Daniel 7

our sins against God (1 Kings 8:46-47)

our wicked or evil ways (1 Kings 8:47; Ezekiel 18:27-28; Acts 3:26)

our wrong acts or offences towards God (1 Kings 8:47. 50; Ezekiel 18:30-32)

our ignorance of who God is (Acts 17:29-30)

moving away from God's will or law

rebelling against God by going against His laws

deliberate twisting of what is right, deliberate wrongdoing or active ungodliness (deliberate meaning 'done consciously and intentionally')

straying from the correct path because of ignorance (ignorance meaning 'ack of knowledge or information')

acting wickedly

being morally and spiritually corrupt

Bible says sin is everybody's problem - all of us have sinned (Romans 3:23).

When we repent, we are essentially turning our backs on all these and saying that we no longer wish to live our lives following these ways.

We are not just turning away from doing things that are wrong. We are also turning away from living a life that is either ignorant of who God is or that is rebelling against Him.

No one has any excuse to say that he or she is not sinful. Every one of us would fall into any of these categories of sin.

When we turn away from following something, we need to turn to something else to take its place.

When we turn away from our sin, who or what do we turn to?

It is not turning to another way of life or system of ideas or beliefs. It is turning to God Himself.

How do we repent? Is it enough to just say a prayer and tell God that you are sorry you have sinned and ask Him to forgive your sins?

In order to receive a new heart and spirit, the old heart must be willing to change. That is the only condition for becoming a Christian. Feeling or just saying sorry for our sins is not enough.

We need to first recognize and accept that we have sinned against God.

Then we need to turn our life completely to God in faith. Before we had lived a life completely apart from Him either in ignorance or in disobedience. But now we desire a total about-turn in our thoughts, attitudes and actions and we are willing to live in obedience to Him.

We do not need to repent again and again to ask Jesus to become our Saviour.

But we need to remember that our sinful nature is still a part of us even though God lives in us.

So we still sins daily. (1 John 1:9). We do not lose our rights as God's children when we sin, but we do lose fellowship with God. Therefore we need to repent daily of our sins.

Repentance is thus not just a once-for-all decision but it also involves after that, a ily coming before God to confess and to turn away from our sins.