PRAYER JOURNAL 9/26/19
2 Corinthians 7:9-10
Now I rejoice not that you were made sorry, but that your sorrow lead to
repentance. For you were made sorry in a Godly manner, that you might suffer
loss from us in nothing. 10 For Godly
sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the
sorrow of the world produces death.
“I’m sorry! I’ll never do it again”…But we do; over and over
and over. We are all REPEAT OFFENDERS….WHY?
At that moment we come face to face with our actions, we ARE VERY SORRY. We wish we had made a better choice. We wish we could have a do-over. We dread the
consequences. AND, we are REALLY SORRY we got caught.
BUT…WHERE IS THE CHANGE?
Time passes, the consequences become the “new normal,”
people forget and life goes on as if NOTHING
EVEN HAPPENED. At the most unexpected moment, up pops the very same
temptation and we are powerless to resist because …
MOMENTARY SORROW DOES NOT LEAD TO
TRUE REPENTANCE!
In 2 Corinthians, Paul had written a letter to the Church of
Corinth regarding a situation that needed to be addressed. It seemed at first he was conflicted over the
letter, at first he regretted sending it, perhaps it had caused some hurt
feelings or embarrassment and some were made temporarily sorry. But as time passed and he realized that the
Holy Spirit had used his letter and their sorrow to lead the Corinthian church
to repentance, he rejoiced.
PAUL REJOICED NOT OVER HIS WORDS, BUT
THE WORKING OF THE HOLY SPIRIT IN THE CORINTHIAN’S HEARTS!
Too many times when we have been “wronged,” we want to make
the offender feel sorry; we want them to feel shame and acknowledge their
actions, so we lash out. We rejoice, not
because our words produced change, but because “WE GOT ‘EM GOOD!” Now, we have two wrongs; we are both offenders
that need to repent.
It is okay to acknowledge that you have been hurt and it is
okay to let the other person know that they have offended you. Pastor, it is okay and expected that you will
preach against sin but WORDS ALONE WILL
ONLY LEAD TO THE SORROW OF THIS WORLD AND PRODUCE DEATH.
Without a MOVE OF THE
SPIRIT; without the working of GODLY SORROW, there will be no TRUE REPENTANCE; there will be no CHANGE.
Until we come to the knowledge that our OFFENSE IS NOT ABOUT CONSEQUENCE, BUT IT IS AN OFFENSE AGAINST A HOLY
GOD, we will continue to be REPEAT
OFFENDERS.
My prayer today, is that the Holy Spirit would begin its perfect work
in me. Let Godly sorrow reveal and
convict so that I would repent and be changed into Your image. Cleanse me from every sin and offense so that
the Light of Your Love may once again shine brightly to a dying world…Amen.
