July 16, 2015 WWJWMTD by Steve the son of John

Forgiveness & Repentance

#4 in the series on forgiveness

When I ask for forgiveness it brings me often to tears. My heart is moved and my emotions kick-in. I cry, and often I cry for sometime. I do not understand why repentance has aspects of crying, humbleness, and wanting to be a better person but it does. I am glad for that!

I have had a few times in my life when God came in like a flood—I found myself in a state of complete brokenness, as if I was at the Jordan River being baptized by John. I continued throughout the day and many times for days on end asking God for forgiveness. I would cry the whole time—every time I was alone I would be moved to just cry and say ‘I am sorry’. Many times I did not know why and could not tell you what wrongs I was sorry about, but I just wanted to be clean—to be washed.

Sin can have such a hold on our lives. We often do not even recognize its effect and all the consequences our sin has brought to us—but God does. He wants us clean. Not just what we remember but even what we do not recollect, as well as, how our sin has ruined us—its hold and effects over us.

I believe it is the single most destruct area of our lives—to be hiding wrongs. We can never be completely free or clean unless we ask for and acknowledge that we need help from all sins and all self-destructive behavior. God wants us in a state of brokenness and forgiveness.

“Blessed are the poor in spirit,” means to be in a state of contriteness or constant repentance & brokenness. Do not think that forgiveness is always easy. We must live for Christ by being willing to be repentant and especially whenever the Holy Spirit moves us to repentance. He (the Holy Spirit) will always find things in our lives that will require forgiveness. I leave my brokenness to Him—He knows how to convict me of sin, to lead me in repentance, and to find forgiveness from everything that is wrong in my life. I trust in the Holy Spirit to lead me no matter how difficult it is to say—I’m so sorry God!

WWJWMTD

Dr. Steven J. Wentland www.wwjwmtd.com

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