Sanctification 'Three Keys'

The three keys that are the foundation to any work of sanctification that God wants to do in us. The three keys that are the trade marks of any and all true follower's of Christ Jesus.

My sacrifice [the sacrifice acceptable] to God is a broken spirit; a broken and a contrite heart [broken down with sorrow for sin and humbly and thoroughly penitent], such, O God, You will not despise. Psalm51:17AMP

1) Repentance -

10For godly grief and the pain God is permitted to direct, produce a repentance that leads and contributes to salvation and deliverance from evil, and it never brings regret; but worldly grief (the hopeless sorrow that is characteristic of the pagan world) is deadly [breeding and ending in death].2Cor7:10AMP

King Saul had a different type of repentance compared to King David. Saulish repentance has excuses or good reasons for disobeying, it involves compromising, has inability to face oneself, tries to avoid painful consequences, is without surrender and misses the blessing of God. Davidic repentance accepts truth when confronted, "feels" the damage done to the other as if it were done to self, makes no excuses, faces the consequences of sin, is willing to change, allows God to change the heart and mind and results in God's blessings.
Remorse can look like repentance, but is mainly feeling sorry for self or being caught or wishing we had done it better. It's being broken hearted for ourselves only.
Repentance is more than just being sorry. If we are truly repentant we will want to make restitution to those that we have sinned against whether it's God or man. Restitution is restoring what has been broken or stolen, and adding to it. This brings healing for both the victim and the offender, to heal the wound, restore love and trust and enable forgiveness.(modified from Elijah House workbook'A')

2) Forgiveness -

"For if you forgive people their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, But if you do not forgive people their trespasses against you, neither will your Father forgive you" Matthew6:14&15(NKJV)

These are the words of Jesus and are very plain and shocking to our hearts that want to sometimes hold on to bitterness or resentment.
Forgiveness releases us from the the judgement's we have made against another for trespassing against us, and also releases the trespasser from the judgement/s we hold over them. It's also very important to release Gods heart to forgive us of our sins. God is so serious about our relationships and loves us so much, that I think it pains Him so much that He doesn't or can't out of being a righteous God forgive us if we hold onto unforgiveness, especially after sending His Son to die and to bring reconciliation to all. Jesus even brings it a step further by telling us in the Bible to bless our enemies and do not curse them in Matthew 5:44 and to pray for those who spitefully use us and persecute us. I believe forgiveness is so close to Gods heart because He was the instigator of it, even while we were still in our sins.

 3) Confession -

"Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed..."James5:16

This personally was one of the hardest things for me to do in my salvation walk, but the best medicine I have ever received by being open and vulnerable to another that won't judge me, but help me in being set free from bondages. Confession has been something that full gospel churches have seemed to have lost, but is so crucial to our health as individuals and corporately in the body of Christ.
As we learn the art of confession with one another are hearts become humble and pliable. If we are holding things in or stuffing things down, our hearts can become hard and fall into deception as we try to justify  and excuse the very things that are detrimental to our growth and healing in Christ Jesus.
I pray for all reading this post that don't have someone they can feel comfortable enough to talk to, heart to heart, and confess their trespasses to, that our Lord Jesus would lead you to such a person and that you can come to healing and receive the joy that comes through this special key to health.

These Three keys in the Word of God will keep our hearts as Jesus' heart is, free and joyful.
Jesus never had to repent, forgive or confess because He was and is perfect and never sinned. Mankind has will-fully chosen disobedience from the beginning, and now it is our choice will-fully to implement these three keys to be free as Christ Jesus is in His heart. Becoming Like Christ Jesus is a choice not only to be in obedience to Him but to experience His joy and favour in our hearts and therefore our lives. Amen.

Bless you always
Dan