Faith Filled Family Magazine September 2016 | Page 78

situation. But how do we get to
that point?
Confess
God asks us to confess. We
need to be aware of what we are
doing wrong. We need to admit
those wrong doings. We need to
bring them out of the darkness
and into the light. It is amazing, truly indescribable what can
happen when you bring things
into the light. The truth is, the
darkness is the devil’s playground, he has power there; a
power he does not have in the
light. By confessing our sin, we
take that power away. We bring
it into Jesus’s light, and although
that is scary and uncomfortable
and the light may shine down on
the cracks and brokenness; God
can work in that light.
1 John 1:9 If we confess our
sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse
us from all unrighteousness.
Repent
This is the key to it all. Repentance. The definition is: feel
or express sincere regret or
remorse about one’s wrongdoing
or sin and “to turn from evil, and
to turn to the good.” This is the
foundation of the act of repentance. It does not mean sin and
then confess and apologize and
then do it again. It is the act of
changing our behavior. It is turning from our sin and turning to
good, to Jesus, to following his
ways.
Luke 5:31-32 Jesus answered
them, “It is not the healthy who
need a doctor, but the sick. I
have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repen-

When God forgives us, he wipes
the slate clean. He does not use
Get Back Up
what we have done against us.
Life has a way of knocking us Once we decide to start followdown, especially when we are ing Christ, he says we are a new
trying to get back up. It is not easy creation. 2 Corinthians 5:17
to get back to the narrow path. says: Therefore, if anyone is in
We may have collected things Christ, he is a new creation. The
like addictions, bad habits, neg- old has passed away; behold,
ative people and environments the new has come. How amazing
along the way that can keep us is that, a new creation, a second
stuck on the bottom. God honors chance at getting it right, a new
each and every time we get back beginning. No matter what the
up after these falls. These are past contains, we can start again
moments that make us stronger when we choose to give our life
and able to withstand the tough over to God.
times.
God Uses our Everything for
Proverbs 24:16 for the righteous his Good, Even our Failures
falls seven times and rises again,
but the wicked stumble in times God always has a plan. Even if
of calamity
you were not walking with God
in the past, he still has a plan
Believe
for that time of your life. I have
a past, like we all do. It is not
We need to believe in Christ’s always a pretty past. I rebelled
power, in Christ’s forgiveness when I was a teen; I made many
and in his clean slate. It is very mistakes with sex, drugs, alcoeasy to say that God has for- hol, relationships, addictions
given us but our heart doesn’t etc. It could have taken over
believe it and we have not for- my life and I wouldn’t be here to
given ourselves. It is a place write this article. Thankfully I had
we need to come to with Christ people trusting in God in the sitto truly believe in the power of uation to keep me safe enough.
his forgiveness and what it truly As I brought my hurt, my pain,
means, that he wipes the slate my addictions, my past and my
clean and welcomes us back mess to the cross and cried out
into his arms. Our human minds for help, God saved me. The
have a difficult time wrapping our best part about it is what he has
head around this because we done with it. Not only did my
live in the sin of this world. We life change but now I am able to
seek revenge and justice rather change others and bring them
than forgiveness and grace.
to the cross too. God uses our
situations to help others. 2 CorJohn 5:24
inthians 1:4 says He comforts
Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever us in all our troubles so that we
hears my word and believes him can comfort others. When they
who sent me has eternal life. He are troubled, we will be able to
does not come into judgment, give them the same comfort God
but has passed from death to life has given us. He always has a
purpose and a plan. He never
tance.”