Read 2 Peter 3:1-2
A Christian man is building a table in his garage. He hits his thumb with the hammer and yells out an expletive. He swears like a trooper in no uncertain terms. Unfortunately this is his regular habit when things go wrong or when he bangs his thumb. Can he change? Can he relearn new habits? Can he have victory?
As we’ve seen already, to be victorious we need a strategy. Remember that soccer team that started thinking about a strategy as the game was about to start? God Himself gives us a strategy in the battle for the mind. Read vs 2. See the strategy? It’s about recalling or remembering Scripture. Recalling Scripture to mind is a great way to help yourself gain wholesome thoughts.
Years ago I sat an exam that I made up for myself. I challenge you to do it now. Back then I failed. I pray you won’t. I challenged myself to write down 10 verses of Scripture. Can you do that? Try it now! Get a piece of paper, a pen and stop to write down 10 verses of Scripture.
How did you go? It’s not as easy as it looks. We need to be filling our head with the Bible, the Word of God so that we can always be asking ourselves ‘What does God think of this?’ When we see an inappropriate scene on the TV we can ask ourselves ‘What does God think of this?’ If we know the Bible we can answer quickly. (Make sure to turn the TV off or fast forward the inappropriate bit - you don’t need to watch it to consider what God thinks!!). When a team scores because they cheated, what does God think? When you are made a tempting offer, what does God think? When you get a pay rise, what does God think? When I say ask yourself this question I’m not suggesting that you give a sort answer like ‘It’s evil’ but give that kind of answer with a Scripture verse to back up what your answer. “It’s evil because the Word of God says….”.
By asking yourself this question constantly throughout the day you are deliberately recalling Scripture. You are deliberately taking every thought captive and making every thought obedient to Christ. You are training yourself to think in godly ways. You are being renewed in your mind and you are ceasing to act and think in accord with the pattern of this world.
If our eager builder were to use this strategy I suspect he’d see rapid change in his swearing habits. But more on that tomorrow. Stay tuned. Same bat time. Same bat channel.
Prayer:
V Pray for Pastor James Musa Rike with the resent passing of his wife Dune and for their 13 year old daughter Sum involved in an Islamic extremist attack.
V Pray for the victims of the Islamic Extremist attack on churches in Cairo, Egypt.
Thursday, 30 June 2011
Wednesday, 29 June 2011
Wednesday June 29, 2011
Read 2 Peter 3:1
The word ‘stimulate’ has interesting connotations doesn't it? What comes up in your mind as you hear the word? Peter wants to spur us on, to motivate us, to wholesome thinking. The Greek words for ‘wholesome thinking’ could be literally translated as ‘a sincere mind’ or ‘unmixed intelligence’. God doesn’t want our thought life to be a mix of good thoughts, bad thoughts, wholesome thoughts and lustful thoughts, forgiveness and forgiveness. He wants our
thoughts to be pure, unmixed and sincere.
As we saw yesterday, this is where the battle field really lies. As you consider your thought life, would you summarise it as ‘wholesome’? Would you say that your mind is filled with unmixed intelligence? Would you say that your mind was pure or sincere?
This is perhaps the hardest thing that we have to do as believers. Taking every thought captive and making them all obedient to Christ is a 24/7 effort that we can never take a break from. It’s down right hard yakka! But don’t let that scare you away. Read the following passages and spend a bit of time asking God how you can put them into practice in your own life.
Proverbs 4:23 -
Psalm 119:11 -
1 Cor 15:33 -
Job 30:1 -
Here’s some ideas that may help you to be stimulated to wholesome, unmixed thinking. Be very careful of what you see and hear. If you are regularly hearing and seeing things that displease God or lead you into temptation, get rid of the source, as much as you can. Get rid of the TV. Turn off the radio or listen to Christ honouring music. Put a filter on the computer. Start learning Bible verses that speak to your heart. Memorise them. Aim for 1 verse a day to be put into your noggin. Learn bible verse songs. If you are musical start writing verses to music so we non-musical buffs can be blessed. The bell has rung. It’s time to come out of your corner fighting.
Prayer:
V Itchin’4Stitching, praise God for the consistency and commitment of the ladies who meet each month and for their willingness to learn and sew quilts for the new Teen Challenge Girls facility.
