How to Repent

This powerful message confronts us with one of the most challenging questions in our spiritual journey: what do we do when we are wrong? Drawing from the tragic story of David, Bathsheba, and Uriah in 2 Samuel 12, we're invited to examine not just the consequences of sin, but the pathway to genuine repentance. The narrative unfolds with Nathan the prophet confronting David through a parable about a rich man who steals a poor man's beloved lamb, leading to David's unwitting self-condemnation and the piercing words: 'You are the man.' What makes this exploration so compelling is the examination of Uriah's perspective—a loyal captain, a Jewish convert who left his father's gods to serve David's God, a man of such integrity that even when drunk, he refused to enjoy his wife while his brothers remained at war. The contrast between Uriah's honor and David's deception creates a sobering mirror for our own lives. We're challenged to stop blaming our haters, our trauma, our upbringing, and our circumstances, and instead own our failures completely. True repentance requires four essential steps: own it without rationalization or excuse, acknowledge the hurt we've caused in others, make amends by accepting consequences and repairing what we've broken, and genuinely change. This isn't about being 'under the blood' as an escape clause—it's about the hard work of reconciliation, of speaking well of those we've slandered, of paying back what we owe, and of becoming different people. The message culminates in David's prayer from Psalm 51: 'Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.' We're reminded that true repentance unlocks a new level of faith—the kind that says, 'God can deliver me, but even if He doesn't, I will still praise Him.' This is faith that shocks the kingdom of darkness because it's no longer dependent on outcomes but rooted in God's character and will.