Time of Preparation
Begin by taking inventory of your surroundings. Are things in your vicinity conducive to a time of personal worship? Are there any changes or adjustments (turning off tech, making yourself comfortable) you need to make before you begin?
When you are ready, take some time to sit in silence and prepare your heart for worship. Ask God to clear away any distractions that might keep you from being truly present in this moment.
Confession
In this second movement, we simply see ourselves for who we are: people who need God.
“Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature…”
—Colossians 3:5 (NIV)
The word “repent” is often misunderstood, or at least understood in an incomplete way. For some it means simply acknowledging the truth of sin in our lives. For others it means feeling deep regret for our sin and its consequences. And still for others it means asking for forgiveness so that we no longer carry the weight of our sin.
All of these are part of the process we go through when we repent. But even as wonderful and transformative as each of these actions can be, they are incomplete in and of themselves. There is still one more thing that is needed before we can truly call it “repentance.”
The Greek word for “repent,” metanoeo, means to change one’s mind. It’s more than acknowledging our sin and being sorry for it, it’s making a conscious decision to leave it behind. It’s committing ourselves to God’s process of transformation in our lives and walking away from the things that hinder that growth.
This is only possible because of the grace and mercy of God. It is not something we can do in our own strength, but only with the help of the Spirit. Take time today to pause and allow the Spirit to search your heart for those areas of your life where God is inviting to leave behind what is toxic and unhealthy, to put to death what is not of him.
SONG OF CONFESSION: Lord Have Mercy (lyrics here)