Are You Really Sorry?

A son in a large family resented his youngest brother. Whenever he thought the "baby" of the family was receiving special treatment, he would whack him on the head. Then, as soon as his younger brother started crying, he'd say, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you. Please don't tell Mom and Dad." This scenario of hitting him and then saying he was sorry went on for several weeks.

One day the older brother walloped him and followed up with his usual insincere apology. "This time I really mean it. Please don't tell Mom and Dad. I'm really, really sorry." The younger brother said, "I just want to know when you're going to be sorry enough to quit!"

Repentance means to have a change of heart, which changes the way you behave. It doesn’t mean to be sorry, but being sorry enough to quit what you’re doing. Second Corinthians 7:10 says, "For 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." Regret wishes it could change the consequences of past failures. Repentance wants to change future behavior so that past sins won’t be repeated.

Repentance is making a decision in your heart that you want to please God more than yourself, which changes the way you think, speak, and act. Trying to change your behavior without first changing your heart is getting the cart before the horse. You have the order backward. If you try to change your actions without first having a change of heart, it won’t be long before you return to your old ways.

If you have tried to change but are unable to do it, you must surrender to your Higher Power—the God who has more power than you. Only the Holy Spirit can give you the power to live like Him. When you make that decision in your heart to surrender all to Him, you’ve just repented.

Prayer of Repentance: “Lord, I realize that I’m not living in a way that pleases you. I want my life to change but I don’t have the power within myself to do that. Jesus, I surrender my life to you and I ask you to give me the power to change. Fill me with the power of the Holy Spirit. Thank you for hearing my prayer.”

For a deeper study on repentance, click on this link: What Does It Mean to Repent?

www.kentcrockett.blogspot.com 

www.makinglifecount.net

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Making Life Count Ministries

P.O. Box 680174

Prattville, Alabama 36068

Four Secrets to Forgiving Others

THIS WEEK'S DEVOTIONAL is a video teaching 4 Secrets to Forgiving Others 
It's hard to forgive those who have hurt us, but this teaching will help you understand how to do it--and why God will reward you both in this life and the next life if you'll do it.
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Please let others know about Making Life Count Ministries www.makinglifecount.net and www.kentcrockett.blogspot.com 
God bless,
Kent

Defeating Doubt

Watch Kent’s 18-minute Video Teaching  “Erasing Your Doubts” 

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“DEFEATING DOUBT”

Do you ever experience doubts? After Jesus healed a blind man, the Pharisees questioned him about whether or not Jesus was a sinner. He answered, “Whether or not He is a sinner, I don’t know. One thing I do know: I was blind, and now I see!” (John 9:25) He concentrated on the one fact he knew to be true and not on the question he didn’t know the answer to.

Some people think they cannot believe in God unless they have every question answered. But you don’t need to have every one of your questions answered before you can believe in Him. In a court of law, a jury doesn’t need to have every question answered before it can reach a verdict. The jury is not going to see a video recording of the crime being committed, but they can reach a decision by examining the clues.  

The accused person might claim he was never at the scene of the crime, but if investigators find his DNA there, you can conclude without any doubt that he was there. You might still have questions about how the crime occurred, but the one thing you do know cancels out all your unanswered questions. The jury can reach a decision without any reasonable doubt because of the one fact they know to be true and not because every question has been answered.

The next time you are bewildered, concentrate on what you know to be true. Remember when God answered a prayer or did a miracle for you. Concentrate on the fact that the Bible proves itself to be true through fulfilled Bible prophecies. For more information on turning a double-mind into a single mind, watch the Erasing Your Doubts video.

www.kentcrockett.blogspot.com

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NEW Bible studies from Making Life Count Ministries:

Financial Freedom pt. 1—The God Factor  --  Shows how God can intervene in your situation.

Financial Freedom pt. 2—Getting Out of Debt

The Judgment Seat of Christ – This is not a judgment of our sins, but to reward us for faithful service.

Ten Things That Happen When You are Born Again – 4 lessons for Small Groups to discuss.

Thank you for your prayers and financial support of this discipleship ministry.  Please let others know about Making Life Count Ministries www.makinglifecount.net