“Who can understand his errors? Cleanse thou me from secret faults”
- Psalm 19:12
Did you know you have sins in your life you don’t know about? Don’t worry, everyone does. We all have undetected weaknesses like the earth has undetected faults from which massive earthquakes erupt. How we respond to these weaknesses is what builds spiritual steel into our lives.
We need the spiritual steel of God to make us inwardly strong against the schemes of Satan. How do we acquire the spiritual steel of God?
1. We must learn to hear the still small voice of the Holy Spirit above the roar of Satan who wants to deceive and lure us into sin. — 1Peter 5:8-9.
2. We need to also listen to the Holy Spirit’s call of conviction — cleansing and restoration. After we have heard the Holy Spirit’s voice, we need to heed His call, making every effort to stand firm with His empowering presence in our lives. To which voice are you listening?
Post Author: John J. Bagby, Sr.
The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom ye slew and hanged on a tree. Him hath God exalted with his right hand to be a Prince and a Savior, for to give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins. And we are his witnesses of these things; and so is also the Holy Ghost, whom God hath given to them that obey him. When they heard that, they were cut to the heart, and took counsel to slay them.
- Acts 5:30-33
Obviously, repentance is a very sensitive subject to the unrepentant. The Bible says that murder was on the mind of this counsel because the truth. Repentance is more than a change of mind or feeling sorry for one’s sins. It is nothing more and certainly nothing less than:
- A conscious turning or returning to God that results in moral and ethical change and action.
- A deliberate turning from sin to righteousness.
- A heartfelt sorrow for sin, a renouncing of it, and a sincere commitment to forsake it and walk in obedience to Christ.
In true Biblical repentance, there will be three things happen when God does a work of grace upon the sinner’s heart:
- Conviction – where sin is admitted. Man must see himself as a lost, ruined, guilty, desperately wicked sinner without hope or help, in danger of hell. The message that Paul preached was: repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ, Acts 20:21. In true repentance, conviction will be preceded by confession of sin to God, Psalms 51:1-4.
- Contrition – where sin is detested. Sin will produce sorrow; every true penitent grieves for the dishonor he has done to God and the wrong he has done to himself. For I will declare mine iniquity; I will be sorry for my sin, Psalms 38:18.
- Conversion – where sin is abandoned. Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon, Isaiah 55:7.
Who should repent?
And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commanded all men every where to repent: Acts 17:30.
Post Author: John J. Bagby, Sr.