Day 2 Penitence (Mourning for sin)

Day 2

Penitence (Mourning for sin)

“Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.”

(Matthew 5:4)

Penitence is the 2^nd step

Penitence is the second step that any human being can take in order to attain forgiveness from God!  It is a human responsibility to turn away from evil and to learn to do good!

 “Now, therefore,” says the LORD,
      “Turn to Me with all your heart,
      With fasting, with weeping, and with mourning.”
       So rend your heart, and not your garments;
      Return to the LORD your God,
      For He is gracious and merciful,
      Slow to anger, and of great kindness;
      And He relents from doing harm.” (Joel 2:12-13)

“Cast away from you all the transgressions which you have committed, and get yourselves a new heart and a new spirit. For why should you die, O house of Israel?” (Ezekiel 18:31)

“Say to them: ‘As I live,’ says the Lord GOD, ‘I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live. Turn, turn from your evil ways! For why should you die, O house of Israel?’” (Ezekiel 33:11)                                                                                 

                                                                                                                                 

Penitence is a fundamental change of heart and mind away from sin  towards God.  Penitence is mourning and turning away from sins.  This is not God’s responsibility; it is human responsibility.  No one can do it for you; you must do it yourself.  This is you sitting down by yourself, with sorrow in your heart (for there is no joy in sinning) telling yourself that you can no longer live the way you are living;  you can no longer do what you are doing.  This is you sitting alone, mourning with bitter tears, telling God where it hurts the most, confessing all your sins with your mouth, asking God:

God, be merciful to me a sinner!

Please forgive me in the name of Jesus Christ,

Wash me with the blood of Jesus Christ

And I shall be whiter than snow, for I pray in Jesus’ name.  Amen!

It is a conscious decision you make to hate sin, to loathe sin, to abhor sin passionately, to flee from any form or appearance of evil!   It is your responsibility to get up in the name of Jesus and say it with your mouth:

“For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.”  (Romans 10:10)

Confess with your mouth:

I hereby break any covenant I made with the devil or any of his agents knowingly or unknowingly.   I break this covenant in the name of Jesus Christ.  Amen!  I believe that I am free, and I therefore open my heart to You, oh Lord Jesus.  Please come into my heart and help me become more like You each day, for in Jesus’ name I have prayed!  Amen!

Only you can make this conscious decision to turn away from your evil ways and turn to the living God with all your heart!  Then your penitent heart, your repentant heart, will meet the Righteous Heart, the Divine Heart, the Merciful and Kind Heart.   You and God will start a new journey together and through the Holy Spirit God will guide you saying, “This is the way, walk in it.”  Hallelujah, praise the Lord.  Amen!

Will you tell the devil today?

I command you in the name of Jesus: get you behind me Satan!

I was once lost, wandering away far from home.  You persecuted my soul, crushed my life to the ground, but no more.  I once walked in darkness committing all sorts of sins.  Oh, you name it all: fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murder, drunkenness, revelries and the like.  But no more!  I’m going home!

Father, in the name of Jesus, I’m coming home.  Open Your arms, for here I come.  Please fill my heart with joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control, for I ask this in Jesus’ name.  Amen!

 The most important thing about a penitent, repentant heart is a teachable spirit, for the Spirit is our teacher.  God is not a hard master that expects the impossible from us.  Here is what the Lord expects from us:

“…Cease to do evil, Learn to do good…” (Isaiah 1:16-17)

Now God is not saying “cease to do evil and be good,” He is saying “learn to do good!”  Hallelujah!  This is why I love God with all my heart.  All I have to do is to be prepared to cease to do evil and learn to do good, and He will do the rest!  Blessed be the LORD our God.  Amen!

Now we all know that learning is a process, and sometimes we fail while learning. However, just because we fail a test, it does not mean we have failed the course.  So if you fail, don’t lose hope.  Don’t listen to the devil telling you that you are not worthy, that you will not make it, or any of his other lies.  For you, my beloved, are precious and priceless in the eyes of God.

Even if you fail, the LORD will correct you.  Do not despise the correction of the LORD.   It is for your own good and you will thank Him later.

