As I read the bible, apart from the glorious words of God's love and goodness I see, areas of my life, character and thought process that need changing or renewing instantly open up to me. I realize mistakes I might have made, errors of judgement and prideful thoughts that could have dictated my actions. Then I get excited, I get excited by the opportunity for improvement and growth the revelations present!
That grateful feeling of enlightenment can, however, be quickly replaced by feelings of shame, regret or failure if I do not immediately recognize and stop it.
God's word cleanses, convicts and corrects but glorious beauty of God's correction is that it never writes you off and most importantly, he never leaves you to do it alone.
"Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death."2 Corinthians 7:10 NIV
Godly remorse motivates a desire for change; the power for change, however, is contained in that very word of teaching and correction from the Lord.
"God’s word is alive and working. It is sharper than the sharpest sword and cuts all the way into us. It cuts deep to the place where the soul and the spirit are joined. God’s word cuts to the center of our joints and our bones. It judges the thoughts and feelings in our hearts" Hebrew 4:12 ERV
It is important to remember that the recreated Christian heart at it's core, ALWAYS wants to do right by God. As God's children, we have been given a heart of flesh - hearts that want to obey God, hearts that can follow his ways, hearts that desire to love him totally and truly. We want to do right, we want to live right and we CAN. How⁉️
As the Lord reminds me, the secret is to STOP TRYING!
The answer is to Trust and Obey.
1. Accept, i.e consent, to God's truth shown to you in the bible. Submit to it as your ultimate wisdom.
2. Trust God's power contained in his word to work any inward change required.
3. Obey the tugging (impressions) of the Holy spirit of God in your heart. He helps us by reminding us of the scriptures and gently directing our thoughts, words and actions when we find ourselves in vulnerable situations. His power is lovingly released to help us as we yield to his small, still voice of wisdom.
4. Never, EVER, condemn yourself but receive God's grace and forgiveness for any failings as you continue your walk in obedience and submission to his word.
We are God's church, He CAN and WILL build us up! :)
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