Dan Delzell: Going Under the Knife of God's Word

"There is really no easy way to say this: We have to operate." While that hard truth is something a doctor says to a patient, it can also be applied to any person who is engaging in premeditated and deliberate sin. The only way to cut out the cancer of sin is through surgery. And only God can perform this task in a person's soul.

The "surgeon's knife" of the Great Physician is Scripture. "For the Word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart." (Hebrews 4:12) Sinful strongholds get "cut out" of us as the Holy Spirit convicts us of sin and works the miracle of "godly sorrow" in our heart.

So just what is "godly sorrow" you ask? Scripture informs us, "See what this godly sorrow has produced in you: what earnestness, what eagerness to clear yourselves, what indignation, what alarm, what longing, what concern, what readiness to see justice done." (2 Cor. 7:11) That's quite a list, and only God can produce those things in the heart of a sinner.

There is a huge difference between "godly sorrow" and "worldly sorrow." The Bible says, "Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death." (2 Cor. 7:10) Worldly sorrow is sorrow over getting caught. Godly sorrow, on the other hand, is a miracle of God which leads a person to be truly alarmed at sinning against God. Worldly sorrow is of no benefit to a person's soul, while godly sorrow is the result of the Lord's supernatural surgery on man's heart. Keep reading