I heard a message on repentance this morning. It made me realize that without true repentance we would NEVER have been able to "Restore" our marriage! I repeat for emphasis, TRUE repentance is necessary.
So, what is TRUE repentance? It is turning your back on your sin, your shortcoming, your wrong direction, not because you got caught, not because you're embarrassed, not because it makes you look better, but because you are truly and sincerely desirous of doing the right thing. We need to be willing to do it God's way. We need to do everything within our power to move in the other direction. Turn around. Move forward away from what you were and toward what you can become! I needed to see what I was doing to our marriage, to my wife, to my relationship with God, through the eyes of God. I needed to see it in the right perspective. And it was not pretty.
The effect of true repentance is immense! When we choose to do things God's way, God is there for us! What more can be said about that? How and why would we want it any other way? It makes such perfect sense to me now, but.....of course when I was in the midst of it, this didn't even cross my mind. We allow ourselves to be blinded by our willful ignorance. We choose to not see. It's more comfortable to close our eyes to the truth than to face it, and deal with it. Yup, that's true...but the consequences are drastic and far-reaching!
There is no comparison to being in the right place. I'm not talking about locale, I'm talking about spiritually. There is such a peace! There is such blessing! There is contentment!!
It's not always easy. No. Sometimes it's a struggle to keep ourselves on track. But there is help and strength available to us that is unbeatable! Of course our enemy wants us to fail, and fall! Of course there will be attacks! So what! "Greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world".
So, with all that said, I encourage you (and myself) to keep on keeping on in the direction we were meant to go. Seek Him out constantly. Fellowship with Him. Read His word to us. Follow His plan for us. It is such a blessing!! And, I repeat and earlier statement, there is comtentment.
God bless.
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