If I regard iniquity in my heart the lord will not hear me Psalms 66:18

I could stop right there and maybe I should and just pause for a moment and let it sink in.

The Hebrew word for iniquity has different meanings so I’m going to list them all and you can search your own heart before the Lord and see if you fall anywhere in here.

from an unused root perhaps meaning properly, to pant (hence, to exert oneself, usually in vain; to come to naught); strictly nothingness; also trouble. vanity, wickedness; specifically an idol:– affliction, evil, false, idol, iniquity, mischief, mourners(ings), naught, sorrow, unjust, unrighteous, vain, vanity, wicked(-ness)

I believe God is serious don’t you?

Yesterday my family and I visited my son’s church where he recently became their piano player. Naturally I wanted to be a supportive mom and see him in his new church home. I was very proud of the man my son has become, and to witness the hand of God on him was awesome. However, I don’t write this to lift up my son because only God deserves the Glory for anything good coming from any of us. The reason I bring this up at all is because of the preacher, believe it or not.

As the man stood to preach the word I almost had a trepidation wondering if like so many, he too, would be preaching a therapeutic Christ.

The title for his message was “It feels good to be forgiven”

From there the man of God poured out his heart and walked us through verse after verse showing us the need for true repentance, what sin does to God’s heart how it plays out in our lives and what the ultimate cost is to us should we not obey God and repent. Don’t misunderstand me,  he masterfully wove the mercy of God beautifully throughout the entire sermon, but you could not walk away from there without knowing  you needed to have true repentance before The Lord. Which brings me back to the title of my blog.

The forbidden word: Repentance

We cannot ever hope to stand and say “It feels good to be forgiven” if we do not ever feel the overwhelming conviction to ask.

No one wants to hear this word anymore. No one see the needs to repent. Repent from what? We’ve been conditioned to believe that God is love and that He accepts anyone for anything and all you have to do is ask. Trouble is we aren’t asking for the right thing. We aren’t seeing the true condition of our heart. We’re taught that we are good which is wrong on every single level. There is none good but God. That God sees us as dust and that He has compassion on us. This is true to a point, but we’ve been lied to big time.

God despises evil, it cost Him a Son and if we think for one moment He’s okay with it in our lives we have been thoroughly deceived. He is not okay with sin nor will He ever be. We need to learn to see sin for what it is and what it cost The Lord to pay for it. We need to stop playing around with it like it is some game we can walk away from when it suits us.

I’m sorry folks but over the last couple of weeks God has wrung me out on the wringer of His correction and I’m sure He is not through (Praise The Lord) and repentance is a very good thing.

Matthew 3:8 Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance

Romans 2:4 Or despisest thou the riches of His goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?

2 Peter 3:9 The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

repentance (subjectively) compunction (for guilt, including reformation); by implication, reversal (of (another’s) decision):–repentance

When I look back over the past several days and all that God has done and continues to do in me I’m so humbled and grateful because I understand that if I weren’t His child He wouldn’t be correcting me, drawing me back to Himself.

What we fail to see in the hardness of our heart is that repentance is good. Repentance restores perfect fellowship with the Father. It completely wipes the slate clean.

Psalms 103:3, 4 Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases; Who redeemeth thy life from destruction and crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies.

The Transforming Word: Mercies

I love the word mercies in this verse, for someone who deserves judgment of the worst kind, to finally understand that true repentance brings mercy, and that mercy triumphs judgment every single time, this will make you shout.

Mercies: compassion (in the plural) by extension, the womb (as cherishing the fetus); by implication, a maiden:–bowels, compassion, damsel, tender love, (great, tender) mercy, pity, womb.

My husband likes to tell me that the word could/does read like this ( I love this) “as coming through the womb”

You can always start over with God. His mercies are new every morning. Just like a newborn baby with no sin held against it, this is how God sees a heart truly repentant before Him.

He says repent and I will show you mercy. Over and over He begged His people to repent and He would repent of the evil He had planned against them. Yet, they hardened their heart. I see myself just like them and I cry out, God help me to not have a hardened heart against Your word. Create in me a clean heart Oh God and renew a right spirit within me Psalms 51.

He said those who come before Him in true brokenness He would in no wise cast out, so what are we waiting on. Run to the Father who is rich in mercy. Fall on your knees in true repentance and let Him wash you clean so that you can stand up and say “It feels good to be forgiven”

I will let you in on another secret: one that the false prophets and the pastors will not tell you.

God dwells with the broken and contrite heart. I want you to let that sink in.

I will leave you with the last of my treasure verses for today and I really hope you will meditate on it and keep it close to your heart always.

Isaiah 57:15 For thus saith the High and Lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones.

If you want God to abide in you and you to abide in Him, start with repentance. He does not hear the prayers of an unrepentant heart and if you choose to harden your heart He will chasten you until you do repent or He will take you home. You are His child and He loves you too much not to correct you. He won’t leave you wandering on your own for long.

My final thought is to pick up the forbidden word and make it a treasure to your heart and declare “It feels good to be forgiven”

God Bless

 

I’m hid with Christ!

Shawn

All of the above post is pertaining to believers. If you do not know the Lord I beg and plead with you to call out to Jesus and ask Him to be Your Lord and Savior. Turn from your unbelief and believe on the Lord Jesus and you shall be saved. If you need help with this please free to contact Jack or myself and we will be glad to explain our blessed Lord and Savior with you. Just don’t put off making that decision to follow Jesus…