Helpful Steps

The sorrow that is according to the will of God produces a repentance without regret, leading to salvation, but the sorrow of the world produces death. 2 Corinthians 7:10 

Even after someone receives the free gift of righteousness through Jesus Christ, the enemy still  prowls around them and tries to condemn by tempting them to focus on their past and/or weaknesses. However, now through Christ, God has given us all of the weapons and tools we need to overcome these schemes.

When the focus is on struggles and weaknesses, instead of what Christ has done on your behalf, it is amazing how quickly those struggles can become your identity, when in all truth, your new identity is in Christ alone.

We want to share one practical thing that has brought dramatic change in overcoming condemnation; it’s called joyful repentance.

Think about a time when God showed you somewhere in your life where you lived less than you were created to. Imagine that instead of feeling condemned, sad, shamed, unworthy and fearful of “the next time you’ll do it again,” you were excited and thanked God. Why would you thank God? Because he showed you that sin. He knows that you are valuable and worth more than that. He created you originally to be with him. He is pursuing you and wants the best for you. Could you imagine if when he showed that sin to you, you praised him for revealing something in your life that was keeping you from being closer to him? Now that you see what you weren’t seeing before, you choose to never identify with that sin again and joyfully repent. It’s a beautiful reality in Christ.

These 7 steps have been helpful for us…

1. Thank God for the truth that he loves you and created you originally for his image.
2. Thank God for revealing this area of sin in your life. 

3. Acknowledge that unless he showed you this, you could have lived this way and never noticed that it was sinful.
4. Confess in plain language what you did to God and/or anyone involved. —should it not cause further harm to yourself or them. 

5. Receive his forgiveness by thanking him, in faith, that you are cleansed and seen righteous in the eyes of God, as if you had never sinned. (1 John 1:9)
6. Commit to no longer acting the way you were, and be excited that Holy Spirit is at work in your life to deepen your relationship with God.
7. Stand firm against identifying with the lies or feelings of shame that say, “This is who you are,” or “you will always be this way.”