Daily Devotion - October 21, 2025

You felt a godly grief, so that you suffered no loss through us. For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret. (2 Cor. 7:9-10)

When we grieve for our wrongdoing, we are experiencing the conviction that that our sins have hurt the heart of God. No one should want to feel such pain, but God uses it to assure us of the Holy Spirit’s presence in our lives. 

If the Holy Spirit were not in our hearts, then we would not grieve that we have aggrieved our God. The heart not indwelt by the Holy Spirit is hardened against God and cannot feel true conviction for sin. 

It is certainly possible to feel the guilt of having been caught, or the shame of failing loved ones, without being a true Christian. However, it is impossible to experience sorrow for grieving our Heavenly Father without believing that our sins have betrayed One who loves us. Such conviction is entirely and only by the work of the Holy Spirit. 

So, strange as it may sound, godly grief is confirmation of God in our hearts. We need not despair that our sin has forever separated us from God when our godly sorrow is the absolute proof of his continuing presence. 

The conviction that confirms God is still with us gives us fresh incentive to love and serve him. In fact, the Spirit uses your godly sorrow to grant confidence that he has not rejected you in order to encourage your prayers of repentance. 

Conviction of sin is the assurance of the Holy Spirit’s indwelling that makes us willing to confess sin and wanting to please him again!

Prayer: Father, thank you for the confirming work of the Holy Spirit! May he convict my conscience to assure me that I am yours and to lead me to the blessings of repentance.