“See what this godly sorrow has produced in you: what earnestness, what eagerness to clear yourselves, what indignation, what alarm, what longing, what concern, what readiness to see justice done. At every point you have proved yourselves to be innocent in this matter.”
2 Corinthians 7:11

When someone truly encounters God, godly sorrow should be the motivating force behind the salvation process. A lot of people come to God and are sorry for their mistakes but the problem is they just walk out the door and carry on living in exactly the same manner they did before encountering Him.

It’s kind of like the Pentecostal’s version of confession! If a person starts their relationship with God in this manner an unhealthy pattern can take hold in their lives. A very destructive pattern that erodes their faith in God over time, a pattern that sees them miss out on a deep, personal, intimate relationship with God receiving the greatest blessing. Let’s not kid ourselves, God can tell when we are simply using him to just medicate ourselves now and then for a little stress relief when in reality we have no intention of changing! That’s saying “I’m Sorry” from the world’s point of view.

Godly sorrow leads to salvation. Look at the qualities: earnestness, eagerness to clear our name and reputation, indignation, alarm, longing, concern, readiness to see justice done and to stand up for others. You know what I love about these qualities? They are emotive qualities. So when someone actually engages with them, passion rises and then spills out over into actions. Our external demeanor changes! You can actually see them in action! When I see these kind of qualities I can be assured of something very important, salvation is taking place in that person’s life. He or she is beginning to care more about what God the Father cares about and less about the things of this world!

I must strive to wear my heart on my sleeve more so that all can witness and declare ‘wow God is at work in Kevin’s life. He is proved innocent in all matters by the action, conduct and manner of his life, salvation is at work in him!’

My Prayer: Father please help me to never fall into that “I’m Sorry” pathetic roundabout wheel of misfortune where I just want relief but have no intention of ever changing. Help me keep my heart passionate towards you and let me experience Godly sorrow for the areas of my shortcomings as that will be the conductor for salvation to continue its process in my life.