Repent.

Act 8:22  Repent therefore of this thy wickedness, and pray God, if perhaps the thought of thine heart may be forgiven thee. 

Repent. 

From the dictionary- Be sorry: to recognize the wrong in something you have done and be sorry about it. Change ways: to feel regret about a sin or past actions and change your ways or habits

Repentance.

Act 2:38  Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. 

Act 3:19  Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord

Act 17:30  And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent

Rom 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? 

2Ti 2:25  In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth; 

2Ti 2:26  And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will.

Sorrow for something we've done. To feel the sorrow we need to recognize there is something to be sorry for, that we've done wrong.

Not a day goes by that I don't feel the need to repent, because not a day goes by that I'm not sorry for my many shortcomings, my sins. Repenting of my sins means acknowledging them and changing, turning away from those sins. Jesus told people to 'go and sin no more'.  Jesus expected a change from the people He told that to. I wish it were possible for me to sin no more, yet it seems every time I turn around my heart is filled with selfishness, fear, failings.

Paul, good old Paul, he would understand this-

Rom 7:23  But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. 

Rom 7:24  O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death? 

The war within himself.

Rom 7:25  I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin. 

The realization that His hope for deliverance was found in Jesus Christ our Lord.

Our only hope is Jesus Christ our Lord, this is truth.

We are wretched! We do things we don't want to do, things we know better than to do! Our hearts condemn us for our sinfulness and Satan would have us concentrate on our failing, and not on thanking God through Jesus Christ our Lord for deliverance.

We are to repent of our wrongdoings, not relish them, not encourage them, not seek to continue in them, but strive to turn from any and all wrong we are convicted of committing.

We are to repent and be converted- not repent and remain in the very thing we've repented of. The conversion is the change, it is the turning from ourselves and turning towards God. It is the hope found in God. If we have great sorrow for our sin and refuse to look to God for our hope, we will remain in that sin. We have to turn to God for our hope and turn from all that would keep us from turning to God. Repent and be converted so our sins can be blotted out. Only God can blot out our sins through Jesus Christ. We must choose God!

More on all of this tomorrow….

By the will of our Lord, by the grace and mercy of our Savior.

May this wretched person I am find hope in my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.