V Read 1 John 1:9 and confess some of the bad choices you have made. Spend time rejoicing in God’s forgiveness and purification.
V Pray that your brothers and sisters in the congregation would be making godly choices as well.
The word ‘stimulate’ has interesting connotations doesn't it? What comes up in your mind as you hear the word? Peter wants to spur us on, to motivate us, to wholesome thinking. The Greek words for ‘wholesome thinking’ could be literally translated as ‘a sincere mind’ or ‘unmixed intelligence’. God doesn’t want our thought life to be a mix of good thoughts, bad thoughts, wholesome thoughts and lustful thoughts, forgiveness and forgiveness. He wants our
thoughts to be pure, unmixed and sincere.
As we saw yesterday, this is where the battle field really lies. As you consider your thought life, would you summarise it as ‘wholesome’? Would you say that your mind is filled with unmixed intelligence? Would you say that your mind was pure or sincere?
This is perhaps the hardest thing that we have to do as believers. Taking every thought captive and making them all obedient to Christ is a 24/7 effort that we can never take a break from. It’s down right hard yakka! But don’t let that scare you away. Read the following passages and spend a bit of time asking God how you can put them into practice in your own life.
Proverbs 4:23 -
Psalm 119:11 -
1 Cor 15:33 -
Job 30:1 -
Here’s some ideas that may help you to be stimulated to wholesome, unmixed thinking. Be very careful of what you see and hear. If you are regularly hearing and seeing things that displease God or lead you into temptation, get rid of the source, as much as you can. Get rid of the TV. Turn off the radio or listen to Christ honouring music. Put a filter on the computer. Start learning Bible verses that speak to your heart. Memorise them. Aim for 1 verse a day to be put into your noggin. Learn bible verse songs. If you are musical start writing verses to music so we non-musical buffs can be blessed. The bell has rung. It’s time to come out of your corner fighting.
Prayer:
V Itchin’4Stitching, praise God for the consistency and commitment of the ladies who meet each month and for their willingness to learn and sew quilts for the new Teen Challenge Girls facility.
V Read 1 John 1:9 and confess some of the bad choices you have made. Spend time rejoicing in God’s forgiveness and purification.
V Pray that your brothers and sisters in the congregation would be making godly choices as well.
Tuesday, 28 June 2011
Tuesday June 28, 2011
Read Philippians 4:8-9; Ephesians 2:8-10
I’ve heard world class athletes and sportsmen/women say that being number 1 is as much about mental preparation as it is about physical work. They know what we need to know - distractions are a bad thing and cause us to wander off track. Staying focused is what counts.
Satan wants nothing more than to have you distracted from the Christian work that God has prepared in advance for you to do. He wants to fill your mind with non Christian songs, lusts and fantasies, to do lists, day dreams, worries and ANYTHING else that will stop you from linking to God and getting involved in His work and plans. Just think for a moment. How often do you sit quietly and think deeply about God and His Word? How often do you sit alone with God and ask about His plans for your life? How often do you make time to dig deep into the Word to really understand the plan of God for your life? I can almost bet that the answer is ‘Not very often, if at all’. I’ve been there and answered that for my own life as well!
If satan clouds your mind and drowns out the voice of the Holy Spirit he has won the battle. These clouds and drowning noises will stop you from being involved in God’s work. These things will lead you into sin and temptation because you are not in God’s work. The void left by neglecting God’s things will be filled with self - self pleasure, self gratification, self promotion and so on.
Here’s the low down! As a believer in Jesus Christ, a follower of Jesus, you are Spirit filled. God, through His Holy Spirit, dwells in you. You have the God given power to take every thought captive, to push out negative thoughts and to focus on Christ Jesus. You can be victorious in your thought life and that victory will flow out to the rest of your life!
When you have a negative or sinful thought, immediately say something like ‘Away from me satan. I will meditate only upon the things of Jesus Christ’. Immediately start reciting a scripture verse to yourself. Pretty soon you’ll be thinking wholesome and godly thoughts day in, day out.
Prayer:
V Please pray that we will each, in our own unique way, take up the call to “make disciples” and further the movement of Jesus.
