MODULE 6 - TRUE REPENTANCE

[graciaaeron]

TRUE REPENTANCE

Meditation: True Repentance

Hebrews 12:12-18
Luke 13:1-5
Luke 24:47
Acts 17:30
1 Timothy 1:5; 1:19
1 Timothy 3:9, 4:2
John 10:8-11
Psalms 51; 32
Isaiah 59, 1:11-20
James 4:8-11
True Repentance: (Luke 15:11-20) THE PRODIGAL SON

Luke 15: 11-20
11 - And he said, A certain man had two sons:
 12 - And the younger of them said to his father, Father, give me the portion of goods that falleth to me. And he divided unto them his living.
 13 - And not many days after the younger son gathered all together, and took his journey into a far country, and there wasted his substance with riotous living.
 14 - And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine in that land; and he began to be in want.
 15 - And he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country; and he sent him into his fields to feed swine.
 16 - And he would fain have filled his belly with the husks that the swine did eat: and no man gave unto him.
 17 - And when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father's have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger!
 18 - I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee,
 19 - And am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants.
 20 - And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him.

The word repentance is from the Hebrew word “shub” which means TO TURN BACK 180 DEGREES. In Greek, it is “Metanoia” which means TO CHANGE ONE’S MIND OR PURPOSE.

Repentance is a:
1. change of HEART which leads to a 2. change of MIND, and this finally leads to a 3.  change of ACTION.

Therefore, repentance is a DECISION!

WHAT REPENTANCE IS:

1. Not sorrow for sin only

   Repentance is not only simply an emotional exercise. It is not to be filled with sorrow, crying and tears only. It is deeper than that. It requires a decision to stop doing the sin. An outward action of turning away from sin is the clear evidence of true repentance. Although Judas felt so much sorrow from what he did, his action of hanging and killing himself is not a sign of true repentance.

Ex: Essau

Hebrews 12:17 - For ye know how that afterward, when he would have inherited the blessing, he was rejected: for he found no place of repentance, though he sought it carefully with tears.

Judas, the traitor

Matthew 27: 3 - Then Judas, which had betrayed him, when he saw that he was condemned, repented himself, and brought again the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders,

Matthew 27: 4 - Saying, I have sinned in that I have betrayed the innocent blood. And they said, What is that to us? see thou to that.

Matthew 27: 5 - And he cast down the pieces of silver in the temple, and departed, and went and hanged himself.


2. Not doing Penance
    PENANCE is paying for sins IN ORDER TO BE FORGIVEN. No matter how great or small your sins have been, you cannot pay it back in order to be forgiven. Penance is doing good works in order to pay for the sins you have committed.
   Through it, you are trying to say that the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross is not enough to wash away your sins and therefore you have to pay some more so you will be forgiven. True repentance does not require you to work out your own salvation.
   However, in true repentance, restitution is required. This is paying the amount you have stolen, repairing what you have destroyed, or working to make right the wrong you have committed. You are not doing this in order to be forgiven but you are doing all these as a sign that you have truly repented, God has forgiven you and therefore, it is your responsibility to face your obligation.

   TRUE REPENTANCE IS NOT WORK OF MAN ALONE. IT IS GOD’S FIRST MOVE IF YOU ALLOW HIM. MAN’S RESPONSIBILITY IS TO HUMBLE BEFORE THE LORD AND REMOVE ALL PRIDE WHICH IS THE HINDRANCE TOWARDS TRUE REPENTANCE.

1. True repentance is the work of the Holy Spirit.

   John 16:8 - And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment:


2. The goodness of God leads us to true repentance.

   Romans 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?

3. Godly sorrow leads us to true repentance

   2 Corinthians 7:10 - For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death.

   See also Psalms 51


SIGNS OF NO REPENTANCE DURING CONVERSION:
   
   Many so called “Christians” were led to the “sinner’s prayer” after they heard the gospel but they have no evidence of truly repenting from all their sins. This is the common problem that occurs when people are led to “pray the sinner’s prayer” without fully understand that they are indeed sinners and they need to truly repent from all of their sins. They just followed the “sinner’s prayer” automatically because they wanted healing or they wanted to have this Jesus who could solve their problems.
   In many cases there is no true repentance and these people are led to believe that they are born-again but they still live according to their own standards and worldly ways. The following are signs that a person has not yet truly repented when he prayed the “sinner’s prayer”.

