What effect does repentance have upon our life?

John Snyder explains in this video that repentance is a complete shift of thinking about a matter so that there is a corresponding turn in our life. Scripture describes it as a gift from the Lord. It truly is a supernatural work that allows us to turn away from sin to God.

Regeneration changes what we think, what we desire, and what we choose. Similarly, when we repent, all three areas of our being are involved: we begin to think differently, we desire differently, and we choose differently. It is a turning away of all things sinful in order to turn towards God. 

Proverbs 28:13 (NKJV) – “He who covers his sins will not prosper, but whoever confesses and forsakes them will have mercy.” 

When we think of repentance, we do want to make sure we have a good definition. Repentance is fundamentally a complete shift of thinking about a matter so that there's a turn in our life. Now the Bible describes this as a gift from the Lord. It's a supernatural work within us that enables us to turn from in order to turn to. If we can think of it this way it might help.

Regeneration or the new birth is the work of God that changes the way we think. It changes what we desire and it changes what we choose. And when we repent all three areas of our being are involved in that. We begin to think differently about things. We begin to desire differently, and so we begin to choose differently.

So repentance is a turning from all things, all things sinful, and even our own righteousness, in order to turn towards something of greater value to God himself. Repentance involves not just turning from what I've done, but a turning from what I am. You