Oh come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the Lord, our Maker!  For he is our God, and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand. Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts, as at Meribah, as on the day at Massah in the wilderness,  when your fathers put me to the test and put me to the proof, though they had seen my work. —Psalm 95:6-9

How we deal with our sin defines us. David had a pretty good thing going on with God until he chose to sin. He then learned that no amount of spiritual victory can erase the effects of the sin that he chose until he came to a place of repentance. 

For a whole year, David, the mighty king of Israel, refused to repent and covered his sin. Finally, David admitted, “I have sinned against the Lord” (2 Samuel 12:13). He made no excuses and offered no explanations. He flat out took total responsibility.

All change begins with a change of mind. In fact, the Greek word metanoai literally means “to change your mind.” Repentance says in effect, “If I could go back, I would do it differently; I would not make that choice again. The future will show that I truly repent of the past.

Repentance is the way to deal with the next thing that God would change in you. It’s the way to be honest about where you are spiritually—about not being satisfied with status quo. Instead of caving in and saying, “Well, I’m better than most . . .” the follower of Christ presses hard after God, seeking to experience the fullness of joy found in that honest relationship with God.

Is your marriage cold?  Have things been left undone or unsaid? Has your focus been elsewhere? Has the selflessness and loving exchange that should exist in your relationship disappeared? You’ve focused on the other person’s failure, but now focus on your own. First and foremost, this issue is between you and God. You promised God some things. Let His transforming work in you prompt the turning point in your partner’s heart. Deal with your part first.

Maybe you struggle with a personal addiction—a private sin of some kind. God will forgive you if you sincerely repent. You could go forward without this besetting sin. You can be changed. It could start today.

I challenge you, follower of Christ, make a bold decision to turn from sin and repent. Every day of rebellion is another plank kicked out of the bridge back to God. That’s why Psalm 95:7 says, “Today, if you hear His voice, don’t harden your hearts.” 

Ordinary repentance—that’s the road that David walked back to God. The route is the same for every true follower of Christ. —James MacDonald

Journal

Is there an area in my life that I know is sinful, but I refuse to do anything about?

What does this say about my relationship with God?

Prayer

Father in heaven, I have sinned against You. I may say that my sin is someone else’s fault, but deep down, I know the fault belongs with me. Forgive me for this, Lord. Show me clearly what I need to change, and then empower me by Your Spirit to allow You to make that change in me. In Jesus’ name, Amen.