When You Repent Are you Truly Finished With the Sin?

Faith Filled Thoughts
March 20th, 2009
By Connie Ciccone
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When You Repent Are you Truly Finished With the Sin?

Scripture: Luke 15:22 "The father said to his servants, Bring forth the best robe,
and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet."

The story of the prodigal son is one of the greatest stories of forgiveness and repentance. When we read this story, we know that forgiveness was always in the heart of the father, for he watched intently for his son to return. I feel certain that this loving father forgave his son at the onset of his son's rebellion when he asked to receive an early inheritance. I believe the father forgave his son when his son left home and foolishly squandered all of his father's hard earned money on riotous living. I think the father looked beyond the financial loss because his main concern was for his son's safety and that their relationship be restored. Yet even with his heart of love and forgiveness, the father could not bring his son back home where he belonged. He had to wait for his son to make that decision in his own heart and repent. While the father waited, he probably imagined what he would do when his son return. In time, his hopes were fulfilled. The father saw his son coming from a long way off and ran to meet him. He embraced his son with a heart of compassion and restored him to his position in the family. He also gave his son the best robe that he had and put a ring on his finger. He prepared a great feast for him and commanded everyone to rejoice with him because his son had come back to him.

Asking for God's forgiveness and returning to Him with a heart of repentance are two totally different things. Both demand a sorrowful heart, but repentance goes beyond the confession of sin that is made in order to receive forgiveness. Our guilt and shame will cause us to ask God for forgiveness, but as we all know there are times that we fall right back into the old sin that we have been forgiven of many times. How many times have we lost our temper and asked God to forgive us, only to lose it again? We allow ungodly words or gossip to pass from our lips and we ask God to forgive us, but we continue to speak inappropriately. We give in to compromising situations and we ask God to forgive us, but when temptations come we fall back into the same trap. The list goes on and on. Yes, we are sorry, and yes, we want forgiveness. Yet, repentance requires more than a confession that is motivated by guilt. Instead, it is a strong determination never to repeat the sin again. It is leaving ungodly things behind and returning to God with a whole heart.

God has promised that if we confess our sins that He will be faithful to forgive us for them. Yet He is watching us for much more. He waits for our hearts to approach Him in true repentance. When we are in sin we cannot focus our eyes upon God because our backs are to Him. When we repent, however, we turn towards Him with a vow in our heart to leave the sin behind. We don't try to drag our sin into God's presence, make excuses for it, or hide it somewhere with the intent of going back to it. We are completely finished with it and we seek to do the Lord's will and fulfill His desires. When our Heavenly Father sees our true heart of repentance, His mercy and grace welcome us back to the place where we belong.
May He Bless You and Keep You Today!

With Great Love
IN HIS SERVICE
Connie
Please click below to see something Jesus left for your Spirit!:

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