ODB - 13 May'09

I was reading today's Our Daily Bread and here's a quote:

"Repentance is not something we can do unless we have the prompting of the Holy Spirit; it’s a gift from God. Pray for repentance today (2 Tim. 2:24-26)." — Marvin Williams

I have not thought about repentance as a gift before. Yes, it's a conviction by the prompting from the Holy Spirit but I didn't relate it to being a gift. It's actually something we need to pray for when asking for forgiveness.
When we sin, it's one thing to just acknowledge that we have sinned (which is of course important), and another to be considered repentant. Repentance takes more than acknowledging your sin; you have to turn from your sinful ways. No point asking for forgiveness when you will do it all over again the next minute.

Of course, you have to accept this "gift" to be delivered from your sinful habits.