Accountability and Resiliency

How many times can a person backslide? How many times can a person continue to make the same mistakes over and over and over again? How many times can a person continue to sin - day in and day out? How many times can a person ask for forgiveness - over and over and over again?

The answers to those questions don't really matter. What matters is that God's love is measureless. How do I know this? I know this because of John 3:16.

I know that all men sin and all fall short of the Glory of God. (Romans 3:23)

However, once we sin there is typically time for retrospection. During this time, we can choose to do one of two things. 1) Ask for forgiveness and pray. 2) Do nothing

It's a given that we are going fail in being pleasing in God's eyes. We all fall short. Thus, our responsibility should be to focus on accountability and resiliency.

Be accountable for our actions and ask for forgiveness by humbling ourselves toward the Lord. And being resilient by allowing the past to stay in the past. What we've done, we cannot undo. However, we can move forward and learn from our mistakes and become stronger. It's not about how many times you fall down. Its' about how many times you get up and what you do next.

If you allow it - sin will invite you to give up your relationship with God. That is the focus of the enemy - to plant seeds of doubt and deceit so that we feel unworthy or even too depressed to speak with God. This is how the enemy builds momentum... you sin and the enemy wants to keep the wheels moving. Put the breaks on this momentum by speaking a simple prayer, be accountable and resilient.

Jesus showed tremendous resiliency during his walk to Calvary. He was whipped, beaten, spit on, nailed, etc. and still He continued to His destination: The cross.

Jesus took accountability for our sins. The next time you sin, take accountability for yours. Then move forward. Don't dwell on it.

Prayer:
Father forgive me for my sinful ways. I know that I am unworthy of your love. I pray you have mercy on me and allow me to be an instrument of your Will. Help me to lead myself, my family, and others into your Kingdom. In the name of Jesus Christ I pray. Amen.

God bless you. And this is for His Glory!

Put down that stone

We've all made mistakes and have done things that we end up regretting. It's not as important as to what specifically the mistake was (because we can't undo it), it's more about how we bounce back after we acknowledge the mistake and ask for forgiveness. Essentially, it's understanding how to apply the principle of "Lessons Learned" in order to not become a repeat offender.

True Story:
Several years ago a woman was driving in her car. Without warning her windshield exploded and something very hard hit her square in the face. The woman (I'll call her Deb), ended up undergoing facial reconstruction surgery. Deb was hit by a frozen turkey that was thrown from the rear window of a speeding car by a teenage college student out for a joyride with friends.

The teenager was indicted on a first-degree assault charge and could have faced up to 25 years in prison. And then Deb stepped in. She saw the young man for the first time coming out of the courtroom. He stopped, choking and crying as he tried to apologize to her.

For an intensely emotional few minutes, Deb embraced him tightly, stroked his face and patted his back as he sobbed uncontrollably. The young man kept saying, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean it," the woman he could have killed repeated, "It's OK. It's OK. I just want you to make your life the best it can be."

Then, at Deb's insistence, prosecutors agreed to a plea bargain for the young man, giving him six months in jail and five years' probation instead of 25 years in prison. One man later said that in his 30 years as a prosecutor "he had not seen such a forgiving victim."

* * *

But Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. ²At dawn he appeared again in the temple courts, where all the people gathered around him, and he sat down to teach them. ³The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group ⁴and said to Jesus, "Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. ⁵In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?" ⁶They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him.

But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. ⁷When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, "If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her." ⁸Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground.

⁹At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there. ¹⁰Jesus straightened up and asked her, "Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?"

¹¹"No one, sir," she said.

"Then neither do I condemn you," Jesus declared. "Go now and leave your life of sin."

John 8:1-11

Final Thoughts:

Many times in life we instinctively pick up that stone in preparation to declare judgment on another persons actions. One thing we must remember is that God wants us to soften our hearts and provide love and encouragement to one another. We are blessed that our Lord allows us to redeem ourselves and is a God of second chances.

