An apology to God
We are born sinners - it is human nature. Salvation, the sacrifice of Christ, redeems us and washes us clean (1 John 1:9).
When you come into Christ and submit to God, you allow him to do the work in you to break strongholds and deliver you from your afflictions, your sin. You are giving him control and allowing his will to take hold of your life. By releasing control, you are trusting God to guide you, and He will not lead you into sin (James 1:13).
However, we are human and live in the devil’s playground.
Society is finely crafted to make sin acceptable and accessible. We are not perfect, and we can and will stumble, BUT God’s grace is sufficient for us (2 Corinthians 12:9). His grace can restore us, but we must be receptive and honest (Proverbs 28:13). We have to be repentant. Repentance is an apology to God, but not an empty apology. It is one that expresses your grief, your distress, your sorrow for the actions you took, for the sin you submitted to. Repentance is asking God for his forgiveness of your sin and his strength to deliver you from the desire for that sin (Hebrews 4:16). It is recommitting yourself to God’s will and control. It is your affirmation that you will not willingly commit this act again; you messed up, but you don’t wish to continue to live in that way or do those sinful actions (2 Chronicles 7:14).
We must make repentance a part of our daily prayer life, ask God to reveal to you your sins that you may not be aware of, ask him in what ways you have grieved him, and what do you need to repent for that you have not yet done so?
True repentance requires action, it requires you to change. It is not enough to just say you’re sorry but you must make an active effort to not commit that sin again. The gift of forgiveness is often abused, however, we cannot hide from, lie to, or deceive God; He sees our heart (1 Chronicles 28:9). Imagine someone cheated on you, they apologized, you forgave them and took them back only for them to turn around and do it again, and again, and again. At what point do their words become meaningless? If they are not choosing to change, are they truly sorry?
How you choose to live your life is your apology to God, it is the fruit of your gratitude to your creator.