"I now rejoice, not that you were made sorrowful, but that you were made sorrowful to the point of repentance; for you were made sorrowful according to the will of God, in order that you might not suffer loss in anything through us. For the sorrow that is according to the will of God produces a repentance without regret, leading to salvation; but the sorrow of the world produces death." (2 Corinthians 7:9-10).
“How do I know which kind of sorrow I’m experiencing?” you may ask. “They feel the same.” Determine whether your feelings reflect thoughts of truth or error, and you will identify their source. Do you feel guilty, worthless, stupid, or inept? That’s a sorrow provoked by accusation because those feelings don’t reflect truth.
Judicially, you are no longer guilty; you have been justified through your faith in Christ, and there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. You are not worthless; Jesus gave His life for you. You are not stupid or inept; you have the mind of Christ, and you can do all things through Christ who strengthens you. When you find lies lurking beneath your feelings of sorrow—especially if your feelings persistently drive you into the ground—you are being falsely accused. Even if you changed you wouldn't feel any better, because Satan would then find something else to harass you about. To disarm the sorrow of accusation you must submit yourself to God and resist the devil and his lies.
But if you are sorrowful because your behavior doesn't reflect your true identity in Christ, that’s the sorrow according to the will of God which is designed to produce repentance. It’s the Holy Spirit calling you to admit on the basis of 1 John 1:9, “Dear Lord, I was wrong.” As soon as you confess and repent, God says, “I’m glad you shared that with Me. You’re cleansed; now get on with life.” And you walk away from that confrontation free. The sorrow is gone, and you have a positive new resolve to obey God in the area of your failure."[1]
Paul provides a clear distinction between a worldly sorrow and a Godly sorrow in 2 Corinthians 7:9-10. An example in the Bible of the two types is seen in Judas compared to Peter. Judas betrayed Jesus, then succumbing to what he had done, sorrow of this world, he hung himself. Peter denied Jesus three times but his sorrow was of the will of God (Jesus did pray that His faith would not fail when satan asked to sift Peter) which lead to repentance. If your feelings of sorrow drive you from God you are being accused by the devil which leads to death, but if it draws you to God you are being convicted, yield to it through repentance which leads to life.
[1] Anderson, Neil T. (2006-12-15). The Bondage Breaker® (pp. 155-156). Harvest House Publishers. Kindle Edition.