Savage2Saint Sobriety May 13, 2026

The sacrifice you desire is a broken spirit. You will not reject a broken and repentant heart, O God. - Psalm 51:17 (NLT).

Nothing says 'I'm sorry' more than a change in our actions. We can apologize a thousand times, but an apology is just words until it's met with a genuine change in the way we act and treat others. Personally, I've apologized more times than I can count. Sometimes the person accepts my apology, and other times they don't. But most of the time they've heard my empty promises so many times that they've become numb to them. I'm not alone, because we've all done it. Saying 'sorry' has become our fixer for everything from fights with our loved ones to something we say to strangers when we cut in the line at the grocery store.

We do the same thing in our walk with the Lord. We pray prayers telling God that we're sorry and that we won't do it again, only to turn around and do it again. We tell God we'll change if He will just show up in particular areas of our lives. We tell Him that we'll do whatever He wants if only He will come through for us in our time of need. God already knew what we were going to do before we did it. He's heard a million prayers from people who wanted a genie, not a relationship with Jesus. That's why He doesn't listen to our apologies and empty promises. He goes straight to the heart of the matter to decide. He looks and listens to your heart, not your words.

The sacrifice you desire is a broken spirit. You will not reject a broken and repentant heart, O God. - Psalm 51:17 (NLT). Sacrifices are made on altars. King David tells us that God doesn't desire for us to make burnt offerings, and He doesn't require us to kill an animal for sacrificing. What God wants is for us to surrender our will to Him and let Him have total control of everything in our lives. An altar is where things go to die and when we surrender our will over to His control, we are dying to ourselves and to 0ur flesh. The old has to die in order for the new to begin.

When we die to ourselves, we can begin making the turnaround our lives desperately need. Repentance literally means to turn around. It's a complete 180-degree turn. A broken and repentant heart is a heart set on change. It's a heart set on doing whatever it takes. It's where your desire meets your determination. It's where your next chapter begins. It's where you die to your old life and find your new life in Him. God doesn't want a pound of your flesh; He just wants all of your broken pieces. Remember, an apology is just words, but a heart set on change is the key that unlocks everything God has to offer. God Bless!