Repent and Confess. It's Good for the Soul!

Psalm 139: 23-24

Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me, and know my anxieties; 24 And see if there is any wicked way in me And lead me in the way everlasting.

As a young pre-teen, I would often follow my friends wherever they would go. Just to be with them. That’s because we were friends and devoted to one another. Most of the time I spent with these fellows was, for the most part, innocent. We would play football or go bike riding throughout the neighborhood.

Occasionally, we would venture into things that were not so innocent. Before we knew it, we found ourselves in trouble, and it wasn’t long before I stood before my dad trying to explain myself. What could I say? I might try to blame my friends like they made me do this or that. But that never worked out and never resulted in anything good, but a good spanking.

As we go through life growing and maturing, physically, emotionally, socially, and yes, spiritually, we may soon discover that our flesh is in a constant state of flux and always contending with our spirit. We know we need to do what is right, but many times the flesh is pressing us to do what is wrong instead. The pleasure that our sin brings only lasts for a short – very short – while. Soon we are looking for an escape hatch to rid us the guilt or we will blame someone or something else to cover our deeds.

My dad seemed to be very in tuned to my behavior, especially when I did something wrong. Somehow, he knew I was up to no good. But my dad also was a fair and just man, and I deserved every single consequence of my sins.

We ought to take a closer look at our lives. We may not be perfect, but we can live a decent life in Christ and depart from our sins – which is called repentance. When we realize our treasonous and wicked ways and come to the Father and ask Him, like David, to search our heart; to test us and see if there are any wicked ways in us, we can rest easy knowing our heavenly Father will forgive us.

But we also must commit ourselves to living a life that pleases God. By living a life of faith is the only way we can please God (Hebrews 11:6). Don’t do something you know is wrong and sinful and say to yourself, “I’ll do this or that anyway and ask for forgiveness later.” That never ends well either.

If your dirty deeds do not well up and cause deep regret and sorrow to repent, then it is not a true repentance.

We who have received the gift of grace by the atoning death of Christ should never take this gift for granted. To some it may seem like a “get out of jail free” card, but that is not the way to view God’s grace and love. Jesus paid the penalty for our sins once and for all. If you view this act of forgiveness and love like a “get of jail card” you might one day regret that when you stand before Him explaining yourself.

True repentance is acknowledging the detriment our sins bring. It helps us to restore our devotion and love for our heavenly Father and find His favor on our lives.

A Sergeant Major once told me, “If you are wrong – fess up!” A truly repentant heart will be able to endure the consequences we must face and help us learn to live our lives more in the likeness of Christ.