There is not a righteous man on earth
who does what is right and never sins.

Ecclesiastes 7:20

So the next time someone makes a mistake...instead of pointing a finger at them, offer them guidance and support out of compassion for their mistake. Because one day we all will stand before the final judge and will be held accountable for all of our actions.

God bless you. And this if for His Glory!

Come Home

The following short story was posted by Nancy Leigh DeMoss on her site: http://www.seekinghim.com/

(I added the 2 passages from Ephesians)

Lorna Wilkinson had just left her alcoholic husband of twenty-one years when she came across our radio program, Revive Our Hearts. There she learned about the forgiveness God is willing to extend to us. Soon she came to faith in Christ.

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast. Ephesians 2:8-9 (NIV)

Right about that time she also received news that her husband had suffered a heart attack and was in the hospital. She was convicted to go there and forgive him for the pain and chaos he had brought to their home.

“The Lord spoke in my heart and said, ‘Go and whisper in your husband's ear that he doesn't have to worry about a place to live, to come home.’"

Lorna’s life and marriage were miraculously transformed. Four months later her husband had another heart attack and was suddenly taken home to be with the Lord.

Now Lorna says, “I can’t imagine where I’d be today if I hadn’t made the choice to forgive.”

In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace
Ephesians 1:7 (NIV)

Final Thoughts and remembering 911:
Sometimes forgiveness is the one of the hardest things for us to do. Many times we devote "lip service" to the act of forgiveness, but in our hearts we may not truly mean it.

Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.
Psalm 139:23 (NIV)

God makes it very clear that if we do not forgive others their trespasses that He will not forgive our own. (Luke6:37 & Matt6:15).

On this 8th anniversary of the Sept. 11th 2001 attacks, take a moment to stop and pray for the families of those that lost friends and loved ones. Then pray for those that selflessly came to the rescue of those in need (firefighters, police officers, paramedics, and all volunteers). Finally, take another moment to pray for those that committed that terrible act. There cannot be any room in our hearts to say "never will I forgive them for what they've done". The Lord will judge each of us and He alone will have vengeance.

Dear friends, never take revenge. Leave that to the righteous anger of God. For the Scriptures say, "I will take revenge; I will pay them back,”says the Lord.
Romans 12:19 (NIV)

God bless you. And this is for His Glory!

The Wisdom of Hesitation

Please bear with me on the formatting for this post. The preview looks fine, but for some reason I am unable to get it to post in the proper format.

The following story is provided by Jim Shaver from West Virginia!

"On a cross-country journey in the summer of 2009, I stopped at a rural
New Mexico freeway rest area. I noticed an elderly gentleman with a
small dog climb into his pickup truck and leave. Moments later an
elderly woman approached the parking space with a confused expression. I
asked if she was looking for the man in the white pickup.

She confirmed and I explained I'd watched him drive onto the highway. It
was her husband; she asked to use my cell phone. When she dialed his
number his phone rang in her purse; she was unable to call him.

For nearly an hour, I and several truck drivers patiently waited with
her. Quite a crowd gathered. At times, she appeared angry and
frustrated, other times more confused and worried. Finally, a truck
driver and wife escorted her to their rig for coffee, while he used his
CB to notify other drivers to be on the lookout.

Then I saw the white truck pull back into the same parking spot. A
frantic elderly man jumped out. I let him know where his wife was. I let
his wife know her husband had returned.

They both hurriedly approached each other from across the lot until only
a few steps apart. Suddenly, they both stopped and just looked at each
other. The standoff lasted several seconds, neither uttering a word.

Then the man began to weep. He ran to her arms and sobbed
uncontrollably. After several attempts of his unintelligible attempts at
speech, she gently took her husband's cheeks into her hands, forcing him
to look into her eyes.

Over and over she said, "It's OK." I looked around through my blurring
eyes to see numerous tears flowing in the nearby crowd.

