2 Corinthians 7:10 The sorrow that is according to the will of God produces a repentance without regret.
2 Timothy 2:25 God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth, and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, after being captured by him to do his will.
Jonah 3:8 but let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and let them call out mightily to God. Let everyone turn from his evil way
Acts 3:19 Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out,
Acts 11:18 When they heard these things they fell silent. And they glorified God, saying, “Then to the Gentiles also God has granted repentance that leads to life.”
What is revival? It is when the Spirit of God using the Word of God motivates the people of God to do what? To obey the will of God. That is the third ingredient for revival: there must be a response to the Spirit of God. We see that in Nehemiah 8. When the Israelites heard the Word of God, they were moved by genuine emotion. Verse 9 says, “All the people were weeping when they heard the words of the law.” What is it that caused them to weep? If you have drifted away from God and you start hearing the Word of God, do not be surprised if there is genuine grief when you suddenly realize how far you have fallen short of God’s plan for your life. In 2 Corinthians 7:10, Paul said, “The sorrow that is according to the will of God produces a repentance without regret . . . but the sorrow of the world produces death.” There is a kind of grief that is not good. It causes you to live with regrets about your past, thinking, “How could God ever use me?” If grief causes you to be paralyzed, that is not from God. That is from Satan. God wants us to be awakened to our sin so that we can be delivered from our sin. A true, godly sorrow leads to repentance. So what did Nehemiah and Ezra say to the people? “Do not be grieved, for the joy of the Lord is your strength” (Nehemiah 8:10). They were saying, “Do not be sorrowful forever about your sin. Today is a day for great rejoicing, because the fact that you are aware of your sin means that the Holy Spirit of God is working in your life.” (Jerehiah)