“My son, do not despise the chastening of the LORD, nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him; For whom the LORD loves He chastens, and scourges every son whom He receives.”  (Hebrews 12:5-6))

                                                                                                                            

A Call to Repentance

Brethren, thus says the Word of the LORD:

                                                                                                         

“Therefore say to them, ‘Thus says the LORD of hosts: “Return to Me,” says the LORD of hosts, “and I will return to you,” says the LORD of hosts.’”  (Zechariah 1:3)

If you return to God with all your heart, here are His promises to you:

·        To answer your prayers

“If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you” (John 15:7)

“If you ask anything in My name, I will do it.”(John 14:14)

“So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.” (Luke 11:9)

·        To hear your cry, To forgive you and heal the land

“If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.”  (2 Chronicles 7:14)

·        To give you the good of the land

“If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land.” (Isaiah 1:19)

·        To forgive all your sins

“Seek the LORD while He may be found,
      Call upon Him while He is near.
       Let the wicked forsake his way,
      And the unrighteous man his thoughts;
      Let him return to the LORD,
      And He will have mercy on him;
      And to our God,
      For He will abundantly pardon.”  (Isaiah 55:6-7)

And again:

“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”  (1 John 1:9)

 “…. And the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.”

(1 John 1:7)

And again:

                                                                                                        

“I, even I, am He who blots out your transgressions for My own sake; And I will not remember your sins.”  (Isaiah 43:25)

Once you have confessed all your sins with all your heart, God promises us in His Word that He will remember our sins no more.

And God will erase everything that you have ever done wrong in your whole life.   Now how is that!  Everything you have ever done!!!  After you have confessed all your sins, your life will start afresh, a new lease in life.   Praise God!

“Come now, and let us reason together” says the LORD,

“Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow;

Though they are red like crimson, they shall be as wool.” (Isaiah 1:18)

·        To give you abundant life

“But if a wicked man turns from all his sins which he has committed, keeps all My statutes, and does what is lawful and right, he shall surely live; he shall not die.”  (Ezekiel 18:21)

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”

(John 3:16)

And the Son says:

“I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.”  (John 10:10)

·        To comfort you

“Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.” (Matthew 5:4)

                                                                                                                                  

And again:

“These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”  (John 16:33)

And again:

"Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God, and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Jesus Christ."   (Philippians 4:6-7)

·        To give you the gift of the Holy Spirit

"Then Peter said to them, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” (Acts 2:38)

·        No condemnation in Christ

Beloved, in truth I tell you, the Scriptures are very clear: none of us is righteous, no, not even one!

“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”  (Romans 3:23)

But! Yes I said ‘’but.’’  Because if God Almighty has forgiven you, who is the devil or anyone to condemn you?

“Who shall bring a charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us.” (Romans 8:33-34)

“Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.” (John 8:36)

The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you always. Amen!

                                                                                                        

Meditation:   If I confess all my sins to God and turn away from my sins by His grace, the LORD is faithful and just to forgive and forget all my sins and to cleanse me from all unrighteousness, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses me of all sin!

Prayer points:

         Hear my prayer, O LORD,
         Give ear to my supplications!
         In Your faithfulness answer me,
         Have mercy upon me, O God,
         According to Your loving kindness;
         According to the multitude of Your tender mercies,
         Blot out my transgressions.
         Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity,
         And cleanse me from my sin.

         Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean;

         Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
         Make me hear joy and gladness.

         Create in me a clean heart, O God,
         and renew a steadfast spirit within me.

         Restore to me the joy of Your salvation,
         And uphold me by Your generous Spirit;

         Open my lips, and my mouth shall show forth Your praise;

         For a broken spirit, and a contrite heart—

         These, O God, You will not despise!
         Teach me to do Your will,
         For You are my God;
         Your Spirit is good.
         Lead me in the land of uprightness.
              For I acknowledge my transgressions,
         And my sin is always before me.

         Revive me, O LORD, for Your name’s sake! 

         For Your righteousness’ sake bring my soul out of trouble.

         For I am Your servant. (Psalms 51, 143)

         I pray in Jesus’ name.  Amen!

Commitment:  Because of Your mercy, I commit myself to come before You, oh God, with a broken heart and a contrite spirit.  And by Your grace, oh my God, I will cease to do evil and learn to do good.  In Jesus’ name. Amen!