Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death. (2 Corinthians 7:10)
‘Repentance’ sounds such a ‘heavy’ word, doesn’t it? Of course, the devil does a good job here at sowing his lies. He convinces us that ‘coming clean’ will be painful and embarrassing; that it will bring misery, not joy; that it would be better if we just moved on and forgot all about it; that God ‘understands’ and so doesn’t need your repentance. Lies from start to finish!
The truth is that, yes, repentance may feel painful at first. It may be embarrassing to acknowledge you were wrong or to start living differently. It may mean you have some explaining to do, or some righting of a wrong that you did. But, rather like an operation, the wounding is brief but the healing is lasting.
Of course, it takes a step of faith to discover that, for the devil is quick to bring his lies; but that is when we need to stand on the truth of God’s word; to believe that God really means it when he tells us that repentance is always the best way, indeed the only way. His unshakable promise is that ‘if you repent, I will restore you that you may serve me’ (Jeremiah 15:19).
Sometimes unburdening ourselves with someone that we trust can help us to ‘get it off our chest’, and to see that, if they do not condemn us, how much more will God not condemn us. Hearing someone declare the Bible’s promises of forgiveness over us - such as, ‘if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness’ (1 John 1:9) - can be a powerful and liberating experience. Little wonder James encourages us to ‘confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed’ (James 5:16).
Worldly sorrow – just moping over our sin – gets us nowhere. But real repentance will always bring us into the joy and peace of God. If there is something that you have been avoiding repenting about, don’t delay any longer; deal with it today!
I will turn their mourning into gladness; I will give them comfort and joy instead of sorrow. (Jeremiah 31:13)
Copyright © 2017 Martin Manser and Mike Beaumont
