You want your repentance to work, right? You want your repentance to be effective in making you right before a Holy God, correct? If so, there is something very important that you need to understand:

Regret is not repentance.

Regret is primarily sorrow for the pain you've brought upon yourself. Regret is disappointment for how your actions have negatively impacted you. Regret is wishing you would have done something different so you could have experienced a different result. Regret is all about you.

Repentance is something totally different.

Repentance is sorrow for the pain you've brought upon God. Repentance is disappointment for your sins against God. Repentance is wishing you would have done something different so that God would have been pleased rather than grieved. Repentance is all about God.

Regret is about your ego. Repentance is about God's glory.
Regret is about your image. Repentance is about God's majesty.
Regret is about your circumstances. Repentance is about God's kingdom.

Regret is all about you. Repentance is all about God.

“Godly sorrow produces repentance and reformation, and will end in salvation; but worldly sorrow worketh death.”

— Matthew Henry

Regret makes you mad. Repentance makes you humble.
Regret draws you inward. Repentance points you upward.
Regret causes frustration. Repentance births faithfulness.

Regret is an expression of the self while repentance is a work of the Spirit.

Are you regretful or are you repentant?

Leaning into the former will only bring you grief while committing yourself to the latter will surely bring you grace.

Choose repentance.

Choose being broken over breaking the heart of God.
Choose experiencing sorrow for bringing God sorrow.
Choose feeling pained by the pain you've made God feel.

Choose repentance.

GRACE AWAITS.