Yesterday, my friend was distraught.
He was in great stress. He felt he’d let himself, his family and God down. He’d
made some mistakes but in the midst of his calamity, he’d forgotten all the
things he had done right.
When we’re discouraged, we tend to
forget all the things that are going right with us. We forget our past
accomplishment and things that we’ve done right. We forget that the Bible says
that our future will get brighter and brighter. A temporary setback does not define who we are but our history with God
does.
We all have areas in our lives to
improve. None of us have arrived. You may
still have a long way to go but don’t forget to stop and look how far you’ve come.
When you look at your past victories, you’ll have faith in God for your coming
exploits. Don’t get bogged down with how far you have to go, just keep going and
do the best you can. When we take time to
approve ourselves, we will fuel our future victories.
The key to your future success is not
to be affected by your past failures. Successful
people are those who get up one more time, hold on to their faith a little
longer and looks at God’s promise one more time. The greatest men of faith
in the Bible made glaring mistakes. You
have to understand that it’s not your “doing” that attracts God but it’s the
humility of our hearts that gets God’s attention.
Like I told my friend, look at all the
things you’ve done right. You took care of your family. You spent time with
your children. You went to work without complaining (Ok maybe a little bit)!
You put up with your micro-manager boss, you volunteered, you prayed, gave your
tithes and offerings, helped a neighbor, said kind words to a stranger – the
list goes on and on. I’m not suggesting let your good outweigh the bad philosophy.
The Bible says, when we humble ourselves
and confess our sins God doesn’t remember them anymore. The biggest key on
God’s computer is the delete button. Don’t torment yourself one more hour that
have happened in the past.
When
you’ve fallen short of His grace the best thing you can do is plead guilty, ask
for forgiveness and move on. Remind God that
you have a history with Him. Thank Him for the times He came through for you in
the past. Remind Him about the time He healed your child. Tell Him how you got
into your first house. Recall how He delivered you from a legal situation. God
loves history. He honors the fact that you’ve been faithful and loyal to Him.
The scripture says, come let us reason
together – He is inviting us to remind ourselves all the times He came
through for us.
I have three children. I consider
myself to be a good father. I’m a little biased but my kids are the best in the
world! I tell them that every day. They’re close but not as perfect as their
dad! They’re growing. At times they make mistakes. No matter how wrong they are
one thing they all know, as soon as they ask for forgiveness, they’re clear
with me. I don’t bring up their mistakes and they don’t remember what they did
wrong. Our Father in heaven is much better than any earthly father. God is not looking for you to make a mistake
so He can punish you; He is looking for you to do something right so that He
can bless you. Don’t punish yourself. Accept God’s free gift of grace and
mercy. Sin no more! Get on with your life and enjoy what God has in store for
you. Don’t look at your flaws look at your strengths. Your value has not
diminished. You have a history with God.
If you haven’t heard it lately, know
that you’re loved and celebrated. Shake off the dust of your past. Rectify your
wrongs and move on. You’re bigger than your
mistakes! You’re going to go places you’ve not imagined. God is not only with you, He is for you.
I believe in you! God believes in you. Now you must believe in yourself. I know you will.
“Though my father and mother forsake
me, the LORD will receive me” (Psalm 27:10 NIV).
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