REGRETS
If the memories and experiences of our lives were compared to rocks collected and carried in a backpack, surely guilt and regret would be among the heaviest of them all. Where guilt can be the legitimate spiritual response to sin, regret tends to be sorrow over the consequences of our decisions, both the sinful and the simply unfortunate. God promises to remove the guilt of all who seek his forgiveness, but he does not prevent the consequences of our sin.
HOW CAN I DEAL WITH THE REGRETS OF MY LIFE?
Psalm 51:1-15 . . . Blot out the stain of my sins . . . Restore to me again the joy of your salvation.
Regrets caused by sin are cleansed through heartfelt confession, forgiveness, and repentance.
Ezekiel 6:8-11 . . . Then at last they will hate themselves for all their wickedness. They will know that I alone am the Lord.
God sometimes uses brokenness and remorse to bring true repentance.
HOW CAN I AVOID REGRETS IN THE FUTURE?
Matthew 27:3-10 . . . When Judas, who had betrayed him, realized that Jesus had been condemned to die, he was filled with remorse.
Judas’s self-destructive regrets were caused by a combination of selfishness and a failure to consider the full consequences of his decision.
2 Samuel 12:1-23 . . . Then David confessed to Nathan, “I have sinned against the Lord.”
God wants us to know that the consequences of sin always include deep regret.
PROMISE FROM GOD:
2 Corinthians 7:10 . . . God can use sorrow in our lives to help us turn away from sin and seek salvation. We will never regret that kind of sorrow.