Is My Repentance Real?

"Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance."

Matthew 3:8

DEVO

Many people say they’re sorry. But being sorry isn't the same as repenting. Repentance is more than tears, more than guilt, and more than a moment—it’s a 180 degree turn of the heart toward God that results in a changed life. So how do you know if your repentance is real? Look at the fruit.

John the Baptist didn’t just call people to feel bad for their sin—he told them to “bear fruits worthy of repentance.” That means real repentance produces visible results: a lifestyle that turns away from sin and walks in obedience to God without ever turning or looking back.

Real repentance is shown in your desires. Do you still long for the sin you used to run to, or do you now run from it? Real repentance is shown in your choices. Are you putting boundaries in place, avoiding triggers, cutting ties with influences that once led you to fall? Real repentance is shown in your love for God. Do you want to please Him more than you want to satisfy your flesh?

Repentance is not just about changing direction—it’s about changing allegiance from self to Jesus. Before Christ, you served yourself and your sin. After repentance, you serve the living God. Yes, there may still be struggles. But the difference is that you no longer excuse sin—you overcome it. You hate it. You confess it and keep walking in holy righteousness.

If your repentance is real, it will cost you something. It may cost you comfort, relationships, habits, or even your pride. But what you gain—intimacy with Jesus, peace, purpose, and eternal life—is worth far more.

GOAL FOR TODAY:

Examine the fruit of your repentance. Don’t rely on emotion or memory of a moment. Ask: Is my life showing real change? If not, return to the Lord with honesty, and ask Him to give you a heart that truly turns.

SCRIPTURES FOR MEDITATION:

1. Acts 3:19 (NKJV)
   “Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord.”
   🡲 True repentance brings real transformation and renewal in God’s presence.

2. 2 Corinthians 7:10 (NKJV)
   “For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death.”
   🡲 Godly sorrow changes you. Worldly guilt just leaves you stuck.

3. Proverbs 28:13 (NKJV)
   “He who covers his sins will not prosper, but whoever confesses and forsakes them will have mercy.”
   🡲 Real repentance doesn’t just confess—it forsakes the sin.

4. Isaiah 55:7 (NKJV)
   “Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the Lord, and He will have mercy on him; and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon.”
   🡲 God waits to forgive those who turn from their ways and return to Him.

5. Psalm 51:10, 17 (NKJV)
   “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me... The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, a broken and a contrite heart—These, O God, You will not despise.”
   🡲 A heart broken over sin and surrendered to God is the foundation of true repentance.

6. Matthew 7:16, 20 (NKJV)
   “You will know them by their fruits… Therefore by their fruits you will know them.”
   🡲 Repentance will be known—not by words—but by lasting fruit.

7. Romans 6:1-2 (NKJV)
   “What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it?”
   🡲 If you’ve truly repented, you cannot stay comfortable in sin.

PRAYER:

Abba Father, I don’t want surface-level sorrow. I want a heart that truly turns to You. Show me anything in my life that still clings to sin. Give me the strength to surrender, to walk away, and to live in a way that pleases You completely. Thank You for Your mercy that meets me in repentance and the grace that empowers real change. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

INTROSPECTIVE QUESTIONS:

1. How will I do a 180 turn from the sins I repented for?

2. How does my repentance lead to a deeper love for God and His Word?

3. What actions to I need to take in order to remove sin’s access to my life?

4. When no one is looking, am I still living in obedience?

5. In what ways do I express that I am broken over sin because it offends God?

6. Who can help to hold me accountable?

7. What fruit is growing in my life that proves repentance: humility, obedience, purity, forgiveness?