V That God will guide Student Life leaders in their strategic planning.
V Pray for the national office team as it is relocated to Brisbane – pray for new office, new homes, school, churches and friendships.
Developing Godly Habits #1
To capture your thoughts and to make them obedient to Christ, you need to start listening to what’s going on inside your mind/thoughts. As soon as you find an ungodly thought (lust, coveting, selfishness, unforgiveness etc) you need to remove that thought and replace it with something godly.
A great godly thought to have constantly in your head is to remember Scripture either as a verse or as a song. There are many artists in the world who put bible verses to music. Learn some and sing them to yourself constantly throughout the day.
What will happen? Rather than thinking about lusts, covetings, revenge etc you will be focussing on Christ. Victory will be coming your way more often.
I’ve heard world class athletes and sportsmen/women say that being number 1 is as much about mental preparation as it is about physical work. They know what we need to know - distractions are a bad thing and cause us to wander off track. Staying focused is what counts.
Satan wants nothing more than to have you distracted from the Christian work that God has prepared in advance for you to do. He wants to fill your mind with non Christian songs, lusts and fantasies, to do lists, day dreams, worries and ANYTHING else that will stop you from linking to God and getting involved in His work and plans. Just think for a moment. How often do you sit quietly and think deeply about God and His Word? How often do you sit alone with God and ask about His plans for your life? How often do you make time to dig deep into the Word to really understand the plan of God for your life? I can almost bet that the answer is ‘Not very often, if at all’. I’ve been there and answered that for my own life as well!
If satan clouds your mind and drowns out the voice of the Holy Spirit he has won the battle. These clouds and drowning noises will stop you from being involved in God’s work. These things will lead you into sin and temptation because you are not in God’s work. The void left by neglecting God’s things will be filled with self - self pleasure, self gratification, self promotion and so on.
Here’s the low down! As a believer in Jesus Christ, a follower of Jesus, you are Spirit filled. God, through His Holy Spirit, dwells in you. You have the God given power to take every thought captive, to push out negative thoughts and to focus on Christ Jesus. You can be victorious in your thought life and that victory will flow out to the rest of your life!
When you have a negative or sinful thought, immediately say something like ‘Away from me satan. I will meditate only upon the things of Jesus Christ’. Immediately start reciting a scripture verse to yourself. Pretty soon you’ll be thinking wholesome and godly thoughts day in, day out.
Prayer:
V Please pray that we will each, in our own unique way, take up the call to “make disciples” and further the movement of Jesus.
V That God will guide Student Life leaders in their strategic planning.
V Pray for the national office team as it is relocated to Brisbane – pray for new office, new homes, school, churches and friendships.
Developing Godly Habits #1
To capture your thoughts and to make them obedient to Christ, you need to start listening to what’s going on inside your mind/thoughts. As soon as you find an ungodly thought (lust, coveting, selfishness, unforgiveness etc) you need to remove that thought and replace it with something godly.
A great godly thought to have constantly in your head is to remember Scripture either as a verse or as a song. There are many artists in the world who put bible verses to music. Learn some and sing them to yourself constantly throughout the day.
What will happen? Rather than thinking about lusts, covetings, revenge etc you will be focussing on Christ. Victory will be coming your way more often.
Monday, 27 June 2011
Monday June 27, 2011
Read Romans 12:1-3
A soccer team runs onto the field. They’re matched up against the best team in the competition. As they are ready up for the kick-off the captain yells out to the team, ’Ok. What’s our strategy for this match?’ You can guess which team will win can’t you? You can tell that this team isn’t really serious about soccer and has no idea. You can tell that this team is totally unprepared, can’t you?
Sometimes our Christian lives can slip into a similar pattern of disarray! Life is busy. Life is demanding. There seems to be a never ending array of places to go, things to do, people to see, errands to run and so on... ad infinitum. And our relationship with God falls by the wayside. Our Christian service suffers. Our output dies!
Like that soccer team we need a strategy for Christian living. We need a plan of attack that will carry us through the tough and rough patches. We need a strategy that will carry us through to victory, even when the flames of temptation and persecution burn higher.
