Just a Thought: It is not God’s will or desire for us to rent space our in our hearts to regret. Our hearts are like a home. What we clutter it with is what the Holy Spirit has to live in. And one of the roommates God never intends to have is regret. I know a lot of people who live with regrets. “I regret I never did ______.” Or “I regret I ever did _____.” But the biggest regret we live with is usually over our sin. Believer, when God forgave you of your sin, He didn’t cover it in the blood of Jesus. He washed it away with the blood of Jesus. And when we sin and confess our sin to Him. He cleanses us of “all” unrighteousness! Our sin is no longer there. God chooses to put it away and not bring it back up. He moves it as far as the east is from the west. Now, God doesn’t always remove the consequences of our sin. And these consequences can and do serve as a reminder to us of our sin. But they are also a reminder of God’s grace and mercy. As I am reminded, God forgave me for that. Sin creates problems for us. That is a fact. But, like David, we must resolve to take them to the Lord where we will find forgiveness, healing, cleansing and restoration. When David sinned against God in all he did with Bathsheba, he tried to cover it up. However, the pain and guilt ate him up from the inside out. He had to take it to the Lord and ask for mercy, forgiveness and for the Lord to restore the joy of his salvation. “Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions. Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me. (Ps 51:1, 12) In order for David to have any joy ever again he would have to acknowledge that God would be faithful to remove his sin (not his consequences) and restore his joy. David knew God was serious about his sin. But he also knew, it is not God’s will or desire for us to rent space our in our hearts to regret. Sin has no place in our hearts and neither does regret. We are to take them both to the Lord and leave them there. My friend, if you are living with regret in your heart today, it is an unwelcome guest in your heart. Trust in God’s mercy and grace. Ask for forgiveness if you have not already. Turn from your sin and leave it and your regret in the hands of God where it will be removed. And ask the Lord to restore the joy of your salvation which comes from being freed from your burden of sin!
