We've been tip-toeing around Revelation 2 discovering some amazing secrets to overcoming.
Secret #1- Overcoming is possible.
Secret #2-Remember your first love. (The comments from this post are a treasure!)
Secret #3-Send your prayers and praises of God ahead to fight for you.
Secret #4- Repent.
Revelation 2:5, "Remember the height from which you have fallen! Repent..."
Often when we hear the word repent, we think of seeking forgiveness for a big moral failure. I think repentance stretches beyond what we consider big sins. Repentance is admitting we have not pursued God's best in an area and being willing to turn in a better direction.
It's not easy.
It's not fun.
It takes us to humble places we feel very justified in avoiding.
I believe repentance is the hardest step.
Just the word makes many a person of faith shrink back, recoil, and settle for less than what we're ever supposed to be. I dare say refusing to repent is the very thing that makes people get stuck and stop growing.
"But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who believe and are saved" Hebrews 10:39.
Last night I got an e-mail from a friend who'd recently connected with an old boyfriend over face book. What started out as fun catching up, soon went places it shouldn't. While no physical lines had been crossed, her heart was being drawn into a dangerous place. The thrill of his compliments were a tough comparison to the hardships she'd been facing in her marriage.
She felt herself shrinking back from her husband, God, and the truths she'd built her life on.
But if we shrink back from truth, things that used to be so clear start to dim, fade, and get hidden in the darkness of Satan's whispers. Justifications will lead to sin, and sin always carries with it destruction.
Repentance is like flipping the light on. Satan flees. Things become more clear. Sin is seen for what it is. Further destruction can be avoided.
My friend had to repent. Turn from what was not God's best to fight for her marriage- her family.
I've had to repent.
As most of you know this past year, I've been tackling my food issues. I'll admit I didn't really think I needed to repent. I blamed some of the emotional emptiness that led me to want to fill myself with food, on issues from my childhood. I'm guest posting over at "The Lettered Cottage" today talking about how God is helping repair some of what was broken with my Dad.
(You'll love cruising around this delightful sight hosted by two friends whose pictures can be found next to three words in the dictionary- swanky, handy, and smart. Seriously.)
But at some point, I had to stop blaming and take personal responsibility for my choices. I had to say, I do not pursue God's best with my food choices. I am turning from my old habits not just to try and lose weight but because I want to be healthy spiritually, mentally and physically.
I want to overcome.
And at some point along this journey, I finally wanted it enough to take the hardest step.
Repent.
What about you my friend? Does this stir anything inside you? I'd love to hear your thoughts.
By the way, my car temp thingy says it's 11 degrees in North Carolina this morning. Is that legal? I think not. Happy Monday!
Secret #1- Overcoming is possible.
Secret #2-Remember your first love. (The comments from this post are a treasure!)
Secret #3-Send your prayers and praises of God ahead to fight for you.
Secret #4- Repent.
Revelation 2:5, "Remember the height from which you have fallen! Repent..."
Often when we hear the word repent, we think of seeking forgiveness for a big moral failure. I think repentance stretches beyond what we consider big sins. Repentance is admitting we have not pursued God's best in an area and being willing to turn in a better direction.
It's not easy.
It's not fun.
It takes us to humble places we feel very justified in avoiding.
I believe repentance is the hardest step.
Just the word makes many a person of faith shrink back, recoil, and settle for less than what we're ever supposed to be. I dare say refusing to repent is the very thing that makes people get stuck and stop growing.
"But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who believe and are saved" Hebrews 10:39.
Last night I got an e-mail from a friend who'd recently connected with an old boyfriend over face book. What started out as fun catching up, soon went places it shouldn't. While no physical lines had been crossed, her heart was being drawn into a dangerous place. The thrill of his compliments were a tough comparison to the hardships she'd been facing in her marriage.
She felt herself shrinking back from her husband, God, and the truths she'd built her life on.
But if we shrink back from truth, things that used to be so clear start to dim, fade, and get hidden in the darkness of Satan's whispers. Justifications will lead to sin, and sin always carries with it destruction.
Repentance is like flipping the light on. Satan flees. Things become more clear. Sin is seen for what it is. Further destruction can be avoided.
My friend had to repent. Turn from what was not God's best to fight for her marriage- her family.
I've had to repent.
As most of you know this past year, I've been tackling my food issues. I'll admit I didn't really think I needed to repent. I blamed some of the emotional emptiness that led me to want to fill myself with food, on issues from my childhood. I'm guest posting over at "The Lettered Cottage" today talking about how God is helping repair some of what was broken with my Dad.
(You'll love cruising around this delightful sight hosted by two friends whose pictures can be found next to three words in the dictionary- swanky, handy, and smart. Seriously.)
But at some point, I had to stop blaming and take personal responsibility for my choices. I had to say, I do not pursue God's best with my food choices. I am turning from my old habits not just to try and lose weight but because I want to be healthy spiritually, mentally and physically.
I want to overcome.
And at some point along this journey, I finally wanted it enough to take the hardest step.
Repent.
What about you my friend? Does this stir anything inside you? I'd love to hear your thoughts.
By the way, my car temp thingy says it's 11 degrees in North Carolina this morning. Is that legal? I think not. Happy Monday!
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