How do i develop a contrite heart?

Ben Collyer

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In the context of confession a website says.

"We must keep in mind that confession is more than simply saying, “I’m sorry for my sin, God.” It is the heartfelt contrition of those who recognize that their sin is an offense to a holy God. It is the confession of one who realizes that his sin is what nailed Jesus Christ to the cross. It is the cry of the publican in Luke 18 who said, “God be merciful to me a sinner!”


Most of the time, my confessions are merely "im sorry God" followed by feeble attempts to repent. How do I develop the attitude of the publican in luke 18?
 

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Most of the time, my confessions are merely "im sorry God" followed by feeble attempts to repent. How do I develop the attitude of the publican in luke 18?
Hi Ben,
Such a profound question; the first thing that comes to my mind is, that everything is a gift from God, and if you have a need, as in this case to feel repentance for real, ask the Lord for a repentant heart. It will come, repentance is a change of direction ...
May the Lord bless you with his presence today
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Norbert L

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In the context of confession a website says.

"We must keep in mind that confession is more than simply saying, “I’m sorry for my sin, God.” It is the heartfelt contrition of those who recognize that their sin is an offense to a holy God. It is the confession of one who realizes that his sin is what nailed Jesus Christ to the cross. It is the cry of the publican in Luke 18 who said, “God be merciful to me a sinner!”


Most of the time, my confessions are merely "im sorry God" followed by feeble attempts to repent. How do I develop the attitude of the publican in luke 18?
I like to think that what you're trying to figure out is finding a reason for Matthew 24:13. It takes time and that comes in a limited amount which is rather small in the grand scheme of things. I look at it like this. The straight and narrow path is comparable to the data surrounding addictions. Only a few immediately do a 180 and turn their negative behavior around, for the majority it takes more time. Philippians 1:6
 
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mukk_in

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In the context of confession a website says.

"We must keep in mind that confession is more than simply saying, “I’m sorry for my sin, God.” It is the heartfelt contrition of those who recognize that their sin is an offense to a holy God. It is the confession of one who realizes that his sin is what nailed Jesus Christ to the cross. It is the cry of the publican in Luke 18 who said, “God be merciful to me a sinner!”


Most of the time, my confessions are merely "im sorry God" followed by feeble attempts to repent. How do I develop the attitude of the publican in luke 18?
Conviction of sin is produced by the Holy Spirit (John 16:8), Ben, and He's also the One who grants repentance. Conscience can produce grief. However, it seldom leads to repentance only to wordy sorrow (ex: Judas). Good to see you here kid :).
 
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com7fy8

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I understand that if I'm not the way I need to be while doing something, like how well I repent, God is able to correct me and have me the way He wants. And this comes with growing in His love. In His love, more and more it is easy to say no to wrong stuff. But I can not turn this off and on like a light switch; we need to grow, and keep seeking God for His correction.

And our Father's correction is not just punishment and disciplinary control < this is not correction. But His love changes us to really caring and sharing as His family in Jesus.

Paul told Timothy to flee from youthful lusts > 2 Timothy 2:22. He did not say only "lust". There are various sorts of lusts for pleasure and control and attention > any dominating emotional thing which can't take no for an answer is a lust.

For example, if I can't stop in the middle of an argument, I am being dominated in myself by what is not God.

So we need to become "strong in the Lord and in the power of His might", Paul says in Ephesians 6:10. Every one of us needs this more. We all need correction to how His love gives us perfection for how to love . . . how to be and share with God and submit to Him in His peace, and how to share as family with one another . . . not picking and choosing who we find to be worth loving (Matthew 5:46).

And our Apostle Paul says,

"Do all things without complaining and disputing, that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation," (in Philippians 2:14-16)

So, any arguing and complaining can keep us from becoming how God's love would have us become. So, immorality is not the only thing that can be a problem. And as we become strong in Jesus against arguing and complaining, this strength of His love makes us strong also against any and all wrong feelings and evil thinking and immoral stuff and guilt and shame and negative and nasty and angry reacting. And, instead, we discover how sweet it is, and Heavenly pleasant and refreshing, in God's love.

And we are personal with God, Himself, in His love. This is not just a nice feeling. So God does not want to be distant, but personally sharing with us in His own love (Romans 5:5).

And God is committed to this; so if you seek Him to really correct us so we are with Him in His love, He is committed to doing this with us. And we do not have what it takes to get our own selves right; so we do well to trust and depend on God to succeed in us :)

So, stopping only outward immorality and other more obvious wrong things is not enough. We all have more to get correction about > Hebrews 12:4-11.

And our Heavenly Father has us helping each other with this. So we need to be with each other . . . as His family :)
 
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Petros2015

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Most of the time, my confessions are merely "im sorry God" followed by feeble attempts to repent. How do I develop the attitude of the publican in luke 18?

I think a lot of the time, we don't see the damage we do to self and others. We don't see who we really are and who we really have been. If we really feel that sin is just against a standard of holiness that we didn't ask for and never could never meet, and redemption is really just a 'get out of jail free' card... it never sinks in who we are becoming.

I feel like repentance is truly wanting to be something different and an ongoing process of recognizing who we are and have been in relation to God. Sin creates a blind spot though, that's why it is so dangerous. I think a lot of it breeds and brews and drives below the conscious level. We continually evaluate ourselves against our own standard, not realizing it is tainted by self-justification and self-centeredness. I think as someone mentioned that conviction really has to come from God to even realize how serious the condition is and what the trend is. Taking an honest inventory on paper for yourself can help. Even a simple timeline of your life - 'here is where this started, here are the years it continues through, here is the impact it had on others, here is the impact it has had on me'. What is your true character? Is this really who you want to be to yourself and others? Ask God to help reveal as you do things. He will. He has something better for you in mind. God does have a standard of holiness, but we are 'created in the image of God', and that image is part of you and can be covered up or marred but never destroyed.

Recovery coins have 'To Thine Own Self Be True' printed on them, but I read that as 'To the Image of God within Be True'. Part of repentance is realizing how False to God and to that image and thereby to ourselves we have been doing things our own way apart from Him. Sometimes our sins wound others, but they always wound us. Sometimes they anger God, but I think mostly they grieve Him, like a parent would be grieved for a child they have been slowly losing. Repentance begins I guess when God allows them to grieve us too. And if we really take the time to look on paper, they will.

Anyway, ask for revelation and conviction. I think you'll get it.
 
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