1. Easy to backslide: In Mark 4:1-20, Jesus outlined the four kinds of hearts: the road, the rocky, the thorny and the good soil. The first three hearts are those that did not truly repented when they heard the Word of God. That is, they probably followed the “sinner’s prayer” but were not convicted of their sins, therefore, when trials came or when temptations came, they were not able to stand firm.

2. Worldly “Christian” : Just like Lot’s wife (Genesis 19:17-26), a person who has not truly repented has his heart still in Sodom (the world). You still love and miss the worldly ways, your old barkada, you always look back to where you came from and you easily get bored during prayer meeting and Bible studies. Warning: if you love the world, the love of the Father is not in you! So better check yourself! ( 1 John 2:15-17)
1 John 2: 15 – Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.

3. “Getter” not giver: One sign of true repentance is a giving heart. If you still want to be getting, and receiving, that means you are still full of selfishness and self-centeredness. Jesus Christ is not yet on the throne of your heart, instead YOU still are!
   Self-centeredness is the root of all sin (“Ako” parati ang iniisip)Why? In Jeremiah 17:9, the bible speaks of the heart as deceitful above all things.

4. Christianity of Service is an obligation : there is no burning zeal for the ministry of God’s Word, no hunger for the presence of God, no compassion for the lost and needy, no joy in serving the Lord. A-attend lang kasi Sunday pawang baliwala ang pagpunta ng Church. Kailangang parating may sundo, pinipilit pang maglingkod o kaya kailangan may meryenda para pumunta.

5. Motivation for ministry is Reward: if you have not truly repented but you are serving in the ministry, you become a man-pleaser, and you are working to earn the praise of men.
   (Dapat gawin ang Colossians 3:23 – Whatever you do… do it for the glory of God, not to please men because God has assigned you to do those things and therefore you are accountable to Him). The “ministry” of a person who has not truly repented during his conversion are JUST DEAD WORKS.

6. More afraid of Punishment than sin: if you have not truly repented, you are not convicted of your sin. Therefore, you are afraid to get caught but you still do the sin secretly. The result, you continue sinning.
   
I John 5: 18 – We know that whosoever is born of God sinneth not; but he that is begotten of God keepeth himself, and that wicked one toucheth him not.
SOLUTION:
   In order to produce a Christian disciple who do not easily backslide, who have zeal for God’s ministry, who are not worldly, who are not getters and who are not self-centered, we must present the Gospel to show man IS A SINNER and that he needs a SAVIOR, no other than JESUS CHRIST who will wash away all sins by HIS precious blood.
   The first thing to do is: Confess ALL known sins to God before conversion!!! ( 1 John 1:9 - If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.) Truly repent! Forsake your sins and God is able to change you from strength to strength and from glory to glory!!!

Wrong Way Of Repenting And Asking For Forgiveness From God And From Man:

1.   “I’m Sorry”
      Saying “sorry” is the worldly substitute for repenting. Nowhere in the Bible does it teach that we say “sorry” when we have sinned. On the contrary, we are told to ASK FORGIVENESS. “Will you forgive me?” is the right way to ask forgiveness.

      Example: When you say “I am sorry for hurting you…” you are not asking forgiveness from the person whom you hurt and sinned against at. The biblical way is “I know I have hurt you. I realize that it is all my fault and I am truly repentant. Will you please forgive me?” the burden to forgive now lies on the one whom you have hurt. If he says “Yes, I forgive you” then you are both released. But if he says “no, I cannot forgive you…” then he is still on bondage although you have already repented.
      The one you have hurt has also the burden to release or not to release forgiveness. (Mark 11:25 - And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.) Asking forgiveness is breaking the pride of a person. If you are still full of pride, it is very difficult, if not impossible to ask forgiveness. It is easier to say “sorry” but that is NOT ASKING FORGIVENESS.

