crashing into a man’s respectable goodness; then the Holy Ghost, Who
produces these agonies, begins the formation of the Son of God in the life.
The new life will manifest itself in conscious repentance and unconscious
holiness, never the other way about. The bedrock of Christianity is repentance.
Strictly speaking, a man cannot repent when he chooses; repentance is
a gift of God. The old Puritans used to pray for 'the gift of tears.' If ever
you cease to know the virtue of repentance, you are in darkness."
Oswald Chambers, My Utmost for His Highest (classic), Dec. 7