Turning Away from the Darkness in Our Lives

2 Peter 3:9

The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.

Repentance comes from the Holy Spirit.  The Holy Spirit first convicts us of our sins so that we see the desperate need that we have to accept the gift of salvation from Jesus Christ in order to avoid eternal damnation.  

Once we are washed clean of our sins by accepting Our Savior, we enter a new period of repentance.  God knows that we must still deal with our sin nature, so He provides the the Holy Spirit to stand beside us.  In our constant battle against our sin nature, the Holy Spirit leads us through a sanctification process, preparing us for our eternal place of glory.  

While in our sanctification process, the Holy Spirit shows us our sins in an entirely different light.  Instead of just seeing our sins as the iniquity that damns us, we see our sins in light of the pain and suffering that they caused Our Lord.  The Holy Spirit helps us take the agony we experience when we realize what we have done and turn it into sorrow and repentance as we consider our past, present and future sin.  The Holy Spirit then guides us into a deeper relationship with Our Savior.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, we thank You for Your perfect love and forgiveness as expressed through the sacrifice of Your Son, Jesus.  We ask for Your forgiveness, Father, for our sins that sent Your Son to the Cross on our behalf.  We praise Your Name for the patience that You have with us as we continue to struggle with our sin natures.  We thank You for providing the Holy Spirit to aid and guide us as we battle against our flesh.  We pray, Lord, that the Holy Spirit will strengthens us to turn away from the darkness in our lives today so that we may turn toward the marvelous light of Our Savior for all eternity.