GODLY SORROW or Carnal Sorrow

Subject: Godly Sorrow

One of the key factors in change is whether we come to Godly sorrow or just
self pity sorrow. Over the past year and a half I have wondered many times
if my tears were just tears of feeling bad about my situation because after
those times it didn't bring the peaceable fruit of righteousness.

I had to talk to the Lord about that in itself. Godly sorrow is the kind you don't
need to repent from and there is a great release in your spirit. It's the
kind that afterwards you half to tell everybody about it. The burden I have
been trying to carry for so long without understanding became overwhelming,
( the burden of how I can fix myself), and it takes the log ministry to break me.

One of the things that I feared was that I was going to open it up and respond the
way I have in the past, contention and anger, the moment that I might get
resisted would stir up the familiar defensiveness. I started to abhor who I
am and how much trouble I've caused for so many people. I had to believe
that what Jesus began in me He had great desire to complete and that He had
more desire for it than I did. His patience is amazing, Jesus is not in a
rush to perform change and deliverance in us especially when our asking is
frivolous. Oh, how many times have I asked to be changed in this area of
having pride removed or anger or insecurity and it hasn't happened, even
with tears. Godly sorrow leads us to repentance, a change because we love
the Father and we don't want to grieve Him anymore.

A lot of times I think we cry or are sorry because of feeling rejected, ( by others ), and we just
want to fix it the way it was and not have any character change. God is not
mocked or deceived by our tears, He desires truth from the inward parts.
Worldly sorrow just brings death and greater bondage, especially if for a
moment others believe that it was sincere. Godly sorrow releases love,
because every time that I have come to true repentance there is no offence
and there is great compassion. It's like it was when I got born again, I
loved everyone. Worldly sorrow, (self pity ), leaves us still justified and
still having to make our point.

A good test is when after we have repented with tears and someone qualifies us,
what is our immediate response? Does it add to us and cause further fellowship in
the matter or does it instantly dry up our tears and cause us to get defensive? We
cannot control the Lord with our whining like so many children do with their parents
and he doesn't give us a piece of candy to shut us up. He will allow us go around and
around for as long as it takes until we come to the end of ourselves.
Unfortunately for some that is on their death bed. What a waste of life. I
myself want to live and have life that comes from the Holy Ghost and am
willing to be broken as many times as it takes to have life in the Spirit.
The book " Repentance, The Joy Filled Life" is a true statement and if we
all sought that just think what kind of fellowship we would have. We do
live retched lives when it is all about us and getting our needs met and it
all winds down to motive and intent.

I like what you said not making excuses and beating around the bush with our
real motives. Man, if we could get a hold of that because as religious
people we no what we ought to think or do, so that is what we present, but
that is not what our intent was from the beginning and we end up deceiving
others and ourselves. This is why God is not honoring our prayers and
answering them, we are not truthful in the inward parts. In a sense we are
fornicating with God, trying to get our needs met without commitment. If we
are not truthful we are not committed.

Thanks for the letter.

Love, (a brother)