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Speaker 1: Life Audio.

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Speaker 2: Welcome to the Crosswalk Devotional. We're so glad to have

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Speaker 2: you listening. I'm Lynette Kittle, and today's topic is Why

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Speaker 2: Repentance is Good for the Soul. We'll be right back

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Speaker 2: after a brief message from our sponsor. Why Repentance is

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Speaker 2: Good for the Soul, written and read by Lynette Kittle.

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Speaker 2: Repent then and turn to God, so that your sins

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Speaker 2: may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come

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Speaker 2: from the Lord. Acts 3.19 When was the last time

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Speaker 2: we spent heartfelt time repenting? Not just a quick I'm

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Speaker 2: sorry or please forgive me, but heartfelt repentance before the Lord.

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Speaker 2: with genuine sorrow and possibly tears for our sins. If

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Speaker 2: we can't remember, then are we walking around under the

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Speaker 2: weight of sin, unaware of our need to confess and

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Speaker 2: repent of it? Have we become comfortable with it, no

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Speaker 2: longer recognizing its presence in our lives? Repentance isn't a

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Speaker 2: popular word in the church today. Sure, we want revival,

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Speaker 2: but when it comes to repenting for sin in our lives,

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Speaker 2: That's another story, because it's admitting that we sin. The

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Speaker 2: thinking today is that we don't ever admit to being

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Speaker 2: in the wrong in relationships, careers, business situations, traffic incidents,

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Speaker 2: and more, because if we do, then we become liable,

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Speaker 2: making ourselves vulnerable to being taken advantage of, held responsible,

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Speaker 2: and in the position of being asked to cover all

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Speaker 2: the costs. Still, when it comes to confessing our sin,

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Speaker 2: God has already covered all the costs for us. All

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Speaker 2: we have to do is repent, and we are no

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Speaker 2: longer liable. He's already taken care of it all for us,

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Speaker 2: paying in advance, providing a way for us to be

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Speaker 2: set free and refreshed in the process. Although we know

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Speaker 2: we are already forgiven, repentance brings closeness and renewal in

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Speaker 2: our relationship with the Lord. As the Apostle Paul reminds

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Speaker 2: us in 2 Corinthians 7.10, Godly sorrow brings repentance that

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Speaker 2: leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow

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Speaker 2: brings death. Scripture describes repentance as refreshing, what comes in

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Speaker 2: a revival where we yield to the Holy Spirit's convincing

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Speaker 2: us of sin, coming from the Lord after repentance. Jesus

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Speaker 2: explains in John 16.8 what He will do, When He comes,

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Speaker 2: He will prove the world to be in the wrong

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Speaker 2: about sin and righteousness and judgment. As Micah 7.18 describes,

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Speaker 2: Who is a God like you, who pardons sin and

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Speaker 2: forgives the transgression of the remnant of His inheritance? You

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Speaker 2: do not stay angry forever, but delight to show mercy.

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Speaker 2: Repentance too may come in stages in our lives, because

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Speaker 2: if God revealed all of our sins at once to us,

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Speaker 2: it would overwhelm our hearts and minds because we couldn't

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Speaker 2: bear the weight of it. No one could. It's why

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Speaker 2: Jesus carried our sin for us, because God knows we

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Speaker 2: cannot bear up under it as the weight of sin

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Speaker 2: is too heavy. As 1 Peter 2.24 explains, He Himself

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Speaker 2: bore our sins in His body on the cross so

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Speaker 2: that we might die to sins and live for righteousness.

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Speaker 2: By His wounds you have been healed. Without the high

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Speaker 2: price God paid through Jesus' sacrifice for our salvation, we

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Speaker 2: could repent until our faces turned blue, but it wouldn't

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Speaker 2: cancel out our sin. As Isaiah 53, 5 explains, Paul

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Speaker 2: also explains in Colossians 2, 13-15 When you were dead

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Speaker 2: in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your flesh,

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Speaker 2: God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all

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Speaker 2: our sins, having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness,

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Speaker 2: which stood against us and condemned us. He has taken

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Speaker 2: it away, nailing it to the cross, and having disarmed

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Speaker 2: the powers and authorities, He made a public spectacle of them,

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Speaker 2: triumphing over them by the cross. Some argue that Jesus

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Speaker 2: in the New Testament doesn't preach repentance, but as Matthew

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Speaker 2: 4.17 describes, from that time on, Jesus began to preach,

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Speaker 2: repent for the kingdom of heaven has come near. As well,

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Speaker 2: in Acts 2.38, Peter replied, repent and be baptized, every

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Speaker 2: one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ, for

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Speaker 2: the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the

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Speaker 2: gift of the Holy Spirit. Intersecting Faith and Life When

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Speaker 2: is the last time you spent in repentance? If it's

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Speaker 2: been a while, set aside some time to spiritually check

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Speaker 2: your heart and mind to see if there are things

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Speaker 2: you need to confess and repent of in your life.

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Speaker 2: Ask God to lead you, wipe the sins away, and

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Speaker 2: bring refreshing to you now. Further reading, What Makes for

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Speaker 2: a Repentant Heart?

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Speaker 1: If you're looking to grow in prayer or start your

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Speaker 1: day with your heart focused on the right things, search

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Speaker 1: for Your Daily Prayer in your favorite podcast app and

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Speaker 1: be sure to follow the show So you get a

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Speaker 1: new prayer delivered straight to you each morning.

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Speaker 3: Hey friends, it's Kelly from Life Audio. We just launched

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Speaker 3: something new. It's called The Good Word, our free weekly

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Speaker 3: newsletter built for people who want to go a little

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Speaker 3: deeper in their faith. Think devotionals, guided prayers, curated podcast recommendations,

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Speaker 3: and a little community all in one place. No ads,

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Speaker 3: just good content. This one means a lot to us.

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Speaker 3: We built The Good Word based on the audience survey

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Speaker 3: so many of you filled out a few months back.

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Speaker 3: You told us what you wanted and we listened. So

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Speaker 3: thank you truly for helping us shape this. Head to

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Speaker 3: the link in the show notes and join our community today.

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Speaker 3: We'd love to have you.