An Article of Faith

Christian apologist and former atheist C. S. Lewis once wrote: “We can ignore even pleasure. But pain must be attended to. God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks to us in our conscience, but shouts in our pains: It is His megaphone to rouse a deaf world.”
The God who created you in His own image and likeness knows you better than you know yourself. He understands what it takes to bring us to repentance. And He knows that it will often take pain. “I know, O LORD, that Your regulations are fair,” wrote David, “You disciplined me because I needed it” (Psalm 119:75 NLT).
God’s judgments are not evil, but essential and good. When we see His judgments on our nation, we should rejoice that He loves us enough to do that which will bring us to repentance. We must ask God what He is saying to us in the judgment and then be bold to proclaim it to those around us. We must be willing to adjust our lives to His plan.
God is seeking to bring us to the desperation that is a part of genuine repentance. “For the kind of sorrow God wants us to experience leads us away from sin and results in salvation,” writes Paul. “There’s no regret for that kind of sorrow. But worldly sorrow, which lacks repentance, results in spiritual death” (2 Corinthians 7:10 NLT).
We’ve all had those moments ... moments when we knew what we were doing was wrong and made a halfhearted turn. But in our souls we still loved our sin. Real repentance involves seeing our sin as God sees it and agreeing with His holy assessment. It involves a Spirit-filled grieving. “Let there be tears for what you have done,” exhorts James. “Let there be sorrow and deep grief. Let there be sadness instead of laughter, and gloom instead of joy. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will lift you up in honor” (James 4:9-10 NLT).
Only when we get to such depths of desperation we are willing to turn from sin without reservation. This is a turning that lasts. God knows this and in His mercy He sends judgment that will lead to genuine life-changing repentance. (Taken and adapted from: OneCry: A Nationwide Call for Spiritual Awakening. Visit www.onecry.com. “If My people,” declares the LORD, “who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land” (2 Chronicles 7:14 NKJV).

Jessie J. Charpentier Sr. is pastor of Jenkins Memorial Baptist Church in St. Martinville.