Whole Hearted Repentance

“Now, therefore,” says the LORD,
“Turn to me with all your heart,
With fasting, with weeping, and with mourning.” . . .
Then the LORD will be zealous for His land,
And pity His people.
JOEL 2:12, 18

True repentance is not a pleasant experience, at least not initially. It involves a broken heart and deep sorrow. In Joel 2:12, such wholehearted repentance is characterized by fasting, weeping, and mourning. No, it’s not pleasant to get a glimpse of our sin-stained self from our holy God’s perspective. . . .
But, ideally, that accurate picture of who we are in all our sin compels us to cry out to God, and whenever we do so, He hears us. Whenever we are brokenhearted and genuinely humbled by the reality of our sin, God will have compassion on us and forgive us. Sometimes in our pride, though, we think that not even God can forgive us. Know that such thoughts are the enemy’s lies, and counter them with the truth of Scripture. The truth of 1 John 1:8–9 is a powerful weapon when Satan whispers in your ear that you’ve committed the unforgivable.
Also know that, when you’ve repented of your sin and received God’s gracious forgiveness, the outcome is a new beginning, a conspicuous change in the direction of your life, the Lord’s blessing rather than His judgment, and joy. The result of repentance is always amazing!


Henry Blackaby and Richard Blackaby, Being Still with God Every Day (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2014).