2.   “Sorry, IF.. (kung)”…
      The word “IF” means that you are not convinced that you have really committed a sin. We normally do this to save our face.
      Example: “I’m sorry IF I have sinned against you”…(“sorry ha KUNG nagkasala ako sa iyo..”) Those are the most insincere words we say when asking forgiveness. It is very wrong but we always say that.
      “IF” means you are not really convicted that you have sinned. Try saying that to someone and analyze the statement and you will understand it better “Kung nagkasala ako sa iyo…” that means you do not know what is happening or what had happened. You are just merely saying ‘sorry’ for nothing. In your heart, you believe that you have not sinned but you are saying “sorry” anyway.

3.   “Sorry because…”
      Another very common mistake we say when asking for forgiveness is when we say “because” of “kasi”. When you say that, you are JUSTIFYING OR EXPLAINING why you did it and in the end, it will turn out that you were right in doing that but “sorry” anyway.
      Example: “Sorry talaga kasi… ikaw rin naman. Kung hindi ka sana nagtaas ng boses, hindi kita nasampal.”

      When you try to explain your self and justify, YOU ARE ACTUALLY NOT ASKING FOR FORGIVENESS! Kunwari ka lang. Many times, we even try to reverse and put the blame on the other person.
      In the example above, the person is putting the blame on the other person, kasi nagtaas ng boses, kaya siya nasampal… blame shifting is a very common reaction of people.
      “Sorry, hindi ako nakapunta KASI umulan…” (actually, it’s the fault of the rain, not me… if it did not rain, I would have come)
      When you JUSTIFY, you are actually trying to say that it is not your fault but sorry anyway. And that is NOT true repentance.

4.   “Sorry sa lahat ng nagawa ko”
      This is another very common but wrong way of repenting. When you say that, you actually refuse to face the reality of the actual sin that you have committed. You have committed your sins one by one, therefore, you should confess them one by one too. You should say which specific sin you are asking forgiveness for.

REASONS FOR FALSE REPENTANCE

1.   You cannot see your sin
      One reason why people do not truly repent is because they do not see their sin as SIN. They call it a “mistake” and “error”, or “kamalian”. They do not see it the way God sees it: sin is black, yucky, devil-instigated, dirty, evil SIN. Karumal-dumal, kahindik-hindik, nakakasukang KASALANAN, hindi “kamalian” lamang.

      If someone rebukes you and you do not see the sin that he is accusing you of, you cannot repent. Your tendency is to say “sorry” but that is false repentance because you are not convinced that you have actually sinned. You need to allow the Holy Spirit to work in you and to open your eyes so you will see your sin. The greatest hindrance to this is PRIDE. If you have PRIDE IN YOU, you will always look for someone or something to blame for your action. You will even get angry at the one who rebukes you and see him in a negative light.


2.   You will not admit your sin
      Still because of PRIDE, it is difficult for people to admit their sin. You must accept your sin as YOURS. It is nobody else’s fault but you did it and you will stand in judgment before God.
      Many people cover their sins by lies and deceitfulness. Covering up your sins will only put greater burden on you. In Psalms 32, David talked about this. When he did not confess his sin, he suffered. People live a life of heaviness and burden because of hidden sin, bitterness, jealousy and PRIDE in their hearts. However, the life of a soul set free from these bondages is so light, and he can truly sing songs coming from the heart of a soul set free! The biblical way is to allow the Holy Spirit to move and convict you for your sin so that you can truly repent.


3.   Will not accept full responsibility
      Another reason why people do not repent is because they do not want to accept full responsibility for their sin. They admit doing something but there is always an excuse to justify their actions. (kasi… because…) Because people always want to protect theur reputation, they always find ways to cover their sins. We want to project a reputation that we are “OKAY” or righteous. We then blame anybody for our sins, even the very person whom we are asking forgiveness from. “Ayaw nating akuin ang responsibilidad ng kasalanang nagawa natin kaya hindi tayo totoong nagsisisi.”  You are totally responsible for your actions. When you stand before God, you cannot say…”I’m sorry I have sinned but its not my fault. If only my parents took care of me…” you cannot blame anybody for your sins.
      Just like Adam, Eve, and the serpent who blame each other. God did not listen to their explanations but punished each one of them because of the sin they have committed individually.

   WHATEVER MAN DOES TO YOU, NO MATTER HOW UNFAIR YOU ARE TREATED, YOU ARE STILL RESPONSIBLE FOR YOUR ACTIONS!!!


