The Want Of Repentance

One of the biggest lies the devil will use to convince ourselves we do not need Jesus is that God and His Ten Commandments are meant to just make us feel bad through guilt. Nineteenth century American atheist Robert Green Ingersoll once said:

    “We are not accountable for the sins of Adam”

How convenient! I’m not sure what Mr. Ingersoll believes he is justifying, but we are all accountable for the sins of Adam in that we were born with a sinful nature. That came from man; not from God.

“Hey pastor, don’t preach the sin stuff, I come to church to feel good not guilty. If I wanted to feel guilty I could have stayed home!”

There is actually a grain of truth in that statement because unrepentant sin indeed makes us feel guilty and it hardens our heart. The great 17th Century pastor John Bunyan said the following about unrepentant sin:

    “If you have sinned, do not lie down without repentance; for the want of repentance after one has sinned makes the heart yet harder and harder”

Beloved this is why it is so important to have a regular Bible study and prayer time because the longer you wait to get right with the Lord the harder your heart will become over sin; it becomes your master:

    “Direct my steps by Your word, and let no iniquity have dominion over me.” (Psalm 119:133)

So many Christians I know struggle with discernment and knowing the Lord’s will for their lives and my first question to them is, “How often do you read your Bible?” Rare is the response, “Daily.” If this is you I believe we have discovered a simple starting place!

Beloved one do you have a besetting sin, one that you cannot overcome no matter the amount of determination and conviction to do so? Are you reading God’s Word daily and praying to Him that sin does not rule over you? That should be the habit of your day and the cry of your heart.

What would you say if I told you that whatever or whomever you decide to obey you will be a slave to? Nonsense!? This doesn’t have to be a bad thing, the Apostle Paul taught:

    “Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one’s slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness?” (Romans 6:16)

Now that is a bad news/good news story. If you obey your sinful nature you will be a slave to it no matter the amount of personal effort to overcome it. Nonetheless if you are steeped in God’s Word and under His protection from sin you will live a righteous life of obedience.

Oh I want that Bro Dave! Do you? Seriously, do you?

Before you go away mad please remember that I am sharing God’s conversations with me and if this is hitting a little too close to home, go ahead and take another step closer to the blast zone.

Every nonsensical reason or explanation we come up with for our disobedience is nothing less than piling more sin on top of an already heaping pile of sin. Let go of your right to yourself; let go of the sad justifications you have for your sin or not reading your Bibles.

We studied this passage two weeks ago but it is relevant again to our topic:

    “How can a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed according to Your word.” (Psalm 119:9)

Have you been living a life of filthiness, walking on the path of pollution? Cleanse your way by taking heed according to God’s Word.

Has your heart become like stone? Have you been going to bed with unrepentant sin? The longer you ignore the want of repentance the harder your heart becomes.

Allow the Lord Jesus Christ to soften it with His heavenly words.

Read your Bible and let no sin rule over you.

In Christ
Dave
Ps. 37:4

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    Copyright © 2009 David Jeffers

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