Exhortation and Repentance

Asking the Lord for forgiveness

4 min read, approximately

“If my people, over whom my name is called, humble themselves, pray, seek my face, and turn from their evil ways, then I will hear from heaven, forgive their sins, and heal their land.” (2 Chronicles 7:14)

It is clear that everyone who practices sin is a child of the devil (1 John 3:8). But that is not our focus here; rather, we will consider when you and I sin through weakness or simply ignorance.

“If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.” (1 John 1:10, James 3:2)

. When we focus on sinning through weakness or ignorance, there are 3 types of people: \1. Those who know they have sinned and want to justify their mistake. \2. Those who know they have sinned and use it as a pretext to turn away from God. \3. Those who know they have sinned, repent, confess their sin, and obtain mercy. The Word teaches us that

“Whoever conceals their sins will not prosper, but whoever confesses them and turns away from them will obtain mercy.” (Proverbs 28:13)

. One of the devil’s strategies is to make us believe that the Lord will not forgive us, or worse, that what we did is not sin, so that we begin justifying ourselves. It is sad to see many people with great callings end up turning away and hiding from God, adding sin to sin:

“Woe to the children who turn away, says the Lord, taking counsel but not from me, seeking shelter but not from my Spirit, adding sin to sin!” (Isaiah 30:1)

. In these cases, the devil achieves his aim: to steal our relationship with God and then kill and destroy us! If we are going through something like this, the Word will teach us what to do through David’s life: \1. David acknowledged his sin:

“While I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long.” (Psalms 32:3)

…David knew that hiding or justifying his sin would do him no good; it would only eat away at his bones… \2. David knew that God is rich in mercy:

“Who is a God like you, who forgives wickedness and overlooks the sin of the remnant of his inheritance? He does not hold on to his anger forever, because he delights in mercy. He will again have mercy on us; he will bury our iniquities and cast all our sins into the depths of the sea.” (Micah 7:18-19)

“For you, Lord, are good and forgiving, and abundant in mercy toward all who call upon you.” (Psalms 86:5)

…David knew that God is rich in mercy! \3. David understood that only God cleanses:

“Against you, you alone, I have sinned and done evil before your eyes, so that you may be acknowledged as just in your word and pure in your judgment.” (Psalms 51:4)

And he knew that God alone could cleanse him:

“Purify me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.” (Psalms 51:7)

\4. David confessed his sin to God and was forgiven:

“I declared my sin to you and did not conceal my iniquity. I said: I will confess my transgressions to the Lord; and you forgave the wickedness of my sin.” (Psalms 32:5)

It would be good for us to acknowledge our sins, know that God is rich in mercy, understand that he alone cleanses us, and confess our sin to him so that we may be forgiven! Shall we draw near?

“Let us therefore approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” (Hebrews 4:16)

This is a good beginning:

“Examine me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my thoughts. See whether there is any wicked way in me, and guide me in the everlasting way.” (Psalms 139:23-24)

May God continue to bless you
and may you continue to have an excellent day in Christ Jesus!
I invite you to stop by the Songbook