God's Desires for You

When a child of God sins, he must repent. God is waiting to hear his child confess his sin and ask forgiveness. David wrote in Psalms, “As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgression from us. Just as a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear Him. For He Himself knows our frame; he is mindful that we are but dust” (Psalm 103:12-14). The Apostle John says, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).

Even if you sin many times in word, in thought, or in deed, you can be sure that God will forgive you when you repent and turn back to Him. God’s forgiveness is abundant and is always given when we repent, but that doesn’t mean we can keep sinning on purpose. Someone might say, “I can steal this money. God will forgive me when I repent.” God doesn’t work that way.

The Apostle Paul wrote, “What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace might increase? May it never be! How shall we who died to sin still live in it?” (Romans 6:1, 2). He continued in verses 6 and 7: “Knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, that our body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin; for he who has died is freed from sin.”