Regret

 

For godly grief and the pain God is permitted to direct, produce a repentance that leads and contributes to salvation and deliverance from evil, and it never brings regret; but worldly grief is deadly.  2 Corinthians 7:10

Can you recall something hurtful that you have said to someone else that you wish you could take back?  Sure, we all do, but some of us continue to let regret rob us of all of our joy.

There are certainly some things I wish that I could have said or done differently. But there is no sense in becoming burdened with regret over something I have absolutely no power to change.

God will always warn us prior to making a mistake or saying something hurtful so that we can change our mind before we actually make the mistake.  The enemy waits until after we have already made the mistake, long after it's too late, to heap condemnation and regret on us after there is nothing we can do about it any longer.

We must not let the enemy steal our joy any longer.  We must ask God for forgiveness and then leave our regrets in the past.

Cry For Help

 

Give your burdens to the Lord, and He will take care of you.  He will not permit the godly to slip and fall.  Psalm 55:22

 

The deeper my relationship grows with the Lord, the more I realize that He simply wants to care for me and help me whenever I ask.  Knowing this, why is it difficult to ask God for help sometimes?

You see, when we bring our burdens to God through prayer, we experience freedom from worry and anxiousness because we know that He is listening and He cares-regardless of how little or large our burdens may be.

We can receive the assurance of God’s love and concern through the promises of His Word and on our knees in prayer.

Love Is The Answer

 

Blessed is everyone who fears the Lord, who walks in His ways.  Psalm 128:1

The more I age, the more I realize that there is not one person on this earth that could possibly meet all of my needs in life.  Alicia and I will celebrate our 22nd anniversary this December, and while we are partners for life, soulmates, and still very much deeply in love, we both understand that only Jesus can fill the void deep within our souls.

This thinking has certainly changed for me as I have matured in my walk of faith.  Our spouses, children, family, and friends simply cannot take God’s place in meeting our needs; regardless of how wonderful they are.  

If you are looking to other people to meet all of your needs or trying to meet someone else’s needs, you will be sorely disappointed by looking to anyone other than God.  God is love, and only He can truly meet our every need!

Knock Me Down

 

Humble yourselves under the mighty power of God, and at the right time, He will lift you up in honor. 1 Peter 5:6

It was not too terribly long ago that I was extremely overweight and burned out from years of substance abuse.  I was lonely, on the verge of depression; my life was wrecked.  It was also not until I finally accepted the fact that I had some problems before I humbled myself and eventually asked for some help. 

Pride can prevent you from asking for the help that you need.  Humility gives you the wisdom and courage to admit your needs in any situation.  You simply won't get help-from God or from any other family member or friend-if you cannot admit you have a problem. 

When you are humble, God's power is at your disposal, and He promises to help you, regardless of any situation.  Don't let our pride stop you from getting the help you need.

Man In The Mirror

 

Pay careful attention to your own work, for then you will get satisfaction of a job well done, and you won't need to compare yourself to anyone else. Galatians 6:4

I was listening to a popular college football talk show on my way home from work yesterday and heard a coach describe how he instills values in his players.  To paraphrase, the coach something to the effect of, "if each member of this team is committed to being their best and committed to this team being the best, it doesn't matter who or what team we are playing."  What great and practical advice that can be applied in our everyday lives, hence the reason college football must surely be 'God's sport!'

Seriously, people often get stressed out when they take on activities and responsibilities for the wrong reasons.  Trust me, I have been there and it's taken me most of my adult life to be able to say "No," when I feel I am over-committing myself.

When we are considering upcoming involvements, be sure to seek God and ask Him to help you do things with the right motives.  God will help you make wiser decisions as to which activities you should commit to and the ones you should say no to.

It's only when we do things with the right motives that we will be able to work with passion and purpose and find satisfaction in a job well done!

The Power of Equality

 

We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ.  And this is true for everyone who believes, no matter who we are.  Romans 3:22

There are few things in life other than, say, oxygen, that are available to all people. The great thing about God is that salvation is available to all people.

It makes no difference to God what sins you have committed.  It does not matter who you are.  God loves all people equally and wants each one of us to be saved and live with him eternally in heaven.

When we decide that Jesus Christ is our Lord and Savior and we ask for forgiveness of our sins, we are transformed into a new creation.  In God's eyes we become clean and pure again, just like everyone who believes.

We must share this with all people and love them into a relationship with Christ, to expand God's kingdom on this earth.

Even in the Quietest Moments

 

When you pray, go away by yourself, shut the door behind you, and pray to your Father in private.  Then your Father, who sees everything, will reward you.  Matthew 6:6

It's hard sometimes to find quiet moments to spend alone with God.  This past weekend was a challenge as we were visiting our son at college for parent's weekend and of course the usual grind of the work day leaves very little time.  

One of the characteristics of Jesus is that He would often go off to be alone to pray, especially after performing miracles or teaching a group of disciples.  He was onto something and we all should make the time to spend quiet moments alone with God.

God's voice is often hard to hear and discern through all of the noise and distractions of this world.  We must give Him our time, focus, and undivided attention, just as Jesus did.