I believe repentance is just as much for believers as it is for sinners; Christians who maintain a repentant attitude bring upon themselves God’s special attention. If we walk before the Lord with a repentant heart, we will be inundated with incredible blessings.
A noteworthy characteristic of a repentant heart is a willingness to accept blame for wrongdoing, to say, “Lord, I’m the one who has sinned.”
“For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation” (2 Corinthians 7:10). And John writes, “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us” (1 John 1:8).
It can be excruciating to admit that we are wrong. We justify our actions and perform all sorts of machinations to escape blame in an effort to divert attention from ourselves. And none of this pleases God.
Being repentant means more than just apologizing or making things right with the person we have wronged. It is also about making things right with God. David exemplifies this for us perfectly — he believed in conducting heart searchings. In the hard discipline of digging out sin in his heart, David cried, “Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me, and know my anxieties; and see if there is any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting” (Psalm 139:23-24).
David continually opened up his heart to God’s searchlight. He welcomed the examination of the Lord, going so far as to cry, “If I’ve sinned against you in any way and I don’t know it, please reveal it to me. I repent.” “For I acknowledge my transgressions, and my sin is always before me. Against You, You only, have I sinned, and done this evil in Your sight” (Psalm 51:3-4).
Do you need to allow God to search your heart today? Repenting of any hidden sin will keep your heart soft and pliable before him, tender and easily molded by the Holy Spirit.