Dear Heavenly Father,
“Peter replied, “Each of you must repent of your sins and turn to God, and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. Then you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”
Acts of the Apostles 2:38 NLT
Repentance is a lot deeper than just asking You for forgiveness. The definition of repentance is a sincere regret or remorse. It is to have a Godly sorrow for the wrong that we have done. I know Christians that ask You repeatedly for forgiveness for the sins they are committing, but they keep doing the things they know You hate. True repentance is not the practice of asking Your forgiveness for stuff we plan on continuing to do. That’s taking advantage of Your grace, and someone who values their relationship with You would never do this.
In Old Testament times, when You chose David, who was at that time a ruddy-faced boy, to be the new king of Your people, Samuel the prophet was surprised. Saul, then king, was virile, tall, handsome, and strong; clearly very different than David. Regarding King Saul, You said to Samuel the prophet in 1Samuel 16:7, “Don’t judge by his appearance or height, for I have rejected him. The LORD doesn’t see things the way you see them. People judge by outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.” You look at our hearts, and you know what our true intentions are. You know when we genuinely desire to turn our backs on sin.
We are not perfect. We make mistakes, but we should have a genuine intent to release the sins that weigh us down. When we do, 1John 1:9(NLT) tells us “But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.” I realize how important the spiritual practice of repentance is to our relationship with You. I repent of my sins, in the precious name of Jesus Christ.
Dear Heavenly Father, please forgive us for the things we have said, thought, felt, and done that were contrary to Your Word and Will. Help us to release and surrender our sinful ways to You. Thank You for the Holy Spirit that indwells us through Christ. Please help me to walk under his guidance and leadership. Thank you for helping me through the Spirit to abstain from sin, and thank You for strengthening me in my inner spirit-man so that I can be all that You would have me to be. Thank You for Your forgiveness, Father.
You are so awesome and amazing, Most Holy God. Thank You for Jesus Christ, and thank You for the Holy Spirit. Please help us to be a blessing to Your Kingdom, and let Your Will be done on earth as it is in heaven. In the precious and powerful name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.
“Surrendering Our Sinful Ways”, written by K. Lizzie, edited by Reverend Fran Mack for Sundie Morning Sistas ©2018. All rights reserved. All done to the glory of God through Jesus Christ, our Lord! SMS is dedicated to inspiring and encouraging Christian Women through the Word of God.