If you have not already figured it out or are in deep denial, you cannot hide from God or the consequences. Which means choosing to hide is not an option. You cannot hide from your debt, your marriage, your kids, your home, your physical health and especially not God. You will have to face consequences. You now have to make other choices. What should you choose?
1. Choose to repent.
We usually like to justify our bad choices. We like to justify them by putting the blame on others or by saying we did not know better. Don't justify; just repent. Even when others may be partially to blame, you made the choice to act the way you did. You have to choose to admit your wrong doing. You have to repent to God and anyone affected by your bad choice. And if you are a parent, that means asking forgiveness from your child if he/she is affected by the consequences. God will forgive and more than likely your child, your spouse or your friend will forgive a true repentance. It may take time, but they usually will.
2. Choose to accept forgiveness and grace.
This step is harder for me. I can ask for forgiveness a lot easier than I can forgive myself. I know how much God loves me. I know how amazing His grace is. I know His love is unconditional. I know He forgives me. But I let the enemy convince me time and time again how unworthy I am and that I have messed up too much. And I am unworthy. I deserve death for my sins, but Christ already took that punishment. Tears come to my eyes as I think about what He did for me on that cross. So why do I, we, deny ourselves by not accepting His forgives and grace completely? Why do we think what we have done is too bad? The verses, "Amazing grace how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me," and "Oh how He loves you, Oh how He loves me, Oh how He loves you and me," and "What can make me whole again, nothing but the blood of Jesus," come to mind right now. Grace has been given to us. He loves you and me. His blood washes away our sins and makes us whole again. I believe it, I know you believe it. Now lets please choose to accept it. Let's not deny the gift that has been given to us. Choose not to believe the lies but the truth.
3. Choose now to make a choice that is in God's will
We made a bad choice. We will face certain consequences. But it is never too late to make a choice and get our lives back in God's will.
If it has been bad financial choices, you must choose to give your finances to God. You give to Him first and make a commitment to get out of debt. You take care of your needs first. Your wants will have to wait until you are out of debt. And even when spending money on needs, please do it wisely. Budget your needs. Spend wisely. Now there are many great biblical studies out there on finances. I encourage you to find one if you need help.
If it's choices that have put your marriage in jeopardy, then please seek biblical counseling. Please choose to pray together. Choose to communicate. Choose to forgive each other. If your spouse is not a believer, you may have to seek counseling alone and pray alone. But choose to do those things.
If it is an addiction to pornography, please seek help and put software on your computer to prevent it. Most importantly get software that lets someone else see what you are doing on the computer and hold you accountable.
If it is choices that have hurt your children, please choose to communicate with your children. Choose to share about God's grace. Choose to pray together. They are smart even when they are little. You can teach them as you learn from your own lessons.
If it is jealousy and meanness that has gotten a hold of you, you have to choose to look at what God has done, is doing and will do for you. You have to choose to put your focus back on God, not on others.
Whatever bad choice you have made, you can repent and give your life to God. Please choose to do so. There is nothing that cannot be forgiven and healed. God forgives. You have to choose to not repeat the bad choices, but make the wise choice and be obedient.
"16"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 18Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son. 19This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. 20Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. 21But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God." John 3:16-21
"11In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. 12Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. 13Do not offer the parts of your body to sin, as instruments of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God, as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer the parts of your body to him as instruments of righteousness. 14For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law, but under grace." Romans 6:11-14
"19I put this in human terms because you are weak in your natural selves. Just as you used to offer the parts of your body in slavery to impurity and to ever-increasing wickedness, so now offer them in slavery to righteousness leading to holiness. 20When you were slaves to sin, you were free from the control of righteousness. 21What benefit did you reap at that time from the things you are now ashamed of? Those things result in death! 22But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves to God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life. 23For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in[ Christ Jesus our Lord." Romans 6:19-23
No comments:
Post a Comment