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“…for if it be necessary that we resolve to live well, it is necessary we should do so.” ~ Jeremy Taylor
You’ve given up on gossip. You’ve been letting go of lust, avoiding temptation and resisting it when it arises. You’ve resolved to be rescued from your vanity and have sought humbleness.
But then you failed.
You shared someone else’s business. You used pornography. You couldn’t be helped but to tell stories that made you look good.
Now you feel terrible, dirty, guilty, unholy, and far from God.
When we sin – either missing the mark when we’re aiming for the bull’s eye or deliberately delving into darkness – we are in rebellion against God. When that happens we rightly feel sorrow because we are reminded of our own fallenness and God’s holiness.
- We feel stupid for slipping up and sinning.
- We feel guilty for getting it wrong when we know what is right.
- We feel like failures because we know we’ve fooled ourselves.
But God has no desire for us to wallow in our own guilt, sorrow, and pain – even though we are rightly found guilty in our sin. This is why repentance is such a good and wonderful gift.
“For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation…” ~ 2 Corinthians 2:10.
John came preaching and baptizing, “Repent the kingdom of God is near.” Its almost as if he were preaching, “Turn from your wrongdoing and pursue right living because the God of Heaven is ready to save you.”
That defines repentance: owning up to our failures (sin) by naming them specifically and then turning away from those actions, thoughts, and attitudes and pursuing – running towards – what is right.
So what do you do when you’ve pursued holiness, yet tripped up, stumbled and failed?
Next time you are in the grips of righteous sorrow, try these.
1. Run away from the present participation in sinfulness.
You can’t properly repent if you are still in doing the sinful thing you are repenting of.
“Repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” ~ Matthew 3:2
2. Return to doing, thinking, and having an attitude of righteousness.
Get back on track. See where you’ve failed and make provision not to fail there again.
“Therefore let us lay aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us behave properly as in the day, not in carousing and drunkenness, sexual promiscuity and sensuality, not in strife and jealousy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ and make no provision for the flesh in regard to its lust.” ~ Romans 13:12b-14
From Jeremy Taylor’s, Rules and Exercises for Holy Living:
“He that resolves to live well when danger is upon him… when the appetites of lust are newly satisfied… and yet when temptation comes again, sins again, and then is sorrowful and resolves once more against it, and yet falls when the temptation returns is a vain man… for if it be necessary that we resolve to live well, it is necessary we should do so.”
3. Remember that you are forgiven.
And own it.
“For he who lacks these qualities is blind or short sighted, having forgotten his purification from his former sins.” ~ 2 Peter 2:9
The Holy Life is not about self-righteous, legalistic judgment of ourselves and others. Its about having a biblically-adjusted, Holy Spirit directed view of ourselves and then living within that scope.
Memory Verse
“Trust in the Lord and do good. Dwell in the land and cultivate righteousness.” ~ Psalm 37:3