WARFARE

We must repent from our sins. Many times people talk about warfare, they have awesome prayers and words that are very articulate and perfectly put together. However, after all is said and done, they never truly recognize the importance of repentance. It may not seem to be a priority, but it’s important to know it’s very necessary for deliverance or for victory in their warfare. In the Bible, 1 Peter 1:13–16 (NIV) says: “Therefore, prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed. As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. But just as He who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: ‘Be holy, because I am holy.’” God is calling us to true repentance. He wants us to turn away from our sins. First of all, to repent means to change one’s mind; it also can refer to remorse accompanying a realization that wrong has been done or to any shift or reversal of thought. In other words, it means to realize you have done wrong and to feel sorry for your sins and turn and head in a different direction. We must realize that we are sinners and the sins that we continually commit displease God. How many times do we say we are good people and feel that that is enough to please God? Being good is not enough, but God requires that we are in His will. Religion is not enough, but a relationship with God is what we need, and we cannot have a relationship with God without repentance. Moreover, when we have a true relationship with God, we will desire to please Him and will not tolerate continual sinful habits and ungodly practices in our lives. However, we will begin to fight against those things in your lives that displease Him. We would ask for forgiveness and allow God by the power of His Holy Spirit to turn and transform us. We would then begin to draw nigh to God. The Bible says in James 4:7–8 (NIV): “Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners and purify your hearts, you double-minded.” Yes, we must repent; we must acknowledge our sins and ask God to forgive us. At this point in my life journey, I realized it had to be all God or nothing else at all. I went on my knees and cried out to God, asking Him to wash me and cleanse me. I repented of all my sins. I knew it had to be God’s way or no way at all. Well the attacks continued, but because I had truly repented and let go of my way and was now allowing Jesus to teach me His way, I began more and more to realize that my battle was a spiritual one rather than a regular physical sickness. The Holy Spirit began to reveal to me where my attack really came from. The journey of my repentance was a pretty lengthy one because, although I had repented of my sins and allowed God to bring transformation, I would notice that as the days went by the Lord would reveal to me more and more things in my life that did not look like Him. Each time, I would ask forgiveness and would turn away. I began to hunger and thirst for more of God like never before. Then, one night something happened: I was able to catch a short nap. Usually, between the pain and the nightmares, naps came few and far apart. However, on this particular night, I dreamt that I was walking on a street in the Bahamas known as East Street, going south; in reality, this is one of the main streets in Nassau, Bahamas. As I was walking, with my agenda going to what I felt was my destiny, I was suddenly pulled off the road by this force that was stronger than I was. I seemed to have no control.