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Guarding Our Inner Life | Step 10 — Maintaining Progress
“Continued to take personal inventory, and when we were wrong, promptly admitted it.”
The Lord… is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance… Be diligent that you may be found by Him in peace, without spot, and blameless. Beware lest you… fall from your own steadfastness. (2 Peter 3:9, 14, 17)
Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walks about, seeking whom he may devour. (1 Peter 5:8)
As a Christian, I've learned many good things about confession, repentance, amends — and perhaps the most important of all: surrender. But knowledge isn't enough. God provides the opportunities. He prompts me to action. Then I must choose to align my will with His and continually seek Him. When I do, He works in me "to will and to do according to His good pleasure" (Philippians 2:12–13).
Even so, when I fail to choose His way, He never leaves me nor forsakes me (Hebrews 13:5). All I need to do is admit my mistake to God — and to anyone else I may have wronged (James 5:16). When I do that, God "is faithful and just to forgive my sins, and to cleanse me from all unrighteousness" (1 John 1:9). Others may or may not forgive me. That's between them and God.
After I confess and make amends, I'm assured I've done my part. Since Jesus paid the price — death itself — for my sin (Romans 6:23), our Father releases me from guilt. So I choose to reject the temptation to beat myself up over past failures. Shame is not the voice of God. Instead, I keep diligently seeking His will, trusting that He still loves me and is still showing me a better way to live.
"Be not conformed to this world: but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God." (Romans 12:2)
"Grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be glory both now and forever. Amen." (2 Peter 3:18)