While generally sorrow is a bad thing, godly sorrow is good; it brings about repentance. If you fall, first admit sorrowfully that you have made a mistake, then go to God pleading for mercy. David was a man who had godly sorrow, that is when even though he made many mistakes in his lifetime, he kept on moving forward. He said in Psalm 51:3:
“For I acknowledge my transgression; and my sin is ever before me.”

Several times in the scripture when David made a mistake, the Bible says his heart smote him. You will not make progress if you are always shifting blame. Only failures make excuses.

Godly sorrow leads you to learn from your mistakes. David never repeated any of his mistakes because he was truly sorry for his sins. If for instance, you fall into fornication because you were close friends with someone of the opposite sex, godly sorrow will alert you the next time you are getting close to someone who could make you fall, so you can break off that relationship.

Having godly sorrow does not mean feeling rejected by God when you do wrong. The feeling of rejection is a trap of the devil to keep us out of God’s light. 1st John 1:9 says:
“If we confess out sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

God is always happy to forgive and reconnect with anyone who has erred from the faith, as long as they confess their sins. When God has had mercy on you and welcomed you back into His light, you must run away from anything that can make you fall again. The doctrine of grace which teaches that you can continue in sin once you are born again is a strategy of the devil to eradicate godly sorrow. He raises up preachers to tell you that the Most High God does not mind if His children are unholy. That is a big lie!
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.