Day 40: I Messed Up

Proverbs 24:16 (MSG)

No matter how many times you trip them up, God-loyal people don’t stay down long; Soon they’re up on their feet,  while the wicked end up flat on their faces.

Romans 3:23

for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God

One thing about God’s people is that we don’t stay down long, God is always reaching down to pick us up when we fall. He dusts us off like the caring father He is and sets us right back on track. We will always get up from a fall, if we choose to do so. The best part about falling is getting back up again. Sometimes we fall so hard that getting up seems close to impossible but anything is possible with God.

How many times have we sinned after committing our lives to Christ? Don’t answer that, it was a rhetorical question, but the answer is, probably more than we’d like to admit. We are sinners saved by grace, and we are not perfect which why we are in constant need of grace. As Christians many of us have gone through a time where we’ve fallen away from our faith, we put our relationship with God on hold. If you’re like me and grew up in church, and was very involved in ministry at a young age, this ‘fall’ happened around the time you reached adulthood, when you tasted a glimpse of freedom.

I remember going through a time in my life, after my dad died, when I turned my back on God, while lying to myself and others because I had an image to uphold. I messed up, I went back to my old ways, I stopped going to church, I just no longer cared about having a relationship with God, until one morning conviction hit me like a hangover.

-Dyamond

Ephesians 1:7

In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace.

The thing about God is that His love, and grace is greater than our sin. There is no sin that His love does not overrule. He sent His Son, His only son, to die on a cross and save us from our sin; Jesus made a way for us to be redeemed. Through Him we are able to repent and receive forgiveness, even when we do mess up, and fall short, God is always waiting with open arms to receive us again. He gives us so many chances, far more than we deserve but He does it because He loves us, and He wants a relationship with us, even when we don’t want one with Him. The Lord our God is merciful and forgiving, even though we have rebelled against him; (Daniel 9:9)

Psalms 103:12

as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us

Micah 7:19

He will again have compassion on us; he will tread our iniquities underfoot. You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea.

WHen God forgives, He forgives. He throws our sins into the sea of forgetfulness, He remembers them no more. His compassion and love is greater than His anger. God does not dwell on the moments we fall short, and  He does not hold us down when we fall. In fact He does the opposite, He chooses to forget about our shortcomings, our wrongdoing, our sin. He picks us up and washes us clean and keeps us moving forward. I think sometimes as Christians we want God to punish us because we feel so bad about our sin and we want to get rid of the guilt. We feel so terrible when we turn away from God that we start to condemn ourselves in the name of Jesus. We must learn to let go of our sins the moment we lay them down at the feet of Jesus, let them go so that we don’t turn back to them and let the guilt go that came with them. John 3:17 states, “For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.” Jesus did not come down to earth to condemn the people for their sin and leave, He came to forgive them to save them from their sin and He did the same for us. Jesus is the one person in the world who could condemn us if He wanted to, but He doesn’t, He forgives us. He chooses to love us and take our sin upon Himself. If Jesus isn’t condemning us for our sin what gives us the right to do it to ourselves?

Jeremiah 24:7

'I will give them a heart to know Me, for I am the LORD; and they will be My people, and I will be their God, for they will return to Me with their whole heart.

We all have a heart for God, and when it’s in other places it just doesn’t sit right. I’ve said this before, but we all have a God shaped hole in our hearts and until we allow God into it, we will always be missing something. Our hearts will always find what it’s looking for, it won’t stop until it does. God is always holding a piece of our heart waiting for the rest to return to be made whole again. Our hearts are constantly searching for what’s missing. That hunger to be fulfilled, and complete, will always lead us back to God because He holds the missing piece, He is the missing piece.

Honestly, we’re going to mess up sometimes, we’re human, it’s in our nature. But we must always remember that no matter how far off we get, there is always room at the cross. No matter how deep we’ve fallen God is reaching to us, we just have to take His hand. We might fall but we don’t stay there, keep getting back up.

