Godly sorrow brings
repentance…and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death. 2 Cor. 7:10
There
are three responses we can make in dealing with past mistakes: regret, remorse, or repentance.
Although similar, they produce completely different results. Consider this
illustration: A man has struggled with pornography addiction for
years. After every indulgence, he berates himself for his weakness. He calls
himself every name he can think of and sets his heart to self-loathing mode in
an effort to show God he is sorry. That is remorse. The next time he gives in, he
remembers the stricken look on his wife's face when she found the
pornographic material on his phone and computer. His stomach fills with acid
and he shuts his eyes to try to blot out the memory. If only he hadn't done
it...but it's too late now.
That is regret.
One night
as he prepares to click on the link that will pull him back into his private nightmare,
he has a vision of Jesus gazing back at him from the screen. His eyes are
filled with compassion, but His white robe is stained and bloody, smeared with
filth. In his arms he carries the photos and movies the man has been watching. "I paid for this with my life," Jesus
says. “Go and sin no more." The vision is gone as
quickly as it came and now all the man sees is the triple-X link on his
computer screen. In fury, he slams the lid and quickly dials a Christian friend
to ask for help. No matter what it costs him, from now on he will do whatever
it takes to forsake this evil. How could He put more of this filth on the Son
of God? That is repentance.
Two men betrayed Jesus on the night he was
crucified. Judas felt remorse and his life ended. Peter repented and
his life was transformed. Repentance is the doorway into God’s presence and into
the victory waiting for you.
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