Secrets of the Secret Place Chapter 5: The Secret of Rapid Repentance

Sorge opens chapter 5 with a bold statement: “The only way to move forward in God is through repentance.” Repentance can look like acknowledging some wrong-doing, like snapping at your sloppy roommate or watching a movie you maybe shouldn’t have been watching, but Sorge talks about a deeper kind of repentance.

He uses images from 2 Timothy to explain. Paul says that in God’s kingdom there are vessels of wood and clay and also gold and silver. Both are used by God, some honorably, some not so much. To get from one to the next requires cleansing ourselves in order to become prepared for every good work (2 Timothy 2:21).
 
That brings us back to the secret place. It’s in our quiet, personal time with God that we get to take honest stock of our spiritual lives. If we let Him, God will gently show us the ways we aren’t living up to the glory He has given us full access to.

“You will sense His unconditional acceptance despite your weakness, but also His firm commitment to conform you into the image of Christ.”

The good news is that repentance gets to come after a revelation of God’s goodness. We might have to recognize how desperate we are for grace before we receive it, but it means in that recognition, we also acknowledge how incredible and available that grace is. Repentance doesn’t come from a place of anger or dissatisfaction -- but God’s desire to move us deeper into the identity and character He already sowed into us.
 
Bottom- line advise from this chapter? Become a good repenter.

Author | Brittany Futch