Romans 12:1-3 is our strategy. But notice firstly that it arises out of God’s mercy! Everything we do is a gracious response to the love and mercy God has given us. So out of that mercy, or motivated by that mercy we offer our bodies (our actions and our selves) as living sacrifices. Hear the contradiction clearly. Sacrifices were meant to die. We are to take up our cross and follow Jesus each and every day. We are to look out for ways to serve Him, to promote His kingdom and to bless others with His love.
We are to stop living in the ways of the world. That means we must assess everything we do and everything we are involved in upon the scales of Scripture. “Would God be pleased with…,” is a good question to ask about everything we do and get involved in.
Added to this, we are to be totally changed from the inside out. We need to change the way we think. We need to renew our mind so that it conforms to the teachings of Scripture. That’s a life long process. I need to start thinking about things (money, spouse, children, house, car, job, assets, friends, enemies, toileting habits etc) in ways that Scripture conform to Scripture. To do this effectively, I need to be in the Word constantly and asking myself how the Word has to change the way I think. I need to be letting God’s word form my thinking and change, where necessary, my perceptions. Why not start today?
Prayer:
V Pray for opportunities for you to spread God’s Word among your community.
V Pray that you are open and willing to carry out God’s will for your life.
V Pray that God will give you the strength to proclaim your faith and to reach out to those around you.
V Meditate on Galatians 6:7-10 spend time praising God for the truth. Ask Him to show you how this has been true in your own life.
A soccer team runs onto the field. They’re matched up against the best team in the competition. As they are ready up for the kick-off the captain yells out to the team, ’Ok. What’s our strategy for this match?’ You can guess which team will win can’t you? You can tell that this team isn’t really serious about soccer and has no idea. You can tell that this team is totally unprepared, can’t you?
Sometimes our Christian lives can slip into a similar pattern of disarray! Life is busy. Life is demanding. There seems to be a never ending array of places to go, things to do, people to see, errands to run and so on... ad infinitum. And our relationship with God falls by the wayside. Our Christian service suffers. Our output dies!
Like that soccer team we need a strategy for Christian living. We need a plan of attack that will carry us through the tough and rough patches. We need a strategy that will carry us through to victory, even when the flames of temptation and persecution burn higher.
Romans 12:1-3 is our strategy. But notice firstly that it arises out of God’s mercy! Everything we do is a gracious response to the love and mercy God has given us. So out of that mercy, or motivated by that mercy we offer our bodies (our actions and our selves) as living sacrifices. Hear the contradiction clearly. Sacrifices were meant to die. We are to take up our cross and follow Jesus each and every day. We are to look out for ways to serve Him, to promote His kingdom and to bless others with His love.
We are to stop living in the ways of the world. That means we must assess everything we do and everything we are involved in upon the scales of Scripture. “Would God be pleased with…,” is a good question to ask about everything we do and get involved in.
Added to this, we are to be totally changed from the inside out. We need to change the way we think. We need to renew our mind so that it conforms to the teachings of Scripture. That’s a life long process. I need to start thinking about things (money, spouse, children, house, car, job, assets, friends, enemies, toileting habits etc) in ways that Scripture conform to Scripture. To do this effectively, I need to be in the Word constantly and asking myself how the Word has to change the way I think. I need to be letting God’s word form my thinking and change, where necessary, my perceptions. Why not start today?
Prayer:
V Pray for opportunities for you to spread God’s Word among your community.
V Pray that you are open and willing to carry out God’s will for your life.
V Pray that God will give you the strength to proclaim your faith and to reach out to those around you.
V Meditate on Galatians 6:7-10 spend time praising God for the truth. Ask Him to show you how this has been true in your own life.
Saturday, 25 June 2011
Saturday June 25, 2011
Read Mark 14:22-28
Imagine what it would have been like for Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane. One of His own disciples has left to betray Him. He knows that He is about to bear the entire wrath of God for the sins of the entire world upon His shoulders. (John 1:29) The one who had been eternally united with the Father was about to be ripped away from Him for your sins and for my sins and for the other 20 billion people’s (those who have lived to date) sins in the world. Jesus must have been unimaginably burdened.
Can you grasp why He prayed "Abba, Father," He said, "everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will."? As He came back to the disciples He found them heavy with sleep. They could not keep watch for even one hour. He said to them, “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak." If we are to avoid temptation and if we are to do the Lord’s will rather than our own, we are to watch and pray.