      When judgment comes and you stand before God, you cannot say: “Sila kasi Lord eh… kaya ko naman nagawa yon kasi sinaktan nila ako, sinira ang aking reputasyon…”
      No way…. My friend, no matter how man treats you, that can never be a license for you to react negatively.

RIGHT WAY OF REPENTING OR ASKING FORGIVENESS:

1. Recognize your sin as SIN… not a mistake:
      The first step to see that you have sinned. When you are confronted with sin and you do not see or recognized or acknowledge your sin, pray and ask the Holy Spirit to open your heart and eyes to see if you have truly sinned or not.

      “Sorry ha, NAGKAMALI AKO…” NAGKASALA AKO is the right and appropriate term. It’s time to CHANGE. Humble yourself in the sight of the Lord, call sin as SIN.

2. Accept your sin as YOURS
      The next step is to accept the sin as yours. It is not the fault of your parents, your enemy, satan, the rain or anything but you did it willfully and therefore it is your own sin. Tanggapin mo na kasalanan mo… AMININ!!!
      If your heart is right, the Holy Spirit convicts you and you will realize the gravity or intensity of your sin. Then ask forgiveness. The first thing that you do when someone rebukes you is to present it before God.  “Lord is this accusation true?” Baka naman totoong tsismosa ka or mayabang ka…It takes humility to accept the rebuke and listen to the voice of the Lord: “My child, the accusations are true… you need to be changed…” If we are full of PRIDE, the first reaction to rebuke is to make all possible explanations, blames, and justifications to make the wrong seem right.

3.   Confess your sin:

•   To God: Confessed sin takes its toll on your physical body. Psalms 32:1-5

Psalms 32:1 – Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.

Psalms 32:2 – Blessed is the man unto whom the LORD imputeth not iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no guile.

Psalms 32:3 – When I kept silence, my bones waxed old through my roaring all the day long.

Psalms 32:4 – For day and night thy hand was heavy upon me: my moisture is turned into the drought of summer. Selah.

Psalms 32:5 – I acknowledge my sin unto thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid. I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the LORD; and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin. Selah.

      Confess ALL known sin to God! When you have negative thoughts about a person and God rebukes you for it, ask forgiveness from Him alone, not necessarily to the person but if you have negative thoughts about a person AND YOU TALKED TO SOMEONE about it, you must ask forgiveness from the person because you have already stained his/her reputation.

•   To the person whom you have sinned against (James 5:16 - Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.)
      Make it an attitude to ASK FORGIVENESS, not just say “I’M SORRY” to the person whom you have sinned against. This is a test for humility. If you cannot do this, you have a problem with pride.

Principle in confessing sins: Confess sins only to the level they were committed!

A.   Secret sins (sins of the mind where only God knows) – confess to God only. You do not have to go to the person to confess your negative THOUGHTS about him. An exemption of this is when there is a deep root of bitterness and hatred you have against a person and you need inner healing and that you feel that talking to that person will help you release, then you can talk to that person.
B.   Private sins (sins you have committed which are not publicly known) – go to the person whom you have sinned against and privately settle the matter between you without involving other people who are innocent of the matter.
C.   Public sins (sins that you did which is publicly known and which has destroyed the name of Christ of the Church) – example “pre-marital sex and you are pregnant. Confess it in public and ask forgiveness for being a bad testimony.

4.   Forsake your sin – hate your sin and turn 180 degrees away from it. (talikuran, kalimutan, kamuhian)

   Isaiah 55:7 – Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.

   2 Timothy 2:19 - Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity.

5.   Restitution – is the process to make the wrong you’ve done be right. If you have stolen something and you have truly repented, you return or pay back what you have stolen. If you have destroyed something, repair it or replace it before you give it back.

   Zacchaeus was a very good example. (Luke 19:8 - And Zacchaeus stood, and said unto the Lord: Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have taken any thing from any man by false accusation, I restore him fourfold.)

