2 Corinthians 7:10, “Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death.”
Have you ever felt so guilty about something you did wrong that you couldn’t hide it anymore and had to confess it? Maybe you told a lie, disobeyed your parents, cheated on a test, stole something or gossiped about a friend and knew it was wrong. I know for me, the feeling of guilt and shame was almost too much to handle. When I finally admitted my wrongdoing and sought forgiveness, I never wanted to feel that way again.
The same is true with God and our repentance. Repentance is not a form of punishment or shame from God; it is actually His way of allowing us to relieve ourselves of a guilty conscience and receive inner peace. David, in Psalm 24:4, calls this, “clean hands and a pure heart.”
Repentance is more than just having remorse, because it involves changing our mind and attitude towards sin and God’s commands. When we are truly sorry for our sins, against God, and desire not to do it again, the Holy Spirit renews our minds so we can live according to God’s good, perfect and pleasing will for our lives (Romans 12:2).
John Wesley wrote, “Repentance says, ‘Without Him I can do nothing:’ Faith says, ‘I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.’ Through Him I cannot only overcome, but expel, all the enemies of my soul.”
Take for example, David. He was one of the greatest men in the Old Testament; however, he also had one of the greatest falls into sin. He committed adultery with Bathsheba, lied about it, and then had Uriah, her husband, murdered. After the prophet, Nathan, exposed his sin, David repented and wrote about it in Psalm 51. In this psalm, he teaches all of us how to view the positive side of repentance and the negative nature of sin.
David understood that unless he repented, he could never be close to God, again, and that he would have the Holy Spirit taken from him. David also knew that God was more than willing to forgive and restore him once he repented. A.W. Pink wrote, “After grief for sin there should be joy for forgiveness.”
God returned, to David, the joy of his salvation and let him remain as king after he repented. Yes, there were consequences and hardships God allowed David to face. Yet, God was faithful to not abandon Him in his time of sorrow. We can learn from David how to repent from sin, because true repentance brings joy and new life.
If you’ve had a bad attitude towards repenting, repent!
Reflection
Do you have a good attitude towards repenting for your sins?
Action
- Repent if you’ve had a bad attitude towards repenting.
- Read Psalm 51 and learn, if you do sin, how to repent.
- Ask God to keep you from sin by changing your heart and mind, so you don’t have to live in a cycle of repentance for the same sins.