After a few moments of tears and hugging, he regained enough composure
to explain he'd realized his error within seconds of merging onto the
highway. However, there was no safe place to turn around on the divided
highway until the next exit, 12 miles away. Needing to backtrack again,
he'd driven 48 miles to return.

The wife is the real hero in this story. When the couple both first saw
each other, she had every right to unleash her anger for being
forgotten. She had every right to chastise, and belittle until her heart
was content. Most people would have vented anger on first seeing the
perpetrator.

But at that moment, even though she had every "right" to lash out, she
hesitated. By delaying her tirade, she transformed a situation of anger
and bitterness into one of unforgettable mercy and kindness. Even though
only observers, those of us who witnessed this event were graced by her
demonstration of forgiveness and genuine love.

To this day, whenever I feel slighted and ready to lash out, I think of
this experience and hesitate. Just because I have every right to be
angry, doesn't necessarily mean it's the best choice."

-Jim Shaver

“For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
Matt 6:14-15

God bless you. And this is for His Glory!

Forgiveness

How difficult do you find it to forgive someone? Can you do it at the drop of a hat? Or does it take some time for you to cool down? In order for us to fairly answer this question one must look at the transgression that took place. The difference in the transgression can and will affect most peoples judgment on the timeline to forgiveness. Never-the-less, you must forgive…irregardless of how difficult this might be.

Take heed in this verse from Matthew:

"For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses."

(Matthew 6:14-15 KJV)

Jesus’ parable of the unforgiving servant is another good example of what we're talking about here:

21Then Peter came up and said to him, "Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?"

22Jesus said to him, "I do not say to you seven times, but seventy times seven.

23"Therefore the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his servants.

24When he began the reckoning, one was brought to him whoowed him ten thousand talents;

25and as he could not pay, his lord ordered him to be sold, with his wife and children and all that he had, and payment to be made.

26So the servant fell on his knees, imploring him, 'Lord, have patience with me, and I will pay you everything.'

27And out of pity for him the lord of that servant released him and forgave him the debt.

28But that same servant, as he went out, came upon one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii; and seizing him by the throat he said, 'Pay what you owe.'

29So his fellow servant fell down and besought him, 'Have patience with me, and I will pay you.'

30He refused and went and put him in prison till he should pay the debt.

31When his fellow servants saw what had taken place, they were greatly distressed, and they went and reported to their lord all that had taken place.

32Then his lord summoned him and said to him, 'You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you besought me;

33and should not you have had mercy on your fellow servant,as I had mercy on you?'

34And in anger his lord delivered him to the jailers, till he should pay all his debt.

35So also my heavenly Father will do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother from your heart

MATTHEW 18:21-35 (RSV)

The bottom line is this ---

If you cannot forgive others of their trespasses then God will not forgive you of yours. We are not here to judge, that is for the Lord to decide. In the end, we will all answer for our actions. I see our time on earth is being a "dry run" of sorts, and either we pass or we fail the test. Passing means we enter in to the Kingdom of Heaven...and failing, well let's just say that you don't want to know whats behind "Door #2" if you know what I mean.

So let's continue with the bottom line -

We are born into sin and none of us are without sin in our lives. It is a daily commitment that one must strive to think (of God's words) before we act. It is a difficult journey, but I believe that the destination is worth every earthy hardship there is to endure.

I will leave you with a passage from the book of John:

John 8:1-11 (New International Version)

1But Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. 2At dawn he appeared again in the temple courts, where all the people gathered around him, and he sat down to teach them. 3The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group 4and said to Jesus, "Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. 5In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?" 6They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him.

But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. 7When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, "If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her." 8Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground.

9At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there. 10Jesus straightened up and asked her, "Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?"

11"No one, sir," she said. "Then neither do I condemn you," Jesus declared. "Go now and leave your life of sin."

Remember…God will never abandon you. Never loose faith in Him.

"Through God all things are possible."

God Bless you. And this is for HIS Glory!