If It Feels Good, Do It

By Lori Gasca - Speaker, Author & Mentor

Most mornings, I get up and put on my pot of coffee and while it is brewing, take the dog on a quick walk, straighten up the kitchen, and make myself a little breakfast. When I pour that first cup of coffee with just the right amount of creamer and settle into my chair, for that very moment, all is right in the world. It feels so good knowing I have nothing to focus on but drinking my coffee and spending time with Jesus.

I usually take out my journal, open to a fresh page, date the top and then write something like “What do you have for me today, Lord?  What do you want me to hear?  What do you want me to do?”   Often I will just begin to pour onto the page anything and everything that comes to my mind.  It will be a free flow of thought.  Sometimes it’s written in my words and sometimes, in the most intimate moments, it’s written in His voice to me.  Those are the sweetest mornings.

This morning, I immediately heard “Open your Bible and read my word.”  When I say “heard” it’s not an audible voice I am hearing but rather a whisper in my ear from the Holy Spirit.  How do I know it’s Him?  John 10:27 states “My sheep hear My voice and I know them, and they follow Me”  When I make room for Him to speak, I can trust what I am hearing is His voice.  How do I make room?  I turn off the distractions.  The TV is off, my phone is in the other room, the lights stay low and I ask Him to speak.  Because I am a believer, I trust the Bible and I believe I am HIs sheep, He is my shepherd, and I know His voice.

As He asked, I opened where my Bible was bookmarked and it was 2 Corinthians 6 & 7.  I read it through in my bible and then read it through in the Spurgeon Study Bible.  But where I landed to sit and study for a while was 2 Corinthians 7:1-11 specifically verses 9-11.

My Bible is English Standard Version (ESV) and it reads

9 As it is, I rejoice, not because you were grieved, but because you were grieved into repenting. For you felt a godly grief, so that you suffered no loss through us. 10 For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death.

Godly grief vs worldly grief called me to dig deeper.  Simply put godly grief results in repentance and worldly grief results in death.  When we experience godly grief, we have a deep burning desire to cleanse ourselves (vs 1).  We shift our focus from all that is wrong in the world, or even with those in our circle, and we begin to focus on getting things right with ourselves.  We worry about the clean up on aisle 1 and not cleaning up the whole store.  Although, it’s much easier to focus on fixing everyone else so we can avoid our own personal cleanup.  But that is not what we are called to do. This I know for certain, when we take the time to clean up our own mess there is breakthrough and blessing on the other side. 

In verse 11, Paul says “For what earnestness (sincere and intense conviction) this godly grief has produced in you, but also

●       What eagerness to clear yourselves - a desire to work on your own mess

●       What indignation - anger towards sin

●       What fear - reverence of God

●       What longing - deep desire to be pure and lead godly lives

●       What zeal - great energy and enthusiasm in pursuit of something

●       What punishment - you are ready to see justice for your sin

Godly grief is the sincere sorrow of sin.  It is a purifying grief that leads us to a place of repentance.  It is a deep sadness that my sin caused pain to someone else and it is a regret of breaking the heart of my Savior. 

Worldly grief is much more simple and final.  It produces DEATH. 

Living in the “if it feels good, do it” culture means worldly grief is rampant.  When we live outside of God’s plan for our life, there will never be true joy. There may be momentary pleasure but it always brings pain.  There is a reason why we are a culture focused on how to fix our sadness and feel better.  Meds, self help techniques, drug and alcohol use are just some of the coping tools for a society living in worldly grief.  We want to fix the sadness but we don’t want to change the behavior.  It’s such a sad place to be.  When someone is caught in a sin or transgression and their sorrow or grief comes from getting caught, that is worldly grief.  The BIbleref.com says it like this “Worldly grief is a pain over the consequences of sin that does not lead to repentance. It is only pain followed by more sin followed by more pain. The path of sin always leads to death and destruction and never to life and joyfulness.”

I have experienced both godly grief and worldly grief.  There have been times I have gone face to face, in a state of godly grief, with people I have wounded asking for forgiveness and offering a heart of true repentance. And, there have been times I have been broken and embarrassed in worldly grief because I got caught doing something shameful but it wasn’t a heart conviction.    Both are excruciatingly painful but only one can result in a life altering, positive outcome.  True repentance opens the door for a joy only He can give.  The refining may feel like it is burning the soul but the gold it produces is worth the process. 

In this world, there will be grief.  The choice we have is will it be godly or worldly?

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