Job 42:6 Wherefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes.

As I listened to Pastor Bill Glasgow preach repentance on June 2^nd, I saw a vision of a rattlesnake shedding its skin. I thought to myself, how appropriate, that might make a good Lifelines. Think of the old dead snakeskin as sin in our lives. Like the snake its presence is restrictive and uncomfortable. The true nature of what we really are is hidden underneath. It cannot be seen for what it is without shedding sin, the old dead skin.

When it comes to shedding snake skin, there is a great deal of squirming and a struggle involved. We often think of repentance as being an easy thing, all I have to do is turn. That turning is a secondary act, true repentance happens with a change of attitude, which happens in the head, just as a snakes shedding begins with the head. It should be first grievous, just as Job describes it, an abhorance.

It is a process which includes a struggle. The body needs to complete the process, actions have to follow intention and that isn’t always easy, there is resistance. The benefits of repentance are only discovered from the struggle. The refreshing, the restoration, the revival Bill spoke of that Sunday will be as obvious as the glistening snake skin of that rattler. Like the rattlesnake, the true nature of who we are has not changed, the sin is removed and we are restored to His design.

Like the rattlesnake, this is an ongoing process, it does not happen just once and we are done. This process happens over and over again. Now the rattlesnake shows growth thru this process by adding rattles to the end of his body. You can tell how mature a rattler is by the number of rattles. We also give signs of grown, but they are not as obvious as rattles. Our signs of growth is to be a little more like Jesus after repentance. Those who know the Lord will see the change as conformance. Those who do not know the Lord will only wonder about the change. Hopefully they will ask why so that a witness may be given.

John 11:40 Jesus saith unto her, Said I not unto thee, that, if thou wouldest believe, thou shouldest see the glory of God?

Shed sin so that Jesus might be seen.