Repentant Life

Repentance is not just confessing of sin and turning from our sinful life, it requires bearing fruit that repentance has happen. My life must show after repentance that I have repented, otherwise repentance didn't truely happen.
Most of us confess, and turn away from our sinful life, as should be done:
Pro 28:13 (NHEB) says: 'He who conceals his sins doesn’t prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them finds mercy.'
But, where is the fruit? How does your life now, after repenting, shows that you have repented?
Mat 3:6 (NHEB) 'and they were baptized by him ( John) in the Jordan river, confessing their sins.
3:7 But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming for his baptism he said to them, “You offspring of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?
3:8 Therefore bring forth fruit worthy of repentance,'
Mat 3:8 (NET) 'Therefore produce fruit that proves your repentance,'
Repentance must be proven, it must show.
There is this story in Luke 11:24-26 about this man that was freed from the possession of demons. However, after the demons wondered around looking for another person to possess, and finding none, returned to the same man and found him all free and cleaned up. So they call some more demons and promptly took up residence again.
Forsaking our sinful live is not enough, we must produce fruit/proof that we repented. To do that, we must replace that life we once lived with Christ's life. Otherwise, not knowing how to now live, we will revert back to what we are use to, and it will be worse than before.
It is Christ that saved us and died for us, we must therefore now learn how to live His way. That is the only way we can produce fruit/proof of our repentance.
Being religious like the Pharisees is missing the mark completely. Making rules and guidelines for ourselves is also missing it.
We must learn from Christ Himself.
Who are you following to learn how to live a repentant life daily? Doctrine? Manuals? Rules?
Let us follow Christ.

His Resurrected Life!

*[[Gal 2:20]] NET* "I have been crucified with Christ, and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So the life I now live in the body, I live because of the faithfulness of the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me."
The Holy Spirit has been bringing new meaning to this verse in my heart and life, to the point where I can confidently say with Paul, "I am crucified with Christ"
Over the pass weeks I have been learning from Christ how to implement 'being crucified' in my daily life. In each daily doings and situations and moments and relationships.
I read John 11:26 from a devotional I read this morning, and, just when I thought that I got all of what He is telling me, BOOM! More truth. Confirming truth.
*[[Joh 11:26]] NET* "and the one who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?”
The question jumped out at me and was pointed out in the devotional that as Jesus was asking Martha this, He now ask me.
"Do I believe this?"
I browsed through the previous verses as this was right in the middle of a conversation.
*[[Joh 11:23-25]] NET* Jesus replied, “Your brother will come back to life again.”
Martha said, “I know that he will come back to life again in the resurrection at the last day.”
Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live even if he dies,"
From Jesus's response in verse 25, it became clear to me that He was not talking about last day resurrection as Martha believed (verse 24). The resurrection life He was talking about is for now.  This is also pointed in the devotional I read.
"The one who lives and believes in Me..." is referring to me (verse 26). My new life in Christ, with all the embodiment of who Christ is the same resurrected life that I will have because I believe in Christ. As long as I remain in Him, stay connected to Him, keep submitting to His Lordship and His way of living,  that's the life I live. Christ resurrected life in all its power and glory.
Now I understand why mighty men/women of God  (not popular ones), are praised by men as good. It is Christ in them. The same glory Paul talks about. A glory that exalts Christ because it is from Him.
Are you one of those who are living and believes in Christ?
Are you one of those who have been crucified with Christ? Only then can you live His resurrected life.