-Dyamond

Reflection

1. Do you tend to condemn or punish yourself when you fall?
2. If so, why?

Prayer Time

Go over the scriptures discussed today, and respond to God. Maybe you have fallen short or given up, we today is the opportunity to return to Him. It doesn’t matter how far off you think you are there is alway room at the cross. Maybe you’ve been here and know someone who's fallen short recently, lift them up in prayer. Take this time to confess and repent, whatever it may be that’s between you and God. Just respond to Him.

Take some time and sit in silence, if you feel the holy spirit tugging on your heart, respond to Him today.

If you made the choice to follow Christ, rededicate, or to submit your life to Him fully, Go to Romans 10:9-10

If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.

And repeat these few words,

Jesus I declare that you are my Lord and Saviour who died for my sin and was raised three days later. I repent of my sins and I give my life to you. I believe in my heart that you are the true living God. Thank you for saving me. In Jesus name, Amen.

Congratulations! The angels in heaven are rejoicing right now.

Have an amazing day, or night, I love you! Share this with someone, and Make sure you come back tomorrow for Day 41!

Day 39: You Are Not Alone

1 Peter 5:8-9

Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.  Stand firm against him, and be strong in your faith. Remember that your family of believers all over the world is going through the same kind of suffering you are.

Today is going to be short, sweet, and to the point. As I mentioned yesterday, we will face a lot of hard times in our lives, some will feel like the end of the world. One of the results of these hard times is feeling alone, feeling like no one else understands because they aren’t going through it. We sometimes get down and start to throw ourselves pity parties because we feel like we’re the only ones in the world who is facing this certain battle. We feel like no one else can relate to us, they don’t get it. They can’t tell us what to do because they’re not in our shoes. Maybe they aren’t now but they have been.

We as young people don’t like to show our faces when there less than perfect. What I mean by that is, when we are going through a rough time, we hide it, or we isolate ourselves. We either feel like we have to face it alone or we would rather face it on our own. We even try to hide from God, as if He doesn’t already know what’s going on.  

I can honestly say that I am guilty of this. I catch myself saying, even now, “I would rather go through it alone because I don’t want to bring anyone down with my mess.” I’ve been at a point in my life where all I did was feel sorry for myself because I felt no one understood what I was going through. I felt alone, and isolated myself because in my small little world of me, I was the only one who had troubles.

-Dyamond

As the body of Christ we do not have to suffer alone. One of the greatest comforts is knowing that no matter where we are, or what we’re going through God is always there. Even when we feel like we cannot turn to anyone, or no one will listen, God is always listening.

Though my father and mother forsake me, the LORD will receive me. (Psalms 27:10)

So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. (Isaiah 47:10)

Ephesians 6:18

In the same way, prayer is essential in this ongoing warfare. Pray hard and long. Pray for your brothers and sisters. Keep your eyes open. Keep each other's spirits up so that no one falls behind or drops out.

We are to pray for one another lift each other up. That’s what the body of Christ does. We rejoice together and we suffer together, (1 Cor. 12:24-26) you are not alone. Know that there is someone praying for you. Always.

There are two main points that I want to communicate to you today:

1. You’re not the only one going through what you’re going through. I know it feels that way but people have been where you are. People are in the same place you are. many people have walked the path you are on, find comfort in the fact that it doesn’t last forever.
2. You are not alone (I can’t stress this enough). This is why community is so important. When we go through hard times we tend to isolate ourselves, but you don’t have to do it alone. We cannot pick up your cross and carry it for you, but we can pick it up and  help (Matt. 27:32). We can pray, we can give you a shoulder, and we can just be there (Job 2:13). The body of Christ must stick together. You are not alone. Remember that.
   
   

Reflection

Today just write a response, take the time to write down what you’re feeling, you might be feeling alone, and you might be in the family, but know that your brothers and sisters are rooting for you, we’re praying for you, and God is right there with you. We love you.

Prayer Time

Reveal to God whatever is on your heart today. Talk to Him about it, find comfort in His arms and rest in His peace. Know that you are love, and no matter where you are God is never far away, He’s is always as close as you allow Him to be.

Maybe you’re not feeling alone or going through a hard time right now, pray for your brothers and sisters who are, lift them up. If you know them personally pray with them, let them know that you are always there.

I love you, have and AMAZING day. Tell someone you love them today and mean it. Make sure you come back tomorrow for Day 40!