      Restitution is one of the most neglected ingredients of true repentance because people refuse to face the burden and responsibility of it. Normally, this is what happens even to us Christians: We borrow something and if we return it, we are not careful to check if it is in its top condition first. Usually, it is dirty or destroyed, or there are some missing parts and when we hand it over, we say…”Ay, sorry ha, napunit ito, kasi…” or “pasensiya ka na, nahulog kasi ito sa putik eh…” and while the owner stands there, seething with rage oer his precious book or guitar or whatever you borrowed, you move away, just as if nothing happened.
      You just destroyed the precious property of someone who trusted you to take care of it and you return it just like that! SHAME ON US TO THE TENTH DEGREE!!! We always do that but now IT IS INDEED TIME TO CHANGE! RESTITUTION is the mark of true repentance.
      You know, the next time you will borrow, YOUR FRIEND HAS ALREADY BLACKLISTED YOUR NAME. It has been written in black and white.

CASE EXAMPLE:
      A man who worked in the post office always cheated on his daily time record. In those days, there was no time clock which recorded the exact time of time-in and time-out. After retiring from his job, he got born again, was convicted of his sins and repented of the way he cheated on his time. So strong was his conviction during his repentance that he actually went back to the post office, talked to the Postmaster General, exposed his past sin and promised to pay back the time he cheated on his DTR. Thus, after retiring, he went back to work for free.

         THAT IS RESTITUTION!!!

      Remember Zacchaeus? He cheated people off their money. When he got born again, he repented and PAID BACK even up to four times the money he cheated from the people… MY FRIEND, THAT IS THE ESSENCE OF TRUE REPENTANCE.

CONCLUSION:
      “If the greatest hindrance to true repentance is pride, the key to true repentance is humility.” Correcting, changing and accepting the consequences of the sins you have committed are essentials in repentance. Unless you see yourself as a sinner being molded into the image and likeness of God, you will never experience the joy of being truly forgiven…. By God and by man.

TRUE REPENTANCE IS THE BEST FORM OF DELIVERANCE!!!

TOOLS TO BE USED:

1.   SPIRITUAL CHECK UP: REPENTANCE FROM ALL KNOWN SINS: List of sins from as far as you can remember. You committed them one by one and so you have to repent from each one. List them all down! You will be surprised as you allow the Holy Spirit to work in you and reveal several sins which you conditioned your mind to forget. List them all and ask the blood of Jesus to cover each one as He sets you free.
2.   DELIVERANCE FORM – you may refer to Appendix A for the form. Though this is not the original form from the Christ Our Life Ministries where my home church is, I’ve come to this form as the Holy Spirit leads me to remember some of those. The Christ Our Life Ministries believes that by the power of the Holy Spirit in the name of Jesus Christ that a simple Holy Spirit Filled Believer can cast out evil spirit by God’s Authority. The use of counseling model and not the confrontational type is needed, essential and effective. Discipleship is the goal of deliverance. This is not asking information from evil spirits rather this denounce conversing with them. Asking the evil spirit is a form of divination practice by exorcist and spiritist or even pseudo-christian organizations. It is abomination in the sight of God.) Please ask your pastor, leader, elder, deacon to lead you for this activity. You can not do it by your self but needs a higher faith and with higher authority in the church who can minister to you.


FIVE HABITS OF A CLEANED-UP SINNER

Psalm 51

 1 Have mercy on me, O God,
       according to your unfailing love;
       according to your great compassion
       blot out my transgressions.
 2 Wash away all my iniquity
       and cleanse me from my sin.
 3 For I know my transgressions,
       and my sin is always before me.
 4 Against you, you only, have I sinned
       and done what is evil in your sight,
       so that you are proved right when you speak
       and justified when you judge.
 5 Surely I was sinful at birth,
       sinful from the time my mother conceived me.
 6 Surely you desire truth in the inner parts [a] ;
       you teach me wisdom in the inmost place.
 7 Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean;
       wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.
 8 Let me hear joy and gladness;
       let the bones you have crushed rejoice.
 9 Hide your face from my sins
       and blot out all my iniquity.
 10 Create in me a pure heart, O God,
       and renew a steadfast spirit within me.
 11 Do not cast me from your presence
       or take your Holy Spirit from me.
 12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation
       and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.
 13 Then I will teach transgressors your ways,
       and sinners will turn back to you.
 14 Save me from bloodguilt, O God,
       the God who saves me,
       and my tongue will sing of your righteousness.
 15 O Lord, open my lips,
       and my mouth will declare your praise.
 16 You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it;
       you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings.
 17 The sacrifices of God are [c] a broken spirit;
       a broken and contrite heart,
       O God, you will not despise.
 18 In your good pleasure make Zion prosper;
       build up the walls of Jerusalem.
 19 Then there will be righteous sacrifices,
       whole burnt offerings to delight you;
       then bulls will be offered on your altar.

