Twenty-Three Areas Of Repentance

Twenty-Three Areas of Repentance (Psa 51:1-12)

Too often we generalize our repentance without getting specific. Failure to pinpoint areas where we need to change our mind, attitudes and actions on often allows us to go along without experiencing spiritual change.

Illustration: On his death bed John Newton said, "Because of my sin I feel that I will sit at the feet of the thief on the cross. I have been saved entirely by the gracious forgiveness of my Savior. The closer we get to the light the more I see my imperfections."

God delights in a humble and contrite heart.

Psa 24:3-5 "Who may stand before the Lord. The one who has a clean hands and a pure heart."

Matt. 15:17-19 - Jesus said, "It is not what is on the outside of a man that defiles him, but what comes out of a man’s heart. Envy, jealousy, hate, malice..."

Psa 66:19 - "If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me."

Let us confess and forsake all of our sins of omission, commission, faulty dispositions (attitudes) and erroneous assumptions.

James 5:15,16 - "Confess your faults to one another and pray for each other that you may be healed."

Let us consider twelve areas where we often need to repent in order to allow the word of God and the Spirit of God to transform us by the renewing of our mind:

1. MISTAKEN NOTIONS OF GOD - David said, "For I know my transgressions and my sin is always before me." (Psa 51:1) Only when we specifically designate the areas of our life that need changing can God begin to do the spiritual surgery that is necessary to bring healing. So much of our sin is rooted in an inadequate conception of God’s attributes. Let us press on to know the Lord and not be content with a superficial understanding of God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit.

2. MIS-MANAGEMENT - David said, "Against you, you only have I sinned." When we try to take control of our lives without fully submitted to God’s word, Spirit and will, we are guilty of mis-management.

3. MIS-DIRECTION - David said, "Surely I was sinful at birth." We were all born into sin and we need the grace of God and His Spirit and word’s correcting power to direct us rightly. May we confess all our sins of omission, commission, disposition, pre-disposition and original sin so that we can enjoy the full blessings of being forgiveness and cleansed from all our unrighteous thinking.

4. MIS-ALIGNMENT - David said, "Surely you desire truth in the inner parts." Only when we allow the Lord to work in our hearts after thorough repentance can we experience His realignment of our emotion, mind and actions. We are not capable of realigning ourselves to please Him without His remaking, remolding and reworking of our inner atttidues.

5. MIS-PERCEPTIONS - David said, "Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from all my sin." Without full and sincere repentance we are not capable of perceiving that which God has for us. Sin has a way of distorting and obscuring God and His will for our lives. Repentance has a way of lifting the scales off of our eyes so we can see Jesus.

6. MIS-APPROPRIATIONS - David said, "Surely you desire the truth in the inner parts and wisdom in the inmost place." Without genuine repentance we are unable to see the blind spots that often lead us to mis-appropriate the resources God has given us. Ask the Lord to allow you to fully repent of all greed, covetousness and selfishness so you do not mis-appropriate anything He has given to you.

7. MIS-READING - David said, "Wash me and I will be whiter than snow." Only when the Lord washes us are we able to read His will for our lives correctly. Too many believers are misreading His will because they try to read it through a cloud of dust, darkness and distortions.

8. MISUNDERSTANDINGS - David said, "Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me." Whenever people fail to abide in Jesus they lose sense of God’s presence leading them into wise judgment. People who are not filled with the Spirit of God are often guilty of misunderstanding God’s will given to the them by godly counselors.

9. MIS-BELIEFS - David said, "Let me hear your joy and gladness let the bones you have crushed rejoice." Many believers have beliefs that are about 50% correct and so they operate on 50% mistaken beliefs. Only when we are full fellowship, obedience and trusting intimacy with the Lord can we understand His word correctly. Let us ask the Lord to give us greater insight into His word so that we can say I have studied to show myself approved of God a workman who does not need to be ashamed, having handled the word of God with accuracy and truth." (2 Tim 2:15)