But what do I watch for? Anything that will move you even one slight iota away from the Lord, anything that will tempt you to do things, think things or say things that are contrary to God’s liking. Keep watch as a soldier on night duty keeps watch for the enemy. Satan will not spare you his attacks. He will not be nice to you. When you least expect it, he will attack. You and your team mates must keep watch.
But you must also be praying. But what should I pray for? Pray, like Jesus did, that God’s will be done. Pray that you will stand firm and strong in the face of temptation. Pray too for your comrades.
After Jesus tells us to watch and pray, He reveals to us an amazing truth about the Christian state. The Spirit is willing. The Holy Spirit within you wants to lead you in holiness. He wants to lead you in victory. He wants to give you success in your fight against the enemy. He wants to see you rise up from the ashes! But the body is weak. Our bodies have natural desires and lusts. Our bodies crave and yearn and pull us in the wrong direction. Our bodies need sleep and food and comfort and… the evil one exploits all of these to get at God and to make a mockery of His Son Jesus through YOU.
Jesus, our master and commander in chief has given us a battle plan. We would do well to follow His advice. We are to keep watch because our bodies are weak. We are to pray constantly because the Spirit is indeed willing.
Prayer:-
V Pray for God’s provision for all the resources needed for the Holiday Kids Club here at Christlife.
V Pray that all the helpers needed to run this Holiday Programme will be swift in stepping forward.
V Praise God now for the many children from the community who will attend.
Imagine what it would have been like for Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane. One of His own disciples has left to betray Him. He knows that He is about to bear the entire wrath of God for the sins of the entire world upon His shoulders. (John 1:29) The one who had been eternally united with the Father was about to be ripped away from Him for your sins and for my sins and for the other 20 billion people’s (those who have lived to date) sins in the world. Jesus must have been unimaginably burdened.
Can you grasp why He prayed "Abba, Father," He said, "everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will."? As He came back to the disciples He found them heavy with sleep. They could not keep watch for even one hour. He said to them, “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak." If we are to avoid temptation and if we are to do the Lord’s will rather than our own, we are to watch and pray.
But what do I watch for? Anything that will move you even one slight iota away from the Lord, anything that will tempt you to do things, think things or say things that are contrary to God’s liking. Keep watch as a soldier on night duty keeps watch for the enemy. Satan will not spare you his attacks. He will not be nice to you. When you least expect it, he will attack. You and your team mates must keep watch.
But you must also be praying. But what should I pray for? Pray, like Jesus did, that God’s will be done. Pray that you will stand firm and strong in the face of temptation. Pray too for your comrades.
After Jesus tells us to watch and pray, He reveals to us an amazing truth about the Christian state. The Spirit is willing. The Holy Spirit within you wants to lead you in holiness. He wants to lead you in victory. He wants to give you success in your fight against the enemy. He wants to see you rise up from the ashes! But the body is weak. Our bodies have natural desires and lusts. Our bodies crave and yearn and pull us in the wrong direction. Our bodies need sleep and food and comfort and… the evil one exploits all of these to get at God and to make a mockery of His Son Jesus through YOU.
Jesus, our master and commander in chief has given us a battle plan. We would do well to follow His advice. We are to keep watch because our bodies are weak. We are to pray constantly because the Spirit is indeed willing.
Prayer:-
V Pray for God’s provision for all the resources needed for the Holiday Kids Club here at Christlife.
V Pray that all the helpers needed to run this Holiday Programme will be swift in stepping forward.
V Praise God now for the many children from the community who will attend.
Friday, 24 June 2011
Friday June 24, 2011
Read 1 Corinthians 10:13; Matthew 4:1-11
I know as much about temptation as any man on this planet. So do you. If you are not a man but a woman, you know all about feminine temptations as well. You know as much as any other female in this world! This is true because temptation is common to all of us. We are all human and we are all tempted. We are often tempted in different areas but we are all tempted. Even Jesus was tempted.
When we are staring temptation in the face and the hook is sinking in, we need to remember 1 Corinthians 10:13. This is our life line to victory and godliness. This is where being a real man or genuine woman of Christ really cuts it.
