What is forgiveness?

I have experienced forgiveness before from God, but sometimes it can make me complacent in my own mind and it becomes more of a distant, watered down gift from God. But indeed it should not be seen that way. Many of us take forgiveness for granted as I have. I continue to pursue thoughts and feelings because they make me feel good about myself when in essence they are destroying my soul and my relationship with God. I need to take time to realize how disappointed God has been with me lately. I have been, once again, running my own life and experiencing those empty sinful pleasures that eat away at my heart. Satan doesn't spend as much time tempting non believers as he does believers because he already has them in his grasp. He places more of his effort into destroying what Christians have been building up since the creation of man. He will take a Christian and tempt them 100 fold than someone who is not a Christian. We as Christians need to be aware of that. It is the difference between following God or disappointing Him. I don't know about you, but when I disappoint God and realize I am doing it I become very ashamed of myself. Today was a day of asking for forgiveness and turning away from the sinful pleasures I have been choosing over God. When you ask for forgiveness you need to use the following steps:

First, God wants a broken heart and a contrite spirit. In other words, be humble and approach God with humility.

Second, tell God the whole story. He already knows what happened, but He wants to hear it from your lips. And you can't lie to God because He already knows the truth.

Thirdly, don't condemn others for God will bring condemnation back to you four fold: in 2 Samuel 12:1-7a David is confronted by Nathan about a story of a rich man who robbed the poor man of his one ewe. David condemned the man to death and stated he should pay back four fold what he took from the poor man. Nathan was talking about David robbing Uriah of Bathsheba and having Uriah killed in battle. David knew he had been discovered. The following verses talk about the deaths of David's four sons: 2 Samuel 12:14; 13:28, 18:14-15; and 1 Kings 2:24-25.

God will truly forgive you when you tell Him what you have done wrong and ask for forgiveness. Be sure to remember the Jesus' plea in Mathew 7:1-5: Don't judge lest you be judged. Do not talk about the speck in your brother's eye until you remove the plank from your own eye.

God's Unconditional Love

After my divorce in 2006, I began living my life the way I wanted to without thinking of the consequences of my actions. I was upset at God for allowing me to go through the pain of marriage to someone I wasn't supposed to be married to in the first place. I felt free as a bird once the divorce was finalized. It wasn't too soon after I began my wild lifestyle, that I realized I wasn't being me. I put on a mask, a facade if you will, of what I thought was my personality. The love of my Heavenly Father shown through my parents and my friends and at point I came to my senses. I began to change how I was approaching divorced life. Since I hadn't discussed my feelings with no one but my family I bottled up everything and it started affecting my work to the point that I could have been placed on probation. I had to seek a counselor through the Employee Assistance Program at Vanderbilt. After talking with a person outside my family, I began to realize I wasn't trusting in God to take away the pain and suffering. I didn't allow Him to wrap His loving arms around me and hold me while I was hurting. I felt that I could never face Him again because of how I know feels about divorce. Once again my friends and family came through for me and helped me take blame off myself and start living my life in a positive manner.

God places individuals in your life for a reason. To give you comfort and assurance that He is in control of everything and wants you to relinquish control of your life over to Him. Trust in the omnipotent and omniscient God to carry you in times of hardship and pain!

Love you all and hope this post is as moving to you as it was to me!

Your Character

I read an email sent to me from a great person who I have come to admire for her love of Christ and willingness to draw closer to Him. It was about an interview with Rick Warren about his life, his wife's battle with cancer, and his book sales. In the interview he mentions that God is not concerned about what we do in life but about our character and how we develop it. He states that we are human beings not human doings. We should strive each and every day to improve our character through each trial and tribulation you face. God will give you tests which will help establish the kind of character you have and to help improve your character to become more Christ like which is what He wants from us in eternity.

Love in Christ,

John

Cliche alert: Life isn't easy!

There are so many people I know who think they have life pegged or figured out if you will. They make the wrong decisions thinking their father, mother, or friends will bail them out. This is perplexing to me. Why be so stubborn? The only answer I have for that question is they don't want to let God take control of their lives. They want to spend all their money, rush into situations with only tunnel vision, or think they know everything and do not need to rely on the omniscient God. I have news for you brothers and sisters: that will only lead to heartache and headache. Heed my warning when I say let God control your life. He made you and knows you better than any human being would ever know. I know it seems impossible to give control to someone you cannot see. That is where faith comes in. You feel the breeze but yet you cannot see it. Why not let the King of the Universe show you the path you need to take. "Be still and know I am God" says Psalm 46:10.

Let me tell you about my struggle with giving up control to God. I have always been an independent individual. I wanted to control my own life. I wouldn't even let my parents tell me what I needed to do for my own benefit. Stubborness was my rebellion against my parents. I still have those tendencies to want to control the outcomes of my life. When I started going to college and hung out with some amazing Christian friends who were great influences to me I realized I needed to change my perspective and relinquish full control of my life over to God. I have met more friends along the road that have inspired me to follow God's path for my life. I love each and every one of them for their compassion they have shown me and being advocates for my spiritual life.

When you give God the reigns of your life He will pour out blessings you cannot even imagine. Remember, this does not mean life will be easy. Life will always be difficult because we live in a sinful world. Giving Him control means you will have a better life, one filled with amazing beauty and splendor.