Repent

"Repent, for the kingdom of Heaven is near." -- Matthew 4:17 The very first instructions Jesus gives, to anyone, can be found at the very beginning of the Gospels. To repent. Many people think that to repent means to tell God your sins. But that is actually confession. Really, you don't need to admit your sins to God. Frankly, He sees everything. He already knows what you did. He already knows about that rumor you spread about your annoying coworker (that turned out not to be true) that ruined his reputation. He already knows about that $20 you "borrowed" from your friend, that was all the cash she had til next paycheck. He already knows about the lie you told your pastor when he asked how things were going between you and your significant other, which he didn't believe anyway because he can see the truth written all over your face. Then why do we confess? To admit to OURSELVES what we have done. Yes, we already know too, but in order to repent, we have to own our sins, to recognize that we did do something wrong. Repent comes after confession. Repent is to promise you will not commit the same sin again. Mote to cone.