HABIT #1: CONFESS UP!

“For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me” Psalm 51:3

Refinishing furniture is not unlike God’s cleansing work in our lives. Given our bent toward sin, it doesn’t take long to build up layers of grit and grime that tarnish the reality of His glorious presence in our lives. The sooner we come to grips with the problem of our sin, the sooner we are ready for God’s refinishing touch.
And coming to grips with our sin is an important matter. God hates sin. He doesn’t wink at it, overlook it, or excuse it. And, He doesn’t play favorites. But the good news is that He is a God of mercy who delights in refinishing projects like you and me so that the beauty of His presence can be revealed.
Psalm 51 paints a vivid picture of the process of restoration. David, after deeply offending God with his sin, cries out, “Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions” (v. 1 ESV). Then, beginning in verse three, David takes us through a five-step process that leads to the joy of a pure heart under the restoring mercy of God.
Confession is the first and most vital step in getting the process started. In short, if you want freedom from the grime of your sin, then it’s time to ’fess up! To admit, like David: “I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me” (Psalm 51:3). The Hebrew word for “know” indicates far more than an intellectual exercise. It involves brokenness from experiencing the ramifications of sin. We probably don’t need David to tell us that living with known sin is a haunting reality. When sin is unconfessed, we are haunted by the fear of getting caught and the loss of the joy of a clear conscience. This is why David admits, “When I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was sapped as in the heat of summer” (Psalm 32:3-4).
After trying to manage his sin in a massive cover-up plot, David finally broke. Why? Because he was confronted with the word of God through the prophet Nathan. God’s Word consistently confronts us with the reality and ramifications of our sin and begins the process of bringing us back to Him. There’s an old saying that’s so true, “Sin will keep you from this Book, or this Book will keep you from sin.” It wasn’t until David encountered the word of God’s reproof through the prophet Nathan that he finally confessed: “I have sinned against the Lord” (2 Samuel 12:13).
We all know the sin that we harbor deep inside. And, we all need some R&R—that is, to experience the Restoring and Refinishing touch that only God’s grace can bring. There is a special blessedness that is only found in God’s cleansing, and only confession will turn the tide on your sin!
APPLICATION:
•   If you are unfamiliar with the story of David’s sin, read 2 Samuel 11–12. Then, read his heartfelt expressions of the experience of restoration in Psalms 32 and 51. As you read through these texts, write down any parallels in your own life in the way you have tried to deal with your sin.
•   What makes confession difficult for you?
•   Take some time to personally consider the statement, “Sin will keep you from this Book, or this Book will keep you from sin.” How has that proven true in your life, for better or worse?
•   Start the process of restoration! Having been confronted with the Word of God today, is there something He is prompting you to confess?
HABIT #2: LOOK UP!
“Against you, you only have I sinned” Psalm 51:4

