The Gift of Repentance

• Isaiah 32:17 The fruit of that righteousness will be peace; its effect will be quietness and confidence forever.
• Psalm 66:18, 19 If I had cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened; but God has surely listened and has heard my prayer.

Righteousness begets peace
When we have no sin in our hearts;
God honors our repentance
With peace which He imparts.

A by-product of righteousness
Is a quieted soul,
Because our focus is on God,
We've given Him control.

We're also filled with confidence,
There is no need to fuss;
No matter what the situation,
It's in God we trust.

So rid yourself of every malice,
Cherish not one sin;
Then God will hear your every request,
And to your voice He'll listen.

There is something so beautiful about the peace we receive when God forgives us. Before repentance, our soul is in turmoil. We may try to cover it up or ignore it, but deep down we know the feeling won’t go away until we address it. Although the act of sin often brings pleasure, it’s only temporary. However, the aftereffects are not. They linger and poke at our conscience. We try to push our guilt away to no avail. (You can’t whitewash your sins and get by with it; you find mercy by admitting and leaving them. Proverbs 28:13)

Fortunately, God has provided a way to get rid of that guilt for good. (If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:9) I am so grateful for the opportunity to reset. When God sees our repentant heart, He restores our soul. We are at peace again. (The fruit of that righteousness will be peace; its effect will be quietness and confidence forever. Isaiah 32:17) It’s comforting to know that no matter what we’ve done, we can be confident in God’s love for us. He just asks us to love Him back.

One way we show our love for Him is being honest before Him by confessing our sins. When we admit our wrongdoing and ask Him for forgiveness, He gives us a way out. He shows us how to counter those sins through the Fruits of the Spirit. (But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. Galatians 5:22,23) The more we meditate on and practice living out these virtues, the easier it becomes to resist temptations. Find a Bible verse that counteracts a particular temptation. Meditate on it. Write it on your heart. Then, when that temptation arises, you have a powerful weapon in which to fight against it. (So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed in Him, “If you abide in My Word, you are truly My disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” John 8: 31, 32) Lean into God during those weak moments. He’ll give you the strength to remain true to Him.

Lord, thank you for Your love that sees past our sin and into our repentant heart. Thank you for Your Word that gives us power to overcome temptation. Help me to live out Your Word-especially in my weakest moments. I am grateful that when I call on You, I know that You will give me the strength I need. Amen