God assures us that He will provide us a way out from temptation. He will provide us a way out so that we can stand up under it. The passage is NOT saying God will necessarily open the exit door immediately but that He will have an open door so that during the temptation we can stand and not fall. It’s like weight training and muscle toning. We have to do some hard work to grow our muscles and to improve our tone. If we always take the easy option we’ll be 2 pound weaklings that fall over in a breeze! God is testing our muscles of faith and growing us in strength. In the midst of temptation, be comforted and rest assured that God will open the escape hatch as soon as He is ready.
But when temptation starts you can and should be doing several things. Firstly cry out to God and seek Him immediately. Don’t dally and play with temptation because the barbs will cut into you and cause damage. Secondly, use Scripture as Jesus did. Read it. Recite it. Recall it. Whatever! Use Scripture. Call a team mate over to help. Get on the phone, the sms or email or even drop in to see them. At all costs get others praying for you too.
God works in great ways when we turn to Him. As we cry out to our Saviour for release from the grip of temptation he will do one of many possible things. He may give us the supernatural strength to simply walk away. He may remove the temptation. He may bring a brother or sister along to support us. He may intervene in some amazing way to relieve the temptation.
Remember the story of the little boy that thought playing with a detonator would be fun? It blew his hands off. Sin and temptation are a detonator that will blow up and cause you much heart ache and misery. Don’t be silly enough to think that no one gets hurt if you play with them for a little while.
You will get hurt and so will others that you love and cherish. When temptation knocks on the door of your heart, knock on God’s door IMMEDIDATELY.
Prayer:-
V Praise God for the large number of families who attended MOPS last week.
V Pray that meaningful relationships will continue to be built and nurtured.
I know as much about temptation as any man on this planet. So do you. If you are not a man but a woman, you know all about feminine temptations as well. You know as much as any other female in this world! This is true because temptation is common to all of us. We are all human and we are all tempted. We are often tempted in different areas but we are all tempted. Even Jesus was tempted.
When we are staring temptation in the face and the hook is sinking in, we need to remember 1 Corinthians 10:13. This is our life line to victory and godliness. This is where being a real man or genuine woman of Christ really cuts it.
God assures us that He will provide us a way out from temptation. He will provide us a way out so that we can stand up under it. The passage is NOT saying God will necessarily open the exit door immediately but that He will have an open door so that during the temptation we can stand and not fall. It’s like weight training and muscle toning. We have to do some hard work to grow our muscles and to improve our tone. If we always take the easy option we’ll be 2 pound weaklings that fall over in a breeze! God is testing our muscles of faith and growing us in strength. In the midst of temptation, be comforted and rest assured that God will open the escape hatch as soon as He is ready.
But when temptation starts you can and should be doing several things. Firstly cry out to God and seek Him immediately. Don’t dally and play with temptation because the barbs will cut into you and cause damage. Secondly, use Scripture as Jesus did. Read it. Recite it. Recall it. Whatever! Use Scripture. Call a team mate over to help. Get on the phone, the sms or email or even drop in to see them. At all costs get others praying for you too.
God works in great ways when we turn to Him. As we cry out to our Saviour for release from the grip of temptation he will do one of many possible things. He may give us the supernatural strength to simply walk away. He may remove the temptation. He may bring a brother or sister along to support us. He may intervene in some amazing way to relieve the temptation.
Remember the story of the little boy that thought playing with a detonator would be fun? It blew his hands off. Sin and temptation are a detonator that will blow up and cause you much heart ache and misery. Don’t be silly enough to think that no one gets hurt if you play with them for a little while.
You will get hurt and so will others that you love and cherish. When temptation knocks on the door of your heart, knock on God’s door IMMEDIDATELY.
Prayer:-
V Praise God for the large number of families who attended MOPS last week.
V Pray that meaningful relationships will continue to be built and nurtured.
Thursday, 23 June 2011
Thursday June 23, 2011
Read Daniel 11:35; Matthew 26:33-34, 69-75
Sometimes when we fall into sin we feel terrible don’t we? At those low times we find it hard to forgive ourselves and might even end up hating ourselves. The depression can set in and the downward spiral can begin again. It may take weeks or even months to climb up the ladder again.
