Quotes from Kerry L. Skinner

God never convicts believers of sin in order to condemn them. God convicts us of sin to change us. He wants us to have a closer walk with Him. He wants us to get rid of this useless sin in our lives.

Repentance confesses, "God, I am wrong regardless of what anyone else has done." The moment you say, "God, I am wrong but so are they," you are trying to find a defense for remaining like you are.

Sin that is confessed brings relief to life, but confession alone does not free a person from the oppression of sin. While repentance, the turning away from sin and the turning toward a godly life, will not free a person from the results and consequences of sin, it will free him from the guilt and tyranny of sin.

We should be so aware of sin and its wrongness that the minute we see our sin we quickly move through the process of repentance. Remember, though, that the prayer must be more than just a cry for help in time of crisis–the prayer must reflect a heart that desires to change.

Most of the time when people are wrong they try to hide it, reason it away, or simply try to ignore and forget it. If we saw the awfulness of sin from God's perspective it would make a difference in how we live.

He knew that to allow those actions to go on unchecked could allow future generations to keep falling and there might never be any correction.

Did God hate the people? No! He knew what sin would do. He knew sin unchecked would bring on greater devastation than the consequences of His discipline. Repenting of sin will not cause the problems that living with sin will cause. Repentance brings healing.

God's people must understand that repentance is not a word in the Bible used by God to bring destruction and discouragement. Repentance brings life,

joy, love, and a deeper fellowship with God and His people.

the Kingdom, not the menace of hell, as the motive for repentance.

Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed than the fat of rams" (1 Sam. 15: 22).

God is looking for righteousness over ritual. He wants our lives and our hearts and our actions. Jesus warned us that, "These people draw near to Me with their mouth, And honor Me with their lips, But their heart is far from Me" (Matt. 15: 8).