1 O Yahweh, the God of my salvation, I have cried out by day and throughout the night before You. 2 Let my prayer come before You; Incline Your ear to my cry of lamentation! 3 For my soul has been saturated with calamities,
And my life has reached Sheol.
4 I am counted among those who go down to the pit; I am like a man without strength, 5 Released among the dead, Like the slain who lie in the grave, Whom You remember no more, And they are cut off from Your hand. Psalms 88:1-8 (LSB) Read verses 6-8 on the site.
Despite what many so-called Christian leaders are teaching in our day about the necessity of repentance in the life of the believer, the Word of God teaches us something entirely different. In it, we learn that the life, vigor, and comfort of our spiritual life depends much on our actively and deliberately mortifying the sin that clings so closely, which results in genuine repentance….
This teaching has unfortunately been neglected much over the last several decades to the point that some scoff at its necessity in the Christian walk. However, if we go back and read the Puritans and others that came before we find that personal holiness has not always been neglected in the Church as it has been in our day.
If a professing Christian considers of little value spiritual strength, comfort, power, and peace in his or her walk with God then there is a problem. Why? The genuine believer, being a new creation with a new nature, deeply desires these things. He or she has a growing hatred of sin while their love of holiness is continually increasing. These are indicators of the working of God’s Spirit in the heart to sanctify the believer unto Christlikeness. These believers have an insatiable hunger and desire for a level of obedience to their Lord that is marked by spiritual strength, power, vigor, and life as they walk with God day by day. Along with this, he or she deeply desires peace, comfort, and consolation within that walk.