Sometimes, we are very contious on our reputation that all we see is we are better than others. We see our selves more intelligent, more beautiful, and smarter than other people in our community or in the workplace we are in today. Even Christians thinks that they are more holy, God’s favorite child, and righteous than others. But when we listen to other people doing their works in the ministry, we can see their faithfulness and goodness, and then we can compare ourselves to them that we are not as faithful and good as them. We are just but lazy ones. The same dynamic is at work in our spiritual lives. You can always find someone who is more slovenly than you are spiritually and end up feeling really good about yourself.But if we enter into the presence of our Lord Jesus, in His light of Glory and Righteousness; we are just like a dust and nothing but a sinful nature. And when you walk into the presence of a holy God, you get a glimpse of how sinful you really are.
As you learned step one —the restoring and refinishing touch that only God can give—is confession. But true confession can only happen when, with David, take the second step, which is to look up.
Notice what David admits in Psalm 51:4: “Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you are proved right when you speak and justified when you judge.”
You have to love the fact that David immediately looked up after he was confronted with his sin. Rather than looking around and comparing himself to others, David’s thoughts were riveted on God and His incomparable perfection. After Nathan delivered God’s message to David in 2 Samuel 12:13, David’s first reaction was, “I have sinned against the Lord.” Of course, sin brings devastating collateral damage to others just as David’s sin did. But we can’t afford to miss what David is essentially saying here. He is deeply convicted, because in looking to God he is very much aware that his sin has offended God and that, compared to God’s righteous standard, he has a serious problem.
Comparing ourselves to others will always dull our hearts toward the seriousness of our sin. Thoughts like, “I know a lot of church people who do things a lot worse than this!” or “It’s a private thing, no one knows and no one is harmed!” are lethal! These kinds of thoughts do nothing other than keep us in the guilt of our sin.
But when we look up to God, we realize that He is right—all the time, and anything that deviates from Him and His ways is wrong—all the time. Which means we have a serious problem.
Be reminded of the story of the prodigal son who gravely offended his father. By asking for an early share of his inheritance he, in essence, said, “Dad, I wish you were dead”! It’s the worst thing a Jewish kid could do to his dad. He then squandered that portion of his family estate, bringing further shame on his family by depleting his father’s “Social Security” reserves. In light of all that, the father’s forgiveness is a stunning picture of our heavenly Father’s willingness to welcome us to the joy of a restored relationship with Him in spite of our sin.
So look up, and with King David run into God’s welcoming arms of mercy and forgiveness!
APPLICATION:
•   Read the story of the prodigal son in Luke 15:11-31. Put yourself in the son’s place. What sinful offenses have you committed against your heavenly Father?
•   Do you have a habit of comparing yourself to others when it comes to wanting to feel better about your own sinfulness? If so, ask God to help you look up to His standard of perfection.
•   Meditate on God’s holiness and righteousness. What difference does that make to you?
HABIT #3: OWN UP!
“I was sinful at birth” Psalm 51:5

In Psalm 51, David has begun to deal with his sin by taking two important steps: He is driven to confess (step one) because he has looked up (step two) to see his sin in the light of God’s perspective. He then leads us to step three, which is to own up to the damaging and damning reality of our sinful nature.
Coming clean before God requires that we stop kidding ourselves. Nothing could be further from the truth. We are sinners. It’s not what we have done but it’s who we are! And it’s not that we get this way—we are born this way. As David admits, “I was sinful at birth.” Our sinful nature is part of our DNA.
Lying is a common sin and this is somewhat an immediate response by our brain to justify or to resist something we don’t want to admit. This usually happens if we are caught by higher authority or maybe by other people, to save our reputation, we immediately lied on the circumstances we have done. And once we are caught and have no way but to blame others. 
Knowing ourselves for what we really are will convince us that every day we need to “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight” (Proverbs 3:5-6).
APPLICATION:
•   In what area of your life you usually speak lies. Admit it and repent. Then do not do it again.
•   Do you tend to blame others or circumstances for your sins? How does that disarm you from seeing the real source of your sin and coming to grips with your problem?
•   Where can you let the presence and power of God’s Word deal with some reoccurring patterns of sin in your life? What will you do to “acknowledge Him” and let Him “make your paths straight”?
HABIT #4: OPEN UP!
“Surely you desire truth in the inner parts” Psalm 51:6

