This week I received a document from a lady who made contact with me through my website. I would like to post the document in a series of blogs. Although this is a call specifically to South African people to repent, it certainly doesn't exclude any individual or group of individuals or even any nation!

Before I post the first part, I would like to mention that there are some minor issues in this document that I don't agree with, but to raise the actual issues would border on nitpicking. Please take it in the spirit it is intended and ask God to use it to bring you to your knees again in repentance and to begin a new refreshed walk with your first love, Jesus Christ.

REPENT SOUTH AFRICA

Dear children of God.

God sent Jonah to Nineveh to tell the people to repent or perish (Jonah 1:2). We are being called to stand in unity in front of God's throne, to answer to Him, the Great and only fair and true Judge. He has placed each one of us here for a time such as this. He is asking us to repent on behalf of our country, as we have sinned as a country, as a nation and as individuals.

"Then if My people, who are called by My name, will humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, I shall hear them from heaven, forgive their sins and heal their land", (2 Chronicles 7:14 (NLV). It is not always explained that the word ‘humble' in this context means to admit guilt, to repent of wrongdoings, although you can clearly see from the rest of the text that this is what God wants His people to do.

Repentance is not about condemning others, or standing under condemnation (Galatians 6:1-2 and Romans 8:1-4), for God loves the sinner (no matter how terrible the things you have done, God STILL loves you and wants to have a relationship with you - 2 Corinthians 5:18-19), but God hates the sin and if we have done only one sin, according to God's standard, we are guilty of all (James 2:10). Repentance is about searching your own heart, your thoughts, motives and actions and asking God's forgiveness for those areas that His Spirit shows you, that you have sinned in. It is about turning away from these sins and by His grace, (the undeserved favour of God), not continuing in them. God sent His Son to take our sins upon Him and pay the price for our sins - and therefore the debt that we would have paid (an eternity in hell) has been cancelled if we accept His sacrifice, (2 Corinthians 5:21). It is only by grace that we were called to become His sons and only by grace that we were saved. When we accepted His sacrifice He bestowed His grace upon us - we became justified, (Ephesians 2:5-10; Titus 3:5-7). Our Creator did not only make us, He bought us back from the enemy of our souls.

Why then repent? Paul rightly asks if we should then sin so that grace can abound and answers his own question with a firm NO, (Romans 6:1). We read in 1 John 1:8-10 that: "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness". We should not continue in our sins, but turn away from doing wrong. When we admit that we have sinned and ask for forgiveness it DOES something to the heart of God. We can see this with the town of Nineveh, (Jonah 3:6-10). They very humbly repented and God did not destroy them. God loves a repentant heart, (Psalm 32:5, 2 Timothy 2:19-21).

In summary it is our heartfelt belief that if we individually and corporately (as a nation/ country), humble ourselves and admit our guilt, God will hear us, God will move and heal our land. Nehemiah (Nehemiah 1:4-10) and Daniel (Daniel 9:4-19) both prayed to God to forgive the sins of the whole nation of Israel and this is what God requires from us as His people, as His bride, here in South Africa.