Monday, February 6, 2023
The Need for Personal Repentance
If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear. (Psalm 66:18 NKJV)
I wonder whether people even know what shame is anymore. The things that once embarrassed us are being proclaimed as virtues today. Everything is upside down. Wrong has become right. Right has become wrong. And we’ve forgotten how to blush.
This is what Daniel was describing when he prayed, “O Lord, to us belongs shame of face, to our kings, our princes, and our fathers, because we have sinned against You” (Daniel 9:8 NKJV). And Daniel personally repented.
Throughout the Book of Daniel, we don’t read of Daniel sinning. That doesn’t mean he lived a sin-free life, because he was human like the rest of us. But Daniel lived a godly life. And this man of God thought it was necessary to personally repent because he didn’t want unconfessed sin to get in the way of his relationship with God.
This reminds us that the closer we get to God, the greater the sense of our own sinfulness will be. Just about the time you think you’re reaching spiritual maturity, God will show you a little more of your heart, and you will realize how far you have to go.
The more you know of the Lord, the more you will see that you still need to change. There isn’t some spiritual plateau where we finally will be above it all. It isn’t going to happen in this life.
The more you grow, the more you will realize that you need to grow more. The more you learn, the more you will realize that you need to learn more. But it’s a great pursuit.
Is there any sin that you need to repent of? Is there any area of your life that is displeasing to the Lord? Don’t allow it to get in the way of your relationship with God. Get rid of it. Let it go.
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