We are walking strong in the Lord. We know who we are in Christ and are secure in our destinies with Him. Then, boom, we blow it big time. When temptation comes, we reject the spiritual weapons God has given us to fight and win; and we yield to sin and not to God.
We can begin to question our identities in Christ. We can question, does God love me? We can fall into self-pity or despair. We can beat ourselves up as though punishing ourselves can make up for the sin. Or, perhaps worse, we deny the sin/sins or rationalize them away. We fail to repent and humble ourselves before God.
This creates a downward spiral in the chains of this world and our flesh. We can find ourselves adrift on the sea with no land in sight. Hopelessness can rise up to rob us of all we have in Christ. We let our emotions rule our thoughts instead of the Word and the
conviction of the Holy Spirit.
We can quench the Spirit and grieve the Holy One. Then we are in big Trouble with a capital T.
What should we do? I have found remembering the stories of David and reading Psalm 91 give me tremendous insight into being restored on the path of righteousness with God.
David blew it big time. He committed adultery. He stole another man's wife. He plotted, lied and deceived to kill her husband. He not only murdered him but had others killed in the process. He then took almost a year before he truly repented and found his way back to God. That is only because God sent his prophet to confront David.
So, never think you are too far gone in sin to come home to the Father, as the prodigal did in Jesus' story. David did and so can you. Follow with me in Psalm 51.
Cry out to God for His mercy. Trust in God's love for you. God is kind and is abundant in mercy. Ask God to blot out your transgressions. Say these sins out loud. Ask for God to wash you thoroughly from your iniquity and cleanse you from your sin.
Acknowledge your sin/sins that you have committed against God. Speak the word of truth to these transgressions. Ask to be purged by the blood of Jesus. All of this must be led by the conviction of the Holy Spirit.
David asks to hear joy and gladness. How important because your emotions will have robbed you of any true joy. Your false strongholds will bring you to worldly sorrow.
Ask for a clean and new heart, and for the restoration of the joy of your salvation; to be upheld by the generous Spirit of God. Our Lord will do this for you just as He did for David!
Once a professional baseball player with the Chicago Cubs Organization,Blake Lorenzwas called to Asbury Seminary after a radical encounter with Jesus, where he received his master's degree.He has pastored in the Orlando area for 33 years and has been blessed with the opportunity to evangelize globally, visiting five continents and preaching the gospel to tens of thousands. Blake has also helped plant 500 churches. He has been working in Israel for the past 20 years, includes serving on the board of the Jerusalem Prayer Breakfast in connection with the Knesset. In 2020, blakelorenzministries.com and the Awaken podcast launched to teach and challenge others to join him on a journey of anticipating the return of Jesus. He has used the three books he's written in his seminars and conferences. He and his wife, Beverly, share three children and six grandchildren.
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