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Donnie McClurkin, Repentance and Forgiving Yourself

Writer's picture: Staci SweetStaci Sweet


Yesterday, I read a post that said the incomparable three-time Grammy Award, ten-time Stellar Award, two BET and Soul Train Award, and one-time Dove and NAACP Award winning1, Donnie McClurkin, had undergone surgery ‘to remove precancer tissue from his throat2.’ While praying for him in the Spirit, the Lord dropped 2 Timothy 2:25 into my spirit. It says, ‘in humility correcting those who are in opposition, if God perhaps will grant them repentance, so that they may know the truth.’ Notice the word ‘grant’. When you are granted something, it is given; sort of like a gift. Therefore, when I read that verse, I always say, ‘the gift of repentance’ because when you think about it repentance is just that.


The Gift of Repentance


You see, repentance isn’t just a gift that allows God to forgive us, but it also makes a way for us to forgive ourselves. When we repent, we not only receive forgiveness for our sins, but we’re also in a position to be healed, break free of addictions, habits and people and receive everything God has for us. It’s when we don’t repent that we’ll continue to carry the guilt and shame. A working example of this is found in Mark 2:1-5; which says, ‘and…Jesus entered…in the house. Immediately many gathered… so that there was no longer room…And He preached the word to them. Then they came to Him, bringing a paralytic who was carried by four men…when Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven you.” Why did Jesus tell him that? It’s because the Lord knew that he was being tormented by guilt. It’s as if that man knew the exact decision that led to his paralytic state which is why the Lord addressed the underlying issue that was preventing him from walking. Once He did, the man was able to receive his healing and literally walk into his victory and the same may be true for you.


Benefits of Repentance


Repentance is fourfold in that within it, you are able to:

  1. Get right with God and stop or start doing what you need to.

  2. Receive forgiveness so that you no longer carry the guilt and shame.

  3. Forgive others, and more importantly….

  4. Forgive yourself.

Now I see why John the Baptist said, ‘Repent…prepare the way of the Lord; make His paths straight.’ (Mt 3:2, 3) It’s because repentance clears the path for God to come in and address the underlying hindrances that had once blocked Him from blessing you. For the paralytic, his underlying issue was guilt in which he had to forgive himself and perhaps, so should you. Are you carrying any guilt or shame? If so, ask yourself if you’ve truly repented and sought God for forgiveness. Ask the Lord to forgive you so that you can stop feeling guilty about it. If afterwards you still feel guilty, then you haven’t accepted the fact that God has forgiven you or you believe that you shouldn’t be forgiven. Neither of which is true. Matthew 12:31 says, ‘Therefore I say to you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven men.’ If you haven’t spoken against the Holy Spirit, then know that you can be forgiven. All you have to do is ask and receive. So…


Pray this with me: Heavenly Father, I ask You to forgive me for ___________________________. I’m so sorry for what I did. Lord thank You for forgiving me and helping me to forgive myself. Isaiah 43:25, says that You ‘[blot] out [my] transgressions for [Your] own sake; and…will not remember [my] sins.’ Lord, I thank You for forgiving and not remembering my sins. Now I ask You to help me not remember my own. In Jesus’ name.


How I got all of this out of praying for Mr. McClurkin, I don’t know. But how God must love him to use his life to remind us of this message. Let’s take a moment and pray for Mr. McClurkin.


Pray this with me: Heavenly Father, I pray that You would give Mr. McClurkin a Word and/or a confession and that will give him light for his situation and healing. I ask You to give him spiritual, physical, and mental strength because I know he is tired of dealing with sickness. I pray that You’d send laborers with teachings on healing from the likes of Bro. Kenneth E. Hagin, Sis. Gloria Copeland and Bro.Keith Moore, so that he can immerse himself on healing and get his health and strength back. And Lord I thank You for a speedy recovery and that You will cause him to recover every note, lyric, song, time, and opportunity the enemy has stolen. In Jesus’ name.


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SOURCES

1 - Brainz, Music. “Donnie McClurkin.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 10 June 2018




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