Repent….Again

I’ve lost count at how many times I find myself in a position of repentance. I believe that I’m older and wiser, but yet I still find myself in a place of repentance. I actually believe that repentance is a part of my life as a follower of Jesus. I know what I’m supposed to do, but I just don’t always do that. I fall short of the target to follow Him completely. I fall short of honoring Him with my thoughts and my behavior. I need to repent a lot.

I find it interesting that the Lord is so hard on Pharaoh. I just know that there is a lot of detail that was left out of the biblical account. God sends these plagues upon the Egyptians, but Pharaoh is stubborn and hard headed. It says multiple times in the account that the Lord hardened his heart.

Moses has just been to see Pharaoh and warn him of the plague of locusts that is coming. Moses and Aaron are asking Pharaoh to let their people go into the wilderness to worship God. Pharaoh wants them to leave the women and children behind and they are saying “no way”. Moses and Aaron are driven from Pharaoh’s presence. Check this out….

13 So Moses stretched out his staff over Egypt, and the Lord made an east wind blow across the land all that day and all that night. By morning the wind had brought the locusts; 14 they invaded all Egypt and settled down in every area of the country in great numbers. Never before had there been such a plague of locusts, nor will there ever be again. 15 They covered all the ground until it was black. They devoured all that was left after the hail – everything growing in the fields and the fruit on the trees. Nothing green remained on tree or plant in all the land of Egypt.

16 Pharaoh quickly summoned Moses and Aaron and said, ‘I have sinned against the Lord your God and against you. 17 Now forgive my sin once more and pray to the Lord your God to take this deadly plague away from me.’

18 Moses then left Pharaoh and prayed to the Lord. 19 And the Lord changed the wind to a very strong west wind, which caught up the locusts and carried them into the Red Sea. Not a locust was left anywhere in Egypt. 20 But the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he would not let the Israelites go. (Exodus 10:13-20 NIV)

This whole ordeal is starting to develop a pattern where Pharaoh repents and then changes his mind. It seems like a vicious cycle. The only way I can really accomplish true repentance is to come clean before God. The Apostle Paul openly writes about this struggle with sin and our need for repentance. Check this out…

21 So I find this law at work: although I want to do good, evil is right there with me. 22 For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; 23 but I see another law at work in me, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me. 24 What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death? 25 Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord! (Romans 7:21-25 NIV)

The Lord knows my heart in repentance. He knows if I’m simply playing games with Him or if I’m genuine in my repentance. I really want to make good godly choices every day in every way. I want my life choices to reflect a heart that is obedient to the Lord. I don’t want my heart to be hard or stubborn. I need His Spirit to come into my heart and perform a hostile takeover!

Pressing On!

Dwayne