mind that produces a change of direction. It is literally a U-turn—a U-turn! If we’re in a car and we realize we are going the wrong way, what do we do? We make a U-turn. What God does by His grace is use the Word, as He did with Ezra in the book of Nehemiah, to expose to us the direction we are going: relationally, emotionally, financially, spiritually, and mentally. There are directions we may be taking that will lead to destruction. Reconstruction requires repentance.

Lord Jesus, I love it! They saw that they had been behaving a certain way for years, and then, when they received a revelation from the Word, they thought, «Wait a minute! My behavior is inconsistent with God’s intention.» It was even scary because they were out of alignment with God and didn’t even know it. This is powerful—my God, that’s both powerful and scary at the same time! Reconstruction requires repentance.

I have heard it said, you know, we talked about how sometimes—works, you know—God, you know, faith without works is dead. I think sometimes we can’t work our way into the kingdom. However, I believe that any time God does something significant for us—like a testimony—our response should always reflect our gratitude for the grace of God. Yes, that should always be a response! There should always be an appropriate response to the goodness and grace of God.

Yeah, this ties into what you were saying earlier, because this is a gift to them. So I want you to reframe repentance. Yes, the awareness that I need to repent is a gift to me. This is it—it is God’s way of saying to me, «I refuse to let you settle for anything less than My best.» Lord have mercy, because many people don’t have the spiritual sense to repent! The fact that I have the sense to repent—that’s a blessing! Repentance is a gift from God.

And watch this; it is what we talked about earlier. We have to reframe it. If God is changing nothing in you, it means nothing is going to change for you. But if He keeps changing something in you, it’s because what He has for you requires a changed version of you. The awareness that something needs to change is a gift from God. The Bible explains it this way: «Whom the Lord loves, He chastens.» He corrects. Come on, He corrects! I think some of us need to understand that the reason God is always correcting you is because of what He has placed in you.

We need to grasp that God has invested too much in me for me not to do what He has called me to do, for me not to walk in my purpose. Sometimes, we compare ourselves to others, thinking they are getting away with things while we get corrected. But God is not trying to do anything with them like He does with you! Think about it: when they do something and it seems they get away with it, you think about it, and God corrects you! You’re like, «God, I just thought about it—why are You disciplining me?» It’s because of what He has for you! That is strong!

What God is trying to do in you is purposeful—it is purpose on your life. Your purpose will not allow you to get away with those things. I’ve heard it said this way: God is just, but He is not fair. I love it! Sometimes we get frustrated thinking, «This isn’t fair! Look at them! Why, God? Why am I dealing with this?» He never said it was fair! He makes sure everyone gets what they, in a sense, deserve, but He is not fair.

Sometimes, what He has for you affects what is required from you. Listen, when you improve spiritually, everything else improves! Spiritual life is not the only important part of your life; it is the most important because it affects every other aspect. But you don’t get stronger spiritually accidentally; it takes intentionality. You need to get fed, and you must learn how to interpret, apply, and explain the Bible. The Bible is the blueprint for your best life, and I’m telling you, Sunday is not enough to provide the tools you need to better understand the Bible.

I want you to join me in my community called Bible U, where I help you take your understanding, application, and explanation of the Bible to another level. I love it! To whomsoever much is given, much is required. This is important because you said something strong. You quoted the scripture, «Whom He loves, He corrects.» So I shouldn’t be concerned when He corrects me; I should be concerned when He does not.