It’s in those downtimes that we really need to hear the truth that God is Lord and is still sovereign when I have sinned. God is so sovereign that He even has a plan in our sins. Even my sins work for the greater good of God’s plans. That’s hard to get our heads around isn’t it?
Think about Peter and you’ll see what I mean. Peter was adamant that he would die with Jesus if he had to. Not long after that, Jesus was arrested. Peter had the opportunity to stand up and die with Jesus. Three times he was challenged and three times (even with a curse) he denied knowing Jesus. Peter was so traumatised by his denial, and rightly so, that he went out and wept bitterly. But the resurrected Jesus (see John 21) reinstated Peter and confirmed His love for him. But to see God’s sovereignty in the whole affair, think about what would have happened if Peter did stand up and declare himself a follower of Jesus. He too would have been arrested. He too would have been falsely tried and sent to the cross. He too would have died that very day. God had plans for Peter’s life. His denial did not alter God’s plans or catch Him by surprise. God was working, even through Peter’s sin.
As Daniel reminds us, sometimes God allows us to fall into sin so that we might grow in holiness, righteousness and zeal for the Lord. He uses our sins for his purposes. When we are down about our sins, self pity and hatred are not the order of the day. Looking at God and His sovereignty is. We can be cheered and encouraged knowing that God is at work. Rather than eating ourselves up, we need to take stock of ourselves, see what we have learnt from our sinful ways and learn to take more precaution next time. We need to let our resolve not to sin grow as we climb out of the pit. Even after you have sinned, God will forgive you, love you and reinstate you through the power of forgiveness. Turn to Him and resist the urge to stare in the mirror.
Prayer:-
V Pray for the health and wellbeing of our King’s Kids Sponsor children in Indonesia. Willy is 8 and lives with his parents at a relative’s home. His favourite Bible passage is the story of Jacob and Esau. He asks for prayer for his family, Nia is 4 and lives with her mum, dad and sister Via. She asks for prayer for her sister, grandma, mum and dad.
Sometimes when we fall into sin we feel terrible don’t we? At those low times we find it hard to forgive ourselves and might even end up hating ourselves. The depression can set in and the downward spiral can begin again. It may take weeks or even months to climb up the ladder again.
It’s in those downtimes that we really need to hear the truth that God is Lord and is still sovereign when I have sinned. God is so sovereign that He even has a plan in our sins. Even my sins work for the greater good of God’s plans. That’s hard to get our heads around isn’t it?
Think about Peter and you’ll see what I mean. Peter was adamant that he would die with Jesus if he had to. Not long after that, Jesus was arrested. Peter had the opportunity to stand up and die with Jesus. Three times he was challenged and three times (even with a curse) he denied knowing Jesus. Peter was so traumatised by his denial, and rightly so, that he went out and wept bitterly. But the resurrected Jesus (see John 21) reinstated Peter and confirmed His love for him. But to see God’s sovereignty in the whole affair, think about what would have happened if Peter did stand up and declare himself a follower of Jesus. He too would have been arrested. He too would have been falsely tried and sent to the cross. He too would have died that very day. God had plans for Peter’s life. His denial did not alter God’s plans or catch Him by surprise. God was working, even through Peter’s sin.
As Daniel reminds us, sometimes God allows us to fall into sin so that we might grow in holiness, righteousness and zeal for the Lord. He uses our sins for his purposes. When we are down about our sins, self pity and hatred are not the order of the day. Looking at God and His sovereignty is. We can be cheered and encouraged knowing that God is at work. Rather than eating ourselves up, we need to take stock of ourselves, see what we have learnt from our sinful ways and learn to take more precaution next time. We need to let our resolve not to sin grow as we climb out of the pit. Even after you have sinned, God will forgive you, love you and reinstate you through the power of forgiveness. Turn to Him and resist the urge to stare in the mirror.
Prayer:-
V Pray for the health and wellbeing of our King’s Kids Sponsor children in Indonesia. Willy is 8 and lives with his parents at a relative’s home. His favourite Bible passage is the story of Jacob and Esau. He asks for prayer for his family, Nia is 4 and lives with her mum, dad and sister Via. She asks for prayer for her sister, grandma, mum and dad.
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