All of us long to experience life the way God meant it to be—a fulfilling, enjoyable, satisfying relationship with Him. But there is a problem! Our sin keeps getting in the way. Learning to deal with the sins that so easily entangle us is absolutely critical! In Psalm 51, David leads us through five steps to cleansing and restoration. Now David realizes that to truly come clean before God he needs to open up.
Being fully open to God about our sin is essential to complete restoration. David knew that in order to effectively deal with his sin he had to allow God access to the deepest parts of his being. This is why he prayed, “Surely you desire truth in the inner parts; you teach me wisdom in the inmost place” (Psalm 51:6).
It is interesting that the Hebrew word for “inmost place” is satum, which is derived from a root word often used in reference to an ancient tactic of clogging up an enemy’s wells. In Genesis 26:12-15, we see an account of this when the Philistines, fearful of the growing prosperity of God’s people, plugged up Isaac’s wells so that Isaac and his family couldn’t have access.
You must be challenged to be flat out honest about your sin. Covering up sin is as old as the Garden of Eden where Adam and Eve did the fig leaf thing to make them feel better about the shame and guilt of their sin. We all know the fig-leaf excuses: “I couldn’t help myself.” “If you only knew what my mother was like, you’d understand.” “Hey, come on, nobody’s perfect.” “I know a lot of people who are a lot worse than I am!” The fig-leaf excuses only keep us from seeing the real need of our hearts, which is cleansing and forgiveness. This is why God desires “truth in the inner parts.” He wants to forgive and restore us to life the way he intended it to be—life with the joy and satisfaction of an unhindered relationship with Him. The only way to get there is to open up the lid and give Him complete access to the “inner parts.” No more excuses. No more rationalization.
The fact is, when we truly own up to our sin, we no longer have anything to hide. It’s a matter of being honest with ourselves, with others, and with God. And thankfully, when we open up our hearts to God, He is ready and waiting to replace our clogged-up lives with the living water of His presence, filling our hearts with His wisdom and truth.
It’s time to open up and give God healing access to our hearts. Let the cleansing water flow!
APPLICATION:
•   Do you identify with David’s analogy of plugging up the well of your heart? Do you tend to hide your sin and restrict God and others from having full access? What are the ramifications of restricting God’s access to your heart? What are the benefits of letting God have full access?
•   According to Psalm 51:6, God wants to put truth and wisdom into your heart. How do truth and wisdom keep your life from sin? What sins in your life could be headed off by truth and wisdom? Write out the truths and points of wisdom that could take the place of the untruths and foolishness that made you vulnerable to sin. Review the first four steps in the “Five Habits of a Cleaned-Up Sinner.” Is there one step that needs more attention than the others? If so, ask the Lord to help you make definitive progress in that area.
HABIT #5: CLEAN UP!
“Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow” Psalm 51:7

There is a special rest for our souls when we’ve let God invade our innermost being and do his work of restoration and refinishing. We need His R & R because sin layers us with the residual grime of defeat, guilt, and discouragement.
No one felt the need more deeply than King David after he sinned with Bathsheba. After managing a massive cover-up plot that left him guilty of lying and murder, he pleads in Psalm 51 for the restoration and refinishing that only God could bring to his wayward life. In his prayer, David leads us through five habits of a cleansed life. As we have seen, David is willing to confess up to his sin, look up to God instead of horizontally comparing himself to others, own up to his own sinfulness, and to completely open up to God by not hiding behind the fig leaves of rationalization and excuses. Which leads us to habit five: clean up!
This is the habit of praying to God for the mercy that only He can provide to forgive and restore us by declaring us fully and finally clean! 
In Psalm 51:7, David pleads, “Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.” His desire to be cleansed with hyssop was not lost on David’s Jewish readers. By Jewish law, people who were infected with the deadly and highly contagious disease of leprosy were banished from their families and the community and declared unclean. If anyone approached them, they had to yell out: “Unclean! Unclean!” When a leper was healed, he was brought to the priest who would dip a hyssop branch in the blood of a sacrificial lamb. After sprinkling the healed leper with the blood of the lamb, the priest would then declare him clean by shouting, “Clean! You are clean!” Think of the rejoicing that filled the temple when the declaration was made.
David realizes that his sin has made him a spiritual leper—banished from God’s presence and unclean. We too are spiritual lepers when we harbor unresolved sin in our lives. But like David, cleansing is ours when we come to the God of mercy to be sprinkled with the shed blood of Jesus and declared clean! And count on it, there is thunderous applause in heaven when cleansing takes place. As Jesus said, “I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents” (Luke 15:10).
The word cleanse literally means to “un-sin” us. What a great way to think of God’s mercy! When you are willing to confess up, look up, own up, and open up as you come to Him to clean up your life, He will “un-sin” you!
Welcome to God’s cleansing work. There is nothing better than hearing the declaration, “You are clean!” It’s R & R at its best!
APPLICATION:
•   Be honest: Is there any sin in your life you have permitted to go uncleansed? Why?
•   Read through Psalm 51. As you read it, put that sin in the text and pray the psalm back to God as though you were writing it yourself.
•   Review the five habits and plan today to activate them in your heart every time sin brings its leprous presence into your life.
•   Memorize the prayer in Psalm 51:7.