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Repentance is a process
Message #19 (of 20) from the PrayerPower radio series "Confession"
In The Revelation, Jesus tells the apostle John to write to the Church in Ephesus, "I have this against you, that you have left your first love. Remember therefore from where you have fallen, and repent..." [Rev. 2:4-5, NASB] This message isn’t just for Ephesus, it’s for each of us. Could it be that we have left our first love? Left Him, breaking fellowship through our unconfessed sin? Jesus says we must repent, turn away from our sins, to restore that fellowship, to live the abiding love relationship He desires to have with us. Such repentance is a process. First, we agree with God that we have sinned, that the sin is wrong, that we’re sorry we did it, whatever it was. Then we ask for and receive His forgiveness, His cleansing from guilt, and the inner cleansing of our heart which prepares the way for the final step in the process of repentance -- His empowerment to live free from the dominion of sin in our lives. King David knew he needed this empowerment, and in Psalm 51, his moving prayer of confession and repentance, he asked for the "renewal of a steadfast spirit" within him. For us today, it’s the steadfastness of the Holy Spirit within that strengthens us against the power of sin. Confession alone isn’t enough to free us from sin’s grasp; it’s a temporary fix. Only repentance, turning away from our sin in God’s strength, brings complete healing. He wants nothing less for us. He will give nothing less -- if we ask.
Pray with me now -- Lord, we ask as David did so long ago, create in us a steadfast spirit. Help us to be strong in Your strength, for we have no strength of our own. Amen.
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